Experienced Groundie Rates

[eggsarascal]

£140/day is £700/week top of his ticket plus holidays etc ain't bad money up north. That's where I'd want to be with the OP's experience and tickets.

[Mark Bolam]

Big difference between want and get mate.

 

 

[eggsarascal]

7 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Big difference between want and get mate.

 

 

Yep, with 10 years experience, leading a team with those tickets warrants £16.50/hour imo. Wether he can get it is a different thing. Based on an 8 n half hour day.

[Puffingbilly413]

1 hour ago, Wonky said:

Just a bit of clarification, do you have any numbers after the bit where it says you can drive up to 12t combo truck and trailer.  Ie 107

That's what I have on mine I think - ie it reduces you to what 8.5 tonne?  Unless you get the test done fresh of course.

[openspaceman]

3 minutes ago, Puffingbilly413 said:

That's what I have on mine I think - ie it reduces you to what 8.5 tonne?  Unless you get the test done fresh of course.

7.5+0.75=8.25 with the 107 note

[Ian C]

You can only pay staff what your business can afford and, you can only win work by being competitive it’s as simple as that, 40k for a groundy or even a climber is dream money, there are simply too many people at it and too many people who are basically glorified gardeners that end up de valuing the industry. My wife is a senior sister (nhs) with 30 yrs in with a degree in her specialty who isn’t on 40k, one of the guys who works for me is ex paramedic who did 12 hour shifts inc nights who was in 35k so a tree man in this day and age when everyone who can cut a tree is a tree surgeon ain’t going to get 40k in the books!

 

 

[Puffingbilly413]

As others have already commented, talking about day rates v salary can confuse and skew things. 

 

A salaried employee is (should) get the benefits of employers NI plus company pension, sick pay, etc etc.  That goes a long way.

 

Freelance on the other hand you have to worry about all that yourself plus other running costs hence the pro rata higher day rate.

 

And then there's before and after tax when comparing a day rate - know what you're discussing to be able to gauge it properly.

 

I have to pay non-arb groundstaff £120 a day (Scotland).  Climbers £150-180 +.  I don't begrudge it, just need to factor it into the quoting.  But yes it can be tricky.

 

[Puffingbilly413]

4 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

7.5+0.75=8.25 with the 107 note

Was close your honour.

[Paddy1000111]

I know it's freelance but I have an older guy who works his ass off dragging brash, shifting logs and tidying up etc and I pay him £130 a day. He has no tickets so can't log stuff but when I come down out the tree I can take my harness off, cut any big bits and we can go home. Most days we're done by 2/3 because it's seamless when I'm working with him so it's worth every penny. If you're getting less than £100 a day as a team leader that ain't on. 

 

Back to employed I would take £130-£140 a day. Lets face it, at that point in your career with all the tickets and experience you shouldn't be working your ass off for that, as in, you shouldn't be scrubbing around on the ground dragging brash but leading a team, driving equipment, doing all the stuff you expect the older guy at work to do. 262 working days a year so that's £34,060 to £36,680 with holiday, sick pay etc seems fair to me and pretty on par with what you would expect a manager to earn. This industry is crying out for experienced guys. Lots of teens fresh out of college that give it a go and can't ride the shit at the start so move off somewhere else. This industry is heading for a pay rise. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Paddy1000111

[Mark Bolam]

Doctors start on about £40k after a 6 year degree.

We aren’t doctors.

 

I’m all for more money for everyone, but the only way to earn a small fortune in arb is to start with a large one!