change of career

[Rich 38]

I would prefer to work for someone it like flogging a dead horse can't see it getting any better any time got no chance of the 120 a day of old

[Rupe]

If you are self employed then does that mean you get your plastering jobs and charge the customer, or are you stuck working for one person on day rate?

 

Same thing goes on in tree work, so if you spend 1-2K on training and kit you could end up self employed stuck with a tree firm on £70 a day with no hope and wonderign why you bothered.

 

The better money is either in the form of a wage from a decent firm or self employed/freelance workign for various firms and demandign high day rate but you have to the best of the best for that to really work and theres no job security in it.

 

Ultimatly you need to be the kind of person who can go out and get work, either from the public or from other firms, and it should be just as easy/hard to do that in any trade, they are all suffering these days and yet the best folk are still making a living.

 

So, if you cant do it with plastering can you do it with a new trade?

 

I'm not trying to put you off, but I've known some top rate plasterers and they earn good money with a fraction of the cost on kit that we have to have.

 

If I was as good at plastering as I am at tree work (I'm not that great but its my trade) then I reckon I would be making higher profit margins than I am now.

 

Remember its not what you earn a day, its how much of it you have left for yourself that matters.

 

What do you need to provide in order to get £60 a day plastering? Your probably on more money than an £80 a day groundie that has to provide PPE and maybe a saw etc.

[Stephen Blair]

Buy a lawn more, strimmer and some hand tools and a little trailer for your car and get yourselfs known out and about, then progress into tree work, start off cutting hedges,mourning shrubs and take it from the.

Good luck.

[Rich 38]

Yea get my own job and charge customer. Yes tool out lay is little only wear and tear.I can price at 120 but you just get under cut. True I'm working for a plasterers labourer s wage but you can't live on nothing so I'm just thinking of other thing s I could perhap s learn .is it possible to get a chance as a groundie with chain saw tickets and a chipper ticket?

[Stephen Blair]

How do you promote yourself and advertise in your current trade?

[Rich 38]

Word of mouth paper s to expensive . To be fair I've earned good money in the past .just feel s right to get out of it while I'm still young enough

[Rupe]

Getting out might well be the best thing, only you know that. I was just trying to say that all trades are the same, and if someone can succeed in one then they could do it in others, and on the other hand some people will struggle whatever trade they are in.

 

Tree work though has greater rewards than just money, in fact the money is the worst part of it, and it must be the most expensive trade in terms of the cost of kit and training?

 

If anyone can think of a more expensive semi skilled trade (yeah, I know "semi-skilled" we have this converstaion before) to be in then I would like to know as I cant think of any?

 

And people are drawn to it as a way of making more money, thats the weird thing. In your opening post you said you want to earn more a day, but would you be happy spending so much on kit that after your earnings you will have less than you do now?

 

People should only go into tree work if they want to work outside in all weathers with trees AND have very little to show for it other than pile of very expensive kit that all needs replacing.

[likeitorlumpit]

I'm paying a plasterer and his mate £250 for a days work- they are quick though and good. You'll never get that for a few years in tree work and when you do- you'll be too old to work hard enough- (not always mind)

[john p]

i think when im 38 i willbe thinking of changing trade!its old to be starting out IMO,but very best of luck to you

[Minotaur]

Rich 28

 

where abouts in the UK are you? I'm in Se London/Kent area, and work is the worst it has ever been down here. Can't believe how bad a start to a year its been - truly hope the rest of 2012 is not like this coz if it is I'll end up homeless.

Its just starting to pick up, so fingers crossed.

 

Like the guys above have said, its expensive to get all the tickets/training, there is trully a hell of a lot to learn and the kit will cost you a packet - let alone a truck and poss a chipper?!

 

Keep looking for more plastering work , look further afield and also try out with a local firm and/or maybe for one of the lads on here.

 

Good luck.