poor pay

[Robert_S]

Where the hell is that 'Happy, joyful, world full of wonder..' thread, quick!

 

Its like that old fast show sketch with the artist; 'BLACK!! BLACKNESS EVERYWHERE!! #trashes easel off edge of beautiful forest waterfall, kicks pack-up into river# ARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!! THE BLACKNESS COMES!! #cut to old lady, scene left# 'Oh Johnny no!, stay away from the darkness!'

 

Times are pretty bad but lets just knuckle down and get on with it! The light at the end of the tunnel is only a train 2 times in 10!

 

:lol: that was a brilliant sketch from the fast show.

 

"what's for dinner mummy, maggots on toast"

[felixthelogchopper]

:lol: that was a brilliant sketch from the fast show.

 

"what's for dinner mummy, maggots on toast"

 

'Not now, Johnny'

[will.morris]

It's a vicious circle though! If I posted up some of the private jobs I've done in my own time and the money I charged I'd get slated massively by members on here saying that I'm crippling the industry, this is my way of 'just getting on with it' ... but come sit on my side of the fence and suggest a realistic way of me staying in arb in this country without doing this!

[Andy Collins]

Just read your Signature, Will, good one

[Tom10]

It's a vicious circle though! If I posted up some of the private jobs I've done in my own time and the money I charged I'd get slated massively by members on here saying that I'm crippling the industry, this is my way of 'just getting on with it' ... but come sit on my side of the fence and suggest a realistic way of me staying in arb in this country without doing this!

 

Do the same job but charge more?

 

I know what you mean, but your shooting yourself in the foot, as well as any other company pricing that same job sensibly and properly.

[Kennedy]

Think every district of the country has different wage needs depending on living costs but £7.50 per hour sounds not bad to me. Might even be tempted to apply..... What rates do you think should be offered???? Anyone else self employed working for the same or even less????

[will.morris]

I don't have the professional appearance to do that though; if I'm only a bit cheaper than a professional company then people would'nt choose me. I'm only talking about the odd job here and there, "my nan wants her 30ft sycamore reduced" etc, so not saying I regularly go out and do work silly cheap, just enough to keep me going to invest in equipment/tickets/rent. Of course I'd love to charge more but in reality I probably would'nt get the work. Anyway it's a pee in the ocean, I've probably done 6 private jobs in the last 12 monthes. Reading back some of my posts I realise I sound incredibly pessimistic lol but I just accept how it is for someone in my position and it's not meant as a grumble, hence why I've gone about doing all I can to boost my career elsewhere.

 

Thanks Andy

[Mark Gibbens]

Sadly too many people want to be in arb, it is a lifestyle choice for everyone, the groundie, the climber, the gaffer or the boss. People on here employing 15 guys, £100,000's of kit would earn more running another business. The camadraderie of arbtalk is a symptom of a happy industry full of athletic, skilled, trained and most of all fulfilled people. If more people left the industry to pursue more lucrative careers then rates would go up! Be happy doing what you are doing or try and move on and do something else. Read everything above there are 100's of years of good advice there! Good luck

[Stereo]

Don't kid yourselves too much. There are a LOT of other business sectors in exactly the same boat as Arb. Everyone's saying 'Hold your prices' but there's no jobs coming in and the leccy bill needs paying.

 

It's the same all over at the moment I'm afraid.

[Mark Bolam]

Not everyone is badly off, there are plenty of people out there who are recession proof. Look at the amount of Range Rovers driving about.

 

Anyone working for buttons won't be in the game long, that's for sure.

 

People think they can work cheap because they don't have a truck or chipper. The truth is they can't compete with people who have.

 

I really feel sorry for those trying to break into the industry at the minute.

 

Not least because they have to listen to advice from old-timers who got in earlier before it became totally saturated.

 

There are also far too many false expectations about what the job actually entails.