How much should a Foreman earn?

[5 shires]

£45000 a year PAYE is lunacy for a job that takes about a month to qualify for. That's relatively senior civil engineer money. A sense of perspective is required I think chaps. I think if Beechwood is offering up to £30k a year plus benefits, he should have no problems filling the vacancy. PAYE is a very different kettle of fish to self employed.

 

That's the point,he can't find anyone with the package he's offering. And with all due respect I doubt he would want someone who has been qualified for just a month. Most of us have been doing it for many years and have good work and people skills. Don't derail this tread please. The guy ask a simple question about what to pay someone and nothing to do with training time.thanks:thumbdown:

[Ian Leach]

Sounds a great job offer to me.

 

Surely you need to provide kit as an employer 5 shires , I don't know anyone who pays what your saying for an employed person .

[5 shires]

Sounds a great job offer to me.

 

Surely you need to provide kit as an employer 5 shires , I don't know anyone who pays what your saying for an employed person .

 

Me either but he can't find anyone so was just offering a bit of advice as to try something different to attract the kind of person he's looking for. And he did say subbies around his area are gharging £190 and some cases £250 a day so he needs to mchainsaw that to get someone.

[5 shires]

Me either but he can't find anyone so was just offering a bit of advice as to try something different to attract the kind of person he's looking for. And he did say subbies around his area are gharging £190 and some cases £250 a day so he needs to mchainsaw that to get someone.

 

That should have read, he needs to match that to attract someone.

[treequip]

I run a AAAC in Berkshire/Oxfordshire and I have been trying to employ 3 new Foreman over the last couple of months but have had a very few responses.

Only 1 good one who is coming for trial in new year.

 

Despite offering what I thought was a good package

PAYEE

£100-140per day (8hr day (7on site 1in yard)) (dependent on ability and qualifications)

20 days holiday plus Bank holidays

Paid driving hours to and from site

Mobile phone allowance and Climbing kit allowance

All PPE and company clothing provided

Bonus scheme for extra works completed

 

Before I re advertised I wanted to gauge the opinion of Arbtalk about what wages are expected

 

So for an average foreman on the books with min 3+years of experience running a crew and min 30/31/38/39/chipper hopefully with 32/41/MEWP/CSCS/1stAid/Streetworks/formal ARB qualification

 

What would you pay/expect to be paid?

And where in the country are you?

 

I think the pay is on the money (no pun intended) , but if it were looking for a job there are a couple of things in your advert that would give me cause for thought.

 

A foremans job is a supervisor, what you seem to be looking for is a climber who can set up a job and supervise while doing the climbing. Now there are plenty of sole trader arbs out there who do that as a daily grind but its a big ask for a PAYE bloke, so if that is what you are looking for you might have to dig a bit deeper financially.

 

A couple of other points that stand out and seem at odds, climbing kit allowance? As an employer you have to buy that anyhow, same with PPE. Potential employees begin to assess the employer while reading the advert and those points will stand out. Just my thoughts

[timbernut]

That seems like good pay package to me and I know lots of self employed peeps who work for £100-£140 a day without holidays etc.

A foreman is not a supervisor though: supervisor is not generally involved in the physical work whereas a foreman is the lead worker and leads by example!

[beechwood]

Me either but he can't find anyone so was just offering a bit of advice as to try something different to attract the kind of person he's looking for. And he did say subbies around his area are gharging £190 and some cases £250 a day so he needs to mchainsaw that to get someone.

 

 

I said Subbie climbers are charging between £150-190 and in some cases £250.

And your probably right I do need to compete with this.

[agg221]

A foremans job is a supervisor, what you seem to be looking for is a climber who can set up a job and supervise while doing the climbing. Now there are plenty of sole trader arbs out there who do that as a daily grind but its a big ask for a PAYE bloke, so if that is what you are looking for you might have to dig a bit deeper financially.

 

A couple of other points that stand out and seem at odds, climbing kit allowance? As an employer you have to buy that anyhow, same with PPE. Potential employees begin to assess the employer while reading the advert and those points will stand out. Just my thoughts

 

I think these are good points. A few thoughts, not based on arb, but I have made 6 recruitments this year and over 30 in the past 6yrs. Apologies if some of it is obvious.

 

In determining the salary, have you worked out what you expect them to earn you? If you work out expected number of days out earning x daily charge-out rate then this equals the maximum you -could- give as a renumeration package (salary + NI + pension contribution if you are in the threshold number of heads + any allowances). If you then work out the margin you want, it tells you the maximum you -want- to pay, which will inform the level at which you pitch the advert.

 

As a role with supervisory responsibility, ie pitching it as a step up, I would quote the annual salary first (maybe with a day rate in brackets afterwards, although you would hope anyone applying could work this out!). Similarly, I would quote it as a 40hr week, rather than daily, as it gives an impression of seniority.

 

You are quoting quite a wide range on the salary. Is this basically to try to attract someone, or because you can see different ways the job can be done, based on experience? Perhaps add a bullet-point list of expected responsibilities to make it clear what you are wanting them to do and the experience you are looking for, and make it clear what is essential and what is desired.

 

As this is career progression, you are looking for someone with ambition, so I would comment on the potential for further career progression. I wouldn't be specific in the advert, but would be ready to discuss this at interview. In my field, I find it is usually best to let the candidate describe their interests in this direction and be open minded about whether it could be useful. For example, if you have someone who expresses an interest in progressing into surveying, and this is something you don't currently offer, it could be mutually beneficial. This would make one candidate favourable over another who said they want to go straight off and set up in competition to you in 2yrs!

 

Alec

Edited December 22, 2014 by agg221

[beechwood]

I think the pay is on the money (no pun intended) , but if it were looking for a job there are a couple of things in your advert that would give me cause for thought.

 

 

 

A foremans job is a supervisor, what you seem to be looking for is a climber who can set up a job and supervise while doing the climbing. Now there are plenty of sole trader arbs out there who do that as a daily grind but its a big ask for a PAYE bloke, so if that is what you are looking for you might have to dig a bit deeper financially.

 

 

 

A couple of other points that stand out and seem at odds, climbing kit allowance? As an employer you have to buy that anyhow, same with PPE. Potential employees begin to assess the employer while reading the advert and those points will stand out. Just my thoughts

 

 

Thanks for your input

Your right I do see a foreman as someone who takes charge of a job and is generally the lead climber

 

The climbing kit thing is probably a debate for another thread but we looked at it a couple of years back as every LOLER inspection we seemed to be missing kit, every climber wanted a different harness/set up (sometimes only a couple of months after having been brought a new one). After much discussion we came to the conclusion that yes it's PPE hence we now pay an allowance and everyone can buy what they want, as long as they have a basic kit.

Each crew truck has an AR kit in it for grounds staff to use incase of emergency.

[Hodge]

Hodge where are you based?

 

Subbie climbers around here are charging £150-190 and some cases £250!!

I prefer to have regular guys on the books so I can plan my schedule and my customers get used to familiar faces.

 

Come on what's your opinion on the going rate in your area?

 

 

I'm in Cumbria, i couldn't tell you that hat an employed Forman of a tree gang get round here but I doubt it would be what your paying. Yours seem a hell of a good wage. £36k that's a bloody good wage. You have to ask yourself what the people are on that are looking at your job and turning it down.