View Full Version : So that'll be the end of my career then!
Since the recession started, ive managed to hold onto a handful of my clients which got me through the bills with the work I got through them.
This week, two bombshells were dropped which have pretty much rendered me clientless. One of my clients bombed out completely, luckily only weeks after paying my last invoice. This was a big AV company, and the resultant backlash is has released an absolute sh1te load of competent AV engineers onto the market all scrabbling for work. Its basically overnight caused a massive bidding war with all the companies left.
My second client, basically my favourite for which i did the lift simulator at Alton towers with, the simulator at Nurburg, as well as loads of rear projection work all over the world, called me today to ask if I could drop my rate for a job coming up in Cyprus. To cut a long story short, I have cut my rate with them 3 times over the last 6 months. This massive influx of engineers has driven the going rate down so much the latest offer is one im going to have to decline as its just not worth it anymore, especially when you couple it to the fact I dont have this other client anymore to bolster up my income. I also have my pride. i happen to think I am very good at what I do, and I refuse to have to make do with what a junior engineer just starting in the industry would have been paid this time a few years ago.
I have one small client left who is an old friend and an electrician, who I pull cables for now and again, but that work will be nowhere near what I need to survive.
So what I intend to do next is go off on a complete tangent, and im probably going to train to become a driving instructor, with the aim of having my own car working for myself in 2 or 3 years. Unfortunately it means being raped by the big driving schools for a few years, but people will always want to learn to drive, so hopefully if the market recovers, I wont be as screwed next time round. Added bonus is my stepdad has been there and done that and is now an examiner, so I have plenty of good advise availiable :) Only real hurdles may be my heavily loaded liscence, but im sure ill get around a few SP30's.
Onwards and upwards and all that.
Oh, and no, I do not intend fitting duel controls into a Nova lol
thats a bit crap to here dude. not good.
and possibly two driving instructors on the site lol
hope the career change goes well for you
**** man thats an epic bummer, good to see youve considered your options and have a plan on the table already, i wish you the best of luck with it and you never know you could do a club discount on png driving lessons lol
.
and possibly two driving instructors on the site lol
Good job you're not in my area or Id have to get you killed lol
Sorry to hear mate. :(
As you know, everyone is having to tighten their belts ATM. It's good that you're not sitting around feeling sorry for yourself though - as you have every right to!
Best of luck with the new career path!
Crap news on the lack of work but pretty much what limp said :)
and I think he means shaun o donnell Lee lol If not that makes 3.
Bonus points for turning up in a 2.0 ITB'd nova with an L plate on top :d
Aye I thought he meant Shaun O'Donnell too! So cancel the hit lol
LOL @ Nova learner car, NCAP rating??? Oh dear. lol
Sorry to hear mate. :(
As you know, everyone is having to tighten their belts ATM. It's good that you're not sitting around feeling sorry for yourself though - as you have every right to!
!
Its actually a relief. When I started out on my own I was fighting off work with a massive stick. The last year or so Ive been lucky to get good work here and there, but ive constantly worried about a hole in my diary opening up and swallowing me. I obviously didnt realise how stressed I was about it, because now the umbilical has been cut its like a weight has been lifted!
Crap news on the lack of work but pretty much what limp said :)
and I think he means shaun o donnell Lee lol If not that makes 3.
Bonus points for turning up in a 2.0 ITB'd nova with an L plate on top :d
correct lol
LOL @ Nova learner car, NCAP rating??? Oh dear. lol
Track nova though, imagine the first lesson! Let the clutch up gently, there's no springs in that uprated paddle... lol Now reel in the power gently til your foots flat to the floor, try and get into 2nd before the roundabout and keep the power down to avoid the oversteer.. :d
dave.gsi
28-09-09, 11:44 PM
FACT....
all driving instructors are fat.......
get a gym membership cos all those hours sitting on your ass perving over young girls and eating junk food will catch up with you lol
TL;DR
What's an AV thingy?
**** news.
We have just had the 'you probably won't have a job after Christmas' emails go round.
I was thinking of becoming a professional Fleshlight tester and Hula-Hoop taster. I can do these jobs at the same time and as long as the salt doesn't go where it shouldn't I don't see a problem.
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Fester again. :( lol
gutted to hear it lee , i know that you have been cutting back for a while now and for it to fall aprt around is a bummer , but the best of luck with whatever you decide to do next mate we are all behind you :thumb:
Thats rubbish :( but good call on the driving instructing. :) I plan to do that when i get bored of crawling up the M5
Welsh Dan
29-09-09, 07:53 AM
Good luck Lee.
Any L plates on the Vito gen?
robertdevlin69
29-09-09, 08:23 AM
bad luck man
keep the head up and good luck in the future
FACT....
all driving instructors are fat.......
get a gym membership cos all those hours sitting on your ass perving over young Boys and eating junk food will catch up with you lol
edited for accuracy
Harsh luck,i know exactly how you feel mate.My business has just died and its awful.This recession is fukkin sh1t.I cant get a job doing my regular trade so im having to settle for whatever i can.Im absolutely fed up of it all. Also ive noticed that employers that still have work are advertising for jobs and nobody wants to pay more than 6.50 round here as they know they will have a hoard of folk desperate for work who will take anything at any rate.
Makes me sick that,its a cunnts trick.
Harsh luck,i know exactly how you feel mate.My business has just died and its awful.This recession is fukkin sh1t.I cant get a job doing my regular trade so im having to settle for whatever i can.Im absolutely fed up of it all. Also ive noticed that employers that still have work are advertising for jobs and nobody wants to pay more than 6.50 round here as they know they will have a hoard of folk desperate for work who will take anything at any rate.
Makes me sick that,its a cunnts trick.
are you telling me that as an employer (being hit by the same problems eevryone else is) that you wouldnt try to reduce costs by offering lower rates knowing that you will still get staff?
But thats the sort of thing whats making the economy worse,as folk dont have money to spend because of sh1te paid jobs...Therefore how and when can things ever get better?
Some i agree do need to make cuts,but there will be some who arent as affected but take advantage anyway.
Best wishes with the instructing Lee. I hope you enjoy it and I'm sure you'll do well :thumb:
But thats the sort of thing whats making the economy worse,as folk dont have money to spend because of sh1te paid jobs...Therefore how and when can things ever get better?
Some i agree do need to make cuts,but there will be some who arent as affected but take advantage anyway.
so you'd sooner see hundreds of companies bankrupt (with lots of people out of work) than some paying less (and still a decent amount in most cases) wages to keep running? Those companies that arent as affected will be the first to come out of it rosy and up the salaries as they will be in the best market position to do shizzle and recruit more.
The 80's recession recovered ;) all previous ones recovered ;) this one will.. you just need to tough it out as Lee and many of us have, and diversifying.
Harsh luck,i know exactly how you feel mate.My business has just died and its awful.This recession is fukkin sh1t.I cant get a job doing my regular trade so im having to settle for whatever i can.Im absolutely fed up of it all. Also ive noticed that employers that still have work are advertising for jobs and nobody wants to pay more than 6.50 round here as they know they will have a hoard of folk desperate for work who will take anything at any rate.
Makes me sick that,its a cunnts trick.
its comments like "im not working for £xx per hour" that are fcking things up, £6.50 an hour is better than dole money and when jobs are 10 a penny again who are employers more likely to consider, the guy whos worked for the last year or the guy sat on his **** for 18months not a dig at you andy just the general lazy ass british public in general, no wonder so many foreighners are getting work
as stuart said everything will recover, look back through time and you'll see economics rise and fall
smcgsi16v
29-09-09, 05:59 PM
Thats crap news Lee.
Will you be teaching your students how to blow up a big block properly in your lessons?
Thats crap news Lee.
Will you be teaching your students how to blow up a big block properly in your lessons?
No, cos he needs to learn how not to blow one up, just so that he can then get to the student and show em how its done lol
smcgsi16v
29-09-09, 07:11 PM
Ahhh, I predict a shortage of engines in the near distance future.
its comments like "im not working for £xx per hour" that are fcking things up
That wasnt that what i meant or said,i was merely pointing out that the last time i was looking for work the jobs advertised (some similar to now) were paying much more money than they are now.
Im not one to grumble at what job im doing or how much it pays as i will take anything at the moment as i have a family to provide for and as any parent knows you want the best for them.
My mate is a prime example of what you said draper he claims dole,housing and council tax benefit because the jobs he gets interviews for "pay sh1te" so he says he would rather be on dole til it sorts it itself out.
I heard there is good money to be made down by the docks for a person with your talents. The sailors will love you!
Seriously though, not good news. I hope it all works out for you bud. Become a driving instructor and in about 12 years or so I will have a student for you :d
That wasnt that what i meant or said,i was merely pointing out that the last time i was looking for work the jobs advertised (some similar to now) were paying much more money than they are now.
Im not one to grumble at what job im doing or how much it pays as i will take anything at the moment as i have a family to provide for and as any parent knows you want the best for them.
My mate is a prime example of what you said draper he claims dole,housing and council tax benefit because the jobs he gets interviews for "pay sh1te" so he says he would rather be on dole til it sorts it itself out.
£20 says he never goes back to work lol
even the big boys are cutting back. JLR (jag landrover) are dropping salaries by 20% and contract work is down 10-30% :S
Stuart,he had 4 jobs in the last 12 months and fukked them all off because he says hes overworked for the money they pay.Complete knobber he is.
Well i hope all the companies who have cut wages remember these times and give people more money when things get better again.Honestly all you ever see now is fuel gone up,beer up,fags up,council tax rises car tax rises the lists endless but wages are going down...........
Bad/good news lee :D wish you all the best with it.
daft thing is, min wage goes up to £5.80 tomorrow....
oh and andy, if your mates jcp office find out about the fact he quits over pay theyll do him for refusal of employment = no dole or anything for 6 months.
Lee... before you change career, please watch this....
clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBnTN6ReVA0)
& this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab1ip8uNpvI&feature=related)
daft thing is, min wage goes up to £5.80 tomorrow....
oh and andy, if your mates jcp office find out about the fact he quits over pay theyll do him for refusal of employment = no dole or anything for 6 months.
Well they do know because they write to the previous employer dont they before your claim is processed, i think its been stopped a couple of times.and for the record its your office he signs on at LMFAO
Just wait til next year, things on the job front will get a LOT worse as a very large percentage of civil servants will find themselves without jobs and flood the search pools.
I'm not sure if I'm in a good position or not. Most of the MOD's IT staff are being booted out to private industry, keen money is on us being taken on by a large, reputable American aircraft manufacturer. Which would be good. However, EDS have a finger in pretty much all the proverbial pies and if they get their claws into us its goodnight (see: Atlas staff).
Ive said that to a few people (it will get worse before better)
They trust the government to "make it better quick" fail.......
floydy13
29-09-09, 09:03 PM
get in the tyre trade mate, people always want tyres!!
Just wait til next year, things on the job front will get a LOT worse as a very large percentage of civil servants will find themselves without jobs and flood the search pools.
I'm not sure if I'm in a good position or not. Most of the MOD's IT staff are being booted out to private industry, keen money is on us being taken on by a large, reputable American aircraft manufacturer. Which would be good. However, EDS have a finger in pretty much all the proverbial pies and if they get their claws into us its goodnight (see: Atlas staff).
BNA?
Shame tho as skilled work is ATM hard to come by :( let alone at a price where even minimal profit can be made :(
We're down a 2% profit margin now & me & my work partner have let a couple blokes go very recently due to lack of work.
Ive said that to a few people (it will get worse before better)
They trust the government to "make it better quick" fail.......
There is no quick fix. People need to reign in their spending (making the recession worse in the short term). House prices need to fall, banks need to start lending again. Certain companies COUGHOILCOUGH need to stop taking the fcuking piss - if petrol was to return to the level it should currently be at, that would help a LOT (products would become cheaper due to lower transportation costs for a start).
I won't go into my rant about fuel prices at the, oh **** it yes I will. At the height of the fuel price peak last year, the average unleaded price was what, £1.10? Currently its about £1.04, give or take. Ok, so we've had about 4p of tax increases on that, but still. How much was oil back then? $145 a barrel. So you'd expect it to be about $120 a barrel now, right? Wrong. Current oil price, this very moment: $66 a barrel. Thats less than half the price. Oil resellers are making a LOT of profit here and holding the world to ransom.
BNA?
Google says British Neuroscience Association? lol
If the B is what I think it might be, then you may or may not be correct. Obviously I'm allowed to say for sure, due to various rules and regs, but meh lol
hang on, you're in defence? Signed the OSA? I'll PM you LOL
I are signed up and tucked up :)
Oil resellers are making a LOT of profit here and holding the world to ransom.
Part reason why the USA wanted after Saddam Hussain :thumb:
Held a lot of oil in his province, but wanted to ex out the petro-dollar & resell it by the Euro, undercutting the dollar at the time, thus bringing USA into financial downturn.
But thats neither her nor there....
The Iranian Oil Bourse was set up long after Hussain though - it was planned by the yanks in an attempt to undermine OPEC. Unfortunately for them, they broke off to using the Euro at the last minute to fcuk the yanks over lol Mind you, its also screwing us as the value of the Euro took a hike.
The Iranian Oil Bourse was set up long after Hussain though - it was planned by the yanks in an attempt to undermine OPEC. Unfortunately for them, they broke off to using the Euro at the last minute to fcuk the yanks over lol Mind you, its also screwing us as the value of the Euro took a hike.
Pass lol canney remember to well but i saw a mega intersting documenty on it. How who ever was president at the time used that as leaverage to "search iraq" for weapons of mass destruction.
Yet as soon as american boots touched iraq soil, coalittion forces took control off all the oil terminals......an subseqeuntly shipped the contents of them back to good 'ole US of A. Trippling production rates previously set by Iraq workers....
IMHO - USA are general rob dog bizzle.
But again, has fcuk all to do with Lee's carrer lol lol
Lee, I suggest reselling oil. Lots of money to be made lol
Lee, I suggest reselling oil. Lots of money to be made lol
Screwdriver and a big tank in the pikey van style?
Lee, I suggest reselling oil. Lots of money to be made lol
Aint that right lol
Maybe it was constructive input after all.
Take a leaf outta Saddam's book FLOL lol lol
How To Be A Charismatic Dictator And Piss Off America?
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A huge amount of [strikethroughplease]this[/] anything is sentiment.
I think many people running around 'cutting back' despite not having a change in personal circumstances having been told to by the TV* is not helping in the slightest by virtue of being a sudden and en masse change in consumer spending regardless of whether it's the 'right thing to do'. The 'unwinding' effect now in evidence has been in the offing waiting for a 'trigger' for years but unfortunately for me I didn't and still don't know which mechanisms to get involved with to profit from it despite being aware of the general course of things for quite some time.
*Witness similar behaviour with the latest 'fuel shortage' a couple of years back. There would have been no shortage had people not altered their behaviour.
/\ wtf? cut & paste ??
there has been a downturn in certain sectors of the building trade, but not all.... mostly the crap firms have gone under fairly quickly, and a lot of other firms have used the downturn to get rid of crap workers, which up till now was fairly impossible under the current governments rules.... i'm guessing that a lot of other sectors of industry are doing the same.
Lee, do you think that your location makes it difficult to find work in AV??
/\ wtf? cut & paste ??
No; I do talk like a dopey fisherman but can sling a coupla vowels together. I wanted a strikethrough but couldnt find one :)
/\ wtf? cut & paste ??
there has been a downturn in certain sectors of the building trade, but not all.... mostly the crap firms have gone under fairly quickly, and a lot of other firms have used the downturn to get rid of crap workers, which up till now was fairly impossible under the current governments rules.... i'm guessing that a lot of other sectors of industry are doing the same.
Lee, do you think that your location makes it difficult to find work in AV??
So true Mow!! Stuff aint getting built, things aint getting rennovated, thus we got nowt to go decorate :cry:
But yea, cut & paste i though, i cant make sense of that TBH Fester me old mukka lol
the oil and petrol prise thing really gets on my tits because a)a 2.2 astra and a 2.0 nova arnt cheap to run lol , and b)my work makes all the valves for the oil and gas industry , and when the price of oil goes up we make more money as the try to set up new rigs to get more oil lol , we just made 18.2m profit over the last 12 months and have taken on about 30 people in the same time, also we all got given shares in the company which keeps growing , last valued at about 30k which we will get when we float on the stock market in feb ish time , so while i have been very poor for a while due to my misses being on a low wage the price of oil has been making me richer in the long run lol so i fight both sides lol
the oil and petrol prise thing really gets on my tits because a)a 2.2 astra and a 2.0 nova arnt cheap to run lol , and b)my work makes all the valves for the oil and gas industry , and when the price of oil goes up we make more money as the try to set up new rigs to get more oil lol , we just made 18.2m profit over the last 12 months and have taken on about 30 people in the same time, also we all got given shares in the company which keeps growing , last valued at about 30k which we will get when we float on the stock market in feb ish time , so while i have been very poor for a while due to my misses being on a low wage the price of oil has been making me richer in the long run lol so i fight both sides lol
:witch: lol
Lee, do you think that your location makes it difficult to find work in AV??
Location doesn't affect me. In the last two years Id say 50% of my income came from working in Europe. The other 50% was from projects I would flit from day to day so the companies contracted to do the work could keep a basic PAYE crew on board and use subbies like myself to make up numbers depending on what work was going on where.
Basically whats happened in the last 12 months is most of the companies still surviving have let at least 50% of their engineers go, most of which jumped straight into the sub contractor market. Add to them the massive amount of engineers who lost their jobs when GLOBAL AV companies based in the UK went tits up, and you end up with next to no work going on and about 400% more subbies on the market.
The result is an epic bidding war. There are some desperate people out there which you can understand, and will drop to unbelievably low rates to get work. So low its got to the point it isn't worth me putting in the effort anymore, and its time for something new :)
Shaun_O'Donnell
30-09-09, 06:31 PM
Cracking career path and worth the hard work.
Have dropped you a PM Lee with some additional info.
The result is an epic bidding war. There are some desperate people out there which you can understand, and will drop to unbelievably low rates to get work. So low its got to the point it isn't worth me putting in the effort anymore, and its time for something new :)
so there are people bidding at a loss to keep busy???
is there anything much happening in AV in educational institutions? cos my kids school is getting filled with projection white smart boards.... pretty much the same as an old whiteboard, but all computered up and thus crap
so there are people bidding at a loss to keep busy???
is there anything much happening in AV in educational institutions? cos my kids school is getting filled with projection white smart boards.... pretty much the same as an old whiteboard, but all computered up and thus crap
Dont get me started on whiteboards! I think to date I have installed literally thousands. In fact, I can probably hold my hands up to 90% of all whiteboards in West Sussex schools!
The problem there is the systems used to use seperate projectors which required a reasonable amount of technical nouse to install. The new gen of kit comes with its own ready set up short throw projectors. Basically, any old twunt can fit them, therefore said old twunts barged in and started quoting uber low money to install the kit. I used to make a good living installing 6 a week. if you want a comparison, I would now need to install about 15 to 20 to make the same money. I would need to employ another set of hands, and if you add the petrol money and other expenditures, It makes the whole thing economically unrealistic.
For me If I was getting regular work, I wouldnt mind the drastic pay cuts, but seeing as the whole industry is on its knees, I wont survive the year unless I sort something out now whilst I still have some money in the coffers.
ever thought of making porn???? you have the caravan already..........
Unlucky mate.
However, many people who have to change career paths often state its the best thing they've ever done. Key thing in your favour is that you have worked for yourself and have skills. Its a big advantage and i'm sure you'll bounce back soon enough.
BTW on the driving instructor bit, what advice would you give to counteract understeer caused by excessive engine and gearbox weight in valver nova?:plol
Unlucky mate.
However, many people who have to change career paths often state its the best thing they've ever done. Key thing in your favour is that you have worked for yourself and have skills. Its a big advantage and i'm sure you'll bounce back soon enough.
BTW on the driving instructor bit, what advice would you give to counteract understeer caused by excessive engine and gearbox weight in valver nova?:plol
kill the engine and the understeer problem becomes less of an issue ;)
my path change is thus far provoing to be a mild mistake, but thats merely down to being in the wrong department for my skillset/interest. But hey a 10% paycut is better than a random acting 20% one, plus a future
craig green
01-10-09, 01:50 PM
I have one small client left who is an old friend and an electrician, who I pull cables for now and again, but that work will be nowhere near what I need to survive.
You pull cables? Isnt that another term for a turd?
Seriously though, I sympathise mate, literally driven out of your occupation. :(
You're thinking of laying cables! Incidentally that is what a mate of mine (alarm engineer) says when he has been taking a sh!t in some old fellas house. Poor fella will normally assume otherwise! lol
Good luck in what ever you do Lee, hope it goes well for you
You pull cables? Isnt that another term for a turd?
Seriously though, I sympathise mate, literally driven out of your occupation. :(
Thats LAYING cables lol
He is begging me to do my certificate and become an electrician and he's offered to give me as much work as i need whilst I do the course. Whereas i was convinced I wanted to follow the driving instruction path, now im not so sure, so i have a lot of thinking to do now! :cool:
Live neutral earth has gotta be easy enough after thinning down V6 looms surely? lol
Welsh Dan
02-10-09, 06:31 PM
Surely the piece of paper for the sparky work will never hurt you?
crack on with it lee, will be much more fulfilling than being a driving instructer imho
Thats LAYING cables lol
He is begging me to do my certificate and become an electrician and he's offered to give me as much work as i need whilst I do the course. Whereas i was convinced I wanted to follow the driving instruction path, now im not so sure, so i have a lot of thinking to do now! :cool:
Think of it this way: the driving instruction thing will ALWAYS be a viable option - something that will be there whenever you need it. The certified electrician option may not be.
He is begging me to do my certificate and become an electrician and he's offered to give me as much work as i need whilst I do the course. Whereas i was convinced I wanted to follow the driving instruction path, now im not so sure, so i have a lot of thinking to do now! :cool:
Dude, as you know my old mans a Sparks & has been for centurys, he still see's in black & white infact!
He always says to me if he were younger he'd have done his test & inspect purely for the money you can potentially make.
Could be worth a potential avenue of interest providing your mukka is good for his word like?
Dude, as you know my old mans a Sparks & has been for centurys, he still see's in black & white infact!
LOL monochrome vision electrician. Not sure I'd want to risk that.
Hmm, this one doesn't look red... snipCZZZRRRRT lol
my dads colourblind and hes an electrician, my mum worked at an opticians when they met so he knew the colours the book should be lol
^ yep my dads colour blind to lol
LOL monochrome vision electrician. Not sure I'd want to risk that.
Hmm, this one doesn't look red... snipCZZZRRRRT lol
My dads a building services engineer and one of his contractors on a job hired one of the polish builders as a sparky after the fella said he can do the job. When he started on it the polish fella said "are you gonna be around while i do this" and the contractor sort of said well yeah I'll be here most of the time... "Polish guy said good, you'll have to tell me which wires are which, i'm colourblind" lol
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