mechanics wages

[Asa-James]

i'm due a payrise at work and i'm speaking to my boss this week, just wondering what i should be looking at/asking for

fully qualified, only been at the current job for 5 months now (was due the payrise at 3 lol)

and soon to be put through my MOT testing course/licence

so just as a mechanic, what do other guys get paid. i know its based on experiance more than anything, but i feel i'm getting well below par at the minute

anyone fancy sharing

i'm on take home £195 a week at the min

[Rich]

When i qualified i got put to 8.50p/h

I handed my notice in to go to another job (was going to get 7.80 p/h)

They offered me £10 an hour so stayed. Ive been doing it 5 and half years now including my apprenticship. At vauxhall mainstealers.

[Benn]

Most dont get paid that well, till your really needed and can demand more money.

[mowgli]

christ ASA, that is a tough wage...bearing in mind that people pay your boss for you to repair brakes and other safety related features on their cars.......
are you on a training scheme, or are you qualified?

[Asa-James]

qualified, i left the trade for a couple of years, and that was the "settling back in" wage to see if i was up to the job and if i enjoyed it

worst part is, i used to take home more from tesco's than i currently earn top line lol

[brownbear]

I'd be asking £300 pw if i was you. After tax.

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/detailjob.aspx?sessionid=d80fc88d-7116-4aa5-baea-9c4e2be1eb6e&pid=2&j=BUR/60852

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/detailjob.aspx?sessionid=d80fc88d-7116-4aa5-baea-9c4e2be1eb6e&pid=2&j=WYS/19578

Otherwise move on! Plenty out there! There was 5 pages on the job centre jobs list!

[Rysee]

Bloody hell I'd look into other careers personally. I'm a 2nd year apprentice and earn £7.24p/h take home £994, I've put in for a payrise for my 3rd year and that should be £8.80p/h with a year left of my City and guilds and I haven't even started my NVQ3 yet


http://www.w-d.de/site/W_D/Products/Paper/Envelope___Pocket_Machines/W_D_102_RE;jsessionid=EB8BB1D4F9AB770CB2F0129F15A9 6176

[brownbear]

what do you do rysee?

[Rysee]

what do you do rysee?


I'm a machine setter/maintenance kinda bloke person, I work on W+D envelope machines

[brownbear]

Have some rep....
Reason... I don't get it but sounds good....

[Riggy]

lo trying to get pay rises from most firms is near on impossible

im still not paid full rate yet , im on £10.45 ph before my shift rate , and all the other machine programmers are on 11.90 before shift rate ,been trying for ages haha but don want to leave as we are in the best area of our industry , a top name in the field , and i have about £25k of shares they owe us all ,

so im tied up without a fight really lol

[Jack]

I get over £1500 take home each month and I can't afford sh!t lol

BTW tom, when did I become your dad? lol

[smirty]

bloody hell :eek: ive just finished my 3rd year and on 225 a week and due another payrise for finishing level 3.

[novalicous]

Im currentley on 17.5k (plus bonus and pension/health care) a year as a 3rd year plant fitter/mechanical apprentice for a big quarry firm

[brownbear]

I get over £1500 take home each month and I can't afford sh!t lol

BTW tom, when did I become your dad? lol

Mum told me about the mad night in 1984.... She's claiming child support! lol

[Jack]

Oi, I was only 2 then! lol

[mowgli]

I'm a machine setter/maintenance kinda bloke person, I work on W+D envelope machines

so you mend window lickers???

[Rysee]

Indeed that's part of my job, the other part is standing round doing nothing whilst the machine is running

[Sloth]

current job = £20900 pa after tax.

as a mechanic = £11.23 p/h.

asa ask for £8, if they say no, start looking elsewhere...

[Stuart]

Not sure if they still do it, but the yanks love hiring UK mechanics (or amaturs with engineering degrees lol) to work on their Hummers on US army bases in Germany.

I was on £13per hour 48hrs a week (some iffy tax freeness, taking home 500+ after 'tax' and NI). If you can cope with being out of the country for a while it could be worth fun :)
I managed 3-4 months before getting bored, but got a big bucket of dosh so happy days.

[Asa-James]

well managed to speak to the boss today, and was told i cant be offered a payrise as i dont sell enough hours. two options now, second job or new job.

edit-- and working harder would be an opion, if the work was there in the first place, we currently run out of work at around 5 every day (work till 5.30) so if i doubled my output, along with everyone else in the workshop (who seem to work at the same pace as me) we'd be finished by lunch every day with nothing to do...

swings and roundabouts, you just cant win.


edit 2--- where do i stand on this, i worked out i'm on £5.75 an hour, but when i look on the HMRC site, it states minimum wage is £5.80 an hour...

[comptoncj]

To be honest buddy your boss is taking the p**s out of you, i was in the same situation when i was just about to finish level 3 i knew i would not get a pay rise off the boss, so i left and went elsewhere worked out that i am traveling half the distance to work, working less hours with optional overtime and earning more money and getting more respect because where i was before i was always thought of as the 'boy'

[Cle]

Well ive just started so im cash in hand at the mo until we organise my apprenticeship, but the guy i work with is on £1200 a month so thats £300 a week

[brownbear]

Get Out Of There Asa!!

[Mark Sparks]

I was taking 800 a month just after i passed level 3 not sure what minimum wage was then but i was working 8- 6:30 so i bet i was under paid aswell. i did leave and now 10 years later i get 475 a week if i was you id have another chat with your boss and ask him if he wants to let you go after he put you through your apprentership just for you to earn someone eles money.

[Asa-James]

i did my apprenticeship at a main dealers a few years back, i left there before i was time served, and i've only been at my current job 5 months now. he did mention that he doesnt plan on getting rid, and is happy with my progress so far. i'm going to chat with him tomorrow and explain that minimum wage just isnt good enough.

[General Baxter]

my god, it make me happy that i fell into my job,

[blue_peg_16v]

start looking for another job matey

[mowgli]

motor trade wages have always been pretty shocking tbh

[MK999]

so if i doubled my output, along with everyone else in the workshop (who seem to work at the same pace as me) we'd be finished by lunch every day with nothing to do...

double your output, ask for double the money, go home at 12 and pick up an evening job?

[mowgli]

asa, are you on fastfit/menu billing or straight(no offence) chargeable work?

[Asa-James]

normal chargeable work, no time cards (altho it turns out the boss does keep a record he told me today)

its a small independant garage, 4 of us in the workshop affair, so i'm not expecting big money, but more than min wage would be nice

[mowgli]

so he is making pretty big money, unless he is quoting for the jobs, which means he should be giving you time targets...

[Mike]

its a small independant garage,

Potential problem right there unfortunatly :(

[buzbi]

i work for hgv dealership, finished my level3 apprentership and went to £9p/h, with the option of 3.5hrs overtime daily every other week, and also saturdays are over time, so if i work it i can earn a fair amount a month for a 20yr old (not counting private job's ;-) ) its abit of a p*** take as i'm the lowest paid at my depot yet i do lot more technical work than the high earners, victim of my own success!! lol, on a imi management course now so future looks set to be good :-)

[lewisvalver]

doesnt sound good Asa... Id carry on working where you are for the time being,at the same time hunt around for other mechanics jobs in the area and get a rough idea what other places will be paying you, when you find out tell your boss that so and so are offereing you ££whatever an hour so unless he matches it your gone:thumb:

[djbrowney]

fookin he im glad im not a mechanic your all earn poo wages lol

i will stick with cutting bits of wood up lol

[bazil]

That's not a good deal mate, I'd look for another position,

[Dave.]

£133 a week i take home, apprentice panel beater and ive been working now for around 8 months

considering looking for another job/career to be honest, the motor trade is a dying trade

[bazil]

£133 a week i take home, apprentice panel beater and ive been working now for around 8 months

considering looking for another job/career to be honest, the motor trade is a dying trade

just to show how bad this is,

In 1996 I started as an apprentice panel basher, my wage was £95 per week!
That was 14 bloody years ago and stuff costs a crap load more today than 14 years ago!

My brother was my tradesman, he lasted 6 months after he qualified then left and has never returned to his trade, we both drive trucks for the same company now.


( this is in no way a dig at anyones pay, just a comparison to years ago and how little an increase there has been over the years.)

[djbrowney]

£133 a week i take home, apprentice panel beater and ive been working now for around 8 months

considering looking for another job/career to be honest, the motor trade is a dying trade

how can you say its a dying trade, have you seen how many cars are on the road, get in the real world :cry:

[spanishfly]

Your all in the wrong sector of mechanics!
As an apprentice for the met my pay went like this...
£8k first year
£10.5k second
£13k third
£21k forth
£27k fully qualified, I would now be on around £32k if I had stayed on, and contract was kept with old company. I jumped ship and went to work in breakdown recovery... I take home between £2200>2700 bonus pending. Yes that IS take home and that is after Pension contribution. Damn I get taxed more than most of you get paid. I suggest looking into another garage, backstreet garage pay FTL! This year I have sold less over time hours but still get a good wage. My first year working here I made £46000 confirmed by my p60, I sold alot of over time in the year.

[mowgli]

cars are getting over complicated these days.... the repairs need to be done by a laptop. very few oily bits get fixed until the car is old enough to be uneconomical to repair. ford mooted an idea of a life of 6 years & scrap it for cars some years back.......they were deadly serious...

most of the insurance repairs are being done in these large bodyshops.

the independants are a dying breed

[Stuart]

Actualy Mike, the oily bits are still problematic, but as most 'new' (post 2000) cars come under rework schedules even upto 10 years in some cases, that there is no need to goto independants to pay to get things fixed when the dealers will do it FOC.

Also as the playstation generation makes it into "mechanicing" they know less and less about oily parts so a lot of garages dont have real skills anymore and can only do the laptopy stuff lol.

As part of the block exemption lark OEM's have to make the electronics accessable enough to service the vehicles

[spanishfly]

Basically it boils down to 'You are paid for what you know not what you do' ;)

[nathan.]

IMO Anything under £8 is poor for a fully qualified mechanic.

Why don't you look for a job in a main dealer? I know there aren't always positions available but won't hurt to Send your CV around.

I've been in the trade for 10 years now including 3 years apprenticeship, working in 3 different main dealers. I currently work at a SEAT main dealer.
I've always been treated well and have had pretty good wages, I can currently take home £26K doing a 42hr week, work every other saturday morning with a pretty reasonable bonus scheme.

There's also the chance to develop your knowledge further with Manufacturer training and move up to say a Master Technician (earn even more)

Nathan

[peester]

Basically it boils down to 'You are paid for what you know not what you do' ;)

used to wish it was like that for every job lol

[TWAG]

Im so glad i never went into the motor trade. When i finished school thats all i wanted to do, but my dad was dead against it. He is in the motor trade and said that the pay is just getting worse.

Instead i got a apprentiship with esso and its the best thing i ever done. I left after my apprentiship to work for southern water. After 5 years i returned to esso. Im know 25 yrs old earning £18 an hour, an awsome pension scheme and for evey share i buy they gine me 2 for free. Result!

Its not that that the motor trade is dieing, its just the wages are awfull!!!!

I know a lad who started his aprentiship the same time as me but as a mechanic, i earn more than him on a 10 hour sunday (double time) than he does in a week.

I think its criminal what you mechanics are getting paid compared to what the garages charge the customer. You do a skilled job and i know of receptionists thay get payed more.

[Mike]

Only decent money in the motor trade is spannering for motorsport preperation company's IMO.

[spanishfly]

Is my money not decent then? I get paid more than my mate who is a dentist... Double my mate who works in banking and is quite high up. As I said you get paid for what you know.

[Asa-James]

Why don't you look for a job in a main dealer? I know there aren't always positions available but won't hurt to Send your CV around.



i trained at an alfa/fiat main dealers, always said i'd never go back. is it worth getting my nose in at specialist garages? theres a vauxhall tuning place not far from me (MidWay garage i think?) and a motorsport place next door to them who specialise in Mazda Rotary engines and jap tuning

[Mike]

Is my money not decent then? I get paid more than my mate who is a dentist... Double my mate who works in banking and is quite high up. As I said you get paid for what you know.

Get off your high horse an stop being a cock. I made a generic statement based on my opinion so get over yourself.

[spanishfly]

Get off your high horse an stop being a cock. I made a generic statement based on my opinion so get over yourself.

Don't like horses. I'm just stating there are good jobs out there. Another example is being a 'master' tech in a garage, you can be on around £60k at the right dealer... once again it's what you know.

IMO you get mechanics and 'fitters'. The ammount of 'mechanics' I meet who have no idea of diagnosis, electrics etc. There idea is to remove and fit a part, job done.

Out of interest what qualifications do people have in this thread? Maybe 'what you know' is linked to pay?
Sorry if I come accross arogant however I did a 4 year apprenticeship with 2 years on top doing a diploma. 10 years later and I still do courses and learning. By trade name I'm bunched with people who have a certificate that says level 1 what they got whilst at school cause they were a naughty kid.:thumb:

[spanishfly]

i trained at an alfa/fiat main dealers, always said i'd never go back. is it worth getting my nose in at specialist garages? theres a vauxhall tuning place not far from me (MidWay garage i think?) and a motorsport place next door to them who specialise in Mazda Rotary engines and jap tuning

No it's not, as they charge less labour. So the boss will make as much money as possible by paying you less. Specialists are only good if you are the owner specialist.

[Asa-James]

No it's not, as they charge less labour. So the boss will make as much money as possible by paying you less. Specialists are only good if you are the owner specialist.

fair enough, and on the qualifications side i'm IMI tech cert level 3, NVQ level 3 Motor mechanics diag and maintenance

[spanishfly]

Then write a cv and try some dealers...

[DW-Nova]

As most people have said that is pretty poor wages tbh, i'm 21 and have been in my current employment for 4 years, i'm on £8.00 per hour which isnt too bad hey, i havnt got any mechanic qualifications at all either. It's my last week next week actually as i'm emigrating, if i were nearer to you then i'd suggest you applied for my job.

[Mike]

Sorry if I come accross arogant...

Ah ok i eat my own words (Re: High horse) & apolgise as to me your comment read as very arrogant indeed lol lol

Qaulifications in the motor trade, well I have none as such, yet had a rather outstanding job building, test driving & pilot/co-pilot for a small company based in the Midlands who specialise in FWD rally cars for S1400 & 1600 series, Swift Sport Cup & C2 Challenge. I was on a very good screw there alright :)

[Lewis.]

this thread makes me realise just how much my boss is taking the piss. i'm fully qualified and get £5ph :cry: by the tim i've paid for my car insurance, bike insurance, phone bill etc, then put enough aside for a months worth of petrol, i'm left with sweet fa, which is not helpfull when i'm meant to be saving for a house/flat :cry: :cry:

[Mike]

^thought the minimum wage was something like £5.75 p/h??

[Lewis.]

not sure tbh, thought it was £4.75p/h? you could well be right though, in which case i'm even more pissed off.

[MK999]

^thought the minimum wage was something like £5.75 p/h??

Depends on age, but it's 5.21 for 16+ iirc

[Mike]

£5.80 p/h

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/nmw/