To think that tradesmen take the piss with their rates?

There is another thread going on which ppl are quite literally saying it’s perfectly acceptable for teachers not to pay tax on tutoring…which you’ve said you do…

do you declare it in your SA?

… yet you pay a tradesman in cash to do a job you can’t do and then complain about it

I got quotes ranging from £250 to £500 to put up a blind once. The blind cost £50 😆

I just assume when they quote rates like this that they don't really want to do it?

This is why it’s worth getting a few quote

then you can see if it’s rip off or going rate 🤷‍♀️

There's a skills shortage, so the prices will increase. Linked to your point though, teachers (nurses, care workers etc) should be paid more.

You just sound sour because someone is earning more than you. If your job doesn't pay highly enough, get a new one.

I think tradespeople deserve every pound they earn. Their costs are never ending and on top of it they have to deal with the absolute worst customers known to man.

I suggest you DIY in future.

4 hours. He had a 2 hour break!

I can’t help wondering why I spent 5 years at University to get paid far less per hour as a teacher.

🤣🤣

Why would you think that Teachers should be paid more than a skilled tradesman? I certainly don't.

Or, let's be honest, you think tradesman are intellectually inferior to you, thick little men that talk in grunts and hit things with hammers. It's clear as day in this comment! No, they're as clever as you are, just in differing ways and instead of spending 5 years at university, they probably undertook an apprenticeship at 16 and were earning good money by 20.

That's quite a bold assumption of ops values!

As teachers we are fully aware that university isn't for all. Even the school system and GCSEs aren't for all and no one experiences that more keenly than teachers!

Going against the grain here it would seem , but I agree with you OP.

In other words, a poorer person who was willing to work for low wages.
I had a Polish plumber who was very cheap - he slept in a van.
If someone works with their hands, they shouldn't necessarily come cheap.

Surely OP you are aware this is basic supply and demand, primary level maths and common sense?

I run a small building company and all my trades get paid between £200 and £300 per day
trades working on pricework are looking to earn more than this
cash or invoice they still have tax and pensions to pay for out of that and don’t get long paid holidays like some teachers do
I currently have two years work booked in at the moment at these rates

Do it yourself then if it's so easy and you don't value their time and skills.

Well said, @Tryingtokeepgoing

So what you’re saying is all those red wall low paid voters who voted for brexit have got what they wanted, which was higher wages? And that all us moaning middle classes that wanted to remain (and have cheap labour…) are unhappy about not only brexit, but the fact that the low paid are no longer low paid

{ irony: off ;)}

I agree with you OP but clearly you've hit a nerve with many posters.
Funny how, post Brexit, it's become a massive problem! I miss my old Polish reasonably priced, turned up on time, communicated brilliantly, didn't take the piss builder.

Those are normal rates. You are paying for skills scarce enough that tradesmen are usually booked well in advance and with little real competition. Although I'd always look at reviews before booking; people will often comment on pricing and quality of work. I'm pretty good at DIY, but I would not mess with plumbing (gas or water) or electricity because of the potential consequences of messing up.

If you are a teacher, then that work will also likely have been done at inconvenient times - evenings, weekends, bank holidays or other times when a lot of people are on holiday.

And aside from all the other costs mentioned here, my most recent plumber/ engineer told me his van had been broken into 3x in the last year. Even with insurance, that's a huge cost to take into account, which will, in part, be borne by the customers.

I think this is relatively common (ie feeling at the mercy of tradespeople). As with everything, the minority make it challenging for the rest.
Shop around for tradespeople. Ask for recommendations from friends and colleagues, and on FB and Insta (join local community pages).
I always tell tradespeople I'm having a few quotes, they're usually happy to better other quotes (and don't be shy about haggling).
A reputable tradesperson will have online reviews on their SM pages and such like, if you feel ripped off then detail your experience (just honestly, not in a vindictive way) in a review.

In your situation (given you weren't entirely happy), I'd've told the cash in hand guy (after he completed the job) that it was no longer possible to pay cash, and it'd need to be bank transfer. I'd've called his bluff, essentially.

@juiceinacup Post was spot on. Additionally good trades people are as rare as hens teeth so they can afford to charge at the ouch end of a pay rate. It's the 21st century now and about time we stopped looking down on the trades as somehow "less than" those with degrees. A tradesperson is always going to be useful whilst the same cannot be said of a graduate.

Have I missed the part where he had your hand up behind your back, forcing you to pay him to do this work?

Are you not competent to find someone you approve of to do the work?

If it boils your piss so much, employ someone else or learn how to do these jobs yourself. It's not his fault you chose to be a teacher and not a plumber/carpenter/etc.

Have you ever been self employed OP?

It's not DIY when you don't DIY.

Also op, some tradesmen charge female clients more than male

Because that's capitalism, workers get paid according to how much as people are willing to pay for their skills, not according to a piece of paper they have.

That seems the going rate for a full day's work. I think you are more annoyed that you aren't getting paid more, because it's crazy to be annoyed that a trained professional trades person is getting a good wage, just because you aren't. Join a union and try for higher wages, or put your own shelves up. I never understand why professionals get so annoyed that other people who didn't go to uni earn more than them. Don't you want them to have a living wage? It's the same as all the office workers who complain about tube strikes. Join a union then, or become a train driver!