How much do you think car mechanics earn?

[AnnaQuayInTheUk]

My son is a car mechanic. He qualified last year. I was talking to a friend about his starting salary and she was surprised at it. So what would you expect a newly qualified mechanic to earn?

Dh charges £100 plus vat ph.
Plus parts obviously

He's in undated with work

My son is doing a mechanical engineer apprenticeship which is 4 years. When qualified he will start on around £40k. Will be more if he specializes in HGV’s or EV’s.

He earns around £2k a month as an apprentice.

Especially when , if they get it wrong that could cause a catastrophic accident.

Notoriously poorly paid public sector jobs. Not really comparable to a private sector business that possibly sells luxury products (eg if the dealer is BMW or similar).

As for the bonus scheme, I expect it's about positive reviews, keeping to appointment times, getting to work on time, that sort of thing. Not conning customers like a PP suggests.

No, it's based on productivity. Absolutely no up selling.

If you complete certain jobs quicker than the target time then it counts towards a bonus. However, if you fail the quality control or if the car comes back in because you haven't completed the job properly then you lose your bonus (and your job if it keeps happening).

DS takes a lot of pride in his work.

Of course he does because it's a male dominated industry and the patriarchy deem men's work more valuable.

Female dominated industries like healthcare, hairdressing, floristry and office support all pay much lower salaries because women's work isn't valued.

Local Vauxhall dealership here is advertising £50k for a qualified MOT tester and mechanic. Small Northern town too.

Surprises me when people are shocked they get paid more than average office jobs.

Wow well done DS!!

Are you in London?

I thought the starting salary would be much lower.
I would have said £24-26k

My friend has done a 3 year degree and a PGCE teachers training degree and her starting salary is much lower than his.

I know people who have worked for years and aren’t at that salary/just at that salary.
We are in a lower income area of the country but it’s still interesting.

I don’t actually know anyone who has gone down the apprenticeship route but it sounds like a great idea.

I’m pleased that his hard work has paid off, he should be very proud of himself.

What was the salary when he was training?

Now think how much a qualified teacher/nurse starts on...

I'm surprised it's as much as that, it's something DH looked at years ago and it was pitiful and not worth changing careers for. I would love if one of my sons became a mechanic, it would be so useful!

(I only have sons FYI, not discounting a daughter becoming a mechanic!)

You cant really compare public and private sector careers.

I don't think a mechanic should be paid less than a teacher or a nurse. It's a job that requires 3 years of training and if the mechanic makes a mistake people can die.

It's snobby to think they should be paid less.

Thanks @Wonderi

No, not in London. His salary whilst an apprentice was really low in his first year, can't remember exactly what but I think around £12k . It was minimum wage in Y2 and 3. he'd previously been earning about £26k in an admin role so it was a real drop. But he loves his job now

These are the figures I was expecting to see.

I started teaching on £24k and was really pleased that the salary went to £30k for new teachers.

My current role only goes up to £36k as you can only get so high.
I’m looking to change jobs but all of them are around £25k starting salary.

I’m pleased DS’s starting salary actually reflects the hard work he’s put in and the cost of living.

Well done 👏 ✔️

Don't forget the possibilities of doing private cash in hand jobs which a lot of mechanics do!

It's not a particularly well paid job, especially as you usually have to do a 3 yr apprenticeship.

Dealerships don't necessarily pay much either. Maybe 35 to 46k max

He'd be best looking to go self employed, that's where the money is

As a car mechanic?

That’s great that it’s paid off for him and he’s enjoying it.

It’s a shame the first year was so low as I bet that puts a lot of people off, especially if they have kids or bills but I guess it’s a good way to see whose willing to put the work in.

Well done to DS.
I can imagine there will be lots of parents on here with kids struggling with their next steps and so I think it’s such a helpful thread.

Agreed. I'm a social worker so am used to public sector salaries. DS doesn't have the same level of responsibility that I have in some ways but of course if he doesn't do his job properly it could result in a fatal accident.

East Anglia.
DP is late 50s, certified motor mechanic, RAF trained, worked in the industry all his life.

In the last few years he has had a number of jobs, in house mechanic for a small haulage firm, mechanic at a small bike garage, MOT tester at a small garage.
Salaries for all of these have been around £30-32k.

He is now working for a larger (but local not dealership) business doing a couple of specialist roles, started on £35 last summer and had a payrise after completing his 3m probation to just under £40k.

I also do the accounts for a couple of garages, again paying around £30-£32k.

I'm surprised by your son's salary.

Edit: having just looked at indeed I seem that my "ideas" are probably a couple of years out of date - as are DPs previous salaries and my client knowledge.
Local MOT jobs are advertised around the £30-34k mark, and as MOTs are generally loss leaders I'd expect fully qualified mechanics to be on a bit more.

@ZippyDoodle The British Army pay far lower than OPs son - that's a male dominated role?

I'd fully expect a mechanic to be paid more than someone doing admin in an office, or floristry. I think the intricacies of mechanics far outweigh where you put a flower in an arrangement.

Exactly, that’s why I didn’t expect it to be so high!

Has she never had to pay for car maintenance/repairs? 😂

Car mechanics do quite well.

I'm sure some do but I don't think DS will. For a start he'd need tools etc which are all kept at his work. Also, he would never do a cash in hand job, he's very anti people who evade paying tax.