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?

When he was working for other garages they wanted blood out of a stone. If a job for example says 2.5 hours they would go mad if it went over that. They didn't account for ceased bolts or wrong delivered parts . Employee turnover was high.

My ex is a panel beater and totally agree with this. They get treated like shit and are constantly changing the goal posts wanting more and more out of them. He's worked in a few different garages, some small independent ones and dealerships, and they're all the same.

Army salaries have traditionally reflected the provision of housing low cost/subsidized meals etc. It isn't a huge wage but almost all of it is disposable income as the day to to day costs are covered by the job.

Teaching is not paid on a 52 weeks a year basis so some adjustment is need when comparing salaries.

@AnnaQuayInTheUk I have a car mad 17 year old. Would love to know career progression possibilities for your DS and qualifications he needed to get onto the apprenticeship.

Thank you

I am glad to read that car mechanics are seemingly well paid. I only wish that many of those owning cars took a similar pride in their work and importance as they do.

As far as I can see, apart from celebrity places that charge astronomical prices, most hairdressing salons are owned and managed by women, nearly all of the staff are women, and most of the revenue comes from female customers. But presumable it's still the patriarchy that sets the wages! More or less the same goes for florists.

I think this used to be the case but the physical element now is much lower. There is lots of computer work and getting electronics right. Conditions in modern dealerships will actually be quite clean. Obviously different if they have to go to do breakdowns but that isn't the case here.

It is definitely a skilled job but interesting the range of salaries mentioned. I think OP's DS has done well to find a progressive business that recognises that given the massive skill shortage they need to pay to keep staff. As others have mentioned there are plenty of garages that pay poorly and are difficult to work for so they have a high staff turnover.

Also interesting a poster compared to her DS who had degree and masters. While definitely more highly qualified on paper that doesn't mean he would be more capable than the apprentice qualified mechanic to undertake this role.

I’m not surprised by your friend’s response, because despite the fact we need mechanics many people don’t see it as a career choice. There are other equally skilled jobs that fall in this category, but because they don’t need a degree somehow people wrongly think they are NMW or just above.

Personally, I think it is a good career and an apprenticeship with a big dealer is an excellent way to learn and earn. He has a job for life and one that he can do anywhere in the world. You must be proud of him.

People will always need their car servicing and repairing.

Valuable skills and if company A treats its staff better than Company B, then Company A is the one to work for.

If someone can get a skill that is needed, then good for them and if it's needed and in demand, then even better for them.

@Ichangedmynameonce DS has always been car mad but when he left school after A levels he wasnt sure what he wanted to do. He worked in customer service and then in an admin role for a large organisation. During lockdown he hated wfh and decided to bite the bullet and apply for an apprenticeship as a vehicle technician.

The interviews were gruelling, he got down to the final two or three for a few apprenticeships but the one where he was successful involved 5 rounds of interviews including a group "problem solving" one. I think DSs age helped him there as he was older than the others and took a leadership role without being dominating.

He had to also take exams in English and Maths and have an academic interview. He already had A* in maths and English GCSE but still had to take the exams.

I think the apprenticeship system is more geared towards school leavers. Hopefully your son will get to work in the industry if he wants to

thank you @Harassedevictee. I'm incredibly proud of both my sons.

Mechanics isn't as easy as people think, he should think about taking on a welding course as that can be essential if he wants to do bigger vehicles.

A friend of DC has just finished an apprenticeship in an electrical engineering company in Devon, and is on £66k running the night shift as his first job.

@DreamW3aver
Yes, she'll be a Level 3 qualified Autocare Tecnician. ( mechanic)
She started her apprenticeship straight after gcses.
Apparently the Master tech qualification after that is five more years of training and a good payrise.

Not a lot 24k

I have a feeling she thought mechanics are school-leavers with a spanner.

I used to have a neighbour who was like that, but he carried on doing evening classes and OU, and is now a Project Engineer on space launches.

He also mends bikes on our local charity cycle ride.

(True story, actually)

Well done to your son OP. Doesn’t surprise me he earns that much of that people might not realise. The newly qualified technical people my friend’s husband manages are on ~£50k ish but it’s specialised (works in manufacturing electric components) & includes shift bonuses. People seem to have the idea that careers with lots of academic requirements are higher paid but really it’s all to do with in demand skills. We were debating the other day if we should encourage our kids in that general direction if they’ve any interest vs acquiring loads of debt at uni.

Just seen you said 34k that's pretty good for a youngster. Tradesman earn loads of money as short supply, decent carpenters, plumbers can easily earn 300 per day, roofing carpenters more. There seems to be snobbery around trades but they earn a lot more than people sitting at a computer.

It was more than that in 1996 when my then boyfriend stopped receiving his apprentice wage.

Well done to your DS OP. I agree a lot of people underestimate the skills needed for these kinds of roles and therefore how much they can pay.

My cousin (same age as me) is bright but not at all academic - very practical. He went into a roofer apprenticeship after GCSEs and was straight into a good wage. Now late 30s and has been on around 45-50k for years and years. I was the opposite of him - academic, not practical at all - and I must admit there were times when I was struggling on a student loan at uni that I questioned my life choices!

My dad was a carpenter before he retired - self employed so earnings varied (plus he could be a lazy sod!) but when he was working he earned very well. My step nephew just started a chef apprenticeship too and again is looking at a very decent wage once he qualifies.

Skilled tradesman (or tradeswoman) type roles can be a brilliant option.

DH was a mechanic, lots of places now offer around 40k plus bonus (and there’s usually lots of overtime opportunity). There’s also the option to do private work as well. The money isn’t too bad when all this adds up. It opened the door to other types of work for DH so he now earns more than that.
I don’t know why it’s looked down on. DH used to work for a fairly prestige car brand and mechanics seem to get less respect than the workers in suits (sales, admins etc) despite it being a skilled job and often paying more. I also looked through some of his workbooks from his apprenticeship and it looked very complicated 😅

Friends son fully qualified 23 years of age. Posh vehicle dealership 38k

Most people think trades are almost unqualified. They put zero thought into what trades do to become qualified.
I live with a tradie and hes on a fortune compared to me. But then if you actually think of all the compulsory training even after qualifications you get some idea. He even has a maths degree. Not something most people think about in tradies. These degrees and compulsory training dont come cheap either. I think his last compulsory gas thing was 5k and 3 days or a week (I forget how long it was and it's due again this year) his compulsory electric thing was also about 4k ish and a few days or a week.

Back when he qualified it was a five year apprenticeship. So all that time he was apprenticing he was on peanuts, but the more experienced you are and the more strings to your bow, the more you can earn. So he has learned so many different trades to be as useful as possible to employers. If hes asked to fit a lock from scratch, he will, asked to repair an industrial fridge, he will, asked to replace some broken tiles, yup, asked to plumb in a toilet, yes, and on and on. He finds it more interesting than solely fixing boilers. Employers like thats hes multi skilled. They can pay him less than hiring extra qualified staff, but more than just a gas man. Everybody wins.

Many tradies will not do anything thats out of their sphere, which is weird but completely up to them.

Cars are now filled with electronics and modules. It's not just changing oil or turning a spanner. Garages have expensive diagnostic eqpt and need people to understand all that.

I imagine as cars move over to being electric there will be a continual range of new skills to pick up.

Depends on what vehicle he is qualified on and who and where he works.