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?

@September90 yes, DS did a Level 3 3 year apprenticeship.

Some of his friends went to uni, have accrued lots of debt and are now working minimum wage jobs. He is in a much better position than lots of them.

He's better off than the people with PhDs that I employ to teach in my university department. He's on the exact same salary as they are, but no doubt with better career prospects and without the seven years of accumulated debt and not earning.

Do people actually think skilled tradesmen are on minimum wage though? I've always been under the impression that going into a trade was a sure way to make good money for those that didn't want to go down the academia route.

@Betchyaby I think it was the starting salary that surprised my friend. Her DS is exactly the same age as mine and went to uni, did a degree and a Masters, she was surprised my DS has started on a salary that is quite a bit more than her DS is on.

My DS 19 has also just completed his 3 year apprenticeship with a main dealer, he was guaranteed a position as a qualified service tech on full wage if he stayed with them and is now earning £32k, they’re continuing his training, he’s on a pathway to becoming an EV specialist which will come with a pay rise. My dad is in the trade, he was due to retire last year but his expertise was irreplaceable so his company offered him £72k to stay!

I would expect that. It is a good job.

Well done to your son @Walker1178 that sounds great

What did your friend's son do at uni?

I'm from a family who goes to university- parents, grandparents etc. both me and DH went to university. I always imagined my children will. We do ok, but certainly not like friends who have their own business in the trades.

The world is changing and unless they want to do medicine or similar, I will not be blindly encouraging university without considering other options and trades. Eldest DS has already said he'll look for a degree apprenticeship in due course and I think fabulous, it's probably a much better paid, debt free route (highly competitive I know!).

The government really needs to do better at encouraging young people into the trades. Not only are they vital, but they tend to pay well. There's always work as well.

Am glad your DS has a good salary, OP.

Firstly @AnnaQuayInTheUk well done to your son for sticking with it & you for supporting him.
I'm semi retired now but over the years mentored about 30 apprentices in engineering roles.
It was a joy to see most of them flourish & grow into confident young people who mostly now work for my former firm all over the world.
Like you said the interview/selection process can be very demanding but at the end of the day we were also investing a lot in these people.
I must admit it was hard not to shed a tear when pretty much all of them thanked me for guiding them through that stage in their life, several have been back to thank me again for talking them through tough times where they were struggling.
As a PP mentioned they are all now settled with houses and family’s & admit their peers are still at home with mum & dad as they took what looked like an easy job initially paying OK.

I think a lot of people are surprised at how much can be earned by being 'on the tools', as my dad used to call it. He was a time-served (i.e. had completed his apprenticeship) millwright fitter with an impressive toolbox (that I have inherited).

It plays a part in how hard it is get get a plumber / electrician / carpenter / car mechanic; because parents steer their children away from such jobs, fearing they won't be able to earn a living. When the exact opposite is true!

@WhereYouLeftIt
Was your dad in Flour Milling?

Sorry to be a PITA, I can't find what the ds' salary is, can someone tell me please?

Why flour milling? Ah, because of the word 'millwright'? No, it refers to maintaining heavy machinery. A word probably not in use any more!

@argyllherewecome It's literally quoted 2 posts up from yours

It plays a part in how hard it is get get a plumber / electrician / carpenter / car mechanic; because parents steer their children away from such jobs, fearing they won't be able to earn a living. When the exact opposite is true!

My ds was interested in being an electrician and I massively steered him away from it. He was an academic, well spoken, quiet boy and I was very worried he wouldn't fit in. My similar nephew started out as an apprentice and was bullied terribly by his group and purposely put in a very dangerous situation. The group leader? said this was part and parcel of the trade, and that you had to be "a certain type" to get on.

Oh it's still used for teams of engineers who specialise in major refurbishment/installations in flour mills.

Sorry I missed that, I hadn't refreshed. £34k for a starting salary - is there a demand for middle aged women mechanics I wonder?

I work at a main dealer. Qualified technicians are on a basic salary of £37.5k

With bonus and overtime some are on well over £50k

@argyllherewecome if you read my posts, the hard thing for DS being a slightly older apprentice was having to take a big drop in salary to do his apprenticeship. But go for it if you want to. I don't think anyone does it purely for the money - DS is a car fanatic

The OP actually posted the salary @ 11:26 😆
You said your son was academic, well spoken & quiet.
Well so was I and managed just fine in the early 80's when things were a lot rougher for apprentices!
I ended up as engineering manager for multiple sites with teams of engineers under me. The only ribbing I got was being called "The Teacher" as I had a habit of pulling people up on poor grammar and rambling explanations.

Doesn’t surprise me because vehicles are becoming increasingly complex. Just look at the cars today compared to 40 years ago. Motor technicians have to continuously update and develop their skills these days and with that comes the expectation of financial reward. Quite rightly. Electric vehicles will add another layer to that. Hasn’t it been suggested that within 10 years, there will be a skills shortage- not enough technicians capable of working on electric vehicles? So it stands to reason that those who do, will command a higher salary.

@argyllherewecome I really don't think that's true of all places. My son is well spoken and well read, he's particularly interested in politics. DH went to Cambridge and has a PhD, I've got a Masters, so he's come from an academic background. He's quite quiet and he's gay. But, apart from some mild teasing, there's never been any issues.

He keeps correcting his colleagues when they say "less" rather than "fewer" but they just tease him about that and call him "teacher". He's been called posh a few times but never in a nasty way.

So his grandparent gifted him some funds and he brought a toolbox, or she brought it for him?

If he brought it, has the receipt, then he should claim the tax relief.

Someone mentioned it being minimal, I'd rather have 20% back of whatever I've spent than not. It isn't just the toolbox, it is the tools as well.

If he buys through Snap-on, or similar, he should be able to ask his supplier to provide an itemised account per tax year which would make the claim very easy.