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?

Thanks @Chasingsquirrels I think Mum gave him the money and he bought it. But he bought a second hand one not a new one so I don't know if that counts? He buys his tools through snap-on so I'll tell him to check if he can claim anything back.

It's good to finally see decent salaries in the motor trade, and the technicians getting what they deserve.

DH was a master tech, the 'go to', trained all the apprentices etc. It was back breaking work, had to buy all his own tools. Always headhunted by dealerships.

He's out now, tripled his salary elsewhere, but the skills are still there as he keeps up with how things are changing, including getting himself qualified to fix electric cars. It's a hard job, well done to your son.

Totally agree with this, and more, the justifications make me grind my teeth! Do nurses not require skills? Do both they and teachers, and teaching assistants, not have to be ready and enthusiastic about picking up new skills at the drop of a hat? Are nurses not skilled and knowledgeable, working in areas where if they get things wrong people will die? Do they not see see death and pain quite regularly (thinking of an oft quoted excuse for train drivers)? The well-known low pay of the public sector does not make it right, nor having to pay to work on training programmes carrying huge debt!

That said it’s good to hear of youngsters managing to do something constructive, I’m hoping to guide my ds towards the trades. I would love to similarly guide my dd there too for financial security, but however loudly a few may object. the reality is that women are not welcome in male dominated trades and are treated badly. She would need to fight for her place every second of every minute against male sexism and it would never, ever stop. I’m telling her to study for a health profession and get out of this abysmally sexist dump of a country (and yes Afghanistan is worse, so what, she can and should aspire to better as should all women and girls).

It's not just the motor trade. Another friends son apprenticeship in plumbing including gas. Three years of god awful hours, poor pay. But now qualified is earning well enough at 24 to have bought his first house.

26 k

OP this is where you are both right. Starting salary is as expected but master techs for example can earn £50k plus. In fact some speciality technicians can earn double this. Most companies have technician levels and your son in at the bottom but with lots of room to grow/. Encourage him to do as many qualifications and training offered by the company. Also it depends on which company he works for as some companies have higher salaries.

Depends on where they are in the country but £20k-£35k is about what they'd get for working as an employee. The goal is to open your own garage and specialise in German cars because when people get those on rental or lease agreements, they have no choice but to go to a certified mechanic and pay top dollar.

My brother was a mechanic.
He marked all his tools so they didn't get "lost' might be an idea for your son.

Not surprised by the salary but very surprised he had to go through 5 rounds of interviews to secure a junior position, that seems completely unnecessary and over the top

That's a good idea. I remember a van coming round to the back where the engineer dept was. They sold tools. I think you paid for them over a period of time. Can't recall the name.

Everyone marks their tools. DS works as a chef, and all his tools are marked. His good knives are engraved with his name on the blade as routine before he receives them.

But, aside, a friend has bought a lot of specialist tools on Ebay, mostly from the US, for cents on the dollar cost, from widows just clearing out garages. I mean, he has bought thousands of dollars worth of tools for almost nothing because it has been too specialist for most people.

No not necessarily true. Due to competition law, manufacturers can’t limit their technician knowledge to fix cars to themselves. Certified German technicians can fix your car outside of those retailers.

Car mechanics command pretty decent salaries. They are an in demand skill. I’d go for £30-35k starting and if he works hard and gains more niche skills anything up to £60-70k.

Snap On is the company that does the rounds normally at the garages to sell tools

Ah could have been. They also liked Teng? Tools.

Bound to be more than teachers, nurses and probably junior doctors.

Wow, not sure why people bother going to uni these days, genuinely! I had to work for 8 years post uni to get near that salary.

What’s the most he can earn in time? Is there a ceiling for mechanics?

Quoting for the benefit of @NordicwithTeen . Also see my previous comment.

I don’t know why women go to uni - except that there’s not a lot of choice for women whether qualified or not, whereas men have all the options in the world open to them. Of course, numbers for nursing and teaching courses are dropping. Somehow rarity of skills does nothing to raise the value of women’s work either.

Dd has the snap on van visit. They nick named it the drugs van- hooks you in and leaves you in debt. Hafords pro stuff is good and like snap on will replace broken tools. For her 18th birthday dd wants an air impact gun. Snap on is thousand plus. Milwaukee is four hundred and something. Same company.
As a previous poster alluded to, dd works with a guy who's not keen on apprentices and certainly not female ones. He likes to see her making tea and sweeping up. She does her fair share but has had to take a complaint further a couple of times. Thankfully everyone else in the workshop is lovely
Struggle to understand why a middle aged man would feel threatened by a 16 yr old girl.

Wow, not sure why people bother going to uni these days, genuinely! I had to work for 8 years post uni to get near that salary.

@WhenTheyComeForYou I'm a social worker and did 5 years at uni (BA plus Masters in Social Work) and newly qualified social workers start on about the same as my son. But I'd much rather be a social worker than a car mechanic!

What an odd and sexist view, all jobs are open to everyone of either sex, it’s old fashioned views like this that make women feel job options aren’t open to them, I hope you don’t have daughters!

But I agree overall on uni in general, there are so many more options available these days (to everyone) through apprenticeships where you can earn and become qualified for a profession without all the debt I don’t think uni should be the automatic choice.

If it was brought for him, sadly he won't be able to claim any tax relief.

However if it was bought for him, he will.

Who'd have thought that correct English could be so rewarding!

Wow, not sure why people bother going to uni these days, genuinely! I had to work for 8 years post uni to get near that salary.

Surely people understand how basic inflation works? Salaries go up over time.

God, you are a dickhead aren't you.