To suggest everyone's DC train as roofers, builders and other "trades"?

[PolkerrisBeach]

Because I've spent about a month trying to get people to do work in the house and NOBODY'S INTERESTED. Nobody wants to come and quote for smaller jobs like putting four skylights in an extension ceiling, taking down a wall between two rooms and plastering.

They're all too busy doing 50k extensions and loft conversions.

So if anyone has a child considering their future, send them to learn to be an electrician / builder / roofer / carpenter - they are all so busy that they're turning work away.

"Trades still don't pay enough though do they? Unless you are running a business employing several people or you are doing something highly skilled learning a trade will only land you in a position where you are very busy but still not getting paid that much"

Something must be wrong with DH's pay slips then....

Couldn't agree more. Two of my nephews have apprenticeships. They have cars, and go on holiday.

If my DS wants to go to university I'd be thrilled, but only if there's at least some sort of career path in the offing. My own

Here in Edinburgh we have to beg and plead tradesmen to turn up. We've got a big savings pot for home improvements, sitting untouched because we have to take long breaks between dealing with trades.

If my son grew up to be a reliable tradesman I would be so bloody proud.

@summerFruitPudding That made me laugh!

It's funny how relevant media studies degrees have become. Many of the students that were made to feel bad or stupid for doing them 10 years ago are laughing now, working as broadcasters, web journalists, film editors, photographers, travel bloggers, social media consultants, marketing managers. It's such a varied and interesting area of study - I wish I had gone for it myself now! They say the biggest jobs now didn't even exist properly a decade ago, and then same will happen for the next decade. We have no idea what's around the corner!

The last big thing we did was a full new bathroom. It went massively wrong and the tradesman walked off two weeks before Christmas. Our relationship suffered badly because of the stress and I put on weight and drank far too much.

It makes you realise that there are whole areas of the economy that could be on a huge upswing if only anyone wanted the work.

We have the money. They don't want it.

A degree is not worthless.... Regardless of subject. Some will train you to do a particular job but even a degree in a non vocational subject allows an individual to develop transferable skills valued by employers. If someone leaves university feeling their degree is worthless then I'd suggest they didn't make the most of the opportunity

The problem my DH (electrician) found was that people would want a 'small' job doing and couldnt accept that the small job required quite a lot of other work for it to be up to Part P standards. They saw him as trying to make the job bigger than they wanted when he didnt really have a choice except to walk away.

Gnome my DH has stopped domestic as he was fed up with people moaning that he had to chase out and not be able to magically make cables appear and disappear from the plaster

redglitter I don't suppose he's in South London and could do with an assistant?

I'm trying to persuade someone that handyman could be a good choice for him whether he goes to uni or not as he is good at any practical thing he turns his hand to, learns very quickly and takes pride in doing a good job.

I’d agree with the OP as in the future the majority of jobs that are really going to be protected from technology are those that are more hands on, like hairdressing, beauty salons, trades,manual work etc. I wonder if in 100 years time these will be the jobs that most pp aspire to?

DH is always getting asked recommendations for bathroom fitters. The one he was confident in recommending has taken semi-retired and will only do v small easy jobs he can do just by himself very close to home. And going on lots of holidays and having a generally lovely life for the rest of the time.

agree GnomeDePlume. That's the other thing with small jobs - what appears small can be much larger and people think they're getting ripped off. DH was suggesting a fix a customer could do for themselves and they balked at putting the heating on for a couple of days (was something to do with a possible leak somewhere on something, I'm hazy on the details). This was free advice on a phone call! When DH said the cost of replacing the thing would be minimum of £300 so perhaps they wanted to reconsider, they did concede it would be cheaper to try first.

This is an interesting one.

My dh is a fully qualified bricky/plumber. A couple of years ago he went from being self employed to employed. Massive drop in earnings but being self employed was becoming too stressful. He was never getting paid, he was owed thousands and never had weekends off etc.

Now he's employed it's better. He has a boss who he gets on very well with.

His boss is always taking on apprentice's. In the 2 years dh has worked for this company, only 1 apprentice is still going and almost fully qualified.

The rest have left or been sacked by dh's boss. The reason being they just don't have it in them.

The amount of times dh would come home moaning about these young lads. Dh asked one to sweep up once and he threw a hissy fit. He had a proper tantrum.

The latest one was sacked for swearing to his teacher at college.

Dh can't understand it. These apprentice's have been given an amazing change to become something that will give them a trade/profession that's pretty well paid.

All it takes is some hard work and dedication to get there but it's like non of them can be arsed quite frankly - they just expect everything handed to them on a plate.

Maybe it's just been the luck of the drawer for dhs boss. He's employed the wrong people. But I have to say, dh is quite worried about the future. He seems to think the future generation will all be about big expensive builds like op says. Not the smaller jobs. And there will be lots of cutting corners instead of doing a proper job.

Does it have to be a binary choice between higher education and trade though? I can totally see the need for tradespeople to have basic knowledge of stuff like accounts, tax and website design to run their business. Also, electricians and gas engineers should definitely be examined in a formal way to make sure their work is safe.

I think there's a lot to be said for a "half way house" degree of the type offered by the old Polys, where you did a year at college, then a year learning the practicals of building or whatever, then another year back at Uni. However the old Polys don't exist any more and the Unis are offering things like Quantity Surveying and Architecture, which isn't the same.

The trainee plumber on our job chucked his lunch wrappings and offcut materials under our bath rather than walking to a bin.

@MorrisZapp wonder if we are talking about the same apprentice and dh had this also!

He was also working on a caravan one day....instead of clearing the rubbish....apprentice just decided to chuck it all under the caravan. Boss had to go remove it all....he was sacked a week later for forgetting to load the van with the materials they needed for the day on a job that was 50 miles away. He did the same job every morning. Just was too hungover to remember on that particular day they were working miles away

I agree, my husband is a joiner and has earned far more than I ever have. Cons are that he doesn't get paid to drive around visiting customers, working out quotes, take leave, sickness etc. And he'll be broken by the time he's 50 most probably. Smaller jobs are a pain as a PP says, most people get 3 or 4 quotes (which is sensible) so he will do all the leg work, unpaid, and still not get the work anyway. He might ask the customer to get their quotes, then come back to him and he will mostly always beat it. That way he hasn't done pointless leg work, but gets the job anyway and the customer has got it slightly cheaper. Everyone's a winner.

But the plan with him (and other tradesman I know) is a) to make enough through property to retire. He can build loft conversions, orangery and fitted kitchens to our houses for not a lot of money but adds massive value. And b) take less of the load by paying labourers, other joiners and other tradesman, so by the time he's physically knackered he's still making money by overseeing and project managing. When the kids leave home he'll build a house, and so on...he knows all the right people to do it far cheaper than Joe Bloggs.

He still wishes he'd trained to be a plumber or electrician though, they're really raking it in.

And yes, it is so hard to get reliable young people! They will turn up, then the next day just say they aren't coming.

The trouble is, before you're qualified, there's no incentive. Pay is poor and it's hard work, and they aren't responsible for reputation so don't care. It takes years to build a reputation and reap the benefits of being trusted, therefore paid well, and most young people can't see it.

Gas Safe & HSE do very little when unsafe work is reported to them for both qualified and unqualified traders. It's really awful.

The admin is a lot about having time to keep on top of it all and staying up to date with changes in requirements. Out of the house til late, weekend working etc. Of course it can and is done perfectly well by most, but it's weighing up the quality of life you get. Plus people turn up on your doorstep as your home address is plastered everywhere

@summerFruitPudding
ODFOD with your grammar corrections.
I don't proof read at 4am

I agree.

All the naice houses in my area are bought by builders to live in now, not just do up.

The service and public sector workers are living in town houses and terraces.

I've had to wait four months for someone to fit a new bathroom. A couple were honest though and simply 'no sorry, I haven't got the time.'

Nephew is a fully qualified plumber (and currently training for his electrical qulifications). He and his gf are doing VERY nicely, only 22 and own 3 bed house (moved on from their first 2 bed flat), own car etc.
Best thing he ever did, very few of his friends have their own houses.

@BruceAndNosh

You didn't need to proof read. It was two sentences. You do manage to act like a dick and be snobby about which subjects are worthy of studying at university.

Agreed with you op.

My dh left school with no qualifications but still managed to be on enough money that I didn't need to work.

Although actually getting tradesmen to turn up to quote is another matter entirely.

Unfortunately now you need GCSEs do a trade course at college

My concern with this is polarisation of society. When Eton, Rugby, Malvern, Wellington, Harrow and Kings start sending children to ‘trade’ training you’ll know society has become more equal. If too many young people start being pushed into apprenticeship rather than degrees we’ll have problems with the bright but poor not being supported and encouraged into higher vocational degrees which leads to reduced social mobility.
Apart from the one at university still, mine own their own houses and drive nice cars in their early 20s. They wouldn’t consider 50k a particularly good wage except when starting out in a career.

My concern with this is polarisation of society. When Eton, Rugby, Malvern, Wellington, Harrow and Kings start sending children to ‘trade’ training you’ll know society has become more equal

This is already happening. See my pp