JLR vs Permanent

[pimpchez]

I will try keeping this brief as i am still in two minds .

In july i went for a role at JLR (project engineer) ,smashed the interview but my notice period put them off.
A few weeks after i managed to secure a role doing something similar but not for JLR ,lets call it job A.

Now my notice period finishes next week , said manager from JLR has a role for me and it would just be a case of me agreeing a start date as he has already interviewed me.

JLR rate is £17hr + the umbrella/ltd mess that i have been googling for the 90mins.
JLR is also a roughly 105mile round trip.

Job A is 30k permanent with a guaranteed raise at the end of the financial year (so they say) and permanent 12 mile round trip

Both offer the same kind of role , design and project input for vehicles.

A big OEM company is something i always dreamed about getting into. Now to through another curve ball into the mix , the mrs is pregnant so moving and extra expenses are not what i need or can afford right now.

I did agree to ring said manager at JLR this evening and plan on explaining my situation.

Edited by pimpchez on Tuesday 7th July 13:23

[pimpchez]

Well it looks like common sense will have to prevail in this instance , i will still ring the manager later on to have a chat and explain myself.

My current commute is 41 miles round and thats bad enough (mentally) even though its less than a hour each way as i leave at 4.
Fuel would be a killer going to JLR at <24mpg(ish) but that is offset by claiming 45p a mile which i do in my current role.

As for the baby condition ,my mrs cant live her of her wage let alone us both so security is important.


I will keep you guys posted , thanks for the input

[pimpchez]

Just a quick update . Spoke with the manager and explained the role abit more , it would be a great stepping stone in the company working under him ,however i turned him down.

[pimpchez]

Twin2 said:

I worked there recently, a lot of the engineers were contractors.

From what I could work out, £17 is a silly low rate for there, the chaps I worked with were on £25-30.
Considering the current climate and the fact JLR seem to be stable right now it could be worth it. Unlimited overtime, 40 hours a week, very flexible with it too.
A few of the guys squeezed the 40 hours into 4 days so they could either have Friday off or just be getting extra for whatever they did that day...

Then again, new baby on the way etc, permit role all the way!

Well being 26 and 3yrs experience industry apparently constitutes as a graduate in their eyes . The recruiter yesterday even had the cheek to say it wouldn't be fair to give me a raise against all the other grads , so stepping straight out of uni with no experience is ok then...

Yes the money at £25 a hour would be foolish to turn down even with the mrs condition, but they wouldnt want to give me that so il stick to Job A for a few years and then see and re-evaluate.

[pimpchez]

crosseyedlion said:

pimpchez said:

Well being 26 and 3yrs experience industry apparently constitutes as a graduate in their eyes . The recruiter yesterday even had the cheek to say it wouldn't be fair to give me a raise against all the other grads , so stepping straight out of uni with no experience is ok then...

Yes the money at £25 a hour would be foolish to turn down even with the mrs condition, but they wouldnt want to give me that so il stick to Job A for a few years and then see and re-evaluate.

Thats not the case at all, my first job out of uni (albeit with a fair bit of technician experience) was 25.64 an hour there, I turned down others for 20 and 21. Im now on less for my current contract but still over 20.

You would absolutely not be considered a grad contracting at jlr, whichever agency you're going through doesn't sound like they know the company very well.

Mental isnt it, this is what she wrote yesterday.


Hi pimpchez,

Thanks for letting me know – although it is worth noting that £17ph (ltd co) is the set graduate rate within JLR so there would be no room for deviation, at least for the first few months, as this would create a situation whereby some graduates would be getting paid more than others. I hope this makes sense?

If you are certain you wont be coming onboard, it’s not a problem, and I wish you the best of luck in your new position!


I have seen contracts over 20 but they are down in essex , i did mention the wage is low to the manager when we spoke but he didnt say anything about it .
Its strange that they are crying out for people down there but they dont want to pay them , even my current boss said yesterday i have made the right choice as it should be around 200+ a day.

[pimpchez]

Cyder said:

That's odd, I know a lad who is around 25-26 and has 3 years OEM experience just got a contracting role there on over £25/hr. Sounds like they're taking the piss a bit.

I dont have OEM experience , i have done CAD work and product management currently.

As for looking for the ad itself , the way recruiters have worked this year is as follows:

hi pimpchez

" all these vacancies have a rate of 17 ph ,25 word documents attached .Pick the ones you want to go for "

My eyes are now opened a bit more now thanks to this forum.

[pimpchez]

Well this seems a bit unfortunate , but i have the forsight to see that the future is looking bleak. I like my current role + short commute but i can only see 3 more months worth of work and lost tenders. One of the supervisors is already on his way out due to this.

I am looking sqaureley back at JLR again.

[pimpchez]

Thanks , i really dont want to go anywhere. I feel that i am in a role that suits me even with the workload/responsibility. However i would hate to get caught out and laid off in a few months time.