What am i worth?
Discussion
I'm not on here much of late, as work is very, very busy. I'm back doing the same chauffeur job, (summer only) I did last year for a family of 16 from the Middle East but its very intense at the mo as they are in between estate managers, so the duties of estate manager are currently being covered by myself and the housekeeper as well as our own duties. It is pretty intense but we are covering it, (just) but I am putting in 80 hour weeks and just spent 17 days on site without a day off or at my own home. The old estate manager was a legend and I honestly don't know how he managed to do everything he did? The family when in residence are very demanding. Luckily they are a nice bunch and very polite, but still they are very demanding, they have a set of requirements, often very specific and just expect these to be met at all times. A new estate manager is due to start on the 1st of August, but it really takes a special kind of person to keep the family happy and make the job happen. Time will tell.
I have now been approached by the families 'money' man and asked would I consider taking on the role of full time chauffeur with the family? Now I am interested, but how do I work out my value? My current job title is chauffeur but I am so much more than that, but I'm not bothered by titles, and here is a list of what I currently do.
My main priority is driving for the 2 senior members of the family. At all times they come first, after them I also drive any of the other 14 family members as and when required, this can be to anywhere and for anything, from a trip down the road to get a Starbucks coffee, to a night out at a show, Wembley stadium, the o2, Royal Albert hall, etc, etc. I am also required to run the maids around, I do all the family airport and luggage runs all family shopping trips, (food shopping), dry cleaning runs, and any other errands for the housekeeper, the gardeners and the stable staff so I am kept very, very busy. On top of this I am responsible for keeping the fleet of 10 vehicles in tip top condition inside and out, as well as sorting all servicing, tax, m.o.t's etc.
There is never a typical day in this job, sometimes its just bonkers but I thrive on a challenge and to be honest as nuts as the job can get, I do quite enjoy it. This year they have taken on a back up chauffeur to help me out, but sadly he went down for 10 days with a fever so I was really up against it but still managed to cover everything some how. He is back now, and certainly makes my life a lot easier but I'm still putting in 11-14 hours a day to stay on top of everything.
The families 'money' man is a particularly 'special' character and can be vague and tricky at the best of times. The way he has described the role to me is as follows. I would be the families full time chauffeur, responsible for all their driving requirements for the intense summer period and at any other time throughout the year when they may be in residence, or over on business. I would also take on the full running of the vehicles full time, as the new estate manager will not be doing this. My hours out of the summer period would be 10 hours a day, Monday-Friday and I have access to stay on site overnight as I now have my own room and the commute is just to much on a daily basis. My plan would be to stay on site Monday-Wednesday nights out of peak season and just do the commute home Thursday night and both ways on the Friday. I would be required to work weekends out of season if any family members pop over and have no problem with this. I would also be expected to assist the house keeper and new estate manager in any other jobs out of season. Again I have no problem with this as i'm currently doing all of these things anyway.
The package would also mean I'd be entitled to 4 weeks payed holiday a year, plus bank holidays and some sort of Christmas bonus.
I've spent the last 2 weeks mulling this over in my head to try and come up with a figure that I think I'm worth. The most important thing to the family I work for is trust, they have to be able to trust you otherwise you wouldn't last 5 minutes. Luckily I know I am well liked and trusted 100% by the family. I have the full run of the very large house and estate, I often have to nip in and out of any family members room for them, and I'm also trusted in dealing with prized possessions, art, antiques, and varying amounts of cash.
Like any job I've ever done I have always given 100% commitment, its just the way I have always worked. I would very rarely say this as i'm not big headed but I do think i'm good at what I do and am very keen to put this across in a diplomatic way to the families 'money' man so that he knows from the start i'm not to be had over a barrel, because if he could, he would.
I've done my research and good/top end chauffeurs in London, working in the service industry for say a private HNW family of 4-8 people and maybe 4-5 vehicles would look at 40-45k per year. Some jobs at the real high end of the scale I've seen in the region of 50k and sometimes, but rarely, more than that.
I know I will never do less than a 50 hour week when we are out of season, at peak times it can hit 80 hours, (I know why the 'money' man wants me salaried) I've peaked at 87 hours and i'll be giving up half of my home life but I was away for much longer periods when I did the tour work.
I have a figure in my head that I would like. I'm obviously going to go in above this
and I know what my bottom line is. The thing is, the figure I would like is equal to what the new estate manager will be getting 
Now I know this will instantly cause issues with the money man, and there are lots of ways of viewing it but he did ask me to come back with a figure that I think I am worth, so I will. But what is that figure???
Am I taking the piss by going in with a figure that is more or less equal to what the new estate manager will get?
I don't yet know what his level of effort and commitment will be, but I do know what mine already are and this is how I've come up with my own figures.
Any thoughts from PH???
I have now been approached by the families 'money' man and asked would I consider taking on the role of full time chauffeur with the family? Now I am interested, but how do I work out my value? My current job title is chauffeur but I am so much more than that, but I'm not bothered by titles, and here is a list of what I currently do.
My main priority is driving for the 2 senior members of the family. At all times they come first, after them I also drive any of the other 14 family members as and when required, this can be to anywhere and for anything, from a trip down the road to get a Starbucks coffee, to a night out at a show, Wembley stadium, the o2, Royal Albert hall, etc, etc. I am also required to run the maids around, I do all the family airport and luggage runs all family shopping trips, (food shopping), dry cleaning runs, and any other errands for the housekeeper, the gardeners and the stable staff so I am kept very, very busy. On top of this I am responsible for keeping the fleet of 10 vehicles in tip top condition inside and out, as well as sorting all servicing, tax, m.o.t's etc.
There is never a typical day in this job, sometimes its just bonkers but I thrive on a challenge and to be honest as nuts as the job can get, I do quite enjoy it. This year they have taken on a back up chauffeur to help me out, but sadly he went down for 10 days with a fever so I was really up against it but still managed to cover everything some how. He is back now, and certainly makes my life a lot easier but I'm still putting in 11-14 hours a day to stay on top of everything.
The families 'money' man is a particularly 'special' character and can be vague and tricky at the best of times. The way he has described the role to me is as follows. I would be the families full time chauffeur, responsible for all their driving requirements for the intense summer period and at any other time throughout the year when they may be in residence, or over on business. I would also take on the full running of the vehicles full time, as the new estate manager will not be doing this. My hours out of the summer period would be 10 hours a day, Monday-Friday and I have access to stay on site overnight as I now have my own room and the commute is just to much on a daily basis. My plan would be to stay on site Monday-Wednesday nights out of peak season and just do the commute home Thursday night and both ways on the Friday. I would be required to work weekends out of season if any family members pop over and have no problem with this. I would also be expected to assist the house keeper and new estate manager in any other jobs out of season. Again I have no problem with this as i'm currently doing all of these things anyway.
The package would also mean I'd be entitled to 4 weeks payed holiday a year, plus bank holidays and some sort of Christmas bonus.
I've spent the last 2 weeks mulling this over in my head to try and come up with a figure that I think I'm worth. The most important thing to the family I work for is trust, they have to be able to trust you otherwise you wouldn't last 5 minutes. Luckily I know I am well liked and trusted 100% by the family. I have the full run of the very large house and estate, I often have to nip in and out of any family members room for them, and I'm also trusted in dealing with prized possessions, art, antiques, and varying amounts of cash.
Like any job I've ever done I have always given 100% commitment, its just the way I have always worked. I would very rarely say this as i'm not big headed but I do think i'm good at what I do and am very keen to put this across in a diplomatic way to the families 'money' man so that he knows from the start i'm not to be had over a barrel, because if he could, he would.
I've done my research and good/top end chauffeurs in London, working in the service industry for say a private HNW family of 4-8 people and maybe 4-5 vehicles would look at 40-45k per year. Some jobs at the real high end of the scale I've seen in the region of 50k and sometimes, but rarely, more than that.
I know I will never do less than a 50 hour week when we are out of season, at peak times it can hit 80 hours, (I know why the 'money' man wants me salaried) I've peaked at 87 hours and i'll be giving up half of my home life but I was away for much longer periods when I did the tour work.
I have a figure in my head that I would like. I'm obviously going to go in above this
and I know what my bottom line is. The thing is, the figure I would like is equal to what the new estate manager will be getting Now I know this will instantly cause issues with the money man, and there are lots of ways of viewing it but he did ask me to come back with a figure that I think I am worth, so I will. But what is that figure???
Am I taking the piss by going in with a figure that is more or less equal to what the new estate manager will get?
I don't yet know what his level of effort and commitment will be, but I do know what mine already are and this is how I've come up with my own figures.
Any thoughts from PH???
Edited by chilistrucker on Saturday 2nd July 23:14
Thank you all very much, I really appreciate the feedback it is exactly what I was after and yes apologies for the poorly layed out original post. My bad.
If ever I needed to get my CV updated, and from what I've seen on several other posts I've read on here rog007 would always be my first port of call
Lots of food for thought here, I think I have a good ideas in my own mind now of what I'm worth. Yes they are a family that could comfortably afford it, without batting an eyelid. They are however a very successful business family for a reason and I have no intention of ripping them off, but for what I do and the effort I put in I'd like to think I may be worth a little more than market value? We'll see eh?
I have a figure I need now, I'll go in a bit above that as 1 thing this post has taught me, is don't under sell yourself and always go in higher rather than lower, much better for negotiating the long term deal At the end of the day it will boil down to a simple yes or no I guess.
I'll let you all know how it went if interested when I know myself. Based on the last couple of years I'm due a decent change of luck. I'm off to Austria in the morning to do a little 3 day job on the Formula 1 circus and I return to the chauffeuring job on Thursday so should see the 'money' man shortly after that.
If ever I needed to get my CV updated, and from what I've seen on several other posts I've read on here rog007 would always be my first port of call
Lots of food for thought here, I think I have a good ideas in my own mind now of what I'm worth. Yes they are a family that could comfortably afford it, without batting an eyelid. They are however a very successful business family for a reason and I have no intention of ripping them off, but for what I do and the effort I put in I'd like to think I may be worth a little more than market value? We'll see eh?
I have a figure I need now, I'll go in a bit above that as 1 thing this post has taught me, is don't under sell yourself and always go in higher rather than lower, much better for negotiating the long term deal
At the end of the day it will boil down to a simple yes or no I guess.I'll let you all know how it went if interested when I know myself. Based on the last couple of years I'm due a decent change of luck. I'm off to Austria in the morning to do a little 3 day job on the Formula 1 circus and I return to the chauffeuring job on Thursday so should see the 'money' man shortly after that.
Thanks again all for the responses. Just got back from my little jaunt on the F1 job so as much as i'd like to, I just have not got the time to reply to all the various valid questions raised. I have read all the posts and hope this covers the figure I have come up with and my workings out to get there. Some will say its too much, some will say its maybe not enough and others will be a bit MEH. The thing is, as I haven't been in this position before, (negotiating my OWN wage deal) I do genuinely appreciate peoples input 
Hopefully I'll cover most of the bases.
Here are a couple of blank lines for certain peoples benefit
I'm going in at 50k. I would, (personally) be happy at 45k. For me 45k is a very good wage right now. This is because I've just been through the 2 hardest years of my life for various reasons that a lot of you know. I'm not greedy, and never have been. When you've had a decent crack at life and its all robbed from you for an unbelievable set of crazy circumstances, all you really want out of life is a fair crack of the whip without being had over a barrel. I kind of feel that's where I am currently at.
50k is what I think I'm worth and here is why.
At its height in the summer season, which is right now, I am averaging 80 hours a week and it seems to be for a 14 week period of the year. That equates to 1120 hours. I also get no guaranteed hours or days off in this period, you just have to be available. I know this would be unacceptable to many, but it's just the industry i'm in and as stated I can deal with that, my choice for a "better" life. I also spend on average 5/6 days a week on site, so not sleeping in my own bed. Not ideal I know but just trying to get back in front.
Lets say the other 38 weeks are at the 50 hours a week that the 'MONEY' man says I will work
So that is 1900 hours.
If i'm doing this right, (probably not) this equates to a total of 3020 hours for the year. In the quieter season I will always be doing the minimum 50 hour week, and although it probably won't be that often I do have to make myself available at weekends/out of hours should a family member arrive.
Working on this as a basis, thats £16.55 per hour, pre tax, so approx £13.25 per hour take home after a rough working out of tax and N.I. Thats based on the 50k figure.
Have I missed anything??? I probably have.
A few people have come up with much better figures than those I will be asking for and as much as I would like/or may be worth it, sadly 75k is never going to happen. It should but its just the industry I now currently work in and as much as I or anybody else thinks the job warrants it, getting it is a whole different ball game.
I hope and think the figures I am going to go in with make sense and are hopefully acceptable, we'll see eh? If I'm honest and hopefully not sounding like I'm blowing smoke up my own arse, I probably am worth in the region of 75k a year. Sadly though, I have to be a realist and this is why after mulling it over and over, and over how I came up with the 50k figure.
I don't think I can get much fairer than that. I know that the figure I am going in with is more than the housekeeper and the new estate manager will be getting, but they, ('money man' and family) did ask me to come up with a figure that I think i am worth? and so that is what I have done. I know when I give my figure to the money man he'll probably keel over and come up with lots of reasons why the figure is too high. I'm sure he will mention that I am asking for more than the estate manager gets, but I will tell him I am not concerned what he pays other staff on the estate I am just giving him my best honest answer to his original question.
I know how easy I make the money mans life, I know I go way beyond the call of duty and I know what the current salary rate is for good chauffeurs in London and will be very happy explaining all of this to him. I think I have an answer for all of the questions I expect to get back from him.
Its then up to him to go away and think on it, I won't be holding my breath waiting for his reply.
Hopefully I'll cover most of the bases.Here are a couple of blank lines for certain peoples benefit
I'm going in at 50k. I would, (personally) be happy at 45k. For me 45k is a very good wage right now. This is because I've just been through the 2 hardest years of my life for various reasons that a lot of you know. I'm not greedy, and never have been. When you've had a decent crack at life and its all robbed from you for an unbelievable set of crazy circumstances, all you really want out of life is a fair crack of the whip without being had over a barrel. I kind of feel that's where I am currently at.
50k is what I think I'm worth and here is why.
At its height in the summer season, which is right now, I am averaging 80 hours a week and it seems to be for a 14 week period of the year. That equates to 1120 hours. I also get no guaranteed hours or days off in this period, you just have to be available. I know this would be unacceptable to many, but it's just the industry i'm in and as stated I can deal with that, my choice for a "better" life. I also spend on average 5/6 days a week on site, so not sleeping in my own bed. Not ideal I know but just trying to get back in front.
Lets say the other 38 weeks are at the 50 hours a week that the 'MONEY' man says I will work
So that is 1900 hours.If i'm doing this right, (probably not) this equates to a total of 3020 hours for the year. In the quieter season I will always be doing the minimum 50 hour week, and although it probably won't be that often I do have to make myself available at weekends/out of hours should a family member arrive.
Working on this as a basis, thats £16.55 per hour, pre tax, so approx £13.25 per hour take home after a rough working out of tax and N.I. Thats based on the 50k figure.
Have I missed anything??? I probably have.
A few people have come up with much better figures than those I will be asking for and as much as I would like/or may be worth it, sadly 75k is never going to happen. It should but its just the industry I now currently work in and as much as I or anybody else thinks the job warrants it, getting it is a whole different ball game.
I hope and think the figures I am going to go in with make sense and are hopefully acceptable, we'll see eh? If I'm honest and hopefully not sounding like I'm blowing smoke up my own arse, I probably am worth in the region of 75k a year. Sadly though, I have to be a realist and this is why after mulling it over and over, and over how I came up with the 50k figure.
I don't think I can get much fairer than that. I know that the figure I am going in with is more than the housekeeper and the new estate manager will be getting, but they, ('money man' and family) did ask me to come up with a figure that I think i am worth? and so that is what I have done. I know when I give my figure to the money man he'll probably keel over and come up with lots of reasons why the figure is too high. I'm sure he will mention that I am asking for more than the estate manager gets, but I will tell him I am not concerned what he pays other staff on the estate I am just giving him my best honest answer to his original question.
I know how easy I make the money mans life, I know I go way beyond the call of duty and I know what the current salary rate is for good chauffeurs in London and will be very happy explaining all of this to him. I think I have an answer for all of the questions I expect to get back from him.
Its then up to him to go away and think on it, I won't be holding my breath waiting for his reply.
Treb0r said:
With the expectation that they are going to fall off their chair and offer you less, I would be going in higher and expecting to be beaten down to 45-50k if that is what you would be happy with.
The more this keeps going around in my head, the more I agree with yourself and others. I 'm just not used to being in this position. I think I will up my original price knowing full well they won't be happy with it, and will certainly want to beat me down. I guess I have to let them think they have done a great job in beating me down, I just need it to be in the 45k-50k region. I think i'm just worried they'll give me a point blank no, but that is their choice. He knows I am interested in the job offer. I'm just keen that he knows that I can quite easily walk away at the end of the summer and try other things should we not come to an agreement on a suitable package. I've struggled before and can struggle again if I have too.
Indeed, my detailing skills are coming on in leaps and bounds
Edited by chilistrucker on Wednesday 6th July 10:06
R6VED said:
Best of luck and I would certainly advise going in higher than you are happy with as otherwis eyou have nowhere to go. £75k may be a bit high, perhaps £60kish?
Whatever happens if you do not fully update us on the outcome, I will track you down and throttle you :-)
👍Whatever happens if you do not fully update us on the outcome, I will track you down and throttle you :-)
I'm back in tomorrow and the next time I see him I will tell him my figure, show him the workings and give him my reasons to justify the 60k. Upto him then. I may not see him for a few days and won't get on here much as it will just be crazy again but I will certainly let people know the outcome when I know myself 👍
Pagey said:
Do the night security staff not still clean some of the cars down at the lodge?
I don't think you are far off going in at £60k
The hourly rates they have paid for contractors in previous years average out at considerably more
I think you maybe??? Thinking of our neighbours
Mind is set now to go at 60k, get laughed at and negotiate from there!!!
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.
I don't think you are far off going in at £60k
The hourly rates they have paid for contractors in previous years average out at considerably more
I think you maybe??? Thinking of our neighbours
Mind is set now to go at 60k, get laughed at and negotiate from there!!!
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.
Edited by Pagey on Wednesday 6th July 17:54
Thanks very much
1st day back has been manic, but new it would and I quite enjoy the challenge. We have 15 in residence at mo!!!!
I've kept a
diary since the start and everything I do, plus time factors involved etc is listed. I've transferred the key points onto a list, and when I see him I can go through it with him in as much detail as he wants. I've also printed off some job adverts for chauffeurs and the salaries advertised for the work involved, to prove my worth, so to speak.
Just need s gap now to see him, easier said than done.
1st day back has been manic, but new it would and I quite enjoy the challenge. We have 15 in residence at mo!!!!
I've kept a
diary since the start and everything I do, plus time factors involved etc is listed. I've transferred the key points onto a list, and when I see him I can go through it with him in as much detail as he wants. I've also printed off some job adverts for chauffeurs and the salaries advertised for the work involved, to prove my worth, so to speak.
Just need s gap now to see him, easier said than done.
Especially after this weekend!!!
No housekeeper due to a family issue and my backup chauffeur was off today, today I started at 730am to do an airport pickup, followed by all the normal craziness and to top it off a medical emergency this afternoon!!!
If I read this as an outsider it would surely sound like bulls
t, but jeez, today was, well you just couldn't make it up.
I was having my lunch break at 530pm when I got called into the house with a BIG problem, (see medical forum)
1 paramedic car, 1 ambulance and an emergency trip to A & E later I now really know what I think I'm worth.
Thanks to high praise from the paramedics and ambulance crew the family are very happy with my input today.
It has no real bearing on my figure but at least the 'money' man will now here it direct from the family !!!!!
I'm knackered. Hopefully I can put my case sometime this week!
No housekeeper due to a family issue and my backup chauffeur was off today, today I started at 730am to do an airport pickup, followed by all the normal craziness and to top it off a medical emergency this afternoon!!!
If I read this as an outsider it would surely sound like bulls
t, but jeez, today was, well you just couldn't make it up.I was having my lunch break at 530pm when I got called into the house with a BIG problem, (see medical forum)
1 paramedic car, 1 ambulance and an emergency trip to A & E later I now really know what I think I'm worth.
Thanks to high praise from the paramedics and ambulance crew the family are very happy with my input today.
It has no real bearing on my figure but at least the 'money' man will now here it direct from the family !!!!!
I'm knackered. Hopefully I can put my case sometime this week!
R6VED said:
Best of luck and I would certainly advise going in higher than you are happy with as otherwis eyou have nowhere to go. £75k may be a bit high, perhaps £60kish?
Whatever happens if you do not fully update us on the outcome, I will track you down and throttle you :-)
Finally an update for anyone who is interested.Whatever happens if you do not fully update us on the outcome, I will track you down and throttle you :-)
The money man came to me last night, and tbh looked a bit embarrassed. He informed me that the head of the family had now decided they don't need a full time chauffeur and that they were only looking at paying a salary of 30k a year for my role. I just laughed it was all I could do, after having spent 8 hours yesterday with my backup chauffeur cleaning the main garage to an exceptional standard, I was quite frankly insulted. This summer has been bizarre there to say the least!!!
I informed him I was happy to carry on at my current rate for as long as I was needed, as some of the family are probably now staying till Christmas. My current rate would actually put me at 52k if I was there year long. I know, you couldn't make it up. I am now obviously looking for another full time job and as and when I can find something suitable, I'll be off.
Yesterday applied for a job with my local Mercedes dealer, delivering and picking up customer cars for servicing etc, the money isn't great, but an easy life and on my doorstep appealed. Got a reply today saying I don't match their criteria .
Don't know if they think I'm over qualified, under qualified, too young, too old, who knows???
Don't know if they think I'm over qualified, under qualified, too young, too old, who knows???
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Thanks for that I've worked last weekend, plus the weekend just gone, and also will be working this weekend, all both Saturday and Sunday. Told the family I need Wednesday off as I have a couple of job interviews to attend, (I don't) but thought I'd just drop it in the conversation.
Birdster said:
I was expecting you to be offered the money you was thinking.
Any updates? Good luck though.
Update.Any updates? Good luck though.
Just drove a family member into central London and she said she had heard I was to be taking the role full time. I thought this was odd and explained to her exactly what had happened. I made it clear I wasn't expecting the 60k but the 30k I was offered was way under my expectation and so I would not be the families chauffeur after all.
I think the timing of our conversation was of no real surprise really, and she gave me an excellent platform to properly this time fully explain my worth, so to speak. She also went onto explain, (butter me up) that I was very well liked, fully trusted, and treated as part of the family. Hmmmmm.
Anyway, she has said she will raise this issue with her husband later tonight on our return to the house. Her husband is the oldest son.
We'll see eh?
I'll be very interested to see if they come back with another offer.
Well thats another year done, and the full time thing didn't happen. They were not prepared to go above 30k and considering the effort I put in and the hours I would work the money is just way too low.
I got midway through last Monday, and was called into the office and told that Wednesday would be my last day.
They have kept my backup chauffeur on though, who said he would leave. I told him not too and to get out of it what he could for as long as it suited him.
I also told the money man not to phone me next year as he clearly won't be able to afford me. I wished him all the best in finding a suitable replacement
I got midway through last Monday, and was called into the office and told that Wednesday would be my last day.
They have kept my backup chauffeur on though, who said he would leave. I told him not too and to get out of it what he could for as long as it suited him.
I also told the money man not to phone me next year as he clearly won't be able to afford me. I wished him all the best in finding a suitable replacement
shirt said:
oh yes i missed the part where he has to suffer driving a car and wait around.
the attitude seems to be that they can afford it so they are at fault by not ponying up.
the thread where the OP discussed the patriarch's health was quite telling. there's no way he would still be employed by the family if they knew about that.
Last year was very much more driving around and waiting. Driving in the safest smoothest manner possible at all times. The sitting about bit you mention, involved finding the closest legal place to park to where you drop them, so that you could go and collect their shopping at the drop of a hat, never actually knowing if you had time to grab a sarnie or visit the toilet. Any gaps during the 'sitting about' bit you mention were spent cleaning the vehicle you were in.the attitude seems to be that they can afford it so they are at fault by not ponying up.
the thread where the OP discussed the patriarch's health was quite telling. there's no way he would still be employed by the family if they knew about that.
I couldn't even begin to explain to you what the job entailed this year, not that you'd get it. I never once thought, oh they can afford it, I'll stick a ridiculous figure of 60k in. They asked what 'I thought' I was worth, and based on the industry standard and for the effort, hours and commitment I put in I still think I was reasonably close to the mark. I didn't say thats what I expected as i was thinking 40-45k, I just honestly answered their question. Ponying up my arse.
As for discussing the patriarchs health I tried to do this in the most subtle and discreet manner possible, and only did it to try and prepare myself for every possible situation depending on how events would unfold. Never would I mention family names, property addresses etc. Maybe you're right, maybe they wouldn't have been happy, but had they not listened to me on that particular day, begging them to phone an ambulance the patriarchs condition could have been a whole lot worse than being rushed to A&E in an ambulance and spending nearly 3 weeks in hospital.
What I have learned from this summer is that maybe the best thing that happened to me, is that they didn't want to pay me a decent wage. From mid May-3rd week of September I never once got a full weekend off, and in that period had a total of 15 days off from work and in my own home.
I did earn well out of the job this year, but trust me I genuinely earned every single penny of it.
colinevan said:
What's the next step then buddy,
Are you staying put for the time being on say an hourly rate or is it something fresh.
Col.
TBH, no idea??? Certainly can't go back on the trucks and rock n roll as the DVLA still play the same old game, but i'm over that one now. The family layed me off, as they only need the 1 chauffeur now and the other lad is the cheaper option and more local. Good luck to him though, as he is an excellent fella and I would never have got through this year without him.Are you staying put for the time being on say an hourly rate or is it something fresh.
Col.
I'd love to stay driving in some way, there is good money in chauffeuring if you can find the right family, terms and conditions but most of the big agencies that scout for these roles want 5 years chauffeuring experience. I have 2. The 25 years experience of driving Europe and beyond counts for nothing. Such is life.
Sadly my lack of experience in anything other than trucking really leaves me a little bit stuffed, and beings i'm 45 now who wants to train someone of my age up in a new career. Don't blame them. I can't train to do taxing, buses, tour buses, trains even as they all require the same medical to be passed as i need for my lorry licence back, so that just puts me back at square 1 with the DVLA medical panel.
Stacking shelves in Tesco maybe, as I don't fancy £7.20 per hour doing multi-drop van work.
Nights at Tesco maybe, and get back to writing my book in the day time maybe.
Got 2 chapters down earlier this year, then the chauffeur thing came back and took over the last 4 and a half months.
As long as I keep waking up in the morning in, it can't all be that bad
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