Taking on a young Apprentice
Discussion
I am a Sole Trader and have a good Customer Base that's gives me plenty of work all year round. I find it difficult to turn down any work of any size and also do other Tasks for some regular Customers who "know" me and my capabilities. Failing to turn down work sees me often doing 3 jobs a week.
A 7-4 job during days 4.30-9ish in evenings and a weekend job. (Hours are not set in stone).
I am a Grafter by nature and not afraid of the work however I have been thinking of taking on a young Lad and putting him thru College on a course and helping me out with various Labouring duties or collecting Materials etc.
I can manage to keep myself very busy for long times but often worry about what is round the corner (thats why i never turn down work) for eg ; having a slow run of work and having to lay off the Lad, thus wasting his College Education and setting him back in his Career, so to speak.
I was wondering if it would be a good Idea to Email some Building Companies, Local Councils, Estate Agents and explaining that I wish to take on some Young Apprentice but need some regular work to ensure that I can keep him going and could they put some work my way.
All sounds simple really and all I can simply do is try.
I wonder if I need to have City and Guilds Trained or have some sort of skills certificate in order to Train another person. (I am self taught straight from school).
What sort of Insurances would I need, if any?
Would the Government help with Wage costs?
The Information I can gather on the Internet is all in too Technical and seems like Rocket Science it having Readthrought 50 plus pages in the PH Business Topics the answers from you PHers seems more clear cut and easier to understand...hence me getting thru 50 pages so far.
Obviously taking on somebody else and training them to my "standards" will make me a little more money in some ways so I may be being a little selfish as well but "money makes the world go round" and " money is the root of all Evil"
Sorry to run on.....
Thanks in Advance...
A 7-4 job during days 4.30-9ish in evenings and a weekend job. (Hours are not set in stone).
I am a Grafter by nature and not afraid of the work however I have been thinking of taking on a young Lad and putting him thru College on a course and helping me out with various Labouring duties or collecting Materials etc.
I can manage to keep myself very busy for long times but often worry about what is round the corner (thats why i never turn down work) for eg ; having a slow run of work and having to lay off the Lad, thus wasting his College Education and setting him back in his Career, so to speak.
I was wondering if it would be a good Idea to Email some Building Companies, Local Councils, Estate Agents and explaining that I wish to take on some Young Apprentice but need some regular work to ensure that I can keep him going and could they put some work my way.
All sounds simple really and all I can simply do is try.
I wonder if I need to have City and Guilds Trained or have some sort of skills certificate in order to Train another person. (I am self taught straight from school).
What sort of Insurances would I need, if any?
Would the Government help with Wage costs?
The Information I can gather on the Internet is all in too Technical and seems like Rocket Science it having Readthrought 50 plus pages in the PH Business Topics the answers from you PHers seems more clear cut and easier to understand...hence me getting thru 50 pages so far.
Obviously taking on somebody else and training them to my "standards" will make me a little more money in some ways so I may be being a little selfish as well but "money makes the world go round" and " money is the root of all Evil"
Sorry to run on.....
Thanks in Advance...
Once you have got thought the legalities and form filling finding a young person to actually turn up, be polite, be prepared to put in good hours and not be a total tard will be the biggest challenge. When you find a good one keep them, keep motivating, reward above and beyond and ultimately be fair.
I took an apprentice on last year and had £1500 back from the Government.
It was arranged through the training organisation and was very simple.
I think you would very lucky to get any of your customers to underwrite your expansion, but perhaps having an extra pair of hands would let you take on more and more varied jobs?
It was arranged through the training organisation and was very simple.
I think you would very lucky to get any of your customers to underwrite your expansion, but perhaps having an extra pair of hands would let you take on more and more varied jobs?
As above, there are grants available for taking on apprentices. I've looked into this recently too. I had two concerns - firstly, like you, what happens if the work slows down and I can't afford to keep paying them, I don't want to mess someone about or ruin their chances of the qualification. Secondly, what do you do with them at the end of the apprenticeship? I'd like to take them on as a proper employee, but then there's a huge wage jump as you have to start paying them the regular min. wage rather than apprentice rates. I guess they should be a much more productive worker by then, but my trade is much more technical (IT based), so they'd still be some way from being really useful.
I put these questions to the bloke from the apprenticeship scheme and his response/attitude was a little worrying "it's just a away to get cheap labour, you can get them doing all the menial stuff like cleaning etc ... you can get rid of them at any point in the year, it really doesn't matter". It almost seemed like he didn't give a s
t about the apprentices themselves, and would say anything to get a business to recruit an apprentice. I kind of felt like it should be a bit fairer to the apprentice than that. But I am still considering it.
I put these questions to the bloke from the apprenticeship scheme and his response/attitude was a little worrying "it's just a away to get cheap labour, you can get them doing all the menial stuff like cleaning etc ... you can get rid of them at any point in the year, it really doesn't matter". It almost seemed like he didn't give a s
t about the apprentices themselves, and would say anything to get a business to recruit an apprentice. I kind of felt like it should be a bit fairer to the apprentice than that. But I am still considering it.Well I have Trained up a young Lad but that was working for somebody else. I was working for a Property Developer (on the Books,not Self-Employed) and he gave me a young Lad, the Son of his friend, to Train and give some basic skills. He was a pain in arse to start with but I won him round after a couple weeks and he started to pick things up. Then my Son left School, (I'm Self-Employed now) and he came in with me and I was giving him £90 a week. I think the Max before Tax then was £96 a week. He too was a pain in the arse. We didn't get on at the start but we stuck it for 6 months cos I was giving him the odd bonus cos I simply wanted him to learn but then he didn't want to work late or weekends so he got himself a job....at Blockbuster Video....then they went bust 2 years later so now he's a Chef.
Anyway like I say I have Trained a couple up but a proper Apprenticeship is totally different to what I have just done above.
My reason for wanting an Apprentice was because some Family kids have no jobs and I took pity generally on young school leavers who couldn't find work no matter how hard they tried. This is over the past few years. Then they bought out this Apprenticeship drive and offered Grants to Train them up. I could really do with someone who can prepare things for me to Paint and cover furniture mix paint clean up make Tea roll Walls all simple jobs really.
At the end of the Apprenticeship I would say you're free to go and start on ya lonesome if you want a shed load of money but that is what most would do anyway. I would offer a small raise.
As stated, I am worried about work drying up, though I have never been without work really but there is always that chance in which case I will still have to pay the Boy out of fairness or get rid and mess his little education up.
It's hard to do really.
Anyway like I say I have Trained a couple up but a proper Apprenticeship is totally different to what I have just done above.
My reason for wanting an Apprentice was because some Family kids have no jobs and I took pity generally on young school leavers who couldn't find work no matter how hard they tried. This is over the past few years. Then they bought out this Apprenticeship drive and offered Grants to Train them up. I could really do with someone who can prepare things for me to Paint and cover furniture mix paint clean up make Tea roll Walls all simple jobs really.
At the end of the Apprenticeship I would say you're free to go and start on ya lonesome if you want a shed load of money but that is what most would do anyway. I would offer a small raise.
As stated, I am worried about work drying up, though I have never been without work really but there is always that chance in which case I will still have to pay the Boy out of fairness or get rid and mess his little education up.
It's hard to do really.
I paid mine a decent wage rather than the minimum allowed on the scheme. I did make it plain that I expected him to contribute in a way that would either cover his wages or make equivalent savings.
After 12 months he was worth more to me and now he's earning more than most of his mates. In return he's never late, is completely reliable and helps find new business.
After 12 months he was worth more to me and now he's earning more than most of his mates. In return he's never late, is completely reliable and helps find new business.
C Lee Farquar said:
I paid mine a decent wage rather than the minimum allowed on the scheme. I did make it plain that I expected him to contribute in a way that would either cover his wages or make equivalent savings.
After 12 months he was worth more to me and now he's earning more than most of his mates. In return he's never late, is completely reliable and helps find new business.
Ditto the above, we took on a fire alarm apprentice a year ago, pay him way more than the minimum, he works hard, never complains, never puts in for overtime. After 12 months he was worth more to me and now he's earning more than most of his mates. In return he's never late, is completely reliable and helps find new business.
Even the college want to do a case study on him.
How's the old saying go, pay peanuts, get monkies
C Lee Farquar said:
I paid mine a decent wage rather than the minimum allowed on the scheme. I did make it plain that I expected him to contribute in a way that would either cover his wages or make equivalent savings.
After 12 months he was worth more to me and now he's earning more than most of his mates. In return he's never late, is completely reliable and helps find new business.
Ditto the above, we took on a fire alarm apprentice a year ago, pay him way more than the minimum, he works hard, never complains, never puts in for overtime. After 12 months he was worth more to me and now he's earning more than most of his mates. In return he's never late, is completely reliable and helps find new business.
Even the college want to do a case study on him.
How's the old saying go, pay peanuts, get monkies
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