Thank you to everyone who helped with the creation of this video. Comment below if any of the results shocked you and what figures surprised you the most. 👀
Thanks for this.🤪🤪🤪 I now know I can pay trades people so much less than I thought I had to 🤪🤪🤪. All I know is that Artisan prices must be out of this world because 😅when I've asked Artisan for a quote all I get told is too piss off because you don't cover Oxfordshire...
Hi Jordan, great video, could you please do a video on how to price jobs under different conditions? For example, maintenance contracts vs call outs vs normal jobs thanks 👍
The biggest issue is 10years ago £33k was a really good wage, but now with inflation and everything going up minimum wage is catching up it makes £33k feel like £25k 10 years ago
As a previous builder, I used to do it all, no matter the weather, conditions or job. I would charge £250 a day. Started at £150. But had to buy shit loads of good tools regularly, fund materials, pay young lad every day. Loved it, then had a stroke, fell off can roof, pulled out shoulder and now 6 years on shit for luck degenerative disc disease, sends pains all over my body. Looking back I'd jump at building again. But if you read to bottom I could have died having a stroke, so think myself lucky.
Can you explain why you got a stroke? Was it because of eating too much, drinking alcohol or smoking? Ppl who are in physical jobs should be less likely to get these issues compared to ppl who work in an office.
@@ajharmiah2692 brother you need to stop assuming the worst about white people, not all of them are addicted to substances. building is a dirty hard job.
Iam an electrician with a small ltd company and with domestic work we charge £37.50 p/h, call out £75 for 1st hour during business hours, £150 1st hour and £75p/h there after or we price at £95 per point, and then add VAT. We work on a 30% profit margin generally
As someone who has lived and worked in the United States - that 30% increase in pay is soon swallowed up by the difference in the cost of living in the USA. Of course, it depends where in the US you live and work but I know where I lived, in Connecticut, I'd have to be earning close to 60% more than what I did in the UK to have the same standard of living. (CT is a relatively expensive place to live)
NHS is a shambles. There are some good staff who actually care for people and put there all in. They should be paid more. But majority of them are just people who go to work and get paid. Clock out and forget about there patience on ward and just read the notes the next day.
True but they have clear job progression, can get up to higher bands on very competitive salaries, overtime pay, OOH pay increase.. job security and an unmatched pension.. it's not bad lol.
There are some other routes - my nephew is going into the forces to train as a medic and as part of that he could specialise as a paramedic, and he'd have a straight shot into the ambulance service when he leaves, should he want to. Of course, the caveat is you have to be willing to join the forces, but you get paid (even if not especially well) to learn, rather than the hideous cost of gaining a degree.
@stevepettifer4896 as a CMT you have to do further training after leaving the forces in order to work as a paramedic. But at least u don't have to go and do a degree
The hours a shit mate. No social life nothing. You will have 3 am starts always bound to living near a train station most likely driving an hour a day to work to get to the stations. Sleep is fucked. If you can handle that then go for it competition is insane for it just for the money
The problem is social media and those basically driving a race to the bottom. I see people all the time posting about how they can rewire a 3bed house for £3.5k. They’re either smashing it in with very little care and Screwfix LAP cheap materials. Or they’re working for peanuts. I’m doing a rewire at the moment and some people thought I was massively expensive. Yet plumber comes in and charged £4800 to change a boiler (granted it’s an oil boiler as I work in Shropshire) but they were in and out in a day! I got quotes for a log burner. Cheapest I had was £4100+VAT which didn’t include the burner or the slate hearth. I had to provide those on top. That was 3 days work at most and they reckoned they could probably have it done in 2. I don’t mind paying for quality work. But it irritates me when customers will think nothing about paying £2k for a fancy cooker. But baulk at £800 for a new consumer unit. NAPIT, NICEIC etc need to start driving education across the public and also driving change in the industry. Electrician needs to be a protected status like gas engineer/plumber. Then they need to ban the sale of all electrical tools, test equipment and accessories unless you prove you’re a qualified electrician. You’ll never stop DIY Dave from the dog and duck. But NAPIT, NICEIC can do more to reduce it. Also if electricians refused to do, for example, EICRs for less than £250 then you would quickly drive down the no. of these £85 drive by EICRs. A big problem is also the amount of bitching at each other rather than helping. The electrician trade is its own worst enemy at times. I could go on all day 😂
The UK is rubbish at protecting professional jobs. Engineer is a protected designation in Germany, anyone can call themselves an engineer in the UK. It's absolute bullshit they say it can't be done because engineer is a ubiquitous word these days. Bring in a law and start kicking the balls of people who abuse it.
Although you're kind of right, these things are only a race to the bottom if one is prepared to take part in it. Those relying on builders for work, or the landlord rental EICR market, are always going to be fighting for scraps. The bottom line is most tradesmen aren't businessmen, that's the difference. They like the freedom in being their own boss, which is great on one hand. But you can't be working and quoting and procuring materials at the same time. Then come the challenges of upscaling and employing or otherwise engaging additional labour, that's when things start going wrong, especially with today's poor training standards and general lack of pride. It seems to me that the "successful" sparks are those who achieved a second revenue stream, from things like property rental. They don't have to compete in the drive by testing market! Buildings are now seriously electrically dominated, whether it be PV/EV, BMS control, HVAC the list goes on. So any spark willing to put themselves to the test, can quite easily become Facility Management, project engineers, or even teachers! Electricians really are in the box seat. Its a steady enough gig, not too taxing on the body, lots of routes to get off the tools, with good earning potential, and about as much job security as one can hope for. All that depends on if one wants to house bash all their life, or leave it to those who want to fight over 3 grand rewires. I do agree the industry needs to be governed under Law. NICEIC and NAPIT have had long enough now, without achieving much, and yes electricians are nothing but a set of moaning piss flaps!!!!
If the 'other' electricians are so cheap. why did they pick you? Ask yourself, if their complaining now, what will happen when its time to pay up? Hope you 've got a contract. If not, cut your losses and walk away now.
@@johnchristmas7522 The ones who complained I was too expensive didn’t accept my quote. I was just highlighting the disparity between a full rip out & rewire quote vs a plumber who’s in/out in the same day or 2 at most for a boiler change. The current rewire I’m on I couldn’t ask for a better customer. Job has been ongoing since Nov as it’s a bespoke rip out and refurb of a 200yr old cottage. I submit an invoice each month and they pay it within 48hrs. Job spec has changed 3 times as well. But as it’s been at first fix stage then it’s not been too much hassle. Apart from changing the location of the island which I’d chased a 10mm cable into the floor for some fancy induction hob. So had to move that. But again no real issue. The builder just re-screeded the floor once I’d moved it. All my quotes have a set of T&Cs. One of which is payment within 7 days of completion. It’s also noted that failure to pay will result in the debt accruing interest and late payment charges in line with small business legislation. So if they accept the quote they also accept the T&Cs. Won’t stop the ones who aren’t going to pay anyway. But at least I’ve got some watertight legal recourse when they don’t.
Sums up my thoughts exactly. I've built up a good customer base that respects quality work but that's taken years of dealing with endless time wasters wanting something for nothing or for you to cut corners so they can save a few quid. If NIC made the public and even businesses aware when you should receive certification for electrical work, it would help educate and cut out chancers.
I made a simple income calculation. When your income (sole trader/limited) is under £85k you stuck, and you can play with the numbers and cash in hand etc. However, if you are over £85k you need to generate min. £110-120k/year to be just equivalent if you're under £85k. The one man band is a survivor, but not much. If you have a VAT registered business then you need to get £180-250k/yr for 2/3 people max. But you need tons of work. It's a catch 22 😢 The other problem is the hourly rate. If you raise it you can lose out jobs, if you're under you work for survival.
My dad used to say carpenters have been doing the same thing for hundreds of years not much changes with what you do with wood. With electrics it’s changing all the time and there is a lot to remember! We need more money for sure!
Another thing, electricals are dangerous if an amateur doesn't know what he's doing. Nailing a plank to a bit of wood on the other hand... You'd expect electricians and gas heating engineers to be the highest paid because they are required by law to be trained. You can start your own joinery business without being a joiner. Sure, people will catch on if you're useless but it's not against the law.
What about bricklayers, they’ve been putting one brick on top of another for thousands of years. Nothing’s changed. A bucket full of tools and a level and that’s it.
@@dmarriott9701Although the process is the same, Bricklaying has become more supply/demand, why the rates are good. They drove kids into IT, thinking we could de skill construction and not need bricklayers, by using other systems, and its not worked out.
@@dmarriott9701 Brick layers work in all conditions, It's hard physical work needing strength and stamina, and experienced ones are quick. They deal with all sorts of block masonry issues, and they are basically responsible for creating the main foundation of a building. And good brickies are sort after and often hard to come by, House building corporations want large estates built quick with experienced and tooled up man power to get their assets up... And are willing to pay those wages.
All building trades earn morn than the motortrade. I'm a high voltage trained vehicle technician. Working on 400v dc batteries. That's live working too. Vehicles have changed so much in my 27 year career. We have to buy our own tools. Constantly train for less. Most of our salary is based on target earnings that are unachievable.
Electricians can work well into retirement age. Scaffolders cannot. I know a former scaffolder who is now in telesales earning a lot less because the job wore their body out. The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
I have been an electrician 38 years, wages have always gone up and down with the economy. In the early 1990`s there was just no electrical work around and wages were low. . Then Part P arrived and more regulation which really in the initial stages improved earnings. The late 1990`s up to about 2018 were really good. The last 2 - 4 years have got really difficult, costs to run the business have sky rocketed. tools, regulation, vehicle cost and insurance. There does seem a race to the bottom at the moment. Just to note I am only a sole trader and work from home but some prices I see people charge are just so low. I just don`t know how they do it. I can only suspect they use part qualified staff and a senior engineer signs it off.
I would imagine scaffolders and bricklayers are the highest paid because of the toll it takes on your body not many bricklayers are particularly good at walking by the age of 60 being an electrician is pretty cushty provided your safe ofc
I’m a free market kind of person but I do think technical trades need to be regulated with a tiered licensing system to represent technical competencies, experience and ongoing cpd. We also need to get away from the ‘failed at school so get a trade’ mentality. We need to attract genuinely smart people to the trades and lift the standard.
I didn't realise you guys are from Cambridge (Just down the Busway from me). Don't know why your videos turned up in my feel but I've watched a load now and been enjoying them.
Just had a Tesla Gen 3 Charger installed on my house. I supplied the Charger and 60 amp breaker, and the charger was installed only 12 inches away from the Electric Panel but on outside wall (wood,) oh and the panel had a space for the breaker. The cost including permit and taxes was $1224 (920 pounds) which in my opinion is extortion.
Well in Australia they work to live , in the UK YOU LIVE TO WORK ,SLAVE LABOUR . That is the system . All ways has been and all ways will be . Started work in 1964 Apprentice £2-9 shillings a week ,1969 Sparks £20 for 40 hours ,15 hours a week over time @ time and a half . 2.4 kids a mortgage a car , the wife had to have a part time job and you were making head way . 1994 working on price work a gang of 3 of us , on steel tube work , tray , trunking , wiring and second fix , £1,250 a week each . That set the price for the next 10 years until another direction took over ready for retirement . I once read an article in an investment magazine on building costs ,around 1992 , an one owner of a large London electrical company , stated , is it not a shame that electricians have to have all the knowledge and we only pay them peanuts and basically it is a licence to print money for the company . So heads down lads arse up , as long as the shit is below your arm pits ? the mouth is clear to eat more doughnuts .Great fun along the way . Best of luck . 🤔😉👍👍
What annoys me is people who complain about the cost of a decent trade but are quite happy to pay more for a piece of technology or whatever. Why are IT bods paid stupid amounts of money but a trade is seen a lower class?
It must depend on where you live in the UK. . I live in the south west of England and the pay of most professional treads are are less than in the south east of England
I feel like salaries across the board in the UK are just too low, pretty much any skilled job (trades or otherwise) pays much more in places like the US and AUS; even once factoring in the cost-of-living differences. Everyone deserves more in the UK :(
The fundamental issue from a economist point of view is since austerity the UK has had 2 competing forces working on wages. The increase in inequality has meant more people needing to earn which has driven down wages across the board. We haven't noticed this as their has also been a general devaluation of the £ which in turn drives up wages (but not spending power), the net results is if you look at wages across the UK over say a 15y time period they look to have largely stagnated. It's only when you compare them to either what someone earns in another country of the cost of something you realise how badly the economy has done since the start of austerity! While a pound in your pocket is still be worth a pound tomorrow, it's no longer worth $1.40 and almost everything in the UK we buy has a base line $ price which is along the way converted to £ price. In my world, a quantitative developer would earn about £110k -$170k in 2010, today they would earn ~£150-200k but in the US more like $300-450k! Or looking at the purchasing power, in 2010 I bought a high spec Audi Q7 for ~£40k, today a high spec Q7 would cost £80-90k so significant loss of purchasing power! The final nail in the coffin for us wage slaves is successive governments have increased the tax burden on UK workers significantly. Your sparkie in the states may pay 20-30% tax after deductibles... In the UK, even earning less his tax burden after NI... its more likely over 35%
Interesting about the guy who is working in Australia, that rate is pretty low. If you work for an Union signed company, the rate in Victoria is pretty much $70/hr as an EMPLOYEE, on top of that you end up with daily allowances of $40 day and other benefits are paid such as income protection, long service leave etc. wand possibly site allowance of $5-10 and hour in large projects. Easy for a decent electrician on decent projects to earn $150k and $200k plus with a bit of overtime. But hey, house prices are massively high, like $800,000-$1,000,000 for something average. Yet, prices of things like cars are much cheaper than Europe, fuel is getting up there, but cheaper than Europe. Food costs are now high, but can be contained if you don't spend your life eating out. Trade jobs in Australia are not looked down upon either. It's a great paying job, in fact, as an electrician, its not THAT hard either. Don't let people tell you otherwise, Australia is STILL the lucky country, its not perfect and things are perhaps harder and more expensive than they used to be but I really can't think of somewhere else where an average person lives a better life.
To be fair most electricians I've met aren't fully qualified and most don't bother to learn more than basic site work or domestic install. So the rate will be low
The money is a bit better in Australia but I wouldn't say its that good compared to other roles. I'm on about $145k/yr or about $55/hr working as an electrician in underground mining. Thats where my pay is capped out after 7+yrs, plus I have about $20k worth of licenses/additional specialist training ontop of having my electrical license, and $15k of tooling that I have paid for and have to maintain (working underground, shit rusts away so probably close to $5k/yr). Probably sounds good, but they will also pay some muppet that has zero experience, tooling, training or licenses about $130k/year starting out as an operator to sit inside an airconditioned cab somewhere. If they manage to prove that they aren't completely useless then within 1-2 years they will have surpassed my pay, and from there they will only earn even more than me.
I’m an HVAC/plumber installer in the U.S. and I earn what the equivalent of £80,000 a year. We work with high voltage, high pressure refrigerants, hot water, etc. so electricians are not the only ones who work with dangerous systems, and we have to take schooling as well but experience earns your pay at the end of the day.
Mechanic average in UK is £37k. Get covered in oil and dirt everyday. Rush around for waiting customers. Have to buy all our tools and toolboxes. Dealing with 600v electric/hybrid vehicles as well as internal combustion engines. Electrician sound like I good move for me.
The disparity in pay between the UK and other nations can be traced back to the overall stagnation in wages in the UK vs most of the rest of the G20. Since 2008, wages in the UK have effectively remained the same, whereas cost of living / inflation have significantly changed. This has not been the case globally. The wage disparity is not unique to trades, however it does reflect how badly the UK economy has performed since the 2008 crash. Effectively it has not recovered.
Definitely machinist (not sewing but engineering) is the worst paid trade, dealing with metals that have lead content, dirty air filled with coolant, risk of death if you make a mistake, and the lives of others are in your hands if you make parts for planes or similar industries, the maths involved are more complicated than sizing cables and the average pay is £13 an hour right now. After a four year apprenticeship I was making £9.83 an hour 10 years ago and making parts for aircraft in 2017 I was making £14.5 an hour.
Am self employed. 150-170 /per day.. mostly domestic and full renovations.. i commute with a (fast🤫)ebike and a large motorcycle backpack... No travel costs(insurance/petrol/tax/parking).. get materials delivered.. and have the luxury of not getting caught in traffic.. which means that i can get to more jobs in a day... Not ideal for carrying multiple DeWalt packs😅... But forces me to plan jobs better only taking needed tools... And then again i can always jump on the train (folded ebike). So at the moment Electrician wages are good for me.. but definitely they are too low for the average electrician and their expenses.
@@Walktheline1991Well I'd better hand in my certificates then and work as a general handyman! 🙃 To be fair I am a single parent so I don't really do full days.. but the work I carry out amounts to a day's work .. pricing versus Hourly rate.. still trying to find my way... But here in NW London... This is generally the low end of electrical quotes... And still get people's asking for lower price 🙄.
"ebike and a large motorcycle backpack... No travel costs(insurance/petrol/tax/parking)" so dose that mean you do not pay road tax or insurance on you motor bike, Hell do you even pay tax and how many fuck ups have you made on the job that could kill or cost the customer?? you sound really dodgy
Scaffolding literally the lowest skill ceiling out of every trade nearly unless you’re doing specialised stuff all you need is an impact and a boat level
I’m a strong believer in why we have fallen so far behind regarding wages was the amount of courses that was available to complete within a short time period ( boil in the bag sparks) has flooded the market and I remember seeing adds in the national papers mostly the sun has shot us in the foot. Sparks should easily be on £300 day in london but it’s no where near that figure.
Theres lots of things contributed, mainly thinking the industry could be deskilled by plug and play systems, with electricians mates doing the bulk of first fix installation. Its not worked out and things are changing. Sparks are on the upward curve now, its just about learning across the range and not being a one trick pony.
Some of those trades are skills that not everyone is good at, like plastering, so I'd expect to find quite a wide range of earnings in that trade. I know a very well paid plasterer and he is very very good at it. But what about the earnings of non construction industry jobs, like the Tescos worker, and what hours do they do. Incidentally if you look at what those train drivers need to learn and do, it's up there with the highest skills, they most definitely earn their money.
Trouble with plastering and other wet trades is they're trying to phase it out on new builds. Takes too long to dry before decoration, and if its poor quality theres real headache sorting it out. Dry wall systems and things like kitchens and bathrooms coming as pods on a truck takes away the need for tiling trade. Spray coat render and monocouche systems does away with much of traditional external render.
With scaffolds the customer can see that they are paying for - with electricians and plumbers most of the time the customer can’t see or understand what we’ve done so it seems to be worth less to them. One job I was on the customer asked a plumber to move a radiator he said £750 and they said ok that’s fine - then she asked me to swap the consumer unit I said about £800 and she said wow you’re joking aren’t you they are only £50 in Screwfix 😂
I suspect pay in the UK is so low across all jobs is a combination of government austerity, race the the bottom for wages in some sectors where they are close to minimum wage, and high property prices. Sorting those 3 things out will provide more disposable income so that people can pay more.
Hourly rates here in Australia vary depending on where and which industry you work in, for example I have previously worked in oil & gas in remote Western Australia and was paid as much as $76 AUD per/h plus allowances, here in my hometown of Melbourne I can earn similar in industrial petrochem etc. but there’s not as many roles available, most sparkies on city union jobs are on $58 AUD plus allowances and at the other end some domestic employees are as low as $32 AUD p/h. I now run my own business and am on track this financial year to earn over $100,000 AUD after tax and other expenses but it’s taken a couple of years developing the business to get to this point. I would say most successful self employed contractors turnover between $250,000 and $300,000 per annum and once you take away taxes and expenses might end up with $150,000 to $200,000 take home pay, can take many years to build up to that point but with some hard work is possible.
ETU rates in Melbourne are now nearly $70/h, without any allowances. I think if you are working for a small company, its still an insult to be paid less than $40 in this climate, $50 being more realistic.
Considering every 5 years Gas Engineers are required to retrain and soon Electricians will be going back every 3-5 years. Both should definitely be at the top especially considering the costs incurred to be able to do the job.
In my area, I would guess spray foam people make the most. $8,000 worth of spray foam over two days and charge $16,000. Maybe it was the electrical that charged $34,000 plus beer to wire a garage I would have done for $3,000 ten years ago. But it was not wired to code.
As someone who sits behind a desk on excel all day and gets paid way more than a sparky I have to say that the one who's paying your salary ultimately decides your salary If you expect homeowners or renters who earn 30 odd grand to be paying for your services, how can you expect to get paid 60/70k a year assuming a 40 hour work week?
Just as well you don't live in the USA. Imagine you needed a brain donor to donate you his brain, then you insisted the brain surgeon was out of order for earning a 700,000 bucks a year. Professional jobs cost money and it's not just the guys time, it's the entire toolkit he's had to build up to do the job. Electricians require a few thousand quids worth of tools and a van to transport them in. They'll require insurance. All that has to be paid for by you and the homeowners on 30k a year otherwise, no van, no tools, no electricians. That lorry driver who delivered something for you, you're not just paying for his time, you're paying for the loan he took out to buy his lorry, for the fuel, for the insurance, for all the taxes and for the depreciation so when that lorry is fucked he can replace it. Fed up of people thinking it's just about one blokes hourly rate when there's so much more cost involved running a business.
@@captainwin6333 looks like you answered your own question, the surgeon is paid by the insurance company, it's why they can get paid like that I actually got my house rewired recently for 7k and I didn't challenge it, but if that's more than a 1/3 of your take home pay for the year, how do you expect the average Joe to pay for it? I'd rather you answer that than tell me about the costs involved of running a business
You can't. The key is to not have average to low earners as your entire customer base. Yes, as part of the mix and for consistency of work. Area dependant to an extent, but there are a lot of people who are quite well off for whatever reason and looking for quality people to carry out work in their homes and businesses, prepared to pay more than these cheap and dirty rates we're reading about here. When you happen upon these customers, treat them very well with A1 service and they'll look after you too. It's worked for me.
@@Jacks_Place that was a mistake the electrician I used made, reckon he's dealt with shitty customers in the past He forgot to include bonding in the quote and wanted £100 for it, was 20cm from the board and for that I won't be using him again for future works
@@Jacks_Place that's the mistake my electrician made, he forgot to include gas bonding in the quote and wanted £100 extra for it, it was 20cm from the board Granted he's probably used to shitty customers but that has cost him thousands in future work I wanted done
I have no clue where you get those numbers. on my knowledge and experience of UK building sites, these were 10 years ago. plasterers not coming on site unless 350/500 a day. plumbers 460-600 days, tiles 350-500a day. block pavers 400 days, electrician 500 days
In the first year after we complete our apprenticeship in switzerland we get a minimum of 4800 CHF (4264£) per month and after a year the minimum ist like 500 CHF more. And it's all regulated in the GAV(collective labour agreement ) of the of the electrical trades. Those numbers in the video seem crazy to me.
The rates of individual traders are regulated by agreements? If only that was the case here. Switzerland does also have a much higher cost of living than other European neighbours.
Nurses and junior doctors are the worst paid trade in the UK. If you look at the hours worked for nothing and responsibility sorry respect for the knowledge you have
Also don't forget trades have to move from job to job , prices are highly competitive and weather often influences wether work can continue. Other professionals are often rooted to one area and weather, competition is not as difficult.
The Electricians Union rate here in Ireland is 27euro ph 4 years out of your time not including subsidence of 170 euro week. The Self imployed hourly rate is 50 to 65 euro per hour privately or 40 to 45 euro per hour sub contract.
@justinaszvirblis6950 31.25 times 8hrs =250 for simplicity I said £30+ all trades should be starting as least £20+ per hr but the sad reality as highlighted the above video most don't get the compensation they deserve.
In my experience the smaller businesses charge too much but the ones on PAYE get paid just right . There are no paupers in sparkies .Artisan think they are extra special when they price jobs . They would get no work up north
Striking a balance between quoting higher prices for top quality work is easier said than done. Not everyone wants to do top quality work, they'd rather lash it in and be offski
@@NickMayhew-x3uI assumed that it would be similar for brickies - it's a physically demanding job so the wear and tear on the tradie is pretty high and could be time-limiting, and that is why they're one of the highest paid (on average).
The problem here is not which trade is worth more than the other, the real issue is that NO trades earn what they are worth and the UK has always i repeat always had an issue with valuing our trades, so city slickers or train drivers on 60-100K a year for sitting on their arse or losing a couple of million on the markets will baulk at paying a couple of hundred a day for a good tradesman go figure!
I worked in the Life Insurance business many years ago. Scaffolding and Farming were the highest risk trades, and had the highest premiums. Risk of death may account for better hourly rates.
Insurance is always a good indication on how things are rolling, they collate a serious amount of information. Thing with scaffolders, with all respect, is they're not the most intelligent of folk. They're more inclined to take risks, in an already highly dangerous industry. Its also a body breaker, so you got to earn well whilst you're young. There's no 50 year scaffolding career!
As you said , when you start to quote for your good quality job , sometimes its really hard to beat that dave from the pub changing a fuse board for 350£ including materials 😂
I live in South Australia last week I paid $180 for a ceiling fan to be installed, job took 1hr cash. We have iron ore near trades work 12hrs 7 day shift week off 7 days night shift, followed by 7 days off. Plus 5 weeks holidays plus 7 sick days a year, My grandson Fabweleder gets about before tax a year &130000 working less than 6 months a year. The electrician who installed my fan also works out at the mine, so on his off week he works for himself around the place.
Only way it’ll change is when they stop selling electrical items to the public and solicitors are more stringent with electrical work when processing the sale of houses
I'm a drainage engineer, I make a basic salary of £33k a year. Plus, I get regular OT and call outs, which means I normally make around £36k a year. It's a trade not many young lads wanna do. Plus, if you've got a weak stomach, you'll deffinetly not hack it. I've got mates who are plasterers, painters and joiners who are employed like me and not making anywhere near as much. Plus, I wouldn't really class what I do as complex at all. Yes, you need to know how drains are laid out and how to use the equipment. But compared to laying out and building a timber pitched roof, it's simple. Simple awnser is there is money in the trades knowbody wants to do. Have I been elbow deep in human waste before? Heck yeah, I have ! But the salary makes up for it. Any young lads should really consider it as my company is crying out for trainees.
Just for a bit of further information, averages are obviously inclusive of labourer and trainee salaries however, a fully qualified scaffolder earns closer to £60k. Scaffolding is probably a lot more physically demanding than most other trades and I think the pay reflects that. Considering construction is an major driver of the UK economy (second biggest industry in UK if I'm not mistaken) it annoys me that tradesmen are paid so little. Keep working hard men and hopefully things improve!
I'm an apprentice/ improver, I've been doing the job around 5 years plus 2 years at college with work experience. I've been put up to 100 pound per day with all my own tools and van and I'm paying for my own qualifications which has taken ages to save for... uk at the moment is crap so I'm getting my qualification this year and hopefully moving to Canada as its a great county and the money is slightly better then over here
So, once someone told me. When client has spent his money? They first go to ground! And as soon as build progress there is less in pot. I know builders takes 300 home a day. And they cover everything (comes with price) then you see quality (questionable) but they can do all. London area
Was really thinking about retraining as an electrician, but I was surprised by the low average wages, the technical study element really appealed. I drive trucks it well paid, but repetitive and earn a lot more with limited stress or regulations. But screwing up can cause a bit of serious mayhem!
That list/graph of the highest paid trades is subject to wide variations though I think.. I remember two brummie brickies working here in the UK midlands (they were very good brickies), back in 1998 who were earning £200 a day back then. And some sparkles earning £15/hour back in early 2000’s..
I'm a qualified electronics engineer and did 15 years in fire & intruder on absolutely epic money. I then had health issues and lost mobility, and now drive a school bus mornings and evenings for minimum wage, and run this non-profit ^^^^ from home in the days, which doesn't pay a bean. So although it's no longer my daily trade I'd frankly class myself as one of the worst paid tradespeople in the world. Lol.
Hi Jordan in Ireland at the moment we are crying out for trades persons. I'm a sparks working for a company and I'm earning €26.50 an hour which is worth more in pounds sterling. 25 years ago I worked in London and money then was much better than in Ireland. How times change. But our union in Ireland fought for better pay. Love your vlogs
I would have expected that you guys make loads of money, I'm in America and I know electricians here make loads of money. I like the vids, I find it interesting seeing what you guys have for 240v with only 6 breakers, over here a home could have 20+ breakers, basically one per room. Super interesting content keep it up.
It's all well and good saying an electrician should find the customers willing to pay for a top quality service, but as a "Customer" it's a bloody minefield trying to find any decent trades person who actually cares enough to do a good job that warrants paying slightly more.
We are a small business (me and my son). We have huge overheads and after watching this and your other videos I now realise why I am in huge debt. Simple- £50.00 per hour is nowhere near enough.
When i started my apprenticeship in 1973 the electrical trade was the highest paid i think it should go back to that situation again the building trade is hard but there are more risks and danger in i would say in the gas and electrical trades.
We all have to compete with guys that are prepared to do driver by test and inspection, and fit two DBs in a day. Those of us that trie to do the best possible job just can't compete with people prepared to leave Horrors behind without taking a big hit on the money
The Australia rates at 50 dollars an hour will be FIFI rates , fly in fly out , you work in a mine 12 hour days and you live in a prision camp with shit food , it’s not as good as they make it out to be , the US. Rates will have no health care , holidays or sick pay ect , so it’s not all apples for apples , have you made the move to sparky abroad ? My guess is by most of the backgrounds used that’s mostly filmed in France ?
Lets be honest the industry and the government shafted us 17 yrs ago by joining the EU, I saw jobs advertised in 09 for a fully loadedspark for £9 ph. When the industry decided that improvers could do the same job under instruction as sparks then it mangled us for over a decade, our rates have only just gone up to a fairly decent rate. But underpaid and undervalued still absolutely.
It has recently been said that the volume of undeclared work and tax avoidance amongst the trades and self employed makes the NON DOMS tax avoidance pail into being insignificant . My Brother in law worked for British Gas as an installer and had more perlioned (including stolen) pipe and fittings and general free !! kit that he could have set up as a version of screwfix. All that was then used to do undeclared work on the side. The point being that the honest (providers and customers) suffer at the hands of the cheats.
Always thought that carpet fitters were the king of the trades? “Hurry up with the painting, I’ve booked the carpet fitters for Thursday”! Or “The lights better be working as the carpet fitters will be here tomorrow “😂
Mechanical engineers who serve 4 - 7 year apprenticeships earn £30,000 pa - they are the dudes you see covered in grease and oil with a finger or 2 missing. They have to work 20 years before they get anywhere near £50,000. Everyone is underpaid in the UK except diversity managers in the NHS. Have a look at any of the large employment websites and you would struggle to find much these days over £40,000 pa. This is what happens when you flood the market with cheap labour for decades.
Get in the lift business, after income tax and all I end up with about 60k for an average 30 weeks work and 40h a week. Why work more than you need to.
I think this is exactly why the UK suffers with such bad workmanship. People dont want to pay for skilled tradesman and are more than happy to take the cheapest bid available. The worst factor in this is those that are willing to work for so little. I recently returned into the electrical trade after 8-9 years away and was disgusted that if wanted to be employed my wage had only increased by £3 in those years. Needless to say I set my own business up MPT Electrical Services (Lincoln) but as you mention here, running costs are extortionate. I think the electricians in the UK are not paid anywhere near enough but it could be brought on by there willingness to take jobs on for a couple of pints.
I specialise in fire and security. Admittedly I'm self employed but i wouldn't get ouf of bed for even a scaffolders day Rate... I charge more than that for my apprentice
True. It's about supply and demand. That's why commercial gas engineers can change job monthly if they like and get paid well just to show up. Shortage of them for the time being. Yet I do hear of companies struggling to get sparkys but it's because they want good ones for peanuts.
Thank you to everyone who helped with the creation of this video. Comment below if any of the results shocked you and what figures surprised you the most. 👀
Thanks for this.🤪🤪🤪 I now know I can pay trades people so much less than I thought I had to 🤪🤪🤪.
All I know is that Artisan prices must be out of this world because 😅when I've asked Artisan for a quote all I get told is too piss off because you don't cover Oxfordshire...
Use your connections with the TH-cam electrician community to create a union where a minimum price per job can be agreed and we'll ALL benefit.
That average wage in the UK is what I am on as a 2nd year apprentice here in Australia (all be it I am a mature ageapprentice which does pay better)
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😊
Hi Jordan, great video, could you please do a video on how to price jobs under different conditions? For example, maintenance contracts vs call outs vs normal jobs thanks 👍
The biggest issue is 10years ago £33k was a really good wage, but now with inflation and everything going up minimum wage is catching up it makes £33k feel like £25k 10 years ago
Pretty much goes for any job right now, it sucks
As a previous builder, I used to do it all, no matter the weather, conditions or job. I would charge £250 a day. Started at £150. But had to buy shit loads of good tools regularly, fund materials, pay young lad every day. Loved it, then had a stroke, fell off can roof, pulled out shoulder and now 6 years on shit for luck degenerative disc disease, sends pains all over my body. Looking back I'd jump at building again. But if you read to bottom I could have died having a stroke, so think myself lucky.
Christ mate. Sorry to hear that.
Can you explain why you got a stroke? Was it because of eating too much, drinking alcohol or smoking? Ppl who are in physical jobs should be less likely to get these issues compared to ppl who work in an office.
@@ajharmiah2692 I dont drink or smoke, wasnt over weight and very fit with the tools. Problem was blood clot travel to my brain that buggered me.
@@ajharmiah2692 bull crape have you looked at the stuff we handle in the building trade!
@@ajharmiah2692 brother you need to stop assuming the worst about white people, not all of them are addicted to substances. building is a dirty hard job.
Iam an electrician with a small ltd company and with domestic work we charge £37.50 p/h, call out £75 for 1st hour during business hours, £150 1st hour and £75p/h there after or we price at £95 per point, and then add VAT. We work on a 30% profit margin generally
As someone who has lived and worked in the United States - that 30% increase in pay is soon swallowed up by the difference in the cost of living in the USA. Of course, it depends where in the US you live and work but I know where I lived, in Connecticut, I'd have to be earning close to 60% more than what I did in the UK to have the same standard of living. (CT is a relatively expensive place to live)
(just watched the end of the video where you noted the cost of living difference!)
@@joeg7537 especially with the cost of healthcare on top of other expenses...
Paramedics in the UK, after having to do a 3 year degree, get £14.53 per hour for the first 2 years with the nhs… everyone in the UK is underpaid.
NHS is a shambles. There are some good staff who actually care for people and put there all in. They should be paid more. But majority of them are just people who go to work and get paid. Clock out and forget about there patience on ward and just read the notes the next day.
True but they have clear job progression, can get up to higher bands on very competitive salaries, overtime pay, OOH pay increase.. job security and an unmatched pension.. it's not bad lol.
There are some other routes - my nephew is going into the forces to train as a medic and as part of that he could specialise as a paramedic, and he'd have a straight shot into the ambulance service when he leaves, should he want to. Of course, the caveat is you have to be willing to join the forces, but you get paid (even if not especially well) to learn, rather than the hideous cost of gaining a degree.
@@stevepettifer4896 I agree degrees are expensive but the debt you accrue is not really comparable to traditional debt.
@stevepettifer4896 as a CMT you have to do further training after leaving the forces in order to work as a paramedic. But at least u don't have to go and do a degree
16:10 - Forget Scaffolder, I'm thinking of becoming a train driver! LOL
The hours a shit mate. No social life nothing. You will have 3 am starts always bound to living near a train station most likely driving an hour a day to work to get to the stations. Sleep is fucked. If you can handle that then go for it competition is insane for it just for the money
The problem is social media and those basically driving a race to the bottom. I see people all the time posting about how they can rewire a 3bed house for £3.5k. They’re either smashing it in with very little care and Screwfix LAP cheap materials. Or they’re working for peanuts.
I’m doing a rewire at the moment and some people thought I was massively expensive. Yet plumber comes in and charged £4800 to change a boiler (granted it’s an oil boiler as I work in Shropshire) but they were in and out in a day!
I got quotes for a log burner. Cheapest I had was £4100+VAT which didn’t include the burner or the slate hearth. I had to provide those on top. That was 3 days work at most and they reckoned they could probably have it done in 2.
I don’t mind paying for quality work. But it irritates me when customers will think nothing about paying £2k for a fancy cooker. But baulk at £800 for a new consumer unit.
NAPIT, NICEIC etc need to start driving education across the public and also driving change in the industry. Electrician needs to be a protected status like gas engineer/plumber. Then they need to ban the sale of all electrical tools, test equipment and accessories unless you prove you’re a qualified electrician.
You’ll never stop DIY Dave from the dog and duck. But NAPIT, NICEIC can do more to reduce it.
Also if electricians refused to do, for example, EICRs for less than £250 then you would quickly drive down the no. of these £85 drive by EICRs.
A big problem is also the amount of bitching at each other rather than helping. The electrician trade is its own worst enemy at times.
I could go on all day 😂
The UK is rubbish at protecting professional jobs. Engineer is a protected designation in Germany, anyone can call themselves an engineer in the UK. It's absolute bullshit they say it can't be done because engineer is a ubiquitous word these days. Bring in a law and start kicking the balls of people who abuse it.
Although you're kind of right, these things are only a race to the bottom if one is prepared to take part in it.
Those relying on builders for work, or the landlord rental EICR market, are always going to be fighting for scraps.
The bottom line is most tradesmen aren't businessmen, that's the difference. They like the freedom in being their own boss, which is great on one hand. But you can't be working and quoting and procuring materials at the same time. Then come the challenges of upscaling and employing or otherwise engaging additional labour, that's when things start going wrong, especially with today's poor training standards and general lack of pride.
It seems to me that the "successful" sparks are those who achieved a second revenue stream, from things like property rental. They don't have to compete in the drive by testing market!
Buildings are now seriously electrically dominated, whether it be PV/EV, BMS control, HVAC the list goes on. So any spark willing to put themselves to the test, can quite easily become Facility Management, project engineers, or even teachers!
Electricians really are in the box seat. Its a steady enough gig, not too taxing on the body, lots of routes to get off the tools, with good earning potential, and about as much job security as one can hope for. All that depends on if one wants to house bash all their life, or leave it to those who want to fight over 3 grand rewires.
I do agree the industry needs to be governed under Law. NICEIC and NAPIT have had long enough now, without achieving much, and yes electricians are nothing but a set of moaning piss flaps!!!!
If the 'other' electricians are so cheap. why did they pick you? Ask yourself, if their complaining now, what will happen when its time to pay up? Hope you 've got a contract. If not, cut your losses and walk away now.
@@johnchristmas7522 The ones who complained I was too expensive didn’t accept my quote. I was just highlighting the disparity between a full rip out & rewire quote vs a plumber who’s in/out in the same day or 2 at most for a boiler change.
The current rewire I’m on I couldn’t ask for a better customer. Job has been ongoing since Nov as it’s a bespoke rip out and refurb of a 200yr old cottage. I submit an invoice each month and they pay it within 48hrs. Job spec has changed 3 times as well. But as it’s been at first fix stage then it’s not been too much hassle. Apart from changing the location of the island which I’d chased a 10mm cable into the floor for some fancy induction hob. So had to move that. But again no real issue. The builder just re-screeded the floor once I’d moved it.
All my quotes have a set of T&Cs. One of which is payment within 7 days of completion. It’s also noted that failure to pay will result in the debt accruing interest and late payment charges in line with small business legislation. So if they accept the quote they also accept the T&Cs.
Won’t stop the ones who aren’t going to pay anyway. But at least I’ve got some watertight legal recourse when they don’t.
Sums up my thoughts exactly. I've built up a good customer base that respects quality work but that's taken years of dealing with endless time wasters wanting something for nothing or for you to cut corners so they can save a few quid.
If NIC made the public and even businesses aware when you should receive certification for electrical work, it would help educate and cut out chancers.
I made a simple income calculation. When your income (sole trader/limited) is under £85k you stuck, and you can play with the numbers and cash in hand etc. However, if you are over £85k you need to generate min. £110-120k/year to be just equivalent if you're under £85k. The one man band is a survivor, but not much. If you have a VAT registered business then you need to get £180-250k/yr for 2/3 people max. But you need tons of work. It's a catch 22 😢
The other problem is the hourly rate. If you raise it you can lose out jobs, if you're under you work for survival.
My dad used to say carpenters have been doing the same thing for hundreds of years not much changes with what you do with wood. With electrics it’s changing all the time and there is a lot to remember! We need more money for sure!
Another thing, electricals are dangerous if an amateur doesn't know what he's doing. Nailing a plank to a bit of wood on the other hand...
You'd expect electricians and gas heating engineers to be the highest paid because they are required by law to be trained. You can start your own joinery business without being a joiner. Sure, people will catch on if you're useless but it's not against the law.
What about bricklayers, they’ve been putting one brick on top of another for thousands of years. Nothing’s changed. A bucket full of tools and a level and that’s it.
@@dmarriott9701Although the process is the same, Bricklaying has become more supply/demand, why the rates are good.
They drove kids into IT, thinking we could de skill construction and not need bricklayers, by using other systems, and its not worked out.
@@dmarriott9701 Brick layers work in all conditions, It's hard physical work needing strength and stamina, and experienced ones are quick. They deal with all sorts of block masonry issues, and they are basically responsible for creating the main foundation of a building. And good brickies are sort after and often hard to come by, House building corporations want large estates built quick with experienced and tooled up man power to get their assets up... And are willing to pay those wages.
Forgot chippies were fitting Howdens kitchens in the 1800s lol I think our Job is far easier now that what it would of been 😂 we are very lucky
All building trades earn morn than the motortrade. I'm a high voltage trained vehicle technician. Working on 400v dc batteries. That's live working too. Vehicles have changed so much in my 27 year career. We have to buy our own tools. Constantly train for less. Most of our salary is based on target earnings that are unachievable.
Is the automotive industry good to get into? Im thinking of doing vehicle technician in college.
@@ajharmiah2692no
In the Republic of Ireland.Electricians are the highest paid trade on hourly unionised industrial jobs.
Rate in Dublin has been 35 euro for the past 10 years
As soon as I'm a qualified spark I'm moving to Ireland to work, sick of England and the state of it, Ireland seems like a promised land
ireland is much more expensive than uk
How much do you pay your staff Artisan? Let's see if you're paying on the lower side or higher 😁
Electricians can work well into retirement age. Scaffolders cannot. I know a former scaffolder who is now in telesales earning a lot less because the job wore their body out. The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
Crawling about in attics is a young mans game
Agreed. A age timeline should be applied. And consider management level options, if any
@@barukkazhad8998 but there are so many avenues in the electrical trades IE. Testing . I don't think you have options in scaffolding
I'd love to see Jordan stand up a 21ft steel pole
It's how you look after the being , you eat sh○t & smoke you die younger
Just be responsible & respect the volt - age 😂
I have been an electrician 38 years, wages have always gone up and down with the economy. In the early 1990`s there was just no electrical work around and wages were low. . Then Part P arrived and more regulation which really in the initial stages improved earnings. The late 1990`s up to about 2018 were really good. The last 2 - 4 years have got really difficult, costs to run the business have sky rocketed. tools, regulation, vehicle cost and insurance. There does seem a race to the bottom at the moment. Just to note I am only a sole trader and work from home but some prices I see people charge are just so low. I just don`t know how they do it. I can only suspect they use part qualified staff and a senior engineer signs it off.
I would imagine scaffolders and bricklayers are the highest paid because of the toll it takes on your body not many bricklayers are particularly good at walking by the age of 60 being an electrician is pretty cushty provided your safe ofc
I’m a free market kind of person but I do think technical trades need to be regulated with a tiered licensing system to represent technical competencies, experience and ongoing cpd. We also need to get away from the ‘failed at school so get a trade’ mentality. We need to attract genuinely smart people to the trades and lift the standard.
Great video Jordan. Feels like you’ve really upped the quality here and it tells.
I appreciate that!
I didn't realise you guys are from Cambridge (Just down the Busway from me). Don't know why your videos turned up in my feel but I've watched a load now and been enjoying them.
Just had a Tesla Gen 3 Charger installed on my house. I supplied the Charger and 60 amp breaker, and the charger was installed only 12 inches away from the Electric Panel but on outside wall (wood,) oh and the panel had a space for the breaker. The cost including permit and taxes was $1224 (920 pounds) which in my opinion is extortion.
Well in Australia they work to live , in the UK YOU LIVE TO WORK ,SLAVE LABOUR . That is the system . All ways has been and all ways will be . Started work in 1964 Apprentice £2-9 shillings a week ,1969 Sparks £20 for 40 hours ,15 hours a week over time @ time and a half . 2.4 kids a mortgage a car , the wife had to have a part time job and you were making head way . 1994 working on price work a gang of 3 of us , on steel tube work , tray , trunking , wiring and second fix , £1,250 a week each . That set the price for the next 10 years until another direction took over ready for retirement . I once read an article in an investment magazine on building costs ,around 1992 , an one owner of a large London electrical company , stated , is it not a shame that electricians have to have all the knowledge and we only pay them peanuts and basically it is a licence to print money for the company . So heads down lads arse up , as long as the shit is below your arm pits ? the mouth is clear to eat more doughnuts .Great fun along the way . Best of luck . 🤔😉👍👍
What annoys me is people who complain about the cost of a decent trade but are quite happy to pay more for a piece of technology or whatever. Why are IT bods paid stupid amounts of money but a trade is seen a lower class?
It must depend on where you live in the UK. . I live in the south west of England and the pay of most professional treads are are less than in the south east of England
It is very interesting to see how different the pay is, not just in other countries but in the Uk itself as well.
I feel like salaries across the board in the UK are just too low, pretty much any skilled job (trades or otherwise) pays much more in places like the US and AUS; even once factoring in the cost-of-living differences. Everyone deserves more in the UK :(
Just had a certificate from an electrician. Took him just over a day to complete the work. Cost me £740
I didn't feel like his pay was low 😅
The fundamental issue from a economist point of view is since austerity the UK has had 2 competing forces working on wages. The increase in inequality has meant more people needing to earn which has driven down wages across the board. We haven't noticed this as their has also been a general devaluation of the £ which in turn drives up wages (but not spending power), the net results is if you look at wages across the UK over say a 15y time period they look to have largely stagnated. It's only when you compare them to either what someone earns in another country of the cost of something you realise how badly the economy has done since the start of austerity! While a pound in your pocket is still be worth a pound tomorrow, it's no longer worth $1.40 and almost everything in the UK we buy has a base line $ price which is along the way converted to £ price.
In my world, a quantitative developer would earn about £110k -$170k in 2010, today they would earn ~£150-200k but in the US more like $300-450k! Or looking at the purchasing power, in 2010 I bought a high spec Audi Q7 for ~£40k, today a high spec Q7 would cost £80-90k so significant loss of purchasing power!
The final nail in the coffin for us wage slaves is successive governments have increased the tax burden on UK workers significantly. Your sparkie in the states may pay 20-30% tax after deductibles... In the UK, even earning less his tax burden after NI... its more likely over 35%
In my opinion the best video you have "EVER MADE" thankyou so much for this
Interesting about the guy who is working in Australia, that rate is pretty low. If you work for an Union signed company, the rate in Victoria is pretty much $70/hr as an EMPLOYEE, on top of that you end up with daily allowances of $40 day and other benefits are paid such as income protection, long service leave etc. wand possibly site allowance of $5-10 and hour in large projects. Easy for a decent electrician on decent projects to earn $150k and $200k plus with a bit of overtime. But hey, house prices are massively high, like $800,000-$1,000,000 for something average. Yet, prices of things like cars are much cheaper than Europe, fuel is getting up there, but cheaper than Europe. Food costs are now high, but can be contained if you don't spend your life eating out. Trade jobs in Australia are not looked down upon either. It's a great paying job, in fact, as an electrician, its not THAT hard either. Don't let people tell you otherwise, Australia is STILL the lucky country, its not perfect and things are perhaps harder and more expensive than they used to be but I really can't think of somewhere else where an average person lives a better life.
To be fair most electricians I've met aren't fully qualified and most don't bother to learn more than basic site work or domestic install. So the rate will be low
The money is a bit better in Australia but I wouldn't say its that good compared to other roles. I'm on about $145k/yr or about $55/hr working as an electrician in underground mining. Thats where my pay is capped out after 7+yrs, plus I have about $20k worth of licenses/additional specialist training ontop of having my electrical license, and $15k of tooling that I have paid for and have to maintain (working underground, shit rusts away so probably close to $5k/yr).
Probably sounds good, but they will also pay some muppet that has zero experience, tooling, training or licenses about $130k/year starting out as an operator to sit inside an airconditioned cab somewhere. If they manage to prove that they aren't completely useless then within 1-2 years they will have surpassed my pay, and from there they will only earn even more than me.
How much does a Tiler floor and walls in UK???
The fact is that the vast majority of tradesmen aren't on a salary. Nearly all of us are self employed whether we like it or not.
Thinking about the bigger picture. Really great video
I’m an HVAC/plumber installer in the U.S. and I earn what the equivalent of £80,000 a year. We work with high voltage, high pressure refrigerants, hot water, etc. so electricians are not the only ones who work with dangerous systems, and we have to take schooling as well but experience earns your pay at the end of the day.
Mechanic average in UK is £37k. Get covered in oil and dirt everyday. Rush around for waiting customers. Have to buy all our tools and toolboxes. Dealing with 600v electric/hybrid vehicles as well as internal combustion engines. Electrician sound like I good move for me.
You should retrain, its worth it.
The disparity in pay between the UK and other nations can be traced back to the overall stagnation in wages in the UK vs most of the rest of the G20. Since 2008, wages in the UK have effectively remained the same, whereas cost of living / inflation have significantly changed. This has not been the case globally. The wage disparity is not unique to trades, however it does reflect how badly the UK economy has performed since the 2008 crash. Effectively it has not recovered.
Definitely machinist (not sewing but engineering) is the worst paid trade, dealing with metals that have lead content, dirty air filled with coolant, risk of death if you make a mistake, and the lives of others are in your hands if you make parts for planes or similar industries, the maths involved are more complicated than sizing cables and the average pay is £13 an hour right now. After a four year apprenticeship I was making £9.83 an hour 10 years ago and making parts for aircraft in 2017 I was making £14.5 an hour.
Am self employed. 150-170 /per day.. mostly domestic and full renovations.. i commute with a (fast🤫)ebike and a large motorcycle backpack... No travel costs(insurance/petrol/tax/parking).. get materials delivered.. and have the luxury of not getting caught in traffic.. which means that i can get to more jobs in a day... Not ideal for carrying multiple DeWalt packs😅... But forces me to plan jobs better only taking needed tools... And then again i can always jump on the train (folded ebike).
So at the moment Electrician wages are good for me.. but definitely they are too low for the average electrician and their expenses.
I take it you're not qualified, as that's money from 2013
@@Walktheline1991Well I'd better hand in my certificates then and work as a general handyman! 🙃
To be fair I am a single parent so I don't really do full days.. but the work I carry out amounts to a day's work .. pricing versus Hourly rate.. still trying to find my way... But here in NW London... This is generally the low end of electrical quotes... And still get people's asking for lower price 🙄.
"ebike and a large motorcycle backpack... No travel costs(insurance/petrol/tax/parking)" so dose that mean you do not pay road tax or insurance on you motor bike, Hell do you even pay tax and how many fuck ups have you made on the job that could kill or cost the customer?? you sound really dodgy
How many solar installations could you do without the scaffolders putting the scaffolding up to start with?
How much scaffolding could you put up with out power to charge your drills?
Scaffolding literally the lowest skill ceiling out of every trade nearly unless you’re doing specialised stuff all you need is an impact and a boat level
@@henrydavies2760 lower skill higher wear and tear
I’m a strong believer in why we have fallen so far behind regarding wages was the amount of courses that was available to complete within a short time period ( boil in the bag sparks) has flooded the market and I remember seeing adds in the national papers mostly the sun has shot us in the foot. Sparks should easily be on £300 day in london but it’s no where near that figure.
Theres lots of things contributed, mainly thinking the industry could be deskilled by plug and play systems, with electricians mates doing the bulk of first fix installation.
Its not worked out and things are changing. Sparks are on the upward curve now, its just about learning across the range and not being a one trick pony.
This, and recent others, feels like one big advert. It's a shame :(
Some of those trades are skills that not everyone is good at, like plastering, so I'd expect to find quite a wide range of earnings in that trade. I know a very well paid plasterer and he is very very good at it. But what about the earnings of non construction industry jobs, like the Tescos worker, and what hours do they do. Incidentally if you look at what those train drivers need to learn and do, it's up there with the highest skills, they most definitely earn their money.
Trouble with plastering and other wet trades is they're trying to phase it out on new builds. Takes too long to dry before decoration, and if its poor quality theres real headache sorting it out. Dry wall systems and things like kitchens and bathrooms coming as pods on a truck takes away the need for tiling trade. Spray coat render and monocouche systems does away with much of traditional external render.
Woooooooo was waiting for another member only video!!!
Thanks for your patience! More dropping this weekend for you. Enjoy!
@@artisanelectrics Hypedddd🚨
With scaffolds the customer can see that they are paying for - with electricians and plumbers most of the time the customer can’t see or understand what we’ve done so it seems to be worth less to them.
One job I was on the customer asked a plumber to move a radiator he said £750 and they said ok that’s fine - then she asked me to swap the consumer unit I said about £800 and she said wow you’re joking aren’t you they are only £50 in Screwfix 😂
I suspect pay in the UK is so low across all jobs is a combination of government austerity, race the the bottom for wages in some sectors where they are close to minimum wage, and high property prices. Sorting those 3 things out will provide more disposable income so that people can pay more.
Hourly rates here in Australia vary depending on where and which industry you work in, for example I have previously worked in oil & gas in remote Western Australia and was paid as much as $76 AUD per/h plus allowances, here in my hometown of Melbourne I can earn similar in industrial petrochem etc. but there’s not as many roles available, most sparkies on city union jobs are on $58 AUD plus allowances and at the other end some domestic employees are as low as $32 AUD p/h. I now run my own business and am on track this financial year to earn over $100,000 AUD after tax and other expenses but it’s taken a couple of years developing the business to get to this point. I would say most successful self employed contractors turnover between $250,000 and $300,000 per annum and once you take away taxes and expenses might end up with $150,000 to $200,000 take home pay, can take many years to build up to that point but with some hard work is possible.
ETU rates in Melbourne are now nearly $70/h, without any allowances. I think if you are working for a small company, its still an insult to be paid less than $40 in this climate, $50 being more realistic.
Cost of living is much higher in Aus though. Same with US, all the various health insurance you have to buy etc.
Considering every 5 years Gas Engineers are required to retrain and soon Electricians will be going back every 3-5 years. Both should definitely be at the top especially considering the costs incurred to be able to do the job.
In my area, I would guess spray foam people make the most. $8,000 worth of spray foam over two days and charge $16,000. Maybe it was the electrical that charged $34,000 plus beer to wire a garage I would have done for $3,000 ten years ago. But it was not wired to code.
Where do you get them statistics from? They are not true I know people in each of them trades and the numbers are way off
It’s average across the whole uk
As someone who sits behind a desk on excel all day and gets paid way more than a sparky I have to say that the one who's paying your salary ultimately decides your salary
If you expect homeowners or renters who earn 30 odd grand to be paying for your services, how can you expect to get paid 60/70k a year assuming a 40 hour work week?
Just as well you don't live in the USA. Imagine you needed a brain donor to donate you his brain, then you insisted the brain surgeon was out of order for earning a 700,000 bucks a year. Professional jobs cost money and it's not just the guys time, it's the entire toolkit he's had to build up to do the job. Electricians require a few thousand quids worth of tools and a van to transport them in. They'll require insurance.
All that has to be paid for by you and the homeowners on 30k a year otherwise, no van, no tools, no electricians.
That lorry driver who delivered something for you, you're not just paying for his time, you're paying for the loan he took out to buy his lorry, for the fuel, for the insurance, for all the taxes and for the depreciation so when that lorry is fucked he can replace it.
Fed up of people thinking it's just about one blokes hourly rate when there's so much more cost involved running a business.
@@captainwin6333 looks like you answered your own question, the surgeon is paid by the insurance company, it's why they can get paid like that
I actually got my house rewired recently for 7k and I didn't challenge it, but if that's more than a 1/3 of your take home pay for the year, how do you expect the average Joe to pay for it? I'd rather you answer that than tell me about the costs involved of running a business
You can't. The key is to not have average to low earners as your entire customer base. Yes, as part of the mix and for consistency of work. Area dependant to an extent, but there are a lot of people who are quite well off for whatever reason and looking for quality people to carry out work in their homes and businesses, prepared to pay more than these cheap and dirty rates we're reading about here. When you happen upon these customers, treat them very well with A1 service and they'll look after you too. It's worked for me.
@@Jacks_Place that was a mistake the electrician I used made, reckon he's dealt with shitty customers in the past
He forgot to include bonding in the quote and wanted £100 for it, was 20cm from the board and for that I won't be using him again for future works
@@Jacks_Place that's the mistake my electrician made, he forgot to include gas bonding in the quote and wanted £100 extra for it, it was 20cm from the board
Granted he's probably used to shitty customers but that has cost him thousands in future work I wanted done
We get treated like crap, the employers and union are in each others pockets, sparkies don’t stick together so nothing will change..
I have no clue where you get those numbers. on my knowledge and experience of UK building sites, these were 10 years ago. plasterers not coming on site unless 350/500 a day. plumbers 460-600 days, tiles 350-500a day. block pavers 400 days, electrician 500 days
nice troll
@@coachingconfidant2785 they won't be doing much work then! Certainly not the rates paid here for long term work
@@sebastianohalloran9093 these are like self employed rates for cowboys
where planet are you from?
How much do you pay your guys.....at Artisan????
I hope my boss dont see this video. Bloody hell iv got kids to feed and 2 cats 30k 😂😂😂 how. It dont make sense.
Thanks god that you have cats and no dogs
In the first year after we complete our apprenticeship in switzerland we get a minimum of 4800 CHF (4264£) per month and after a year the minimum ist like 500 CHF more. And it's all regulated in the GAV(collective labour agreement ) of the of the electrical trades. Those numbers in the video seem crazy to me.
The rates of individual traders are regulated by agreements? If only that was the case here. Switzerland does also have a much higher cost of living than other European neighbours.
Nurses and junior doctors are the worst paid trade in the UK. If you look at the hours worked for nothing and responsibility sorry respect for the knowledge you have
yeh fair enough but that ain't a trade government pay them not outher pepole and nurses and doctors will allways have jobs
Also don't forget trades have to move from job to job , prices are highly competitive and weather often influences wether work can continue. Other professionals are often rooted to one area and weather, competition is not as difficult.
The Electricians Union rate here in Ireland is 27euro ph 4 years out of your time not including subsidence of 170 euro week.
The Self imployed hourly rate is 50 to 65 euro per hour privately or 40 to 45 euro per hour sub contract.
£250 to £400 per day min employed 300 to 400 sole trade 600 if limited company should be 30 pound hr or more
This is more like it 💯💯
But £30 per hour is only 240 per day..?
@justinaszvirblis6950 31.25 times 8hrs =250 for simplicity I said £30+ all trades should be starting as least £20+ per hr but the sad reality as highlighted the above video most don't get the compensation they deserve.
@@justinaszvirblis6950this bloke is full of shite and can't even get his figures right
In my experience the smaller businesses charge too much but the ones on PAYE get paid just right . There are no paupers in sparkies .Artisan think they are extra special when they price jobs . They would get no work up north
Striking a balance between quoting higher prices for top quality work is easier said than done. Not everyone wants to do top quality work, they'd rather lash it in and be offski
Depends if you work for yourself or work as employee
dear JODAN FARLY me and my famly love your company videos so much .keep the good work up. and i do think that electricians do not get paid enough
You never see a scaffolder older than 40 though!
😂😂😂
Ever lifted a 30FT scaffold pole?
@johnchristmas7522 that's why you can't do it forever! It breaks you but the money is good while you can do it.
@@NickMayhew-x3uI assumed that it would be similar for brickies - it's a physically demanding job so the wear and tear on the tradie is pretty high and could be time-limiting, and that is why they're one of the highest paid (on average).
@@stevepettifer4896 I think bricklayer is less physically demanding than scaffolding
And apart from that, most painters I know (not to say all) start at £150/day
The problem here is not which trade is worth more than the other, the real issue is that NO trades earn what they are worth and the UK has always i repeat always had an issue with valuing our trades, so city slickers or train drivers on 60-100K a year for sitting on their arse or losing a couple of million on the markets will baulk at paying a couple of hundred a day for a good tradesman go figure!
I worked in the Life Insurance business many years ago. Scaffolding and Farming were the highest risk trades, and had the highest premiums. Risk of death may account for better hourly rates.
Insurance is always a good indication on how things are rolling, they collate a serious amount of information.
Thing with scaffolders, with all respect, is they're not the most intelligent of folk. They're more inclined to take risks, in an already highly dangerous industry.
Its also a body breaker, so you got to earn well whilst you're young. There's no 50 year scaffolding career!
Pay differences between countries is no mark of how well paid they are its dependent on cost of living
As you said , when you start to quote for your good quality job , sometimes its really hard to beat that dave from the pub changing a fuse board for 350£ including materials 😂
I live in South Australia last week I paid $180 for a ceiling fan to be installed, job took 1hr cash. We have iron ore near trades work 12hrs 7 day shift week off 7 days night shift, followed by 7 days off. Plus 5 weeks holidays plus 7 sick days a year, My grandson Fabweleder gets about before tax a year &130000 working less than 6 months a year. The electrician who installed my fan also works out at the mine, so on his off week he works for himself around the place.
That's like £100 tops? You'd pay that in london for a fitting swap.
Only way it’ll change is when they stop selling electrical items to the public and solicitors are more stringent with electrical work when processing the sale of houses
I'm a drainage engineer, I make a basic salary of £33k a year. Plus, I get regular OT and call outs, which means I normally make around £36k a year. It's a trade not many young lads wanna do. Plus, if you've got a weak stomach, you'll deffinetly not hack it. I've got mates who are plasterers, painters and joiners who are employed like me and not making anywhere near as much. Plus, I wouldn't really class what I do as complex at all. Yes, you need to know how drains are laid out and how to use the equipment. But compared to laying out and building a timber pitched roof, it's simple. Simple awnser is there is money in the trades knowbody wants to do. Have I been elbow deep in human waste before? Heck yeah, I have ! But the salary makes up for it. Any young lads should really consider it as my company is crying out for trainees.
how can you get me in? what's your company. I'm interested
Just for a bit of further information, averages are obviously inclusive of labourer and trainee salaries however, a fully qualified scaffolder earns closer to £60k. Scaffolding is probably a lot more physically demanding than most other trades and I think the pay reflects that. Considering construction is an major driver of the UK economy (second biggest industry in UK if I'm not mistaken) it annoys me that tradesmen are paid so little. Keep working hard men and hopefully things improve!
Why would the average obviously include labourers and trainees 😂 That would make the entire study worthless.
I'm an apprentice/ improver, I've been doing the job around 5 years plus 2 years at college with work experience. I've been put up to 100 pound per day with all my own tools and van and I'm paying for my own qualifications which has taken ages to save for... uk at the moment is crap so I'm getting my qualification this year and hopefully moving to Canada as its a great county and the money is slightly better then over here
Canada doesn't seem much better tbh. Cost of living seems about the same, and housing is (somehow) a good bit worse
So, once someone told me.
When client has spent his money? They first go to ground! And as soon as build progress there is less in pot. I know builders takes 300 home a day. And they cover everything (comes with price) then you see quality (questionable) but they can do all. London area
Was really thinking about retraining as an electrician, but I was surprised by the low average wages, the technical study element really appealed. I drive trucks it well paid, but repetitive and earn a lot more with limited stress or regulations. But screwing up can cause a bit of serious mayhem!
Sparks FTW 🙌
What salary do you pay to your Artisan electricians ?
Pretty sure it’s £48k which is good for outside London
@@lewis94ukThat’s about normal for outside London. Before I went self-employed I was on £46k a year working for a company in Bedfordshire
Since they find all the work and pay all the costs/insurance/vehicles/power tools and all you do is provide labour- then £50,000 is not bad.
That list/graph of the highest paid trades is subject to wide variations though I think..
I remember two brummie brickies working here in the UK midlands (they were very good brickies), back in 1998 who were earning £200 a day back then.
And some sparkles earning £15/hour back in early 2000’s..
I'm a qualified electronics engineer and did 15 years in fire & intruder on absolutely epic money. I then had health issues and lost mobility, and now drive a school bus mornings and evenings for minimum wage, and run this non-profit ^^^^ from home in the days, which doesn't pay a bean. So although it's no longer my daily trade I'd frankly class myself as one of the worst paid tradespeople in the world. Lol.
Enjoyed you video but to quote salaries between different countries is ok, but what about the cost of living.
Hi Jordan in Ireland at the moment we are crying out for trades persons. I'm a sparks working for a company and I'm earning €26.50 an hour which is worth more in pounds sterling. 25 years ago I worked in London and money then was much better than in Ireland. How times change. But our union in Ireland fought for better pay. Love your vlogs
I would have expected that you guys make loads of money, I'm in America and I know electricians here make loads of money. I like the vids, I find it interesting seeing what you guys have for 240v with only 6 breakers, over here a home could have 20+ breakers, basically one per room. Super interesting content keep it up.
It's all well and good saying an electrician should find the customers willing to pay for a top quality service, but as a "Customer" it's a bloody minefield trying to find any decent trades person who actually cares enough to do a good job that warrants paying slightly more.
We are a small business (me and my son). We have huge overheads and after watching this and your other videos I now realise why I am in huge debt. Simple- £50.00 per hour is nowhere near enough.
Go outside UK
I work in the southeast UK and we earn through agencies, about £23-26 an hour
That why, the AGENCIES are living off you!
I work with a plumber that earns 100k a year…
and after tax..50/60
When i started my apprenticeship in 1973 the electrical trade was the highest paid i think it should go back to that situation again the building trade is hard but there are more risks and danger in i would say in the gas and electrical trades.
We all have to compete with guys that are prepared to do driver by test and inspection, and fit two DBs in a day.
Those of us that trie to do the best possible job just can't compete with people prepared to leave Horrors behind without taking a big hit on the money
The Australia rates at 50 dollars an hour will be FIFI rates , fly in fly out , you work in a mine 12 hour days and you live in a prision camp with shit food , it’s not as good as they make it out to be , the US. Rates will have no health care , holidays or sick pay ect , so it’s not all apples for apples , have you made the move to sparky abroad ? My guess is by most of the backgrounds used that’s mostly filmed in France ?
Lets be honest the industry and the government shafted us 17 yrs ago by joining the EU, I saw jobs advertised in 09 for a fully loadedspark for £9 ph. When the industry decided that improvers could do the same job under instruction as sparks then it mangled us for over a decade, our rates have only just gone up to a fairly decent rate. But underpaid and undervalued still absolutely.
It has recently been said that the volume of undeclared work and tax avoidance amongst the trades and self employed makes the NON DOMS tax avoidance pail into being insignificant . My Brother in law worked for British Gas as an installer and had more perlioned (including stolen) pipe and fittings and general free !! kit that he could have set up as a version of screwfix. All that was then used to do undeclared work on the side. The point being that the honest (providers and customers) suffer at the hands of the cheats.
Always thought that carpet fitters were the king of the trades?
“Hurry up with the painting, I’ve booked the carpet fitters for Thursday”!
Or
“The lights better be working as the carpet fitters will be here tomorrow “😂
Mechanical engineers who serve 4 - 7 year apprenticeships earn £30,000 pa - they are the dudes you see covered in grease and oil with a finger or 2 missing. They have to work 20 years before they get anywhere near £50,000. Everyone is underpaid in the UK except diversity managers in the NHS. Have a look at any of the large employment websites and you would struggle to find much these days over £40,000 pa. This is what happens when you flood the market with cheap labour for decades.
Who noticed this was shot mostly in France
Get in the lift business, after income tax and all I end up with about 60k for an average 30 weeks work and 40h a week.
Why work more than you need to.
I qualified as a sparky in 1980, as required, 'o' levels in maths, physics and another science and English.
Which other trade reqs these reqs ?
I think this is exactly why the UK suffers with such bad workmanship. People dont want to pay for skilled tradesman and are more than happy to take the cheapest bid available. The worst factor in this is those that are willing to work for so little. I recently returned into the electrical trade after 8-9 years away and was disgusted that if wanted to be employed my wage had only increased by £3 in those years. Needless to say I set my own business up MPT Electrical Services (Lincoln) but as you mention here, running costs are extortionate. I think the electricians in the UK are not paid anywhere near enough but it could be brought on by there willingness to take jobs on for a couple of pints.
I specialise in fire and security. Admittedly I'm self employed but i wouldn't get ouf of bed for even a scaffolders day Rate... I charge more than that for my apprentice
i think its supply and demand, more people want to become sparkies, more sparkies = more competition for jobs drives down price
True. It's about supply and demand. That's why commercial gas engineers can change job monthly if they like and get paid well just to show up. Shortage of them for the time being. Yet I do hear of companies struggling to get sparkys but it's because they want good ones for peanuts.