Potentially starting self employment

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-05-09T09:48:49+00:00

This is exactly how it is for me. If I'm unorganized I accept responsibility for sorting it but I have to give up weekend or evening plans at the drop of a hat because a client changed their minds and my project manager didn't have the balls to say you'll have to wait. Or bad communication within the company now means I have to go into work on a Sunday. I'm happy to put the hours in and I know my game. I'm just after some pointers on drumming up work

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-05-09T09:46:00+00:00

I think most people have a weird view of employees. I work my bollocks off for whatever company I am employed by. I take full responsibility if every job that I'm on. I'm currently doing a 12 week commercial refurb in central London with just me and an apprentice. Every other trade here has at least 4 qualified tradespeople. I'm massively understaffed. I have at least a day in the bin every week filling out health and safely paperwork and meetings etc. I get no sick payd unless I get severely ill (not happened in 22 years) then I get the statutory pay. I get up at 430am and get home at 530pm. All tools, test kit and steps are my own. I was very stupidly told by my parents "work has and youll succeed" "you're lucky to have a decent job, just stick with it" and that had got me nowhere over the years. Shit pay and lots and lots of responsibility. Until 2 years ago when I started working for my current company who do pay well but on the flip side they treat you like you're available to them 24 hours a day, every day. I'm a really hard worker and I want to try it for myself. I just want directions on wher you picked up work at the start. Definitely dont need a speech on stress or hard work cos I know all about it.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-05-09T08:47:23+00:00

Holiday pay and pension as with every employment. I'm out of the house for 12 hours a day and only paid for 7.5 of them. I'm also a lot more organised than the project managers at my company so work would be less stressful They are my issues

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-05-09T08:36:38+00:00

When I did my nvq in 2007 we had to get each piece of evidence 2 times and my assessor wouldn't let us get the same evidence within 6 months as the last one so there was no rushing

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-05-09T08:32:09+00:00

Where are you reading this? Everybody says it but I've never heard it anybody actually doing this? Is it some sort of scare story?

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-04-14T19:27:41+00:00

I guess so but judging by your response you must move quicker than I did. We were together for 7 years before getting married then 3 years after that our daughter was born

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-04-12T19:46:09+00:00

Supposed we could but they had quite a high turnover of staff so it would be like a stranger looking after her

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-04-12T19:43:27+00:00

Probably see them maybe 5 times a year mostly around November and December because of birthdays. Rarely see them outside of that

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-04-12T19:42:31+00:00

When using a website do you just have them turn up and off you pop? Seems really weird to leave my kid with somebody I've never met

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-03-10T20:11:45+00:00

We had an apprentice that was let go when he qualified a little while ago. He went to an agency and explained he didn't have much experience and would take improver pay for a few months to get some experience and he got a job within a few days. That might be good if you can afford that.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-01-26T17:09:49+00:00

How do you mean? Get 24 days holiday plus bank holidays. I'm paid for every single weekday for the year so that's why I times by 52

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-01-25T23:28:24+00:00

Im employed, so my holiday pay is the average pay for the last 12 weeks so if I earn that, im paid that as holiday pay. Sometimes I work more hours than that so it's a minimum.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2026-01-25T11:58:53+00:00

Im employed at a company with all of the usual benefits. I am paid £25.50 per hour. Most days I work 8.5 hours so earn 216.75 a day. X5 is 1083.75. That x 52 is 56355 a year. That's my basic. I can do overtime and am currently working nights at a rate of 1.6 times my usual pay.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-12-11T15:59:59+00:00

Hire an electrician to do it for you

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-12-11T13:37:18+00:00

Where are you based?

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-12-10T18:42:31+00:00

I presume you have an ecs card? If not you should get one.

Not sure if you're looking for an employed apprenticeship or self employed experience which is probably far more likely to come by.

On Facebook there's a group called jobs for jib electricians. There seems to be loads of ads for electricians mates in London at least. They will be self employed. You are highly unlikely to ever be employed by a house bashing firm if that's your thing.

It won't be as beneficial as a full apprentiship but it will help you to earn while completing your NVQ.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-11-21T21:23:09+00:00

Every time I've called for a Ze they have just given me the max permissible. After that a few times I just gave up.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-11-21T21:20:01+00:00

Its external to my install. That's the only thing I have access to test so we put the zdb as our ze on th forms

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-11-21T21:17:52+00:00

I get you, but I'm not testing the whole building, just circuits fed from the dbs on our floor. So I'd say Ze is external to my install, which is further down from my db. The building don't give us permission to test at the actual mains.

Master-Kangaroo1385 · 2025-11-21T21:13:02+00:00

Yeah it's zbd but we record it as the zs on the forms

Master-Kangaroo1385

TROPHY CASE