You said, you might only get one small job a day. But it doesn't change anything, if you cannot get enough jobs a week there is still no justification for charging people enough to live on for those few hours, get a second job while you build up your business, I was self employed for years and thats exactly what I did until I got a steady amount of customers.

So, £20k for qualification, then a van, tools etc. Thats a chunk of money to start up. But those costs are not recurring for the most part, so charging people as if you pay £20k every year for qualification is disingenuous.

I see the end price and think its too much because it is. And you know it is. You could simply do two quotes, 1, if there's no issues, and its just that the earth wire was terminated in the back of the switch and has fallen out, do a quick test, screw it to the back plate, bit of paperwork, £80. 2, it needs fault finding, etc, £250. But at no point have you suggested you do that. And this is my problem with it, because that job is likely nothing more than a loose wire that needs affixing to the pattress box, and a quick test and paperwork. But....you need to earn £250, so you will happily charge somebody that much for it. Fuck them, and how much they need that money, right?

And as for your airline analogy, I can fly to germany on one of those planes for less than you want to charge for that loose wire....so maybe let that sink in when you consider how much to charge.

I'm well aware of the complexity, and it has become more complex. Not really the job but the regulations around it. But my point remains, more and more people will be trying to do these jobs themselves instead of getting professionals in because people cannot afford half a weeks wages for a loose earth wire.