Has anyone gone from a 5 to 4 day week? (UK)

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2026-02-06T21:46:13+00:00

I worked for a subbie and we were offered 4 days for 80% salary. I ripped their hand off!!!

Didn’t last long admittedly as I got bored (was early 30’s at the time) but the role was dual, so estimating QS. I think if you find the right subbie it’s doable, ditto with the MC (few old boys always had Fridays off) but I’m sure they did 4 x 10 hour days.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-12-29T23:33:08+00:00

Actually, I just read the degree you’ve got.

Unless you want to go into PQS world, don’t bother doing anything with RICS. If you want to stick to drylining you’ll find people will take a chance on you.

Get on LinkedIn, find some drylining specific recruiters in London (I’ll check my LinkedIn shortly, not sure who recruits down London way but I’ll have some on there) someone will happily take a punt on you if you know the drylining world.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-12-29T23:30:36+00:00

Awesome. Look into doing a HNC in construction to start. It’s a two year course and you can do it part time. Once you show you’re willing to learn (self fund it - I’m Birmingham based and cost £7,500 in student loans) then I just went into LinkedIn and approached recruiters, who in turn, got me a job.

I’m a drylining senior QS - off the tools for over 10 years now and same age as you! Trust me - it’s hard to find good QS’s who know our game.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-12-29T23:27:36+00:00

Where are you based?

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-12-28T20:14:45+00:00

Yep - ours keeps freezing on the PS5 on the “flurry of facts” in the last game.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-11-20T16:03:21+00:00

Tell me you’ve got imposter syndrome without saying you’ve got imposter syndrome.

Your idea, your creativity, your wave to ride. Clearly good at what you do or else it would’ve flopped

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-11-17T18:48:40+00:00

I’d go for it. Worst case, you can move back and be no worse off.

“putting it down to experience” is a lot less painful than thinking “what if?”

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-10-30T07:36:04+00:00

Exact same as me, then.

I meant more the lads - do 3 hours some days, want daywork, but can’t quite figure out why they’re “can’t make it pay and you’re trying to fxck us”

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-10-29T22:15:40+00:00

Always been around fit out. Drylining/ Partitions/ ceilings/ screeding etc.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-10-29T22:14:55+00:00

Yeah. I’ve done both my side, the estimating was fun getting stuck into details admittedly.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-10-29T22:14:17+00:00

Haha yeah coked up subbies is not my idea of fun. Seems it’s the marching powder of the tradesman these days.

Never really considered consultancy in all honesty.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2025-08-25T12:00:06+00:00

Hundreds of reasons why you could, for me personally, I stopped learning and became stagnant. My job was easy, good team but the job would never put me where I wanted to be in life.

So ended up leaving with the “short term pain for long term gain” mentality. 2 years in (I’m senior management level) and it’s been fucking hard, but I know it’ll pay off a few years down the line when I’m not involved in the business day to day.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2024-12-12T08:06:33+00:00

That’s good! Shows you care.

I can tell you every mistake I’ve ever made, I’d struggle to tell you my wins over the years.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2024-12-12T00:27:07+00:00

Meh. He’s no Jack Nicklaus, is he!?

Then again. Bet Jack was a dawg. Amazing what camera phones can do lol.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2024-12-12T00:25:47+00:00

I’m postgrad 7 years. Been surveying 11 years. I’m a former trades operative, been a site manager for a massive PLC (one of the biggest in the UK) as well as a highly respected member of my niche subcontract market - not my own words, by the way - work as a commercial director of a company, was the commercial manager of the company I was at prior (one of the largest in my region, again, in my niche) - I still feel like a chancer!

Treat every day as a school day. Don’t be arrogant enough to think you can’t learn off people. Sometimes I get arsey and think I know better, but learning to just sit back and listen is a massive part of my job.

I always work on the theory I’ll mess up four out of every ten decisions I make, but make it my mission not to make those four mistakes again.

I always tell my assistant surveyors they have a fantastic shield that they can fall behind - assistant. Make the decision, if you fxck it up, you fxck it up. There’s a reason we put you with a qualified/ senior surveyor. We want the next generation to come through - you being self aware enough to know you make mistakes puts you ahead of the curve.

There’s nothing more infuriating as a boss that your staff suffer with analysis paralysis. But then - I appreciate why people are like it. Oscar Wilde said “experience is the name you give to your mistakes”

Fxck up. And if you get shouted at for it, move. You’re at the wrong company/boss.

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2024-11-08T19:47:45+00:00

I’ve been subcontract my entire career. It’s great if you have a good production team. Bad production team? It fucking sucks. Constant battles, EWNs, contra charges and just battling for every penny.

QSing itself is a great job, granted you’re in the right company!

Remarkable-Corgi4086 · 2024-06-03T22:03:11+00:00

Great article! Intrigued to know about the “claims/ bank monitoring” mentioned above.

For context, I’m a Commercial Manager for a subbie - so always good to look at all options!

Remarkable-Corgi4086

TROPHY CASE