Chems
Established Member
BradNaylor":2vrw3sww said:
Hang in their!
ARE THERE ANY JOBS OUT THERE???
- Thread starter mike-reid
- Start date
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Hang in their!
Dibs-h
Established Member
Oh - with the self employed - the CSA ain't quite as ruthless. Or should I say - it's not what (or how much) they know what what (how much) they can prove.
I'm not for a moment saying dump ex-wife's & children on the tax payer - I'm a high rate tax payer & life stylers on the dole p1ss me right off!
But when the ex other halfs take the p1ss the CSA doesn't half screw fathers over.
So why not go self employed and take control of your life and no longer be a wage slave to the ex (i.e. paying for them but never seeing the kids)?
Dibs
I'm not for a moment saying dump ex-wife's & children on the tax payer - I'm a high rate tax payer & life stylers on the dole p1ss me right off!
But when the ex other halfs take the p1ss the CSA doesn't half screw fathers over.
So why not go self employed and take control of your life and no longer be a wage slave to the ex (i.e. paying for them but never seeing the kids)?
Dibs
Russ
Established Member
Dibs-h":1m0lzewc said:
Couldn't agree more. I'm paying more in social charges this year than I'm actually earning. All I can afford is the upkeep of the workshop, fuel etc...
and the rest is going to some family with 3 kids or more that sit at home while I'm paying their rent.... Not saying their all freeloaders but the ones that are (and theres alot of them here in France) really are lazy sods..
Go and stick some flyers through posh letterboxes. Good luck!!
BradNaylor
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Dibs-h":2kituvte said:
When my first marriage broke up I got an assessment from the CSA of...
...nil! :lol:
That couldn't have happened if I hadn't been self-employed.
beech1948
Established Member
Mike-Reid,
Its great to see your urgency on getting a job.
However, its much less great to see your frustration coming out. I know how hard it is to control, I've been unemployed, but if you insist upon looking for a job then simply treat each opportunity/advert as a next step to getting the job you want.
Get used to rejection. To be for example a salesman you need to be able to cope with rejection as well as a few sales or you would go mad.
You have a first relationship and children, a second relationship and a child which will feel like a brake on you. You maybe need to discuss with your partner how you can establish a life where you can retrain...its mainly a financial discussion I guess.
If I were you I'd try a few different things than looking for an employer:-
1) Go talk to Bradnaylor about how he works, how he sells and how he charges - sorry for dumping this on you Brad. Ask and see what happens. Its part of being involved and engaged. If not Brad then someone(ones) else near by.
2) You work 36 hrs a week. I work about 50 to 60 hrs a week. So you have maybe 10 to 20 hrs a week to see what you can do as maybe a general handyman charging say £15 per hr. Do a web search re handymen and you will be surprised what comes up. Use it as a route to better things. skills and tools.
3) Keep seeking an apprenticeship by all means but be aware that doing this will push your lifetimes earnings down to the average not up unless you are in a more esoteric field.
4) Did I see ex forces ( Navy) in your past somewhere. Then get out of the funk and the start to strategise and then execute.
If there are no apprenticeships available then what next if you have to forget apprenticeships.? As a joke you might want to ask your MP as the government has just cut support for such things.
5) Is there a woodworking guild in London you could approach for a list of members and write to them all re a job. Look for a Yorkshire/Regional grouping of professional woodworkers and do the same. Go to the local Library and find a copy of Kellys, its a directory of companies in the UK, you may need to wait a while as its probably under dusty covers in the main reference section, look for local (ish) companies and approach them for work. If no work there then see if you can leave you CV with them for future reference when they are looking. see 6 below.
6) You don't want to wait for a job to be advertised. Many jobs ( about 40%) are never advertised but are filled through word of mouth. Look around your area and see what local companies there are who you might like to work for and write to the MD, handwritten address, mark Private and Confidential, beg for job, show your abilities. Get used to rejection. Consider it just a part of the journey to get a job after all you only need one job and not several
7) If you can see a way to work an extra 10 or more hours get a second job.
8) Talk to everyone about what you want to do with woodwork. Talk to the milkman at 2am in the morning if you have. Its about building a network, advertising through others, letting the world know that you want something.
I'm sorry if I sound annoyingly pushy. I was simply touched by your message. I am a pushy prick who expects the very best from everyone and does,nt get it for myself. I merely want to help.
If after this tirade you want to talk on the phone then send a PM.
best of all outcomes to you.
Alan
Its great to see your urgency on getting a job.
However, its much less great to see your frustration coming out. I know how hard it is to control, I've been unemployed, but if you insist upon looking for a job then simply treat each opportunity/advert as a next step to getting the job you want.
Get used to rejection. To be for example a salesman you need to be able to cope with rejection as well as a few sales or you would go mad.
You have a first relationship and children, a second relationship and a child which will feel like a brake on you. You maybe need to discuss with your partner how you can establish a life where you can retrain...its mainly a financial discussion I guess.
If I were you I'd try a few different things than looking for an employer:-
1) Go talk to Bradnaylor about how he works, how he sells and how he charges - sorry for dumping this on you Brad. Ask and see what happens. Its part of being involved and engaged. If not Brad then someone(ones) else near by.
2) You work 36 hrs a week. I work about 50 to 60 hrs a week. So you have maybe 10 to 20 hrs a week to see what you can do as maybe a general handyman charging say £15 per hr. Do a web search re handymen and you will be surprised what comes up. Use it as a route to better things. skills and tools.
3) Keep seeking an apprenticeship by all means but be aware that doing this will push your lifetimes earnings down to the average not up unless you are in a more esoteric field.
4) Did I see ex forces ( Navy) in your past somewhere. Then get out of the funk and the start to strategise and then execute.
If there are no apprenticeships available then what next if you have to forget apprenticeships.? As a joke you might want to ask your MP as the government has just cut support for such things.
5) Is there a woodworking guild in London you could approach for a list of members and write to them all re a job. Look for a Yorkshire/Regional grouping of professional woodworkers and do the same. Go to the local Library and find a copy of Kellys, its a directory of companies in the UK, you may need to wait a while as its probably under dusty covers in the main reference section, look for local (ish) companies and approach them for work. If no work there then see if you can leave you CV with them for future reference when they are looking. see 6 below.
6) You don't want to wait for a job to be advertised. Many jobs ( about 40%) are never advertised but are filled through word of mouth. Look around your area and see what local companies there are who you might like to work for and write to the MD, handwritten address, mark Private and Confidential, beg for job, show your abilities. Get used to rejection. Consider it just a part of the journey to get a job after all you only need one job and not several
7) If you can see a way to work an extra 10 or more hours get a second job.
8) Talk to everyone about what you want to do with woodwork. Talk to the milkman at 2am in the morning if you have. Its about building a network, advertising through others, letting the world know that you want something.
I'm sorry if I sound annoyingly pushy. I was simply touched by your message. I am a pushy prick who expects the very best from everyone and does,nt get it for myself. I merely want to help.
If after this tirade you want to talk on the phone then send a PM.
best of all outcomes to you.
Alan
mike-reid
Established Member
thank you all so much for your help. sorry i havent relpied sooner
Alan, i love the aggression and the energy i can see you have in abundance and i hope to use you post as a checklist, nay, stratergy! i have also come to the conclusion that becoming self employed is the ONLY way forward, with out going further down hill. really, what have i to loose???
Just need a car with a roof rack, to build up my tools AGAIN, and create a cunning plan to clear gutters, paint fences and butcher wood. will have to bang heads with someone as to having a price guide or working per hour. i guess per hour is better so that way you dont loose money on materials.
Please dont get me wrong, i do want to pay the CSA. all i want is for them to be reasonable, to much to ask for though isnt it?
How would i go about becoming self employed? do you REALLY have to register or just, well you know what i mean. what is the difference between limited and self employed? does it cost anything to set up? i know you should have an accountant, but swmbo is studying for her account technician cert so will save money there.
i think i am gonna have to take a second job to make some extra cash to buy the kit i need and then just put up ads everywhere and go for it. does anyone else have good OR bad experiences with doing this?
again, thank you all for the comments and thoughts.
Alan, i love the aggression and the energy i can see you have in abundance and i hope to use you post as a checklist, nay, stratergy! i have also come to the conclusion that becoming self employed is the ONLY way forward, with out going further down hill. really, what have i to loose???
Just need a car with a roof rack, to build up my tools AGAIN, and create a cunning plan to clear gutters, paint fences and butcher wood. will have to bang heads with someone as to having a price guide or working per hour. i guess per hour is better so that way you dont loose money on materials.
Please dont get me wrong, i do want to pay the CSA. all i want is for them to be reasonable, to much to ask for though isnt it?
How would i go about becoming self employed? do you REALLY have to register or just, well you know what i mean. what is the difference between limited and self employed? does it cost anything to set up? i know you should have an accountant, but swmbo is studying for her account technician cert so will save money there.
i think i am gonna have to take a second job to make some extra cash to buy the kit i need and then just put up ads everywhere and go for it. does anyone else have good OR bad experiences with doing this?
again, thank you all for the comments and thoughts.
zeppfly
Established Member
mike, i have quite a few friends and relations around selby and leeds always looking for odd jobs done, i usualy get lumbered while i'm on hols :evil: if your interested post or pm your number, i'll make sure they hear about you.
take heart in the fact that most of us are very close to the bottom right now, in march 2008 i had to buy a 2009 diary for bookings, now i don't know if i'll be working on monday
take heart in the fact that most of us are very close to the bottom right now, in march 2008 i had to buy a 2009 diary for bookings, now i don't know if i'll be working on monday
petermillard
Established Member
+1 to what Brad and others have said further up the thread. There's plenty of work out there, especially if you're not too choosy about what you do.
I had a change of career ten years ago at the age of 40 and have had no trouble at all getting work - first job came from a card put through someone's door, second job was a referral from the first etc.. etc..
As Brad says, a cheap van (or just a roof-rack for the car) and some basic tools and you're in business - even a part-time weekend business whilst still employed. And don't go overboard thinking you need all kinds of kit; I started my business with an embarrassingly small range of cheap tools, but I got the work done on time and to a professional standard - and charged for it appropriately.
Best of luck, Pete
I had a change of career ten years ago at the age of 40 and have had no trouble at all getting work - first job came from a card put through someone's door, second job was a referral from the first etc.. etc..
As Brad says, a cheap van (or just a roof-rack for the car) and some basic tools and you're in business - even a part-time weekend business whilst still employed. And don't go overboard thinking you need all kinds of kit; I started my business with an embarrassingly small range of cheap tools, but I got the work done on time and to a professional standard - and charged for it appropriately.
Best of luck, Pete
beech1948
Established Member
Mike,
You said:-
>>>How would i go about becoming self employed? do you REALLY have to register or just, well you know what i mean. <<<
Yes you will need to tell the Inland Revenue you are going self employed.
BUT not yet. IR provide a period of time while you establish yourself. Keep records though.
Research via Google the Handyman theme. Be amazed and educated by the range of simple things on offer and see the charges. Use this as a learning point and see if getting a few start-up undercover jobs will work for you. Post a few cards through doors, advertise in a newsagents window. Maybe thats' your second job.
>>>what is the difference between limited and self employed? does it cost anything to set up? <<I>>>
Limited Company expensive and provides less funds to you
Sole trader cheaper and can get more money out of it
You can be employed and at the same time a sole trader or Ltd company. That is you can keep your present job and still run a sole tradwe enterprise.
>>>i think i am gonna have to take a second job to make some extra cash to buy the kit i need and then just put up ads everywhere and go for it. does anyone else have good OR bad experiences with doing this? <<<
OK. Good idea to make a list of absolutely vital tools, no make weight gadgets and no Festool. two chisels and not 10. You know what I mean.
Then assess what you have, and if you could start up with a few trial jobs as you second job...might as well learn by doing.
regards and good luck
Alan
You said:-
>>>How would i go about becoming self employed? do you REALLY have to register or just, well you know what i mean. <<<
Yes you will need to tell the Inland Revenue you are going self employed.
BUT not yet. IR provide a period of time while you establish yourself. Keep records though.
Research via Google the Handyman theme. Be amazed and educated by the range of simple things on offer and see the charges. Use this as a learning point and see if getting a few start-up undercover jobs will work for you. Post a few cards through doors, advertise in a newsagents window. Maybe thats' your second job.
>>>what is the difference between limited and self employed? does it cost anything to set up? <<I>>>
Limited Company expensive and provides less funds to you
Sole trader cheaper and can get more money out of it
You can be employed and at the same time a sole trader or Ltd company. That is you can keep your present job and still run a sole tradwe enterprise.
>>>i think i am gonna have to take a second job to make some extra cash to buy the kit i need and then just put up ads everywhere and go for it. does anyone else have good OR bad experiences with doing this? <<<
OK. Good idea to make a list of absolutely vital tools, no make weight gadgets and no Festool. two chisels and not 10. You know what I mean.
Then assess what you have, and if you could start up with a few trial jobs as you second job...might as well learn by doing.
regards and good luck
Alan
I knew nothing about self employment so I asked at the Job Centre, they put me in touch with a group who explained all the different things that I needed to know about tax, allowances, NI and insurance etc. Very useful.
Roy.
Roy.
BradNaylor
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mike-reid":2wyv4wln said:
Nothing.
mike-reid":2wyv4wln said:
I would have a scale of rates. Something like £25 per hour, £70 per half day, and £120 per full day. Chasing around doing an hour here, two hours there, is very inefficient. Ideally, you only want to unload your tools once a day!
mike-reid":2wyv4wln said:
If you're self-employed, the CSA assessment will be based on what you declared on your tax return in the previous year. A start-up business rarely makes much of a profit in the first year, so your CSA assessment will be very low for a while. There is nothing to stop you spending extra money on your kids however, but I would make this dependent on getting access. Your ex sounds like a total bitch - don't give her any money - spend it directly on your kids and make sure they know it. Tell your ex that you want to buy them some shoes or clothes - school uniforms are a good one. Its amazing how quickly access visits then get arranged!
mike-reid":2wyv4wln said:
One of the great things about this country is how easy it is to start up in business. You don't need any permits or permission from anyone - you just do it! You have to tell HMRC within 3 months that you've done it, though.
I prefer operating as a limited company, for many reasons, but it is a lot simpler to be a sole trader to start with. If things go well, talk to an accountant about going limited.
If things go really badly, also talk to an accountant about going limited - but for different reasons! :wink:
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Sorry Brad, I took a few liberties there. My point is that the advice you give is very sound indeed. I only wish I had the confidence to heed it myself (CSA not relevant).BradNaylor":olei6vlb said:
S
Not much to add to what has already been said, apart from my own personal experiences.
5 1/2 years ago I decided to jack my cushy accountancy job, take a year out and think about life direction. I was 30 at the time. We had an 18 month old daughter and my wife was about to give birth to triplets (hence the year off!).
I decided to set-up on my own as a "handyman" service. I'd always had a keen eye for joinery, tiling etc. Within 6 months I was booked up with work, but primarily because of my inability to correctly price up jobs ! Needless to say I didn't make much money.
But the work kept on coming in, and when I finally got my act together with the pricing structure, I started to make a living at it. I quickly dropped the work I didn't want to do (painting etc) and concentrated on the work I liked doing (internal fitting - kitchens and bedrooms).
It's not been easy (particularly in the last 18months), but i've somehow managed to stay fully booked with work since I started up (apart from the selected "holidays").
There are so many things to think about (tooling - I started with a very basic set of tools, but my current set-up puts it to shame, and it is always developing). But if you don't JUST DO IT (where's that Nike slogan?) you'll never know.
Enough rambling.
HTH.
Cheers
Karl
5 1/2 years ago I decided to jack my cushy accountancy job, take a year out and think about life direction. I was 30 at the time. We had an 18 month old daughter and my wife was about to give birth to triplets (hence the year off!).
I decided to set-up on my own as a "handyman" service. I'd always had a keen eye for joinery, tiling etc. Within 6 months I was booked up with work, but primarily because of my inability to correctly price up jobs ! Needless to say I didn't make much money.
But the work kept on coming in, and when I finally got my act together with the pricing structure, I started to make a living at it. I quickly dropped the work I didn't want to do (painting etc) and concentrated on the work I liked doing (internal fitting - kitchens and bedrooms).
It's not been easy (particularly in the last 18months), but i've somehow managed to stay fully booked with work since I started up (apart from the selected "holidays").
There are so many things to think about (tooling - I started with a very basic set of tools, but my current set-up puts it to shame, and it is always developing). But if you don't JUST DO IT (where's that Nike slogan?) you'll never know.
Enough rambling.
HTH.
Cheers
Karl
BradNaylor
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And if your really good at it - like Karl - cabinetmakers and kitchen companies will feed you a steady stream of fitting work...
...cos we hate it!
:lol:
...cos we hate it!
:lol:
jimi43
Established Member
I was listening to Radio Kent this evening....my only background at work...and I listened to a guy who got up and went at it out of sheer boredom of not getting a job.
He advertised car cleaning and now he is on about £400 a week....PART TIME and he is turning away work as he doesn't want to work all week...so he can spend some time with his kids (he is separated).
He put a few cards in newsagents and word spread like wildfire...
Just an idea. Maybe a stop-gap?
Jim
He advertised car cleaning and now he is on about £400 a week....PART TIME and he is turning away work as he doesn't want to work all week...so he can spend some time with his kids (he is separated).
He put a few cards in newsagents and word spread like wildfire...
Just an idea. Maybe a stop-gap?
Jim
devonwoody
Established Member
Fella opposite me retired back in May.
Says he is working harder now than when he was employed.
Gardening jobs he is now turning down, got a full time job down at the local chippy doing the spuds each morning from 5am to 8am.
Cannot get him to polish my car he is too busy.
Being a qualified engineer is obviously a trade but you are going to have to compete with the Chinese?
Says he is working harder now than when he was employed.
Gardening jobs he is now turning down, got a full time job down at the local chippy doing the spuds each morning from 5am to 8am.
Cannot get him to polish my car he is too busy.
Being a qualified engineer is obviously a trade but you are going to have to compete with the Chinese?
tom owens
Established Member
After 18 months of been self employed iv had some very good months and some very slack periods but have compensated the bad with the good and iv never looked back.
I could honestly say i would never work full time for someone again no matter what the money was unless i had some real financial issues that i could not keep on top of.
I was really nervous to start with, always thinking "is my work good enough to sell" will i constantly be going back to make things right" but you grow out of that.
I always use the aproach where i just give a price that the customers happy with and take my time to do a good job.
I,d rather earn £70 a day with a good reputation and continous work and freedom than £200 a day with a bad one and back working 7 till 5.30 every day in a few months time.
Good luck with whatever route you take..
I could honestly say i would never work full time for someone again no matter what the money was unless i had some real financial issues that i could not keep on top of.
I was really nervous to start with, always thinking "is my work good enough to sell" will i constantly be going back to make things right" but you grow out of that.
I always use the aproach where i just give a price that the customers happy with and take my time to do a good job.
I,d rather earn £70 a day with a good reputation and continous work and freedom than £200 a day with a bad one and back working 7 till 5.30 every day in a few months time.
Good luck with whatever route you take..
mike-reid
Established Member
folks, you are all fantastic! you have really given me a boot in the butt to do this! SWMBO is thinking this is such a good idea! i am gonna do it. without putting a negative to all the positives, i want to make sure before i do this that we are financially square with all the bills etc. incase things are too slow.
We have a rough script for the flyers n cards and we are gonna get LOADS printed off, go door knocking, wearing some shiny tshirts with a logo on it, offering the services all over barnsley and maybe further.
I remember from doing the car boots, a couple of fellas who advertise and get job orders on their stalls. One is a carpet fitter and the other does double glazing. they dont have any premises overheads and they are always busy with work. The foot-fall of potential customers there could be MASSIVE! So i will do this as my first day of advertising in the morning, followed by an afternoon of door knocking locally.
i have to say, that though I remain cautious, I feel strangley... empowered about the potential of this hair brained venture. If it wasnt for YOU guys n gals on here I would be nomore forward and still staring at vacancy after unqualified for vacancy on the tinterweb.
Thank you and keep watching here for my daily updates on how i am getting on with setting it up.
We have a rough script for the flyers n cards and we are gonna get LOADS printed off, go door knocking, wearing some shiny tshirts with a logo on it, offering the services all over barnsley and maybe further.
I remember from doing the car boots, a couple of fellas who advertise and get job orders on their stalls. One is a carpet fitter and the other does double glazing. they dont have any premises overheads and they are always busy with work. The foot-fall of potential customers there could be MASSIVE! So i will do this as my first day of advertising in the morning, followed by an afternoon of door knocking locally.
i have to say, that though I remain cautious, I feel strangley... empowered about the potential of this hair brained venture. If it wasnt for YOU guys n gals on here I would be nomore forward and still staring at vacancy after unqualified for vacancy on the tinterweb.
Thank you and keep watching here for my daily updates on how i am getting on with setting it up.
Richard Findley
Established Member
Good on you that man!!
Best of luck to you!!!!
Cheers
Richard
Best of luck to you!!!!
Cheers
Richard
