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hang up the hard hat and hi vis


Mistyrayn

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well after 8 years working self employed in construction as a Telescopic Fork Lift driver i have decided its time to hang up my hard hat/ hi vis & boots and find a different job.

8 years ago i started doin it and all was great mon - fri no eves no weekends ..well only the very occasional ones .. good money and nice tax returns i have been on some sites for a nice length of time and really enjoyed my work. but sadly for the last 18 months i have slowly gone downhill . contracts are getting fewer and shorter. its all well and good earning good money but not so good when having to have so much time off as there is no work.. contracting via agencies is just a joke i am signed with so many and they all tell you what you want just to get you at the job .. then you get there and find you are not there for as long as told..

i thought it should be that you get all the shite when you start out till you build up a rep with these companies then get the good stuff... lol nah other way round i think..

im now and have been at the point that i am hating my work now.. and sick off being shite upon and not knowing if i have work the next day or not and being expected to jump when they ring me..

think it really all came to a head when last week i had to suddenly take some time off due to what was happening at home with Kinzi the foster dog that Tania has now.. had been on this site 3/4 months . had been reliable..safe. helpfull hadn't had any days off but had to last week .. and at a moments notice on weds last week they decided they didn't want me back there anymore. bamm out of work ..so loads of phone calls letting companies know i am available again.. one tells me he has two weeks work as of monday (yesterday) but needs me to do this other couple of days on another site a fair distance away from me..

talk about dangle the carrot.. so i do the job to get the 2 weeks work.. yup turned up yesterday and its only a weeks work..oh well its close to home so .. grin and say nothing..

but yet today the site manager asked me for my driving licence ..he said he needs a copy of it for insurance.. had to ask further as i have site insurance . you don't need driving licence to drive this machine on private land / building site only if you journey onto public highway.

ok so no problem its not the first time this has been the case.. but i then questioned the site manager on the issues with the machine.. ie it has no tax and doesn't have a licence plate so therefore i cant take it on the public highway. as it risks my licence. driving and machine licence. (some of these machines are road legal with tax etc but some are not )

i got met with the response of well your gonna have to take it on the road as we need stuff taken down the road.. when i stated i was not happy with this and would not do it and risk my licence's . i basically got told to leave the site.

so now i have decided i have had enough and have started applying for other jobs.

have already found a job i really would like to have.. local company .. in warehouse / counter sales dealing with car performance and styling parts.. not as good money but only few mile away so not spending £100 a week in fuel and regular .with less aggro.

so fingers crossed.. have e/mailed my Cv etc to them tonight.

normal job.. with holiday pay please.. !!! i work hard, im reliable ..is it to much to ask ??

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I can totally understand your frustration Richard. My husband is in construction (Slinger Banksman) and in the last 18 months, due to the recession, has ended up labouring locally just because that is all that is available in Lincolnshire. It really doesnt bring in enough money considering the mortgage was calculated on both our incomes, but Ive been lucky to increase my hours. Oh the joy! Husband is now out of work yet again after only 3 weeks work. Self employment doesnt pay at the moment.

Trouble is transferring his skills to another industry isnt going to be easy. Employers have got an endless supply of experienced unemployed who will work for national miimum wage. Sadly rent and mortgage costs mean many cant afford to take national mimum wage without loosing their home.

If you need any help with your CV, applications etc (as there is a huge amount of competition out there) I would advise you go to the Next Step & Direct Gov websites. Good luck with your search. :D

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Good luck mate, you dont by any chance have a HGV licence ?

hi thanks to every one for your comments.. and in reply to Dazzlin sadly no chance there.. i know a few people may turn there nose up at me but the resaon i ended up in construction was due to being stupid and getting a D&D ban.. was driving for many years for securicor and earning very good money.. but was silly .. thought keep my nose clean and no one would know.. routine stop check and the 18 mth ban for driving while disqual..

but it was no ones fault except mine but due to living in middle of nowhere and not being able to get to any work i used the 18mths studying to gain more qualifications and also my Telehandler licence..

so yeh would love to go driving again but i got another couple of years before it comes off my licence..

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My husband is considering getting his HGV. Trouble is there are people with HGV licence's claiming benefits because there are no stable jobs out there in driving. Agencies are taking over and only offering temporary work. :(

i think thats a big problem.. a lot of companies would rather have agency as they can get rid of at a moments notice..

but for every £10 someone is paid the agency probably charge £20 + ... maybe im in the wrong job... having my own employment agency is the way to go lol..

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Good luck it's tough finding ANY kind of work at the Mo' Fingers crossed for ya. :)

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i have sat and worked it out...and weighed up the pro's and con's of taking lower paid job nearer home.

job near home.. PAYE with holiday pay etc etc ..

same wage every week.. know i have full weeks work..every week and know where i am..less fuel..less time away from home and ultimatly my girls.

self employed Telehandler in consruction traveling here there and everywhere...within reason..

good money .. nice tax rebate .. can claim expenses ..

there is so many pro's and con's ..

but i sat and worked out that i could have 1 week in every month per year off and still be £5000 better of than working in a warehouse or something.. hell i could have 2 weeks per month of and still earn exactly the same as some PAYE jobs...

now if some one said to you .. work for 52 weeks a year and have 2 / 3 or even 4 weeks holiday paid per year

or go self employed and have what works out to be 12 or even 24 weeks off per year .. all for the same yearly rate..

what would you choose ???

thats why even though im starting to dislike my work that i do..the money keeps me there..even with the nightmare of working for agencies..and the time off i keep having..

AAAARRRRGGGHHH its a mine field..

i know i want out of the trade and just get a sensible normal job... but the good money keeps me going..and the money keeps my dogs in the life they are accustomed to....

sat and really seriously looked at it all lately .. and i feel like my heads gonna explode..

maybe i will just sell my body...i should be good for £2.50 a week...

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sat and really seriously looked at it all lately .. and i feel like my heads gonna explode..

maybe i will just sell my body...i should be good for £2.50 a week...

Things will work out.......the huskies will have their standard of living that they've come to know and love. I know you well enough for that.

As for 2.50..........Dance a bit and shoot for the tips! (Keep that sense of humor!)

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