Ffs

[LPC]

Sounds like a waste of time. At this beginning stage he should be super-keen and running around like a kitten trying to please you and do everything he can to help and learn.

Surely there are hundreds of thousands of bright, keen young lads who would likely give a lot for this opportunity, you must be able to find one?

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Let him doss about for few days and then when u in van on way to job have a real talk. Explain that his phone stays in van he only smokes at end of drive ( even if it's 2 miles long and it's raining) he needs to buck up ideas or just forget it. Then give him viper book and gauge, right u have 30 mins while I drain down and have a drink do a tightness test. If he tries or asks for help after 10 mins fine. If he is on phone or just says yeh done it after 3 mins. Get his bait and tools out of van give him a £5 to get home and away he goes.

TT to a newbie ???
Croft don't be like this !
Tamz thank you for your post !!!

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Sounds like a waste of time. At this beginning stage he should be super-keen and running around like a kitten trying to please you and do everything he can to help and learn.

Surely there are hundreds of thousands of bright, keen young lads who would likely give a lot for this opportunity, you must be able to find one?

dog will only bring you water if you did take some of your time to train the dog how to bring you water !!!

 

[tamz]

I've had plenty like this before, i.e. no initiative or common sense.

Don't settle for them mate. Plenty of people with the above qualities looking for apprenticeships atm. It's an employer's market.

A bad tradesman (teacher) always blames his tool.

You can teach anyone anything if you approach it the right way. I'm sure at 16 you were full of enthusiasm initiative and common sense.

At that age all i was interested in was getting enough money for a packet of ****, a bottle of wine and getting my hole!

 

[LPC]

dog will only bring you water if you did take some of your time to train the dog how to bring you water !!!

I know what you're saying, but I don't think it applies. Technical know-how about plumbing/heating, and common-sense and enthusiasm, are 2 entirely different things.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Just not sure about the last part Tom , the bit about getting your hole 🙂 lol

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

dog will only bring you water if you did take some of your time to train the dog how to bring you water !!!

not if its a jack Russel,there as thick as ****,sadly like some apprentices

 

[SafeGasInstall]

I know what you're saying, but I don't think it applies. Technical know-how about plumbing/heating, and common-sense and enthusiasm, are 2 entirely different things.

Agree !!!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

sorry fella disagree this time , phones are a no no if your on a job , same as smoking time and a place.

if any tradesman turned up at my door smoking they wouldn't get in ,

just shows me he has no respect for his employer or the customer and thats before you give him a tool

you missed post#21:skull:

 

[Ray Stafford]

There are three reasons why employees do bad work.

1 They don't know any better.
2 They don't have the equipment/resources to do a decent job
3 They don't care

1 or 2 is the bosses fault. 3 is the employees fault.

Hire on attitude, you can always teach skills.

 

[tamz]

Just not sure about the last part Tom , the bit about getting your hole 🙂 lol

Some of the things i got up to Stan i would have been safer digging a hole :lol:

 

[SafeGasInstall]

not if its a jack Russel,there as thick as ****,sadly like some apprentices

Mark true ..... We need street sweepers too 🙂
but we were not perfect , were we ?! I never had a chance given to lern as a apprentice as I started when I was 30 years old

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

suppose your right stan few of the elderly plumbers said i would not make it as a plumber when i was about 17,i know look after the plumbing and boilers in there homes

 

[Ermintrude]

TT to a newbie ???
Croft don't be like this !
Tamz thank you for your post !!!

I have had a few apprentices, TT is a basic and it's the first thing to do on an install once sheets are down and system is draining. Don't expect them to know how to do it but I have given them very precise instructions and equipment, they should endeavour to complete task. If they ask for help I'm very keen to show them how to do it.

 

[jase158]

Stan, 1 question, do your apprentices get paid? I understand what stan is saying and understand, but I am struggling to see the point, If I am to put the extra effort in and spend time training him then surely he can listen and learn, if he doesn't do that then there is no point in teaching him. Also he has 2 years experience with a builder so should be able to work an sds drill, drill holes, cement etc and this is why I took him on purely because of his previous experience and I am trying to find out if he has actually got this experience as if he hasn't then he has copied his brothers cv, which means he cant even be bothered to write a cv let alone work. The issue is that he told me he has only just moved to the area, yet he has 8 years work history based in this area, so either he is lieing or his cv is? My biggest issue is that I only took him on because he had experience, if he had no experience then I could of gone for 16-17 year old, taught them to suck eggs and been privileged to £5,000 grant for my efforts. However now I have a lieing bone idle bloke that knows absolutely nothing and I don't even qualify for a grant. The college convinced me not to go for 16-17 year old as they wouldn't know what they were doing or have any experience. My van is a mess but when I asked him to tidy it he put the drain down hose on top of the electrical cables and boxes, my benders hanging off the top rack and didn't listen when I told him to take everything out and put it back in nicely, just moved everything about and made it more messy then it was in the beginning. and for the bloke who mentioned the TT, you have no chance, he would just stand there for 30 minutes scratching his head. and finnaly, yes I did put in the contract "NO BUILDERS BUM" I hate it, imagine you are an elderly woman and you offer the plumber a cup of tea and see that, especially the hairy ones, absolutely hate it, if I see it I want to put a hot bit of copper down it. It makes you feel uncomfortable, not sure where to look and unsure wether to mention it or not. Bare in mind this bloke is 27 years old, he should have some common sense!!

 

[jase158]

and just to confirm, this week went like this, day 1- getting tools and helping me, day 2- give him a plumbing task to see if he could do it and his skills, day 3- give him a building job to see his building experience. Day 1-useless, Day 2- better but didn't listen to instructions, didn't ask for help when he needed it. Day 3- didn't ask for help, stood around a lot, took forever to clean up, I asked him to check his portfolio for what was involved in inspection and testing and he completely ignored what I asked for, talked all about the bathrooms, maintenance tasks and then started filling it out.

 

[jase158]

And finally my biggest problem is I do not like telling people off, I told him that his feet had caused black marks on stairs carpet he said sorry but still did not wipe his feet when he came in, when holding core drill he put diamond edge on the customers worktop, he always forgot what I told him so every day I would have to tell him the rules and I am not here to babysit him, if I wanted to do that I would of got a 16-17 year old!!

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Jase I don't have a apprentice helper this days as I have not got any work lately 🙁
End of summer was busy just now is gone quiet for me .....
When i did have work they 2 were been paid and had breakfast+drinks and sweets !
Ask "plumbers mate " he will tell you ! The thing I did was to trust them fully !!!
I did give them my van keys in the morning and only take them back at the end of the working day , they also had access to my WALLET at any time and never ever even 1p was missing ! !!
Lee aka Plumbers mate has been helping me lately by passing some business my way , to which I am MoRE ten grateful to him .
One suggestion Jase , if he ain't trust worth then let him go and find one that is trustful person and train him .
What you will struggle with is training some one when you are training your self at the same time to train them !!! Some times communicating with work mates is harder then doing the actual work . If you have a long term plans to use him ten train him if not , then call another plumber and do the job together and shear wages

 

[SafeGasInstall]

And finally my biggest problem is I do not like telling people off, I told him that his feet had caused black marks on stairs carpet he said sorry but still did not wipe his feet when he came in, when holding core drill he put diamond edge on the customers worktop, he always forgot what I told him so every day I would have to tell him the rules and I am not here to babysit him, if I wanted to do that I would of got a 16-17 year old!!

Big mistake !!!
Helper don't use drills !!!
IT iS YOU THAT DO THE WORK , his job is to set you up and clear after you !!!!

 

[Ermintrude]

Sounds like you will be better off without him .