Those of you with apprentices

[rpm]

I'm not mean and I'm certainly not old haha. Ever since he has started with me, if he has been doing well I have taken him down the café for lunch etc, little things like that.

Sorry mate, sounds like your well ahead of me. Only thing I buy em is a coffee lol Mind you if your over 35 thats old to him. :tounge_smile:

 

[mfgs]

Sorry mate, sounds like your well ahead of me. Only thing I buy em is a coffee lol Mind you if your over 35 thats old to him. :tounge_smile:

He has always been rewarded and will continue to be if he does well, if anything I may have been too full of praise for him in the past for him to start to think he is better than he is. Well I am still young to him then, I am 27.

 

[cr0ft]

my current apprentice is also my girlfriend. anyone else been in that situation?

No!! Did she become your girlfriend before or after you employed her. And are you old enough to be her dad or not??

Will need to know the answers to these questions before I know how to reply lol.

 

[cr0ft]

Thats not what I said Croft, is it.

Nope, I was being rhetorical. My point I am trying to make though is just that I place very little value on qualifications and much more on what people can do and their work ethic/standards! No offence intended!

 

[chris watkins]

So what you are saying cr0ft is that their apprenticeship last for just one year then?

I don't think I've said that anywhere at all, I think you've said I've said that 🙂

It's foolish to make blanket statements like 'exploitation' and other things as each apprentice needs to be assessed on a case by case basis. There are many 'fully qualified' plumbers I've seen who I would not have working in my house again, I would happily have this guy working in it.
There would be no point in me sending staff out on jobs before they are ready as it would dent his confidence and harm my reputation.

You can't tell me that no firm sends apprentices out on jobs on their own, it happens regularly around here. No harm in it at all when they are ready and capable in my opinion.

You are right cr0ft it was foolish of me & once again it shows me the inherent problems with this type of communication.
As we do, I made some assumptions based on your previous postings which were clearly incorrect.
In my mind a 2nd year apprentice is 17 - 18 years a lot different, as you say, to someone in there mid twenties.
You did suggest that his productivity determining his rate of pay which I would not necessarily agree with having seen a number of firm who clearly do exploit them.

It is clear from your full & well put post in response, that you do not exploit them & train them correctly, including letting them work on there own when ready. (they don't seem to do PJ's like we did, which as you say, is where I learnt the most important lessons in plumbing).

Sorry Cr0ft !!! & thank you for pointing out the error of my ways. Chris

 

[TBServices]

I can't be bothered. I've never had an apprentice who wasn't more hassle than they were worth. And training up the next generation of under cutting kids isn't exactly my priority - I can't imagine I'd have the means to keep a lad on once his wages had to go up.

 

[cr0ft]

You are right cr0ft it was foolish of me & once again it shows me the inherent problems with this type of communication.
As we do, I made some assumptions based on your previous postings which were clearly incorrect.
In my mind a 2nd year apprentice is 17 - 18 years a lot different, as you say, to someone in there mid twenties.
You did suggest that his productivity determining his rate of pay which I would not necessarily agree with having seen a number of firm who clearly do exploit them.

It is clear from your full & well put post in response, that you do not exploit them & train them correctly, including letting them work on there own when ready. (they don't seem to do PJ's like we did, which as you say, is where I learnt the most important lessons in plumbing).

Sorry Cr0ft !!! & thank you for pointing out the error of my ways. Chris

No worries matey! Apology appreciated.

 

[oz-plumber]

I can't be bothered. I've never had an apprentice who wasn't more hassle than they were worth. And training up the next generation of under cutting kids isn't exactly my priority - I can't imagine I'd have the means to keep a lad on once his wages had to go up.

That's a means to an end.

You just have to find the right kid / person.
I've done well out of the last couple of kids I have had.
When they are reliable, good workers they can be of benefit.

The hardest thing is keeping them on track...to many distractions.

Had one that had a mortgage - couldn't keep him away from work.
He used to get upset with me if I turned up late.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Had one that had a mortgage - couldn't keep him away from work.
He used to get upset with me if I turned up late.

Yep - the finest kind of employee - a 28 yr old bloke with a mortgage he can't afford, 2 kids and pregnant wife. 🙂

So long as you keep paying him well, he will work like a duracell bunny.

 

[cdodds2004]

interesting read. im thinking of taking a apprentice on! Not sure what to do now to be honest! I was thinking of going after a mature lad that wants to re-train!

 

[TFGplumbing]

I have had an apprentice for 3 months now. He is doing ok, and just ok. I have put a lot of time in to teaching him etc but at the moment the only real thing he is good for is tidying up and getting the tools. Last night I get a text message at 9.30 which reads "Alright mate have just been thinking, iv been with you a while now and I think I have progressed a lot in that time so id like to suggest a raise in wages please mate. Lemme know what you think"

He is on £3.30 an hour, so above the minimum wage for a first year apprentice, but he certainly doesn't earn me any more than I pay him in a week. To be honest the cheek of asking has really wound me up. He has been far from the model employee to date and I have given him possibly more chances than I should have done. Examples of this are taking breaks for cigarettes when it has been made clear that the only time for smoking is lunch time, after doing any small amount of physical work I have caught him just sitting around having a break or walking off to the shop, not being ready when I pick him up from his house in the mornings. I am now thinking about getting rid of him if this is a sign of things to come. I never once asked for a pay rise while I was an apprentice, I was happy for the opportunity to be taught the trade I wanted to do.

Anyone had a similar experience and how did you deal with it?

****... kids these days... send him up a loft full of rock wool; too saw a cistern in half because it wont fit through the hatch and give him some nice knuckle grazing jobs - he'll probably do one.

When I'am ready to get an apprentice - I'am going to college to hand pick an nice free range, intelligent, grafter!

 

[Toxic Ted]

They're not like bl00dy chickens ........you cant just wander in and pick the one you fancy!

 

[rpm]

They're not like bl00dy chickens ........you cant just wander in and pick the one you fancy!

Shame though,

 

[TFGplumbing]

They're not like bl00dy chickens ........you cant just wander in and pick the one you fancy!

Why not? haha I could spot the dud's straight away. I want bright eyed & bushy tailed! Free range organic

 

[Ray Stafford]

They're not like bl00dy chickens ........you cant just wander in and pick the one you fancy!

I rather suspect that you can.

If you rang your local college and told them that you had a vacancy for an apprentice, they would roll out the red carpet, and line up the "stock" for inspection.

If you are going to put yourself to the trouble of having an apprentice, I reckon its worth putting yourself to the trouble of thinking about how to select them. I hear loads of stories about "I took on my sisters lad as an apprentice, but it didn't work out..." I'm not surprised. If you ran a competitive process to hire an apprentice in a town of middling size, the chances are that you will get 20 candidates better than your nephew.

Hiring is a business process, and should be treated as such. I bet most people put more effort into researching their next core drill than their next apprentice, and then squinny when it doesnt work out!

 

[chris watkins]

interesting read. im thinking of taking a apprentice on! Not sure what to do now to be honest! I was thinking of going after a mature lad that wants to re-train!

Please don't, go for a 18/19 year old.
What are the youngsters suppose to do with their lives until someone like you will give them a start!!!!!

 

[mfgs]

Just thought I would update this. Clearly my little chat with him didn't work. I made it very clear to him every morning I pick him up, he is to be waiting outside for me so I don't have to hang about and wait for him like I have been. The morning after our chat I pull up and he isn't there, his mum came out and apologised saying he had just woken up and basically begged me to give him another chance. So I did, I waited for him and gave him another talking to.

Then on the Thursday he was ready and waiting, good attitude etc. Thought I may have made a breakthrough. Friday comes and we are on site decommissioning and old heating system and rigging up temporary water and toilets etc. He decides to sneak off for a cigarette which he has been told numerous times is not allowed other than at lunch. Then yesterday he wasn't ready and waiting outside, I hung around for 5 mins and drove off. I got a phone call from him with him practically blaming me for not waiting for long enough as he was ready but just didn't see me as apparently he was only opening the curtains once every ten minutes to have a look!!! Safe to say, he no longer has a job and I am actively looking for a new apprentice.

 

[rpm]

There is only so much a man can do and if the kid can`t be on time and follow rules then the Red card it is.

 

[PlumbersMate]

Just thought I would update this. Clearly my little chat with him didn't work. I made it very clear to him every morning I pick him up, he is to be waiting outside for me so I don't have to hang about and wait for him like I have been. The morning after our chat I pull up and he isn't there, his mum came out and apologised saying he had just woken up and basically begged me to give him another chance. So I did, I waited for him and gave him another talking to.

Then on the Thursday he was ready and waiting, good attitude etc. Thought I may have made a breakthrough. Friday comes and we are on site decommissioning and old heating system and rigging up temporary water and toilets etc. He decides to sneak off for a cigarette which he has been told numerous times is not allowed other than at lunch. Then yesterday he wasn't ready and waiting outside, I hung around for 5 mins and drove off. I got a phone call from him with him practically blaming me for not waiting for long enough as he was ready but just didn't see me as apparently he was only opening the curtains once every ten minutes to have a look!!! Safe to say, he no longer has a job and I am actively looking for a new apprentice.

Stinking attitude

 

[brum]

My previous employer took on this apprentice without conferring with me said apprentice stayed in same village as me he was worse than a chocolate fireguard that was the beginning of the end im now self employed..brum