Currently reading:
Foreigners? I mean jobs.
Discuss Foreigners? I mean jobs. in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net
R
Ray Stafford
Pah! Got the corporation tax bill yesterday. <shudders>
B
Billy Bob Bob
when my dad worked for BT(he was with them for 20 years)if they caught you installing phonelines out side of working for them,it was deemed a instant,sack able offence,they deemed that they trained you,you then take the urine by being in competition with them,so cant blame you Ray
R
Rickster123
I'd like to clarify I don't do private jobs. Infact I never work weekends. I'm knackered by Friday and can't be arsed with the grief of dealing with the general public.
R
Rickster123
Hes knocked a penny off a pint. But Malibu has gone up 47p. He's lost my vote.
B
Billy Bob Bob
i hate you,i have to work Saturday until 2 and do call outs
R
Rickster123
And I never work past 4 during the week. Family meal at 5pm every day. That's how I roll.
- Messages
- 12,692
- Messages
- 12,692
Leaving that aside .......
I was like that when I was on the books. I worked hard enough Monday to Friday.
Paid holidays. Relax when you finish work and not sit and do pricing etc. not have to chase money. There are quite a few pros and self employed lads who earn the same as you will pay the same tax and ni.
I though much prefer self employment.
R
Rickster123
yep, no gas safe fees, no acs costs, no van or van insurance, no fuel costs, paid holidays, sick pay, pension, power tools supplied, ppe supplied, no evenings spent pricing up jobs for time wasters, paid every Friday without fail. I'm happy with employment really.
Only thing I miss is my old transit van.
R
Ray Stafford
Sounds like a good life Adam.
M
Mike Jackson
The problem with people doing foreigners on the cheap is it devalues the entire trade. I lost out on a full heating install not long after I started back self employed. I quoted a reasonable price but the guy the got the job quoted my materials cost and did the work over a couple of weekends. I realise it's possible that he could have really good terms but the chances are he was doing a foreigner and getting most, if not all, of his materials off the back of his van that he uses for his 9-5.
When I worked for eagaheat anyone caught doing a foreigner was supposed to be goonered. The best one was when the office received a call that the boiler that had been fitted over the weekend had stopped working. The customer had taken the number off the side of the van the lad fitting the boiler was driving. Shame the guy was not doing it through the company.
I have no problem with people doing work in their own time as long as they have PLI, Gas safe etc. and use their own transport. That's no different to me working a few extra hours then and fair competition.
When I worked for eagaheat anyone caught doing a foreigner was supposed to be goonered. The best one was when the office received a call that the boiler that had been fitted over the weekend had stopped working. The customer had taken the number off the side of the van the lad fitting the boiler was driving. Shame the guy was not doing it through the company.
I have no problem with people doing work in their own time as long as they have PLI, Gas safe etc. and use their own transport. That's no different to me working a few extra hours then and fair competition.
- Messages
- 3,311
In the example you give the guy is just stealing, it crosses that blurred line between what's morally acceptable and not. He's stealing stock from his employer and selling it. I would be calling the police for something like that tbh. The customer is buying stolen goods too but even though they probably know that nothing will be done about it I'm sure!
I would say 9/10 people doing foreigners use their bosses stock. It is so easy to do though. I installed a full central heating system in a house I lived in and all the fittings, rad valves, clips, gas, solder etc was provided by the company I worked for. (I didn't even pay for the radiators but that was not through the company)
That to me is why anybody doing a foreigner would be gone in a shot.
I understand that there are people out there that are setting up for themselves who do work evenings and weekends and have all the costs but most of them still take stock off the bosses.
The old boy that taught me used to do a boiler every weekend (this was before you had to register them) and he used to build his stock up during the week then use it at the weekend. The boss found out because as mike said a customer took the number off the side of the van and couldn't get hold of him so phoned the company. That then made the boss stop all the lads using the vans outside of work and he got a warning (he was never going to get rid of him as he was the only gas installer they had)
Or the boss can't compete with people who are stealing materials, he also would have to make more money to replace stolen stock.
G
Gray0689
That's the most double standard message I've ever seen
Yeah I know lol.
Just saying that even if you do 1 foreigner how much you use and how the boss didn't know that I installed a heating system at his expense. I tried to get the HA to fit us radiators in every room as when we moved in there was a boiler and 2 rads in hallway and bathroom, this would of been passed to my company as they had the contract but they refused to do it. So I did try to do it right. Lol.
I very rarely did foreigners only for close family and friends and most of the times it was under an hour or 2 work like servicing and breakdowns so had to buy bits.
- Messages
- 1,884
When i worked for bg doing work outside the business was gross misconduct, instant dismissal if found out.
The MD, chaiman and board members all sat as non execs on other boards earning more dollar for their already bulging bank accounts.
Now that is double standards.
The MD, chaiman and board members all sat as non execs on other boards earning more dollar for their already bulging bank accounts.
Now that is double standards.
- Messages
- 3,311
Exactly why I'm getting a stock control systems set up for our business. If someone nicks stock I will soon know!
I would of thought impossible for fittings though as you can't really know 100% what fittings you need for each job. The larger things then yes easy enough.
As long as people don't take the mick it's quite hard to spot, if like a lad I used to work with you book a bundle of 15mm for every job then you can tell straight away, I heard rumours the boss called him in and said if you haven't got 5 bundles of 15mm on the van make sure you bring a lot of cash with you.
As long as people don't take the mick it's quite hard to spot, if like a lad I used to work with you book a bundle of 15mm for every job then you can tell straight away, I heard rumours the boss called him in and said if you haven't got 5 bundles of 15mm on the van make sure you bring a lot of cash with you.
- Messages
- 3,311
Simple stock tracking is easy to do. We have bins in the van for every item we stock. We barcode each bin and the lads scan everything they take in and out of the van. Sounds like a nightmare but it's very simple to do, they just do it on their mobile phone. When we count the stock any errors suggest it's been nicked!
Last edited:
Even though i'm working for someone on a self employed basis, it's long term, the boss has said i have a job as long as i want. He provides the van (i crash it 
) and fuel, I have just started having to pay my own insurance as are the other 3 guys. It's fair enough.
I don't earn a great deal but boss is fairly laid back 95% of the time and rarely hassles us to get jobs finished. It's not always the most organised and don't always get told the right information for jobs so there's only so much pressure he can expect us to take. Also i'm still gaining experience.
He has said to me that he is ok with us doing our own jobs. I have used their fittings but then I have also had a few lengths of pipe on the van i paid for and ended up using on their jobs. When I have to pay and display i never put the tickets in to get my money back. It's pretty much evens for me. I have passed the company details on for jobs too.
I stay late to get jobs finished or do extra after my hours on a regular basis where as the other guys are getting itchy feet at 4 pm and at 31 minutes past are sweating and getting annoyed.
I would say my loyalty is pretty good. I would like to be busy enough on my own one day to go full time and if that day ever comes I would give 4 weeks notice even though I don't have to. I could get a text tonight saying no more work and that would be it.
) and fuel, I have just started having to pay my own insurance as are the other 3 guys. It's fair enough. I don't earn a great deal but boss is fairly laid back 95% of the time and rarely hassles us to get jobs finished. It's not always the most organised and don't always get told the right information for jobs so there's only so much pressure he can expect us to take. Also i'm still gaining experience.
He has said to me that he is ok with us doing our own jobs. I have used their fittings but then I have also had a few lengths of pipe on the van i paid for and ended up using on their jobs. When I have to pay and display i never put the tickets in to get my money back. It's pretty much evens for me. I have passed the company details on for jobs too.
I stay late to get jobs finished or do extra after my hours on a regular basis where as the other guys are getting itchy feet at 4 pm and at 31 minutes past are sweating and getting annoyed.
I would say my loyalty is pretty good. I would like to be busy enough on my own one day to go full time and if that day ever comes I would give 4 weeks notice even though I don't have to. I could get a text tonight saying no more work and that would be it.
Last edited:
J
julesverne
Be careful kieran whilst i think it is an excellent way of keeping control of stock. You also need to take into account user error. And stuff being put back that isn't re entered back onto the system and stuff that is knackered that may be thrown away without them remembering you need to made aware of it.
Just hypothetically say I work for you, I'm on a job and I book out 10 15mm elbows viva barcode but then I get my pipe bender out and machine bend 6 of the elbows but put the fittings in my pocket, how do you know, if you see what I mean
- Messages
- 3,311
I dont but it gets charged to the job. At this stage I have a good idea what fittings will be used as I see each job. As the business grows it will be harder to keep an eye on it. No system is perfect but it will make it a lot harder for employees to nick from me.
I'm not saying the idea isn't great or wont work, I think its a brilliant idea
But employee imput will be the only downfall
- Status
Reply to Foreigners? I mean jobs. in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net
