Now then, back ground info.
Im 25 in a couple of days and ive worked for my dad as a plumbing and heating engineer since I left school. Awesome job you might think but anyone who works for family will know its not always easy.
When i started there was an old boy who worked there too and he taught me most of what i know today. He retired about a year ago and since then ive been expected to continue all the installations on my own while my dad does all the servicing, breakdowns and office work (we have a secutary that comes in half a day a week too) I know this is a lot for him to do but thats the way it is.
Thing is my dad hasn't done installation work for years, ive seen the little bit he does do and its shocking. He's also very out of touch on how much is involved and how long the work takes, it takes more than twice as long when there is one person working as compared to two and he's still yet to understand that. Now don't get me wrong, im not work shy and ill put the extra time in to finish a job on time, i rarely take a lunch break let alone have the hour of the day i dont get paid for.
So he's been on a course all week and ive been left to sort out the breakdowns, answering all the messages plus do the work he's booked in, thankfully it wasn't much. But this is where the problem starts, he'll price a job up, tell me what needs to be done and the materials ill need. Ill get everything and get to the job to find most of what he's said is wrong, what he's said needs replacing wont and it'll be something else. Say if im moving a rad and he's said ill need 2 lengths of pipe and a rad of whatever size, the rad wont fit or will be completely different to what the customer wants and they'll want it moving the other side of the room! So im left with a job he thinks should take half a day that will take more, a rad that dosen't fit and no where near enough pipe!!
Now ive had a week of jobs like this and it all came to head this morning and without going into too much detail I gave him my keys and walked out, only then did I realise I lived so far away from work, that was a good walk!!!
Ive just heard from him and im going in next week to do the work thats booked in but he's asked me to think about what i want to do.
Now as ive said im 25 and its been 8 odd years since I started and I feel a haven't really moved on in my job, its been 3 years since I had a pay rise and although the money is good I think a rise is overdue. All my gas qualifications are through the company so if I walk then ive basically lost them, all the kit is the companies too, im basically screwed for setting up on my own.
So the big question is do I go in on monday and tell him all the problems I have (I do tell him regularly but they never seem to be heard) or do I start looking at doing something else?
Mostly I enjoy my job but there is a lot of things that go wrong because of the lack of planning and the fact im not given enough time to do things right. I get it in the neck off the customer because the job has ran over and i get it in the neck off my dad because im taking too long! Its a good job I don't get stressed over things else id always be stressed.
I left school with crap GCSE's and all ive ever done is plumbing, other than working for myself im not sure what else id go in to.
Sorry for the mega long post but id like to hear your opinions.
Im 25 in a couple of days and ive worked for my dad as a plumbing and heating engineer since I left school. Awesome job you might think but anyone who works for family will know its not always easy.
When i started there was an old boy who worked there too and he taught me most of what i know today. He retired about a year ago and since then ive been expected to continue all the installations on my own while my dad does all the servicing, breakdowns and office work (we have a secutary that comes in half a day a week too) I know this is a lot for him to do but thats the way it is.
Thing is my dad hasn't done installation work for years, ive seen the little bit he does do and its shocking. He's also very out of touch on how much is involved and how long the work takes, it takes more than twice as long when there is one person working as compared to two and he's still yet to understand that. Now don't get me wrong, im not work shy and ill put the extra time in to finish a job on time, i rarely take a lunch break let alone have the hour of the day i dont get paid for.
So he's been on a course all week and ive been left to sort out the breakdowns, answering all the messages plus do the work he's booked in, thankfully it wasn't much. But this is where the problem starts, he'll price a job up, tell me what needs to be done and the materials ill need. Ill get everything and get to the job to find most of what he's said is wrong, what he's said needs replacing wont and it'll be something else. Say if im moving a rad and he's said ill need 2 lengths of pipe and a rad of whatever size, the rad wont fit or will be completely different to what the customer wants and they'll want it moving the other side of the room! So im left with a job he thinks should take half a day that will take more, a rad that dosen't fit and no where near enough pipe!!
Now ive had a week of jobs like this and it all came to head this morning and without going into too much detail I gave him my keys and walked out, only then did I realise I lived so far away from work, that was a good walk!!!
Ive just heard from him and im going in next week to do the work thats booked in but he's asked me to think about what i want to do.
Now as ive said im 25 and its been 8 odd years since I started and I feel a haven't really moved on in my job, its been 3 years since I had a pay rise and although the money is good I think a rise is overdue. All my gas qualifications are through the company so if I walk then ive basically lost them, all the kit is the companies too, im basically screwed for setting up on my own.
So the big question is do I go in on monday and tell him all the problems I have (I do tell him regularly but they never seem to be heard) or do I start looking at doing something else?
Mostly I enjoy my job but there is a lot of things that go wrong because of the lack of planning and the fact im not given enough time to do things right. I get it in the neck off the customer because the job has ran over and i get it in the neck off my dad because im taking too long! Its a good job I don't get stressed over things else id always be stressed.
I left school with crap GCSE's and all ive ever done is plumbing, other than working for myself im not sure what else id go in to.
Sorry for the mega long post but id like to hear your opinions.
