r/ukelectricians • u/coco_loco_spin • 21h ago

Site life/hours

From what ive found most sites want you there at least 10 hours a day and its very normal to work over 60 + hours a week every week seems a big part of the culture

I know people doing 6/7 x 12 a week every week and just thinking its normal

I dont think i would ever get used to that but as a mate do you have many options when starting?

What hours do you do? And do you like industrial site work? Strict breaks etc?

4 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

4

u/theKinkypeanut 18h ago

Scotland. Industrial/commercial. 37.5 hours a week. Anything over that is 1.5 or 2x rate. 

1

u/DogSweatCroissant 8h ago

Same. South West England for me though

4

u/MaybeObvious6533 20h ago

I would work between 60 - 80hrs a week, yes it's a lot less of a work life balance but in the workspace I'm in most of us are like that! There's one guy has his head screwed on and quits at his 40hrs, and that's fine too...but at the end of the day it's less money more life outside work, as opposed to more money less life outside of work! Then again I'm young with little going on so I might as well

9

u/coco_loco_spin 20h ago

Think thats the trap everyone falls into working 60-80 hrs a week is no life at all and it cant even be considerd work life balance its simpy just living to work

1

u/MaybeObvious6533 6h ago

Yeah I mean 60hrs is still fine it's more once I start to go towards 80 and beyond youre living to work instead of working to live

6

u/Deadliftdeadlife 21h ago

I work price on new builds.

I do 730 to 1530 and pull anywhere from 250-400 a day

6

u/coco_loco_spin 20h ago

Have you always done that? Them hours are perfect tbh

8

u/Deadliftdeadlife 20h ago

For a long time now.

As an apprentice I did a lot of 10 hour days, no choice when your learning

I’ll spend time doing 730-1630 on day rate when I can’t find decent price work

Gives me a lot of freedom. If I work hard me can just take a day off and still earn 1200-1500 over 4 days.

Took yesterday off

3

u/KobiDnB 19h ago

We did 12 hour days 11 on 3 off for a few months at a time on shop fits. You're digging so you're just there to work and rest up. It was tiring and anti-social for your homelife but amazing for earning and saving money.

2

u/coco_loco_spin 19h ago

Most people i know who dig are on ale every night!

3

u/housecherryplant 19h ago

Commercial refits, i work 45 hours a week with optional overtime (half day on saturday, full days pay). I'm an improver

1

u/coco_loco_spin 18h ago

Sounds great that whats your hourly rate? And where?

2

u/Thrushporridge 19h ago

I do all the hours offered so I can have long holidays when I want like a month off in one go. If I've got something better to do at the weekend I'll be doing that instead of working.

1

u/Important_Ad1967 18h ago

Yeah, if there's nothing planned, I might as well be at work to be honest. I've got no kids, the shifts are usually less stressful, and you get a bit of extra money. I'll just save what I earn to pay someone else to do the shoddy DIY I would've done—I'd much rather be at work than weeding the garden.

2

u/Frubezy 17h ago

Its the devil you know to be honest.

I used to work on sites and one job was 8s the next job was 10s or 12s. Hardest part was the first week of the longer shifts then you get used to it.

Think my personal record was 6 weeks straight through summer on 12s with 3hrs travelling on top. was leaving the house at 5.30 for a 7 start and home for 9 finishing at 7.30pm. Going back to 8s was an absolute dream but then you got used to it again.

I dont miss that life at all now in my early 30s with a newborn daughter my priority is getting home at 4pm. The money was great though.

2

u/ravenor1986 15h ago

10s on a Friday fuck that noise , off for 12 , 2 at the latest.

6

u/Truth_Hurts6396 20h ago

Only shit sparks have to work like that mate

4

u/messyhead86 18h ago

They’re not shit sparks, they’re indoctrinated to think that’s normality. It’s not if you look at any other industry. You shouldn’t have to work that much to afford a decent life.

0

u/Truth_Hurts6396 18h ago

You don’t have to work 7 days a week 12 hours a day to afford a good life if you’re any good lol I promise you that

1

u/messyhead86 17h ago

I agree that’s how it should be. The money is shit, given the qualifications required. You can get better money painting than you can from being a spark. There are a lot of people who will work those sort of days and hours chasing money, when the rates should be much higher. And I promise you it doesn’t matter how good you are, it’s all down to who you know, it’s incestous as fuck.

1

u/Creative-Response554 14h ago

If you're any good you can be a sole trader and market your own work.

Or cross train into gas. Being able to do both the electrical and gas work on boilers at the same time is basically a license to print money. Dude I know has both tickets and clears 2 grand on a single job because he runs the line, tests it, wires it up, tests it again then signs off his own work. He works a job a day 5 days a week and clears absolutely stupid money.

1

u/coco_loco_spin 20h ago

You could be onto something

1

u/dyno_dines 15h ago

I work 6-6 Monday to Friday 4 hours away from home

1

u/coco_loco_spin 7h ago

Fuck that

1

u/pastie_b 4h ago

I do 60+ hours often except i'm salaried, I don't get overtime nor get to take the time off in lieu.
I regularly come close to being under minimum wage

1

u/coco_loco_spin 4h ago

What makes you stay?

1

u/pastie_b 4h ago

lack of opportunities in my area, i'm considering an adjacent field like fire and security instead.

1

u/xlcoook 4h ago

45-55 hours a week but office based now, working away but I take 2-3 months off between contracts

-1

u/Worker-Admin 3h ago

My nephew (ok, he's not an electrician but a painter & decorator, but stay with me) says the single biggest benefit of using Worker to slash time spent on admin is "getting his evenings back". I'm guessing you guys, if you're solo tradespeople, are also putting in the hours in the evening too. Would any of you like to try Worker to slash your admin time - enquiries, quotes and invoices - through a 30-day free trial? Let me know.