Total mileage????

I'm entirely self-taught when it comes to mechanic skills. I taught myself welding (arc and Mig) as well as panel beating. Necessity is the Mother of Invention when your car is stuffed and you can't afford garage prices. Sure, I made some mistakes along the way but I've built up an impressive array of tools over the years and saved myself a lot of money.

If I need to learn something, I borrow some books on the subject and read a LOT. Then, when I have absorbed the information in the books, I'll have a go. Sometimes the best teacher of all is life, as you have to learn when there is no other alternative.

The problem today is that these DIY motor skills have been forced out, by ever more complicated cars with engine management, that need laptops and software to find out what's wrong. That's why I like working on the scooter; it's simple engineering that takes you back to when people could service their own cars.

 

that's what im saying. if you know how to do it so well, go and do it at a college, get that "stupid piece of paper" and get the job you want. I had to and im going back to college soon + paying for it to gain more qualifications to get where I want to be.

if your not willing to do shit like that to get along in this shitty world, stop moaning that nobody will employ you because you don't have "the stupid piece of paper", go out, get the qual then get the job.

just because you've been doing it all your life doesn't mean some garage should take you on, looking at it from how I work, I can tell you this, if a garage could hire someone with 30 years of experience but with no quals, they would. but because of public liability insurance etc etc most garages will require you to have a level 2 or 3 qualification. the one I work for requires level 3. no driving licence? not learning to drive and doing it legally? yup. no job.
I know I sound like a cunt but theres reasons you need to be qualified. want a certain job, buckle down and get the qualification. ive been messing with cars all my life, I still had to go and get the qualifications.

 

Im happy in my current job with my current skills its enough to get me out the shit and earn a bit of extra cash not sayin im world best mechanic just like merlin said I know enough to give it a go or find out then give it a go
Was only suggesting to op that sometimes you might be able to do the job but if you havent got the certificate then be prepared to not get the job
Dont knock anyone for trying to make somethin of themselves

 

A piece of paper doesn't say that you have experience, it just means you can pass a test or exam. Yes, I know there's always the "You can't get a job without experience, or you can't get experience without a job". Frankly, that's bollox. You can get experience without the job.

So, go out there and get the experience by tinkering with stuff, to work out how things work, how you take then apart and how you put them back together again. If you can't afford stuff to tinker with, see what Freecycle and Gumtree have on offer that you can get for nothing and use to gain experience. Be creative and there are ways to do this - I know, I did it years ago to gain mechanic experience.

Buy the best tools you can afford and they will serve you well. I still have socket sets I bought in the early '80s and they are still in good nick and things like ratchet wrenches still work properly. Cheap tools are false economy as they will either not fit, not work properly, or they will break.

You get nothing in this life by doing nothing and no-one will do it for you, so find a way to do something that will get you the experience you need to get you somewhere. Experience can't be taught, it can only be gained by you, or shared or imparted by others, so try and get some.

That's the best advice I could ever give you.

 

Thats what I mean wether its just my own personal bad luck but ive found you dont get chance to show youve got the experience and knowledge because you havent got the qualification

 

and what I was trying to say was, if you have the experience, go and get the qualification, youll fly through it if you work hard enough at it, and then you can go and prove yourself. I had to do it myself.

 

Sometimes its not that easy mate we dont know op personal situation right now

 

That's the thing, you can show them. Get stuff off Gumtree, Freecycle, tap up family, friends and neighbours to see what they have in the shed or lock-up that maybe needs fixing. Get stuck in and if you do fix it, write down what you did and take photos, just like people do with projects on here.

Once you have a library of case histories of stuff you've fixed, then show it to prospective employers and you may find it will impress them enough to take you on, as they will know you can use tools and don't have to start from scratch. It also shows that you have initiative and drive and these are good qualities to have (see Scootz's experience today with his staff's timekeeping as a great example).

College and pieces of paper aren't the 'Be all and end all' of getting the job you want. It can equally be about the qualities you have as a person. YOU will get you the job, not the bloody college.

Scootz, am I right about this?

Ginge, I'm not the World's best mechanic but I do consider myself competent with tools. and I can do a lot of repairs myself.

 

all im trying to explain is - as I deal with hiring and firing and im seeing it from garages point of view, theres a reason we need them to have qualifications. most level 2 or 3 minimum. public liability insurance. otherwise qualifications would be out of the window and wed hire the best experienced mechanic possible who has didly squat qualifications. trust me, I know quite a few people with quite a bit of experience who know their shit who id love to hire as replacements for the staff at the place I work, but I cant because theyre not qualified and we cant put them on PLI.
im just saying it from employers point of view. we can insure somebody on PLI who is qualified but we cant if theyre not. that's what its down to.

if you do what merlin said above, if your lucky enough, employer may pay for you to get your qualification done whilst completing a traineeship.

 

Thats a better way to look at it at least you can see the other side of it but thats the very point I was trying to make

 

That's exactly my point, Scootz.

It's easier to offer an apprenticeship or a College placement to someone that has the drive to want it and has shown that they are willing to try. Some employers get sick of people that turn up, get into College and drop out or lose interest. You'll know this from your own experience and Ginge needs to find a way to exploit this to his advantage, by making himself more attractive to a potential employer by showing that he hasn't just sat on his arse and waited for it to come to him.

 

if I could take ginge on and replace the apprentice we have now. trust me I would do it. but we now need people with driving licences. our apprentice does, he can drive our small van to collect parts etc, but hes not making enough money because timekeeping is a issue. unfortunately around Wolverhampton/Walsall/bloxwich etc etc a lot of people don't have one. im looking for replacements now as the other guys are getting sloppy and aren't meeting targets.

I need and want motivated guys to work with. but PLI stops us big time. its not just PLI its H&S too

 

H&S goes ott and ruins most people's chances if people knew me they would know I far from sat on my arse even when I was out of work due to injury I did exactly as you suggested Merlin ripped things apart found the problem/s sorted it or found how to sort it and put it back together still do it now even though im no longer in the trade
Scootz knows ive got the knowledge or at least enough to get by but like I said without the peice of paper some employers take easier option and take other candidate on with the qualifications

 

Funny you should mention that actually

 

Back to original thread mines just turned 91280