britains school leavers

[steve187]

6/7 years ago i took on a son of a family friend, not full time as he had a job and needed some extra work/money for the days he didn't work, (Fri,sat and sun) he had done 5 years as an engineer in the navy prior to this, straight away he was on the ball, picked everything up easily and today i still have him with me on the odd day that i need a push with a job and he is free. he is fast ( an age thing compared to my ageing joints) and accurate, He has worked his way up in his day job from agency worker when he started with me, to now being a manager at his company, so he never took to tiling full time.
But i think it was the navy that shaped him and of course his own attitude to work/life

 

[Diggy]

Yep, discipline and a work ethic. Something - and this is not a political point - that the previous government killed and will be hard to get back.

Diggy

 

[Peter]

Had a wee lad with me for about 3 months there. He was 20 and real keen to learn, or so it seemed, until he never weighed in one day and I didn't hear from him til the Saturday night saying tiling wasn't for him. He had the potential but you needed the patient of a saint. Next time I think I'd go for a 3rd year apprentice.

To be honest I was a daft apprentice at 16 and was told I would never make it but that just spurred me on to work harder. 10 years on now my old boss is working for me a few days a month. :lol:

 

[jonnyc]

right maybe im an older monaing git :lol: but i have been looking to take someone on for while now and have tried a number of lads ages from 17 up to about 24.....not being funny but what a bloody disgrace these young lads are

is this schools standard nowadays of how they leave for the workplace....workshy,no manners,zero common sense and sorry but thick as a plank as well, i dont think this is a one off its no surprise the eastern europeans have dived in and taken so much work when our lads are like this

im sure not every young person is like this but sorry i think our next generation is lazy

i had an 18 year old lad who thought a square was a rectangle!!! and another one who couldnt work out how to lift up a box of tiles because they were heavy and lying flat on the floor!!!!!!!:yikes:

any opinions lol

I always thought a square was a rectangle.
if not i will sack myself immediately!
but I agree with you generally .i have tried out loads of young guys over many years and have found for most part that they lack basic common sense and practical ability,which I put down to too much computer games etcc and less outdoor activity.
I haven't taken on full time a youngster for 13 years now as the last experience was so painfully,but he is still with me.
that said I am going to try again soon as my gang are all getting older in body but this time I am going to look for a lad who is maybe 20-22 and keen to learn a new profession

 

[Peter]

I'd do an apprenticeship with you Jonny if I lived local. Something a bit different to being a run of the mill ceramic & porcelain tiler.

 

[Lee@emctiles]

Im in Steve187 camp here, Schools leavers need to do 6 months (MIN) of national service, that will sort this country out for the next generation (i reckon weve lost at least one generation)

I left school with good grades, but wet straight into the Army, taught me everything i needed to do the job i do now.

 

[Lee@emctiles]

should mention, the fact i got kicked out for smacking an RSM is irrelevant! I am far more disciplined now

 

[kilty55]

some good advice there peeps cheers, after todays ordeal of lies from him hes been binned so on the lookout again

pebbs i think your right the 1 guy i had who was half decent was slightly older so may go that route again to try out, for someone like myself self employed i cant afford to hand over wages every week to someone who just isnt playing the game theres no room for baggage as the whole point of it is also for me to benefit as well

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Unless you have a squad of tilers being looked after by this apprentice, it will be a while before he covers his wage and only a short while before he leaves before you start to benefit!

 

[mz30]

My apprentice(say apprentice he's just out of his time) at the moment is a breath of fresh air, he's fast, accurate ,clean and hasn't had a day off in the 2 years I have worked with him, he's that good at his job he's been given 5 pay rises in 2 years, probably been the best lad I have helped train and I have had quite a few.

 

[AMtek]

I've tried lads between 19 and 25 and they were all useless, they don't like the cold, they turn up late or still full of drink from the night before, their idea of cleaning is a joke, they are unable to put something back where they got it from, if they aren't told to do something they just stand there doing nothing, they address the customer as pal, bud, mate, lass, pet etc. every second word is a swear word, they think 10am is lunchtime and expect £15 an hour after 2 months training.

When I was still at school I used to work Saturday and Sunday bagging up 25kg bags of compost then stacking them on pallets from 7.30am to 5pm and being paid buttons. Kids these days all think that the world owes them something

 

[kilty55]

the thing is i was benefiting even having them being able to setup all the gear and break it down again is a huge help including chainging watere etc etc etc i had the 1st lad doing all cuts on grinders/rubis and he was becoming good just started not showing up on ovvertime shifts at weekends, couldnt agree more amtek im old school in the way i work and sorry but they just do not have it nowadays

 

[On one]

£15 an hour.....My first job after leaving school was a YOPS scheme(showing my age).......£15 a week!!!!

 

[White Room]

£15 an hour.....My first job after leaving school was a YOPS scheme(showing my age).......£15 a week!!!!

Mine was £5.00 a week....

 

[AMtek]

Mine was £5.00 a week....

I had a lad labouring with the plasterers and he went on a 5 day course at NETT and when he got back I asked the lads to let him do a bit of laying on etc. so he could start learning, 3 weeks later he came to me and said that he was as good as the other lads and wanted £100 a day. I told him as soon as he could do 1 wall and polish it up to the same standard as the other 2 lads could do 2 walls each I would give him £80 a day, this was over a year ago and the other lads are still pulling him up on sub standard work and bailing him out when he's in the poo. he's 25 by the way and an ex royal marine. A really good grafter and never takes time off ill, turns up ready to work etc.