25 replies to this topic

[998dave]

Surely uni is the way forward?

I'm out now, and happily putting away about £35K a year, without overtime or any real effort. I also get to travel with it, (Detroit next month), and get some quite interesting stuff to work on. I'll be picking up decent size pay rises for a few years yet, and also a good 10% bonus...

Apprenticeships are good, I admit, but university gives you a giant step up to get into the higher realms of engineering.

[Andrew1408]

I started off as an apprentice mechanic. Yep, the money's pap to start off with, but within a year or two the pay's not too bad for a first job.

As for getting £40k a year to repair Land Rovers, where do I apply? That's gotta be a hell of a lot of overtime!!!

Na not a lot of overtime you get shift pay which works out to 22% days and 33% nights.
Also I don’t fix the cars, never touch them i work in the paint shop (at the moment, hoping to move to the new range rover build soon) on the maintenance team, a lot more fun and easy

Apprenticeships are the way forward, its fair to say that some jobs you need to go to uni and do the study thing but I end up with a foundation degree at the end of my time and don’t have to pay stupid uni fees plus i get paid to go
And for skilled trades you cant beat the hands on method, you cant get the experience from uni you need for the job.

[h_edgrrr]

Granted I'm not doing a car related degree (so feel free to tell me i'm talking rubbish lol), but I would have to say that I agree that uni isn't the best way. I finish my degree tomorrow, I'll probably be coming out with a 2:2 which is a lot less than I deserve for the work I've put in (basically got screwed over by the uni and the department), there is barely any graduate schemes I can apply for because I won't be getting a 2:1, I have little to no work experience so that reduces my chances in bog standard jobs, I would quite like to go into the car industry myself but having no experience doesn't help, and because I'm 21 no one will employ me for an apprenticeship. I would say that if you know that this is what you want to do then go for the apprenticeship, it'll be the best way to get into the industry imo (but as I said feel free to tell me I'm talking rubbish lol) plus you won't come out after 3 years with no experience and about a £12,000 debt to pay! What more could you want? lol

[duncancallum]

if i had my time again i would of gone through an aprenciship i started as a saturday lad and ended up working as a mechanic till i was 18ish part time whilst i went to collage and uni.

i bailed out of uni and have worked as a service advisor, parts advisior after market warranty controller, Gap claims manager and grour warranty manager for a motor factors and now I am a service advisor again for nissan.

i am fed up with the customer facing side of it all but still like the teccky side.

even if after your apprentiship you can come on to the clean side of the counter when your fed up but i cant go and be a techy because no city n guilds even though I can do the job

[gemma loves her mini]

I have an apprenticship with a merc and porsche specialist close to where i live i start after my exams pay is C**p bu theres always nixers and you can move into quite a lot of other areas once you have your qualification

[scottyegg]

what ever you do dont get an apprentaship through hartlepool colage fe they dont offer any good apprentaships at all if any.

The corse is full of chavs.... all they do is sit around and wash cars and im not lieing what else...hmmm they lectures are never in, its basicly C**p.

how do i know this well.. i was going to do the course but switched to do a degree in engineering alot better and pays good although im still at the fe untill two weeks when i get my apprentaship.

personaly i would go for an industry training sceame such as the landrover one or Astin martin is just up the road aswell as alot of other places.

scotty

[T.Harper]

Surely uni is the way forward?

I'm out now, and happily putting away about £35K a year, without overtime or any real effort. I also get to travel with it, (Detroit next month), and get some quite interesting stuff to work on. I'll be picking up decent size pay rises for a few years yet, and also a good 10% bonus...

Apprenticeships are good, I admit, but university gives you a giant step up to get into the higher realms of engineering.

sounds meaty dave! What type of engineering do you work in? I'm studying chemical/process at the mo but not sure I want to go through with it jobwise.

[998dave]

Surely uni is the way forward?

I'm out now, and happily putting away about £35K a year, without overtime or any real effort. I also get to travel with it, (Detroit next month), and get some quite interesting stuff to work on. I'll be picking up decent size pay rises for a few years yet, and also a good 10% bonus...

Apprenticeships are good, I admit, but university gives you a giant step up to get into the higher realms of engineering.

sounds meaty dave! What type of engineering do you work in? I'm studying chemical/process at the mo but not sure I want to go through with it jobwise.

Working at Ford.

I still maintain uni helps, and as for hands on experience, join the car/motorbike/motorsport club, do Formula Student, maintain, (or use spare time to seriously modify/build your own car, (I done the engine swap on my bike in my first degree, and built my 1275 engine in my second). Also built a prototype fuel system at Cranfield for my thesis, strapped it to a Ford Mondeo and run the nuts of it on the dyno!

If you finish a degree and go into Auto engineering you'll start on £20-25K, but if you're careful you can easily push that up into the mid 30's within a couple of years. Plus I expect to continue upwards to £45-50K within the next 5 years, and beyond...

D

[1275 SPRITE]

Pay depends on how good you are.

I work for saab, the pay isn't too bad. I am starting third year soon.

[Rob82]

to be honest the pay is rubbish as an apprentice mechanic , i started on £2.09 an hour (talking 9 years ago) earned less than 6k in first year , now im earning just under 28k last year , its worth it in the long run if its something you want to do

[Jobu]

Im an mechanic apprentice, its not just mechanical though there is quite alot of engineering involved with my work. Im on pretty good money compared to most.... But thats only because im good!