Getting a job in satellite

paulcdub85

Hi,
i am an out of work electrician and have recently installed several free to air sytems for friends and family. I enjoy the work and am learning more all the time. I have rang all the companies I can find listed but so far no luck getting work. If anyone in the industrty could give me advice on how I should go about getting into the trade, what courses to do etc..it would be greatly appreciated.

Cantona's Collars

Here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056076993 would be a good source of info,some very helpful guys there.

watty

24 hr emergency plumbing call out service might be more remunerative at the moment.

The problem is that it's not very good margin business because of Sky's dominance (people think it should be free, and Sky pay the installers about 1/2 what they should be paid for decently trained people with proper testgear etc etc etc).

paulcdub85

thanks i'll check it out

Sam the Aerialman

paulcdub85 wrote: »

Hi,
i am an out of work electrician and have recently installed several free to air sytems for friends and family. I enjoy the work and am learning more all the time. I have rang all the companies I can find listed but so far no luck getting work. If anyone in the industrty could give me advice on how I should go about getting into the trade, what courses to do etc..it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi my advice to you would be not to go looking for paid work in the aerial game just yet. Find a local installer/ firm who might be willing to take you on 2 days or even a day of work experience a week. Get out in an installation van, learn the trade from aligning an aerial to dealing with a customer. You will spot a decent company who has the proper vehicle, insurance, invoices the customer and leaves proper contact details.
The trade at the moment needs good people who are willing to learn properly and start up businesses. Its true a lot of installation companies are 1 man bands but it gives you an opportunity to see first hand what it's like. performing a good job, treating customers premises as you would treat your own, become knowledgeable, learn health and safety it's just as important to learn mounting and dismounting a Cat ladder than as it is to fit a cradle.

You can further your skills and apply them to work you may take on yourself, gradually you may grow your own business and customers.
We have had a number of guys who have worked with us over the years and went on to run successful businesses, if your able to impress
that person well enough you could take on your own work and sub contract back in that company. That way you can carry on learning and
getting paid work taking more complex system work that you may not do regularly yourself. Short term pain can often be long term gain.
Wish you the best of luck.

paulcdub85

thanks for that sam

Tony

Definitly a shortage of good sub contractors Paul. Plenty of bad ones out there unfortunately.

paulcdub85

i'm already making progress on getting work experience, hopfully that'll give me a good headstart