Employing a plumber/electrician...

thebeeb

So have recently set up a home maintenance company, and with things picking up lately i have a need of employing a qualified plumber and electrician. As i am self employed, i have no experience in employing anyone so i don't know what the going rate nowadays. Should i give minimum wage or is that an insult to them given that they after all qualified. I am led to believe it is an employers market nowadays. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

K.Flyer

You think it would be proper to offer to pay a fully qualified tradesman who will bring years of skills and experience minimum wage, the same rate as an un-skilled, and un qualified school leaving shop assistant??? (with no disrespect meant to shop assistants).

Dtp1979

thebeeb wrote: »

So have recently set up a home maintenance company, and with things picking up lately i have a need of employing a qualified plumber and electrician. As i am self employed, i have no experience in employing anyone so i don't know what the going rate nowadays. Should i give minimum wage or is that an insult to them given that they after all qualified. I am led to believe it is an employers market nowadays. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

If you can guarantee the plumber regular work and you pay him/her on time then maybe you'd be lucky enough if they agreed on €250 a day.

Wearb

thebeeb wrote: »

So have recently set up a home maintenance company, and with things picking up lately i have a need of employing a qualified plumber and electrician. As i am self employed, i have no experience in employing anyone so i don't know what the going rate nowadays. Should i give minimum wage or is that an insult to them given that they after all qualified. I am led to believe it is an employers market nowadays. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

You should have held off posting this until April 1st. Are you looking to take advantage of unemployed tradesmen. Please post the name of your company. It will be in everyone's interest to know it.

Robbie.G

thebeeb wrote: »

So have recently set up a home maintenance company, and with things picking up lately i have a need of employing a qualified plumber and electrician. As i am self employed, i have no experience in employing anyone so i don't know what the going rate nowadays. Should i give minimum wage or is that an insult to them given that they after all qualified. I am led to believe it is an employers market nowadays. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

It really depends on what type of tradesman your looking for if you want someone just out of their time and have no real experience in maintenance.
Im in a similar type company and we pay a decent rate I'm currently looking for a plumber myself and can't get one even paying decent bucks and working within ten mins of base.

Damienmac

You dont need experience of being an employer to know that a qualified tradesman earns considerably more than minimum wage. As for the 'employers market' thing, you said yourself things are picking up.
Are you going to employ on a permanent full time basis? If so I think 600 a week would be the lower end of the scale for a 40 hour week. (Just to give you an idea)

anheneti

€21.60 an hour union rates at the moment, which averages out at about €650 after tax. Best of luck getting a qualified tradesperson to work for €9 an hour

thebeeb

Its more general work i want an employee for but i would have 4/5 plumbing related jobs a week also so i couldnt justify €600 a week as he /she wouldnt be plumbing fulltime

Bonzo Delaney

maybe take on a full time labour at least 400€ a week take home and have a plumber on call, still 4-5 jobs is still going to cost 100€ each for a certed trades man to take their tools out at all and at least 25-35 an hour after that.

Manure

Dtp1979 wrote: »

If you can guarantee the plumber regular work and you pay him/her on time then maybe you'd be lucky enough if they agreed on €250 a day.

Your away with the clouds altogether, a domestic plumber on €250 a day. Give me some of what your smoking.

Dtp1979

Manure wrote: »

Your away with the clouds altogether, a domestic plumber on €250 a day. Give me some of what your smoking.

I said you'd be lucky. I'm taking more like 300-400.
Obviously that's not for an employed plumber.
That's what a good plumber will charge

Manure

€300-€400 per day now, lmao. Ah lad come tomorrow when your back from la la land.

cruiser202006

I'm sure if the op supplied the plumber with a van and tools, paid for insurance and tax on van, diesel, liability insurance, paid for his rgi/often renewal cost upon renewal, paid his prsi etc I'm sure he'd be happy to work for €100-120 a day

brightspark

Don't forget to do most domestic electrical work, you will need an electrician who is a qualified certifier, meaning

1, having passed the C&G Testing and Verification course, (refreshed every 5 years)

2, registered with RECI or ECCSA,

3, appropriate insurances,

4, calibrated (annually) test equipment.

are you paying for all of the above?

I would expect similar requirements might apply for any plumber working on oil or gas systems.

Manure

We are talking about a plumber or electrician to do some house maintenance, very simple remedial stuff like changing a socket or switch, in terms of plumbing change a cracked jacks, fit a new tap. No rocket science involved.

Sleeper12

Manure wrote:

€300-€400 per day now, lmao. Ah lad come tomorrow when your back from la la land.

You really don't seem to know what a good self employed plumber gets?

brightspark

Manure wrote: »

We are talking about a plumber or electrician to do some house maintenance, very simple remedial stuff like changing a socket or switch, in terms of plumbing change a cracked jacks, fit a new tap. No rocket science involved.

. :rolleyes:

Then find someone who will work for min wage, just hope your insurances pay up when the house burns down or floods, and enjoy your time spent in court if there are any injuries etc. As the employer the onus will be on you to prove you hired competent employees.

Manure

brightspark wrote: »

. :rolleyes:

Then find someone who will work for min wage

Dont you roll your eyes at me :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I never mentioned anything about them working for minimum wage now did I? :rolleyes:

brightspark

Manure wrote: »

Dont you roll your eyes at me :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I never mentioned anything about them working for minimum wage now did I? :rolleyes:

Apologies you didn't. Glad you feel skilled workers deserve decent wages.

K.Flyer

Manure wrote: »

Your away with the clouds altogether, a domestic plumber on €250 a day. Give me some of what your smoking.

If an employed trades person gets the union rate of 170.00 a day, plus a van with insurance, road tax, doe, fuel, maintenance paid for. Public liability insurance, protective equipment and clothing, sick pay, holiday pay, pension, company phone etc etc, All Paid For!
Then what do you think IS a fair Day Rate price for a Self Employed person who has to pay for all of this and more out of their own pocket.

rightjob!

Minimum wage for a qualified plumber!
if you value your new business at all you will know what standard of work you will get for that kind of money

Sleeper12

I actually think that you posted this as a joke. In the off chance that you didn't I'll say this, you need a handyman not a plumber if the type of work is as you say. A good handyman with his own van and insurance will set you back around 750 per week. He /she can do the light electrics & light plumbing. Only need to employ 1 person. But the handyman will be limited in the amount of electric work they can do by law. Also there's a lot of plumbing work they wouldn't have the knowledge for. If it is just a cracked jacks & replacing broken sockets a handyman would be fine. Anything more than that & you'll need proper qualified tradesmen. You are looking at around 1000 euro per week for a plumber or electrician

Bullocks

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I actually think that you posted this as a joke. In the off chance that you didn't I'll say this, you need a handyman not a plumber if the type of work is as you say. A good handyman with his own van and insurance will set you back around 750 per week. He /she can do the light electrics & light plumbing. Only need to employ 1 person. But the handyman will be limited in the amount of electric work they can do by law. Also there's a lot of plumbing work they wouldn't have the knowledge for. If it is just a cracked jacks & replacing broken sockets a handyman would be fine. Anything more than that & you'll need proper qualified tradesmen. You are looking at around 1000 euro per week for a plumber or electrician

I don't even think I'd use a handyman for a cracked jacks or broken socket , it doesn't take much of a leak to cause a fair bit of water damage and i don't think a handy man's insurance would cover plumbing or electrical work .
TBH if the OP used a good tradesman ( subbie ) for his jobs giving them a bit of prior notice and prompt payment it won't work out as dear as employing and insuring someone.
I'm a self employed tradesmen and when everything is payed at the end of the year i would be doing well to take a wage of €600 a week. If someone will employ me and give me a grand a week I'll take the hand and all off them !

roy rodgers

Bullocks wrote: »

I don't even think I'd use a handyman for a cracked jacks or broken socket , it doesn't take much of a leak to cause a fair bit of water damage and i don't think a handy man's insurance would cover plumbing or electrical work .
TBH if the OP used a good tradesman ( subbie ) for his jobs giving them a bit of prior notice and prompt payment it won't work out as dear as employing and insuring someone.
I'm a self employed tradesmen and when everything is payed at the end of the year i would be doing well to take a wage of €600 a week. If someone will employ me and give me a grand a week I'll take the hand and all off them !

It's that 600 after tax? In which would read about 900 before tax.
Unfortunately that's the way the government has us. Don't even get me going with the insurance, vat returns, diesel, van, tools, accountant, registrations,

Bullocks

roy rodgers wrote: »

It's that 600 after tax? In which would read about 900 before tax.
Unfortunately that's the way the government has us. Don't even get me going with the insurance, vat returns, diesel, van, tools, accountant, registrations,

Yup and thats being generous probably! I know for a fact I can't up my pricing any more or I'll lose a few regular builders I work for . I'm not too worried about the government, its the unregistered, uninsured and alot of cash merchants that are signing on and cutting prices thats keeping prices low and the customers using them are worse.

Dtp1979

roy rodgers wrote: »

It's that 600 after tax? In which would read about 900 before tax.
Unfortunately that's the way the government has us. Don't even get me going with the insurance, vat returns, diesel, van, tools, accountant, registrations,

Insurance? I was quoted 1300 today for myself and apprentice on van. 360 on my own

Bonzo Delaney

The op dosent give what their own background or trade is in setting up this home maintance business
But from my own exp of looking after properties for various clients you have to be the guy yourself doing the remedial plumbing and lecky ,tiling,carpentry,gen building work otherwise the money just isn't there. And for the important stuff know your limits andbring in a trusted qualified subbie and charge accordingly it's worth it in the long run. I'm a carpenter by trade myself 25yrs and 3rd generation General builder. I feel the pain of bullocks 600€ a week not to mention the hrs and sh1t to get it. Love the work though.

roy rodgers

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Insurance? I was quoted 1300 today for myself and apprentice on van. 360 on my own

I'll be telling apprentice to get his own van!