Commute distance to the office every morning?

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

UNG's comment "Finding your ideal job that ticks all your boxes on your doorstep is likely to never happen".
pretty much confirms the old phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" is accurate and true...

As most companies have to maximise profits for minimal outlay... (especially if they have shareholders to keep happy),
this is typically done by squeezing as much as possible out of employee's...
(e.g. longer hours, unpaid work, additional responsibilities covering for other workers who are sick or have left, taking calls/messages when at home/weekends etc.. etc..)

So, unless a particular individual is a very valuable company asset, with specific skills that are in short supply...
generally you are going to be expected to 'tow-the-line' rather than 'calling-the-shots'.

Managing your own time can often be more useful than cash in your pocket..
But unless a company gives you that flexibility, or you work for yourself,
you will basically have to make do with what's offered... (or change your standard of living to accommodate what's offered)..

With the current economic climate; rising fuel/energy prices, rising material costs, staff absences due Covid, Brexit unknowns..
I would expect all sectors of industry to be changing, cutting back their costs to the bare minimum needed to operate.

Its been over 23years since I was an employee, so I may be a bit out of touch with the job market..
but I do know talking to friends and family in various business sectors it is pretty much as I've described above..
common to be pushed into doing longer hours or greater workload for less monetary return...

Can't imagine the wider electrical/contracting sector to be much different to the way 90%+ of UK business operate.?

If your existing job cannot support your desired standard of living, and you cannot get a better job..
then its your standard of living that needs to change..

I went self employed in 1999, during that time there have been some years harder than others, and some years better than others..
But at the end of the day during the tougher spells it was our family outgoings that had to be cut-back, so we could keep paying essential bills..

And, you also need to keep in the back of your mind that companies can go bust, or be taken over.
So you may think you have a nice comfortable job that ticks all your boxes, but a few months down the line you are back at square one again!
(e.g. Carillion in 2018, think that was one of the largest UK liquidations on record)

In my earlier employed career we were, bought, merged then some parts sold off.. so I was just a commodity being sold between three different companies.. with all sorts of changes to company vehicles, office locations, expected travel time, geographical work regions, job roles, new bosses, etc.. etc..

Which gave me a different perspective on the risks of self employment.. where you may loose a few company perks...
But any long hours worked are my call.. and I get the rewards..
Any any days off are my call.. and I get the benefit of that flexibility..
And as long I as pull my weight and keep my customers happy, I am not going to be sold around between new owners having to start jumping through somebody else's hoops!

At the end of the day you need a realistic view of what the overall economic climate is doing,
and what is a true comparison of any options you may have.
As back to what UNG said.. ticking ALL of the boxes is a bit of a non-starter.

 

[Tony Soprano]

Finding your ideal job that ticks all your boxes on your doorstep is likely to never happen.
It is all too easy to look at all the negatives in a job advert even before you even get to that all important interview stage and have the opportunity to get more information on what the job entails and decide whether it suits you or not
The problem these days is social media can play a part in whether you get to an interview or not and employers look to research potential employees through many channels to get their short list and the negativity shown by the OP across many posts on here would not bode well IMO
The work / life balance thing is a difficult one when you have a lifestyle / standard of living to maintain that requires a certain level of earnings to be met and can make changing jobs more difficult

Very true. And I will be the first to admit that I’m too picky

 

[Tony Soprano]

UNG's comment "Finding your ideal job that ticks all your boxes on your doorstep is likely to never happen".
pretty much confirms the old phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" is accurate and true...

As most companies have to maximise profits for minimal outlay... (especially if they have shareholders to keep happy),
this is typically done by squeezing as much as possible out of employee's...
(e.g. longer hours, unpaid work, additional responsibilities covering for other workers who are sick or have left, taking calls/messages when at home/weekends etc.. etc..)

So, unless a particular individual is a very valuable company asset, with specific skills that are in short supply...
generally you are going to be expected to 'tow-the-line' rather than 'calling-the-shots'.

Managing your own time can often be more useful than cash in your pocket..
But unless a company gives you that flexibility, or you work for yourself,
you will basically have to make do with what's offered... (or change your standard of living to accommodate what's offered)..

With the current economic climate; rising fuel/energy prices, rising material costs, staff absences due Covid, Brexit unknowns..
I would expect all sectors of industry to be changing, cutting back their costs to the bare minimum needed to operate.

Its been over 23years since I was an employee, so I may be a bit out of touch with the job market..
but I do know talking to friends and family in various business sectors it is pretty much as I've described above..
common to be pushed into doing longer hours or greater workload for less monetary return...

Can't imagine the wider electrical/contracting sector to be much different to the way 90%+ of UK business operate.?

If your existing job cannot support your desired standard of living, and you cannot get a better job..
then its your standard of living that needs to change..

I went self employed in 1999, during that time there have been some years harder than others, and some years better than others..
But at the end of the day during the tougher spells it was our family outgoings that had to be cut-back, so we could keep paying essential bills..

And, you also need to keep in the back of your mind that companies can go bust, or be taken over.
So you may think you have a nice comfortable job that ticks all your boxes, but a few months down the line you are back at square one again!
(e.g. Carillion in 2018, think that was one of the largest UK liquidations on record)

In my earlier employed career we were, bought, merged then some parts sold off.. so I was just a commodity being sold between three different companies.. with all sorts of changes to company vehicles, office locations, expected travel time, geographical work regions, job roles, new bosses, etc.. etc..

Which gave me a different perspective on the risks of self employment.. where you may loose a few company perks...
But any long hours worked are my call.. and I get the rewards..
Any any days off are my call.. and I get the benefit of that flexibility..
And as long I as pull my weight and keep my customers happy, I am not going to be sold around between new owners having to start jumping through somebody else's hoops!

At the end of the day you need a realistic view of what the overall economic climate is doing,
and what is a true comparison of any options you may have.
As back to what UNG said.. ticking ALL of the boxes is a bit of a non-starter.

I’m struggling with the self employed thing to be honest. I find it hard to interact with new people. I suppose you could call it a form of social anxiety. Who knows. But yes very uncomfortable and not at all something that comes natural. I’m very good on the tools. And that’s my strong point. Put me on a job metal bashing for weeks on end and I’m in my element.

 

[binky]

Commercial solar installs? Not domestic? I’ve seen some jobs advertised for that but it says domestic. I would like to do that if it’s commercial

Both. Domestic is easier.

 

[revjames]

Having had jobs with long commutes as well as local ones. I would say you need to add the travelling time to your daily hours. 8 hr day plus 3 hrs travelling wouldnt be for me. Also, unless you are getting a van to go to and from work and the fuel, thats another costly expense. It would have to be really good to be worth it.

I can see my place of work from the upstairs windows and can be there in 5 mins. I could walk there but have a van provided in any case. I can respond to a call out and be home again in 20 mins. Nothing beats thats.