I was an ADI for nearly 20 years, and I'm glad I got out. You can earn a reasonable - though not great - income, but you will be self employed and you will NOT earn enough to fund anything more than a miserable pension. Self employment only really works if you can significantly above average, as well as a pension you will have to cover yourself for sickness and holidays. It is also expensive to train now, and becoming ever more heavily regulated.
Train driver is what I would go for, if not then HGV.
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What about something like Ambulance driving ??
On the subject of "quality" guys I have a very well spoken plumber. (now there's a trade you can actually learn in Tech !) Self employed since leaving the Army (ex-REME Officer who took a pre-de-mob course). His break-time read is the Indie and he roasts his own coffee beans !
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just north of Liverpool, how about a banned footballers chauffer, or getaway driver for local gangster !! -probably Waitrose or tesco's home delivery would be better - I know in Weybridge it is advertised around xmas at around 8 pph, I've previously thought about going down the minicab route before finding a better job, but would otherwise do home deliveries -good luck
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Thanks to you all for your advice and help. I didn't think I'd get this many replies!
Just got to work out how to finance the HGV (sorry, LGV) lessons. Anybody got a suitcase full of used fivers that they don't need...?
Cheers
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For the intercity TOCs you have to be under 45 yrs to be a train driver - whilst you would earn far more than you are now the shifts can be really bad - starting at 1 or 2am with evening ones starting 6pm onwards and going on to the early hours, and each day/week having different start and finish times - the railways run every day but Christmas and Boxing days as well and they like their pound of flesh - I'd say that your current shifts are probably better than you'd get on the railways...
I'm not trying to put you off, but suggest that you thoroughly investigate it before going for the train drivers job - go to your local station and try to find out where the nearest drivers depot is and then see if you can see what their shift pattern is like so you know what to expect.
I've seen too many people going for the drivers and guards jobs and then jacking it in because they couldn't stand the very anti-social hours. Many just look at the money.... grass isn't always greener!
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If you enjoy the travelling, try for a job in motorsport. This is a good time to be looking as the European F1 and Moto seasons haven't quite started yet. The teams employ hundreds of drivers, from 7.5 tonners up to artics. Try Williams, Renault, McLaren, Honda, all based around Oxford. Ferrari and Ducati use a firm called Procar International based near Heathrow, but the trucks are parked up near Didcot. Even if you don't get in full time, there's lots of drivers needed for when the races are back to back (consecutive weekends), and several of the teams run coaches. They also run a lot of RVs for the drivers. It's the hospitality side that needs drivers, the teams are usually run separately and the mechanics drive the trucks.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 17/03/2008 at 00:46
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If I can give you one piece of advice as a partner in a medium size transport business it would be to avoid going as a self employed courier ...esentially they're a far two many vans chasing the same clients who take between 45-60 days to pay.
Fuel rises are not matching the prices increases and there is always someone who will do it cheaper better etc the same with ADI in away as they are self employed or even worst francised for a reason.
Like someone pointed out Home delivery work for a supermarket where you will know yyour shift patten etc.
I guess location has a lot to do with because I know of PCV drivers earning £9 per hour without over time. One thing to point out is that steady jobs rarely pay as much as jobs where your are required to flexible.
Have you looked at driver agency's for PCV's there can be some good work there.
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"On the subject of "quality" guys I have a very well spoken plumber"
On reading your post Badwolf, this was my first thought - plumber etc. We have just had various changes made to our house by a chap down the road who is a bricky. He makes damn good living because, although he never advertises, he is well known in the village/area as being a first class craftsman who doesn't overcharge, turns up on time every morning, works hard all day and completes the job on time. The blokes he "sub-contracted " to to do the plumbing and electrics and carpentry were all similar characters, thoroughly trustworthy, (we had no problem leaving them the keys to the house even when we were away for a week) and all seemed to be making a good living as self employed craftsmen and were the type that you would recommend to your friends and neighbours - craftsmen like that are like gold -dust and you sound like the type who would be the same.
How about it? Bricky? plumber? carpenter? electrician?
Of course, I might be talking out of my bottom 'cos I have no idea how long it takes to train but good luck to you.
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Good suggestion - you're in a paying job now, use your free time to learn a trade - I should be taking my own advice here.
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I can second (third?) those that have warned against driving instructing. The firm I work for prepares the accounts for several 100 driving instructors, and most ofthem have been complaining that the market is flooded for the last year or so. Although the ads all say 'earn £30,000 as a driving instructor' that tends to be the gross income before taking off the franchise fees, petrol etc. You'd be left with £15,000 pa at best, and there's tax to come off that, too.
Edited by AlastairW on 16/03/2008 at 20:22
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Madwolf - Well spotted! I was doing training back in 2006, I got qualified but at the same time I got promoted at work.
The first trainer that I went with ripped me off big style, didn't turn up for lessons etc. and I ended up having to spend more money training through somewhere else. (Avoid any of the bid instuctor training organisations like the plauge, I've heard bad things)
I found the work difficult to get into, the income was very unsteady and in order to keep the customers happy whilst starting off I had to work every day as they all insisted on lessons on different days.
I funded my own vehicle, which was very quickly getting trashed by lots of little kerb kisses, when I looked at the level of income that I wasn't making I decided that I was better off sticking with my day job which provides a steady income that probably isn't a lot less than a fairly hard working instructor, but I get paid holidays, sick cover and my car isn't getting trashed.
Overall, based on my experience, I would say avoid it. However, to get the other side of the argument, see if there is a local instructor's association that you can visit, or just speak to some of the instructors whilst they hang around the test centre.
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I know three ex-Police Officers who have recently taken Driving Instruction on. These lads are all on good pensions (netting a grand a month), one failed the course twice (surprising as he was an ex-Traffic Sergeant), the other has a full time Council job (probably on around 20k from that) the other depends on the instruction work, a real gamble.
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i've been an advanced police driver for donkey's years... and a couple of years ago offered to teach a mate's wife to drive as a favour...i gave up very quickly, realising i have extremely limited patience. I now know that is not a I could do.
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