Job as a Skipper

[sueb]

Aren't BW looking for a skipper for free?

Sue

[TheWilk]

When I enquired about a job crewing on our local trip boats, I was given the impression that pay wouldn't better the minimum wage by very much at all.

 

I've a feeling that even applies to the "skipper" with the Boatmasters, but I may be wrong. One posts on here, so he may correct me.

 

I don't think anybody expects to make a good wage doing this type of work, do they ?

 

(Can a LIDL shelf-stacker really make £9 - the advertised supermarket and warehouse rates round here don't come close to that figure!).

 

My experience of trip boats is that the Boatmaster wages are similar to the job advertised here, except we don't get accommodation thrown in. That's just for being in charge of the boat during its operation, wages go up of course if you have additional duties running the business.

[Guest]

And some say 'Good old days'

 

It's all relative...

[soldthehouse]

Possibly -

 

as an aside are you and/or Val coming to Audlem or not??? Jan can't come but I'm there.

I was hoping no one would ask. Not looking like it, you'll enjoy it nice folk going, end of message

[nb Innisfree]

£9 an hour ain't all that bad against the average national £13? Not brilliant but better than national minimum of £5.93

[Guest]

I was hoping no one would ask. Not looking like it, you'll enjoy it nice folk going, end of message

 

Fairy nuff...

[Dalesman]

Yes I have to agree with most of that, in fact at the moment I would be glad to do the job myself, but dont have the qualifications. Dont suppose there are many with the neccasary cv.

There will not be many qualified Boatmasters that have worked the River Mersey, or the MSC, most barge worked finshed many years ago now, a long time before the new MCA certificates became the norm. I was a skipper on one of Harkers tankers working the Mersey/MSC, and also served my time in Mersey tugs, but do not hold the right pieces of paper now even for this job.

[Natalie Graham]

Reading this thread I worked for the wrong supermarket. It took a lot of negotiation to get them to fork out £7 an hour and I was head of a department and acting assistant manager. Glad I left.

[mrsmelly]

£9 an hour ain't all that bad against the average national £13? Not brilliant but better than national minimum of £5.93

 

As an employer I beleive minimum wage is obscene. Any employer who pays any staff the government enforced minimum wage is saying to their staff " i am paying you this because by law I have to, I would rather pay you much less if I could get away with it " I have a very small business with not a great deal of profit, I pay 16 year old washer ups £6 an hour and anyone aged over 16 gets a minimum of £7 per hour whatever they do. the simple facts are that my business is only as good as the missus and I AND the staff.

[NB Alton]

View PostSunset Rising, on 14 November 2010 - 10:21 AM, said:

True, but ask any of the people selling coal/diesel etc from a pair of boats how much they earn per hour! They not only do most of the running maintenance and repair work themselves but pay for any parts needed. They also have quite a sum invested in their boats - I bet they'd be better off with that money in a savings account somewhere. It's a sad fact but hardly any boat steering work pays as much as you could earn on the bank, even when they are your own boats.

 

Yes it is very difficult to get sufficient turnover and therefore profit to make a good wage running a coal/diesel boat. We have been doing it over 4 years now and whilst at the end of the month you look and see have turned over a reasonable amount, then you look at the bills to pay for stock and then at the fixed costs and overheads, you soon realise where all the money goes. Then you consider there are two of us working an average of 70 hours a week and it becomes obvious you are earning significantly less than the minimum wage as an hourly rate. That said we pay our way and live within our means and wouldn't change it for the world, for us it beats working in a factory or office any day!

Edited November 18, 2010 by NB Alton

[muddywaters]

View PostSunset Rising, on 14 November 2010 - 10:21 AM, said:

And I was under the impression that slavery had been abolished

 

 

True, but ask any of the people selling coal/diesel etc from a pair of boats how much they earn per hour! They not only do most of the running maintenance and repair work themselves but pay for any parts needed. They also have quite a sum invested in their boats - I bet they'd be better off with that money in a savings account somewhere. It's a sad fact but hardly any boat steering work pays as much as you could earn on the bank, even when they are your own boats.

 

In 1958 Di and I replied to a BWB advert for steerers and had an interview at Bulls Bridge. We were told that when we were competent we might earn £20.00 for a 70 hour week for the two of us - at that time a builder's labourer would earn that for 40 hours. We went busking in France for a year instead! Did buy our own boat when we got back though.

I would assume most people doing that would be doing it for the way of life rather than the money.

You know the saying if you love what you do you never do a days work in your life

[Sunset Rising]

Dont know what is happening here but all these quotes attributed to me were made by other people.

 

Not that I disagree with them

[Tam & Di]

Yes it is very difficult to get sufficient turnover and therefore profit to make a good wage running a coal/diesel boat. We have been doing it over 4 years now and whilst at the end of the month you look and see have turned over a reasonable amount, then you look at the bills to pay for stock and then at the fixed costs and overheads, you soon realise where all the money goes. Then you consider there are two of us working an average of 70 hours a week and it becomes obvious you are earning significantly less than the minimum wage as an hourly rate. That said we pay our way and live within our means and wouldn't change it for the world, for us it beats working in a factory or office any day!

 

 

I agree entirely. I was trying to counter the suggestion that anyone would be as well off packing shelves in Lidl as they would doing Mike's job for a skipper.

 

Once we started carrying that was all we did - we did not have a "day job" or do it as a hobby. We were forced into expansion in order to stand still, as there was never enough continuity of work for just one pair. We got offers of 10 ton loads or of 500 ton ones. The limejuice was perfect as Roses needed 100 tons a week - 2 x 50 ton freights. It was 12 hours up loaded from Brentford and 10 hours back empt, plus loading and unloading made it about 60 hours a week (plus maintenance etc). Unfortunately it was seasonal from Septemberish through to the spring, so we had to have other work for the summer, and hence ultimately the expansion to having several pairs on the go, plus tripboats and engineering contract work.

 

We also had to take our two boys out of school (7 and 11 initially) and 'educate' them ourselves. They are both running businesses making much more money than we ever did, so something must have been done right.

[mikevye]

When I started work in '62 the going rate for a building labourer was a about 5/6d an hour which makes that £11 for a 40hr week, in fact hardly anyone worked 40hrs, more like 50+ to make a decent wage. Still makes £20 a week for 70 hrs in '58 poor though.

 

Huh yow were lucky I had to live under stairs int cardboard box!