Seasonal Employment On The Cut

[Victor Vectis]

To cut a long story short the nature of my employment has changed over the past year or so and to say I am unhappy at work would be a gross understatement. Last week I feel I reached the point where I could happily walk away and not go back. The snag with this is I don't have a 'Plan B' as far as earning a living goes.

 

I noticed an advert from one of the big hire firms looking for seasonal staff in the back of WW a few months ago. I'm wondering how realistic I'm being in thinking I might be able to get a job at a hire base. I realise that the work would be seasonal, probably part time and the wages wouldn't be great but as long as I got enough to cover day to day living expenses and there was somewhere to moor the boat I'd be happy.

 

Despite what I've said in my first paragraph I'm hoping to hang on until the summer so if this did become 'Plan B' it wouldn't be until late summer this year or the 2014 season.

 

So, ladies & gents of the CWDF jury, is this a viable 'Plan B' or am I condemmed to live with the brave new world of the OFSTED 9 Point Framework and a school in 'Special Measures'?

 

SAM

Ryde

IOW

 

(With thanks in advance for any helpful responses)

[tillergirl]

Plan B sounds good to me...............make some enquiries. Never live a life of "ifs" and "buts!

[alan_fincher]

Being all too aware of the stresses of having a post in education, can I first say how much I sympathise even without knowing any detail.

 

Being partnered by someone who despite working in one of the most highly regarded schools in the county clearly sees the "rules of engagement" being rewritten on at least an annual basis, I really despair for our education system, particularly while idiots like Gove are let anywhere near it. It is not going to end well.

 

I'd love to say something positive about anyone having a waterways based "Plan B", but from what I have ever seen about waterways related jobs, particularly seasonal ones, they seem to involving wanting the earth, and paying peanuts.

 

Fine for people who need a bit of extra income, but if you want to be paid a fair wage for a job, I'm not convinced it is where I would look first, however much I love the cut.

 

When I looked into trip-boat operation, it basically paid minimum wage, for the hours worked, however anti-social, with absolutely no guarantees what those hours would be.

[Guest]

Jobs in the hire boat industry require commitment when every body else is boating. I looked at similar options but quickly dismissed them.

 

Fine though if you don't boat in high season or want to earn anything more than the minimum wage.

[mrsmelly]

To cut a long story short the nature of my employment has changed over the past year or so and to say I am unhappy at work would be a gross understatement. Last week I feel I reached the point where I could happily walk away and not go back. The snag with this is I don't have a 'Plan B' as far as earning a living goes.

 

I noticed an advert from one of the big hire firms looking for seasonal staff in the back of WW a few months ago. I'm wondering how realistic I'm being in thinking I might be able to get a job at a hire base. I realise that the work would be seasonal, probably part time and the wages wouldn't be great but as long as I got enough to cover day to day living expenses and there was somewhere to moor the boat I'd be happy.

 

Despite what I've said in my first paragraph I'm hoping to hang on until the summer so if this did become 'Plan B' it wouldn't be until late summer this year or the 2014 season.

 

So, ladies & gents of the CWDF jury, is this a viable 'Plan B' or am I condemmed to live with the brave new world of the OFSTED 9 Point Framework and a school in 'Special Measures'?

 

SAM

Ryde

IOW

 

(With thanks in advance for any helpful responses)

 

You are a long time dead. I will not do any job I do not thouroughly enjoy. Money is very very much secondary to me. When I left the police I got statements from colleagues and shocked looks on faces " What are you going to do ? " etc and such idiot remarks as " I am stopping in cos I have done twenty years, I hate it but ive only got TEN YEARS to do for my pension " Best move I ever made was getting out. You WILL find work and if you are not tied down by the bad things in life ( mortgage ) ( Loans ) etc I say pack in.

Seasonal work in boatyards is hard but fun and you will soon if you wish get to know the life and get better paid quite quickly.

There are of course other things you can re train for rather than stopping anywhere you dont want to be, its only a job. I have held various licences and done all sorts of training over the years and moved on when I wished. I have had successfull Pubs, Cafes a driving school and boatyard work. I have held a boatmasters licence since 2000 and have upgraded to tier 1 to keep my options open. My present job is bloody marvelous. Do you enjoy going to work everyday? I do. If you dont then get out. You and I both survived the Miners strike in our different ways, you are a survivor so I say " Go for it " whilst you still can

 

Tim

[Tuscan]

Life is about opportunities and taking them. Knee jerk reactions are probably not the way forward however that's not to say I would reject the idea. An awful lot of people live happily on boats with little or unreliable incomes. Think hard and good luck.

[steve hayes]

Not wrong about the minimum wage bit, Anglo Welsh recently were advertising for a maintenance bod with experience, weekend working, call out, driving licence, etc. all for the princely salary of £14,000

No wonder why trained people are trapped on benefits !!!!

[MtB]

To cut a long story short the nature of my employment has changed over the past year or so and to say I am unhappy at work would be a gross understatement. Last week I feel I reached the point where I could happily walk away and not go back. The snag with this is I don't have a 'Plan B' as far as earning a living goes.

 

I noticed an advert from one of the big hire firms looking for seasonal staff in the back of WW a few months ago. I'm wondering how realistic I'm being in thinking I might be able to get a job at a hire base. I realise that the work would be seasonal, probably part time and the wages wouldn't be great but as long as I got enough to cover day to day living expenses and there was somewhere to moor the boat I'd be happy.

 

Despite what I've said in my first paragraph I'm hoping to hang on until the summer so if this did become 'Plan B' it wouldn't be until late summer this year or the 2014 season.

 

So, ladies & gents of the CWDF jury, is this a viable 'Plan B' or am I condemmed to live with the brave new world of the OFSTED 9 Point Framework and a school in 'Special Measures'?

 

SAM

Ryde

IOW

 

(With thanks in advance for any helpful responses)

 

I have seen dozens, if not hundreds of people over the years turn their back on the corporate world and discover they can earn a perfectly good living doing whatever it is they love doing and getting paid to do it. I started the trend off back in 1979 when I packed in my job as an office engineer and went self-employed mending boats at Windsor Marina. After 34 years I'm beginning to think it's prolly gonna work out ok

 

The latest example here has been Matty40s who now moves boats, fits solar, and generally messes about on boats and gets paid for it. You could do the same I bet. Do you have practical skills? Paint a boat? Move a boat? Add a couple of batteries for someone? Seal their leaking windows? Once you get a reputation for being 'available' and reliable, the work flows in. Marketing yourself is a skill you'll pick up pretty quickly.

 

Hope that helps,

MtB

[LoneWolf]

I have seen dozens, if not hundreds of people over the years turn their back on the corporate world and discover they can earn a perfectly good living doing whatever it is they love doing and getting paid to do it. I started the trend off back in 1979 when I packed in my job as an office engineer and went self-employed mending boats at Windsor Marina. After 34 years I'm beginning to think it's prolly gonna work out ok

 

The latest example here has been Matty40s who now moves boats, fits solar, and generally messes about on boats and gets paid for it. You could do the same I bet. Do you have practical skills? Paint a boat? Move a boat? Add a couple of batteries for someone? Seal their leaking windows? Once you get a reputation for being 'available' and reliable, the work flows in. Marketing yourself is a skill you'll pick up pretty quickly.

 

Hope that helps,

MtB

 

good advice from mike i think

 

If a job is making you unhappy then time to stop doing it. You'll figure something out.

[Jerra]

I have no idea about work on the canals! However I have seen teaching ruin the health of a number of colleagues if it is so bad definitely look at getting out.

[Caprifool]

What an inspiring thread!

[jelunga]

Make socks??

[Wassat]

PM sent

Edited March 15, 2013 by Wassat

[cheshire~rose]

A friend on our marina used to be a teacher some years ago. He had a particularly bad patch in his life and the stress of his job became too much. He now does seasonal work for a local hire base. He is happy with his lot now. He does live a very simple life though.

 

Life really is too short to be doing something you really do not enjoy. Do the sums and see if you can make it work. It is about being open minded and available to do whatever comes your way. I wish you all the very best and I sincerely hope that in the mean time the situation with your current job remains a little more tolerable for you.

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

If you can sell your skills then you can manage. I worked in the winter for agencies and cruised all summer. Traveled all over the system.

[MHS]

Why not watch the BBCs The Good Life again.

 

What a brilliant series. Why conform if you don't have to.

 

RIP Richard Briers

[junior]

I saw a job advertised yesterday for an IWA caretaker at a basin somewhere down south. It came with a mooring. I can't find the link no but you might have some luck googling it.

[pistnbroke]

Retirement on health grounds is the way to go ..get your pension now ..I retired at 45 ..bit like winning the lottery slowly....

[Blakie]

Hi Folks,

 

As someone marked as 'at risk' in the recent company redundancy review, I've been looking to find work 'on the canal' too.

 

Job sites are pretty much a waste of time, there are a few seasonal jobs going at the CRT, but the marina websites seem to return the best fit.

 

I hope you find Plan B and that we might meet up in the years to come for a beer and a chat about how pleased we both are to have made the break

 

Cheers,

 

Blakie

[Lady Muck]

MTB speaks sense. Since we both went rogue, (leaving jobs at French Connection and Teletext), we have designed shoes, wellies, flip flops and slippers (this is our main business), coded websites in HTML and Drupal, moved boats, designed a listings magazines and several brochures, made posters, trained people to use software, trained people to update their own websites....

 

10 years this August and we are both unemployable in the corporate world now I reckon....

 

 

Why not ring round the hire firms? We spent a lot of time around the Oxford area when cruising and we met quite a few liveaboards who were working seasonally at hire boat yards. Yes the pay is rubbish (minimum wage usually), but everyone seemed to enjoy what they were doing. If you're ccing and living aboard do you need money for an enormous mortgage that you haven't got? I would consider it myself if I were not busy.

 

You never need as much money when you're self employed, anyway. The b*stard commute, the lunch from the sandwich shop, the £2.95 coffee, the 'office' clothing, it all adds up, when you go rogue you can get away with spending a lot less.

[Guest]

I saw a job advertised yesterday for an IWA caretaker at a basin somewhere down south. It came with a mooring. I can't find the link no but you might have some luck googling it.

 

Is this the one?

[Athy]

It doesn't look much of a job: eight hours a week, and you have to pay the going rate for the mooring. If you have no other income you'll end up owing the company money.

[MtB]

It doesn't look much of a job: eight hours a week, and you have to pay the going rate for the mooring. If you have no other income you'll end up owing the company money.

 

Looks to me as though the original deal was a quid pro quo free residential mooring in return for generally looking after the place. Then it got formalised, as income tax and NI had to be charged on the benefit.

 

MtB

[the grinch]

I saw a job advertised yesterday for an IWA caretaker at a basin somewhere down south. It came with a mooring. I can't find the link no but you might have some luck googling it.

 

heybridge on the chelmer & blackwater, also a position in london for a mooring warden (must have a degree!! WTF?) also a lot of companies have seasonal staff.

 

back when i was young free and most defiantly! single lol i worked at FBS and then Clubline always had monday/tuesday off except b/hols and although wages weren't fantastic i always had money left at the end of the week and could go out on my days off

so phone round and see who offering what and where its a great life

if i had the money to buy the boats i'd love to go back to hotel boating (snipe & taurus are even available!! :wub: )

[alan_fincher]

if i had the money to buy the boats i'd love to go back to hotel boating (snipe & taurus are even available!! :wub: )

Or "the Reverend's" boats Oak and Ash of course, with the added advantage that the sale includes the "goodwill" of the business!.....