Which jobs go well with living aboard

[Witchword]

Interesting. I'm an aspiring writer, but I earn my living by teaching and tutoring. We won't be cruising except at weekends, but if I manage to finish the novel and sell a few copies, I'd certainly look at cruising more. I imagine the daughter will have grown up and left school by then!

 

Maybe if I didn't arse about on forums so much I'd be able to maintain a blog about moving onto the water. Hmmm.

[mrsmelly]

So as i'm learning lots from this great forum and my intentions are to live aboard and cc around for a few years while trying to live on a some savings and some interest from savings.

 

But one thing I do like to keep busy and wondered what jobs you guys & girls do to earn some money while cc around and earning a few quid?

 

 

 

We for quite a few years did pub releif for some major breweries. We could pick and choose when and where we worked and there is still masses of work for people who know what they are doing. You earn well for any period you choose then cruise for as long as the money lasts then do some more, its easy to cruise when you want as a for instance we never cruised during school holidays for obvious reasons so worked then and cruised in the better periods.

 

Tim

[magictime]

Interesting. I'm an aspiring writer, but I earn my living by teaching and tutoring. We won't be cruising except at weekends, but if I manage to finish the novel and sell a few copies, I'd certainly look at cruising more. I imagine the daughter will have grown up and left school by then!

 

Maybe if I didn't arse about on forums so much I'd be able to maintain a blog about moving onto the water. Hmmm.

 

There's a whole subgenre of 'my life on a narrowboat' books out there that might give you some inspiration. Take a look on Amazon. Marie Browne's books, starting with 'Narrow Margins', seem to be the most read. They're pretty good; I remember enjoying the first one, anyway. Reading the second one, I kept thinking a (sub)editor would have helped - the punctuation was bad enough to have me stumbling over sentences and having to re-read them.

[Stevec]

I found a part time job at a hire base - they needed people in the winter to do repairs (painting, cleaning - anything you are skilled in) and arriving by boat with luck gives you a winter mooring and a modest income. When the hire season starts off you go cruising and come back in late September.

 

Its worked well for 15+ years

[Ange]

I get short term office based contracts every winter, work six months and cruise six months. It's a great compromise if you're not retired. Hubby got his HGV2 last year at the grand old age of 52 and does agency driving.

 

Our needs are few and well met by the work we find but the rewards are priceless.

[Cloudinspector]

I get short term office based contracts every winter, work six months and cruise six months. It's a great compromise if you're not retired. Hubby got his HGV2 last year at the grand old age of 52 and does agency driving.

Our needs are few and well met by the work we find but the rewards are priceless.

We've thought about doing the same. I've been a truck driver for 20 years and have worked for my current employer for 15 years. It's a small family company and my boss fully supports our constant cruising lifestyle. I have a company van so travelling from far afield isn't an issue.

However I'm approaching 50 and the drudgery of working 6 days a week is starting to get to me. Finding agency work over the winter would be the ideal solution for us. Making the initial jump would be the hardest step.

[Southern Star]

We've thought about doing the same. I've been a truck driver for 20 years and have worked for my current employer for 15 years. It's a small family company and my boss fully supports our constant cruising lifestyle. I have a company van so travelling from far afield isn't an issue.

However I'm approaching 50 and the drudgery of working 6 days a week is starting to get to me. Finding agency work over the winter would be the ideal solution for us. Making the initial jump would be the hardest step.

Sometime in the next couple of years I intend to move onto my boat full-time and do just a couple of days HGV driving a week for an agency, there's loads of it around in the Midlands.

[Ange]

We've thought about doing the same. I've been a truck driver for 20 years and have worked for my current employer for 15 years. It's a small family company and my boss fully supports our constant cruising lifestyle. I have a company van so travelling from far afield isn't an issue.

However I'm approaching 50 and the drudgery of working 6 days a week is starting to get to me. Finding agency work over the winter would be the ideal solution for us. Making the initial jump would be the hardest step.

Yes it is tough taking that initial leap - I gave up a very well paid job with no guarantee that I'd be able to pick up contract work and it felt like stepping off a cliff! Definitely the right decision though - we love our lifestyle.

 

There are loads of driving jobs out there. Dave's biggest problem was lack of experience so you should be fine.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Ange

[Guest]

We've thought about doing the same. I've been a truck driver for 20 years and have worked for my current employer for 15 years. It's a small family company and my boss fully supports our constant cruising lifestyle. I have a company van so travelling from far afield isn't an issue.

However I'm approaching 50 and the drudgery of working 6 days a week is starting to get to me. Finding agency work over the winter would be the ideal solution for us. Making the initial jump would be the hardest step.

Is there not the option of simply reducing the hours you work for your existing employer? They sound as if they value you so may be prepared to agree to you reducing your hours.

 

Or do you want the flexibility of working as much or as little as you want week by week?

[Peter Reed]

In the cold dark dark months,having smoke coming out of 2 chimneys does not necessarily mean that the warm,comfortable boaters are running stills. Mucho dinara. SSHHHHH I did not suggest this.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Peter Reed

[Cloudinspector]

Is there not the option of simply reducing the hours you work for your existing employer? They sound as if they value you so may be prepared to agree to you reducing your hours.

Or do you want the flexibility of working as much or as little as you want week by week?

Unfortunately the hours go with the job but then I get well paid for it as it involves a lot of unsociable hours. I really want the freedom to move around over a larger/different area and to take a step back from chasing the dollar.

[Whisky]

There's lots of agency work out there. My sister used to work as an agency carer for elderly people. Some people do agency nursing or working in old people's homes: my partner has done this. I knew a young Norwegian guy who worked on oil rigs, he worked 4 weeks and had 4 weeks off. His job? He was a cleaner and it made him enough money to keep him and his family out here on the Costa del Sol. My next door neighbour travels to wherever the work is and does a variety of jobs. My son and his wife taught English as a foreign language on a part time basis - he has a full time job now, she has babies. Lots of Spanish people work as vets or vets assistants in the UK and spend a lot of time in Spain. My other son is a shrink (psychotherapist) and has a full time NHS job and does private work too - some of this he does on skype.

[valrene9600]

My American born wife teaches English writing part time online for an American university. Tells her students about the changing views from her office window.

[Witchword]

There's lots of agency work out there. My sister used to work as an agency carer for elderly people. Some people do agency nursing or working in old people's homes: my partner has done this. I knew a young Norwegian guy who worked on oil rigs, he worked 4 weeks and had 4 weeks off. His job? He was a cleaner and it made him enough money to keep him and his family out here on the Costa del Sol. My next door neighbour travels to wherever the work is and does a variety of jobs. My son and his wife taught English as a foreign language on a part time basis - he has a full time job now, she has babies. Lots of Spanish people work as vets or vets assistants in the UK and spend a lot of time in Spain. My other son is a shrink (psychotherapist) and has a full time NHS job and does private work too - some of this he does on skype.

The vet who treated my dog when she was still alive is Spanish. Well probably Basque from his name, but a Spanish speaker. Are there a lot of vets in Spain, then? Like teachers from Wales?

[GreyLady]

My American born wife teaches English writing part time online for an American university. Tells her students about the changing views from her office window.

I bet the students are envious.

[valrene9600]

I bet the students are envious.

They are facinated and ask plenty of questions.

[GreyLady]

They are facinated and ask plenty of questions.

I guess words paint pictures

 

☺perfic

Edited March 13, 2016 by GreyLady

[cuthound]

I find being retired is the ideal job to combine with boating

[Scu8a]

I have been reading this topic with interest but would like to ask what floating businesses people have come across while on their travels.. in a physical, not virtual sense. I'm sure that there are the obvious ones such as coal, wood, gas delivery but I've also seen someone using their barge as a bookshop....(was that as a CCer? I'm not sure).

 

With over 20 years experience I have some mad idea of running a floating hairdressers. Travelling around the country cutting peoples hair. How feasible this would be, I've yet to decide. Thoughts would be appreciated.

[FadeToScarlet]

There is already a floating hairdressers, on a widebeam.

 

You'd have to have proper commercial insurance and probably a commercial BSS if the customers actually board your boat.

[Scu8a]

There is already a floating hairdressers, on a widebeam.

 

You'd have to have proper commercial insurance and probably a commercial BSS if the customers actually board your boat.

Bloody Hell. I've been a business owner for 12 years with all the correct public liability insurance etc and for some reason the thought of it whilst cutting hair on a boat totally passed me by!! Thank you.

[David Mack]

With over 20 years experience I have some mad idea of running a floating hairdressers. Travelling around the country cutting peoples hair. How feasible this would be, I've yet to decide. Thoughts would be appreciated.

I imagine that a business like yours is reliant on a good number of regular customers, and you won't get many of those if you are moving over a large area. Easier if you have a regular route which you cover frequently enough to suit your customers' needs (as the fuel boats do). But you might still lose business from those customers who want their hair done to their schedule, not yours.

 

I don't think CRT are keen on business boats trading from a fixed location on the towpath (although there are some), but you might find a suitable pitch in a marina.

 

For a mobile business selling to the public it might be easier if you are selling impulse purchase goods, like speciality foods or giftware.

[MtB]

I imagine that a business like yours is reliant on a good number of regular customers, and you won't get many of those if you are moving over a large area. Easier if you have a regular route which you cover frequently enough to suit your customers' needs (as the fuel boats do).

 

 

Dead right.

 

If your punters can 100% rely on you always being at 'x' location every Tuesday (or whatever) evening from (say) 6pm, then it might work really well.

 

If they constantly have to mess around looking up your schedule, then forget it...

[Witchword]

The shadows of lettering on my boat from a previous previous owner says that they were hairdressers and pool table re-coverers. But it isn't clear whether these businesses ran from the boat itself!

 

Artists, makers and writers could do well afloat, couldn't they?

[Peter-Bullfinch]

I met a boater recently who translates technical documents, all done via emails. Another boater I met sold lovely jewellery via her online store. She did need to keep using post offices though.

There is also another boater who designs and maintains Web sites but I understood some travel is involved to sit face to face with customers to assess their requirements.

I once considered an eBay type shop selling woodturning requisites but sense prevailed before I got carried away.