Career advice from bike mechanics sought...

[firefighter]

I would appreciate a pm from any of you in the industry.

I am seeking some real genuine advice/information from you.

Especially interested if your savvy with 'MITO' quals.....and how current apprentiships and trade training is done these days..... however any information or thoughts would be greatly appreciated....

Cheers :niceone:

[firefighter]

bump..............................

[firefighter]

bump.............................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..

[JimO]

well i dont know much about being a bike mechanic but i bet money wise its way down the ladder from firefighting, if its not for you but perhaps your son i would reccomend trying to get a apprentiship in the building industry, once this recession is over there will be a building boom and a shortage of tradesmen

[Hitcher]

Become a plumber. That way you can pay to get somebody else service your garage full of bikes.

[firefighter]

Bump!!!!!!!!!!!

[tri boy]

If you wan't to earn average pay, and work on other peoples bikes, (and put up with alot of frustrating fault finding caused by well intentioned home mechanic's), then go for it.
I left the trade for over ten years because frankly the money is shit for the outlay in tooling and the lost weekends fixing "new friends" race bikes, dungers, and emergencies ie: it's Cold Kiwi weekend this week, and I really need to get new crank seals in the waterbottle:brick:

But it can be rewarding, and the chance to ride and compare many different bikes is a bit of a perk. (But BD does that gig in the proper way. Clean hands, shiney new bikes etc. Me jealous?..........)
There are better ways to earn a quid, and ride bikes.
Dave Britton has the right idea. MHO

[munterk6]

If you wan't to earn average pay, and work on other peoples bikes, (and put up with alot of frustrating fault finding caused by well intentioned home mechanic's), then go for it.
I left the trade for over ten years because frankly the money is shit for the outlay in tooling and the lost weekends fixing "new friends" race bikes, dungers, and emergencies ie: it's Cold Kiwi weekend this week, and I really need to get new crank seals in the waterbottle:brick:

But it can be rewarding, and the chance to ride and compare many different bikes is a bit of a perk. (But BD does that gig in the proper way. Clean hands, shiney new bikes etc. Me jealous?..........)
There are better ways to earn a quid, and ride bikes.
Dave Britton has the right idea. MHO

my sentiments exactly, Im in the car servicing game at a franchise dealer and I would NEVER recommend this trade to ANYONE!!!!
The crap you have to put up with outweighs the perks for sure. Ive been in the game for 25 years and my brother is an electrician, he makes twice as much as me ...why the fuck I didn't go down that road I'll never know.............oh yeah, thats right, driving other peoples cars is way cool man!
NOT!
I always tell the work experience kids that turn up at work to get a trade in the building industry, you can actually make $$$ . They wont listen tho :no:

[Motu]

Your hearts got to be in it,and there are more ''I used to be a mechanic'' than the real thing these days (no offence to the guys bigger than me).Number one rule my father told me - don't do hommers,and I've pretty well stuck to his advice,with a bit of ''Well fuck you too!'' from apparently good friends.It's not a job to make you rich,or make a career out of - after 40 years I have very little to show for it,and earn as much as a waitress.But it's still an interesting job for me....which may show a lack of imagination on my part.

Note - I am a car mechanic,but have worked as a bike mechainic...and a mechanic in other fields too.The skills used to be transferable....but these days they seem to prefer to slot you into a genre.I still hold you should be able to give a mechanic a box of bits,and nothing else but the instructions of ''put it together''....and see a result in due course.

The apprenticeship system is still out there,of sorts.I don't think it will produce what the old system did,but that's the world we live in.Get out there and knock on doors.

[Katman]

I found it a very unrewarding trade until I started working for myself.

I may still not always have ready cash in my wallet but at least I now have a ready smile on my face.

[flyingcr250]

I would appreciate a pm from any of you in the industry.

I am seeking some real genuine advice/information from you.

Especially interested if your savvy with 'MITO' quals.....and how current apprentiships and trade training is done these days..... however any information or thoughts would be greatly appreciated....

Cheers :niceone:

i went through MITO when i did my apprenticeship, what a fuck up that was, it cost me $800 a year, i never had the same liaison officer twice, it took forever to get anything marked off, and at the end of it they changed the system and my qualifications weren't worth shit.:2guns:

[firefighter]

wow.....I don't wanna be a mechanic anymore.....!!!! LOL.

Am looking for a trade I can move overseas with......(current one is near impossible) yet I want to make a reasonable living......I guess I thought mechanics did reasonably well....

Maybe back to the drawing board.......unless there are some suggestions???!!! (or people in the trade with differing opinions)

[Motu]

Well that's you sorted then.And we wonder where all good mechanics are going to come from.All I want is the money....

[tri boy]

Go heavy diesel.
It transfers across a dozen different groups, and the $$$$ in mining, and the energy sector for skilled diesel boys n girls is huge.
Avoid small contractors and transport groups, the pay and conditions are crap.

[Dooly]

Maybe I go against the trend, but I'm a car mechanic by trade. We have our own business, its been in the family for 35 yrs. Fortunately we own our land and building which is a huge cost saving, rather than leasing.
And to be honest, the cash is pouring in, and has been for years. I'm doing real well and life is good.
We do a good job at fair prices, must be doing something right as I have'nt had a row with a customer for years, or even an dispute over anything.

BUT........I can see how the trade is unrewarding for many, especially younger folk, and those trying to or starting out self employed. The hurdle and business BS is just mammoth and financially crippling.

And I admit, I've told young guys to look for another trade.

[Motu]

Being freehold in housing and business is a huge advantage - I reckon anyone in any business could make a good go of it even in the recession if they own their land and buildings.And any business is location,and you can only have location freehold if you bought it before anyone else thought it was a good location.For the rest of us,we have to operate out of a site that will bring customers to us - beating a path to your door is bullshit.

We need a different sort of mechanic these days,us old guys were brought up in a totally different environment.We need people who are saving with tricky high tech stuff,problem solving under pressure - and yet spend weeks and months between interesting jobs just doing boring routine work.These days they aren't going to be ripping engines and gearboxes apart,engine swaps,playing with carbs etc - they will just pump out services,do brake jobs and the odd parts change.The glamor days are long gone - the exciting jobs are the ones the business owner looses heavily on,they don't want jobs that take a skilled mechanic to solve,and big jobs lose money.

I see a lot of apprentices unmotivated in a boring job....and I don't blame them.

[Dooly]

Being freehold in housing and business is a huge advantage - I reckon anyone in any business could make a good go of it even in the recession if they own their land and buildings.And any business is location,and you can only have location freehold if you bought it before anyone else thought it was a good location.For the rest of us,we have to operate out of a site that will bring customers to us - beating a path to your door is bullshit.

We need a different sort of mechanic these days,us old guys were brought up in a totally different environment.We need people who are saving with tricky high tech stuff,problem solving under pressure - and yet spend weeks and months between interesting jobs just doing boring routine work.These days they aren't going to be ripping engines and gearboxes apart,engine swaps,playing with carbs etc - they will just pump out services,do brake jobs and the odd parts change.The glamor days are long gone - the exciting jobs are the ones the business owner looses heavily on,they don't want jobs that take a skilled mechanic to solve,and big jobs lose money.

I see a lot of apprentices unmotivated in a boring job....and I don't blame them.

Wise post Motu.:yes:

Our place is on one of the main rds in town, primo spot.
We also have got the services of a young auto sparky well versed in modern tech and Euros that pretty well covers us for anything now, old & new.
So you have to be versatile and move with the times.
And yeah, the big engine stuff etc etc just does'nt make the dough anymore.
Its the mundane servicing etc.

[firefighter]

Well that's you sorted then.And we wonder where all good mechanics are going to come from.All I want is the money....

Unfortunately it makes the world go round.

I couldn't leave a job I love for a job that won't at least put me into the financial position i'm in at the moment .......I think that would be foolish.........

I'm pretty sure i'd enjoy it, I like to get hands dirty, and have a thing for tools, however there needs to be reasonable chance for a financial gain for me to go ahead with it.

I will be giving up a lot, a job i'm genuinely happy in, so I need to make sure I take the right path

[Motu]

I will be giving up a lot, a job i'm genuinely happy in, so I need to make sure I take the right path

You need to do whatever motivates you - I left a good job and good pay,management and partnership opportunities,company vehicle....for a large ($5 hr) pay reduction to work in a menial position (WoF and servicing).And I'm happy.

I have never worked for money,it's something that doesn't motivate me.

[Cronan]

GRRrrrr I was thinking about getting into the Motorcycle Mechanic side of things but now I've been waaayyyy put off by this :mad: HMMmmm bugger knows what I'm guna do now :yawn: