Work experience in Chch?

[Sequins]

Hey everyone!

I'm enrolled at CPIT in light automotive and I need to find a workshop/garage to do some work experience at, one or 2 days a week. My preference is for motorcycles, rather than cars etc. so, before I start contacting workshops directly, I thought I'd ask here first if anyone would be (or can recommend a place that might) willing to take on a trainee?

I'm really keen :banana: and I make a decent coffee. Thanks

[Askor]

Might pay to say what kind of experience you have working on bikes - not many bike shops are keen to hire someone with absolutely no experience.

Go around ALL the bike dealers/workshops/mechanics and ask personally, someone will pick you up. That's how I got my bike workshop job for my uni eng degree :eek: loving it.

Good luck!

[DMNTD]

Hey everyone!

I'm enrolled at CPIT in light automotive and I need to find a workshop/garage to do some work experience at, one or 2 days a week. My preference is for motorcycles, rather than cars etc. so, before I start contacting workshops directly, I thought I'd ask here first if anyone would be (or can recommend a place that might) willing to take on a trainee?

I'm really keen :banana: and I make a decent coffee. Thanks

What "experience" have you had to date?

[AllanB]

You had me at 'coffee'

[Sequins]

What "experience" have you had to date?

No experience, unfortunately. That's why I need work experience. Its not for pay and to start with there'll just be a lot of watching and learning.

[Askor]

For free you say! I'll have a yarn with my boss

[rambaldi]

No experience, unfortunately. That's why I need work experience. Its not for pay and to start with there'll just be a lot of watching and learning.

Watch what you end up doing for free. People some times get away with quite a bit when they should be paying you. If you are in effect working for them, they legally should be paying you. Standing around observing, maybe fetching a cuppa etc. havin a yarn though that should all be okay though.

[Tazz]

Jump on google, put together a wee CV with a coversheet tailored to each shop you are going to visit (if you're able) and go knock on some doors mate.


Watch what you end up doing for free. People some times get away with quite a bit when they should be paying you. If you are in effect working for them, they legally should be paying you. Standing around observing, maybe fetching a cuppa etc. havin a yarn though that should all be okay though.

Hmm, learning how to do stuff and making contacts in a workshop for free (without the investment of tools too) or paying some polytech a few thousand bucks to potentially teach you fuck all....seems to be a clear cut decision to me!

Anyone who is keen to learn a trade should consider this.
We have hired jewellers who spend 40k learning how to do sweet fuck all for 3 years. After a year in the workshop (paid) they learn far more and actually get to work with the metals they're training for without spending a fortune out of their own pocket. Yes, for 40K no gold or silver is supplied from what I remember.
If someone wanted to come work for us for a year for free they are saving themselves upwards of $120,000 by the time you take into account the fees and the lost wages for the time spent doing that study. It would also be a better lead into an apprenticeship.
It's not something we've done but it is something we would consider, although the time invested in such a person can almost half the workload (on the extreme side) of a trained professional while they are being taught, so there is a considerable investment of time and cost even though you are not paying them a wage.

Food for thought.

[The Lone Rider]

Hey everyone!

I'm enrolled at CPIT in light automotive and I need to find a workshop/garage to do some work experience at, one or 2 days a week. My preference is for motorcycles, rather than cars etc. so, before I start contacting workshops directly, I thought I'd ask here first if anyone would be (or can recommend a place that might) willing to take on a trainee?

I'm really keen :banana: and I make a decent coffee. Thanks


You have no bike I take it? Can you ride? Best bike mechanics are ones that have spent some time on the bikes.

I have a few things going in my workshop now and then. If you have transport, you can give me a hand when I'm doing something.

I'm also planning to strip a bike in next 2 months, repaint, put in harder clutch, aftermarket air filter, change out a few other things.

[5150]

I'm really keen :banana: and I make a decent coffee. Thanks

Crasher...... Is that you?:eek:

[DMNTD]

Watch what you end up doing for free. People some times get away with quite a bit when they should be paying you. If you are in effect working for them, they legally should be paying you. Standing around observing, maybe fetching a cuppa etc. havin a yarn though that should all be okay though.

Ya what? So he/she should expect to gain knowledge for nada? Get a grip
I can smell you vagina from here child

[HenryDorsetCase]

Jump on google, put together a wee CV with a coversheet tailored to each shop you are going to visit (if you're able) and go knock on some doors mate.



Hmm, learning how to do stuff and making contacts in a workshop for free (without the investment of tools too) or paying some polytech a few thousand bucks to potentially teach you fuck all....seems to be a clear cut decision to me!

Anyone who is keen to learn a trade should consider this.
We have hired jewellers who spend 40k learning how to do sweet fuck all for 3 years. After a year in the workshop (paid) they learn far more and actually get to work with the metals they're training for without spending a fortune out of their own pocket. Yes, for 40K no gold or silver is supplied from what I remember.
If someone wanted to come work for us for a year for free they are saving themselves upwards of $120,000 by the time you take into account the fees and the lost wages for the time spent doing that study. It would also be a better lead into an apprenticeship.
It's not something we've done but it is something we would consider, although the time invested in such a person can almost half the workload (on the extreme side) of a trained professional while they are being taught, so there is a considerable investment of time and cost even though you are not paying them a wage.

Food for thought.

you might want to talk to an employment lawyer (of which I am not) about the legalities of that.

Personally I have never had, nor will I ever have an unpaid intern. If someone is showing up at my business and working for me, they get paid. Might only be the minimum wage and it might only be a few hours a week but I consider the entire idea of "interning" to be despicable exploitation of vulnerable people. I won't have a part of that, it is obscene.

If you want someone to work in your workshop as you have described, they're an apprentice. Pay them. Pay them fuck all but you have to pay them. Otherwise you are a very little better than someone owning slaves.

[gsxr]

Before everyone goes off on a different tangent the OP stated he had enrolled at CPIT in a light engineering course. Part of that course along with many others includes classroom time along with some practical workshop experience on site. Coupled with that is a requirement for real time work experience.
This has many benefits.
It gives the student the opportunity to decide if thats what they actually want to do.
It gives the student the chance to work with real tradesman rather than listen and learn from solely one tutor who may well have been out of the trade for many years and out of touch.
It assists with the transition from high school and tertiary education to real world working conditions so as they know what is expected of them when entering the real workforce.
Many other reason but that will do so as you get the general idea

[Tazz]

Doing the free thing is not going to work for everyone, and a pre-trade course in the case of mechanics are usually short and sweet and let potential employers know that you know the basics (like how to torque shit and check voltages, yes, that stuff can be taken for granted) so I am not knocking the OP on that front at all, just backing up that their wish to get some experience by doing some 'free' work is a fucking fantastic idea, and fair play to them =)


you might want to talk to an employment lawyer (of which I am not) about the legalities of that.

Personally I have never had, nor will I ever have an unpaid intern. If someone is showing up at my business and working for me, they get paid. Might only be the minimum wage and it might only be a few hours a week but I consider the entire idea of "interning" to be despicable exploitation of vulnerable people. I won't have a part of that, it is obscene.

If you want someone to work in your workshop as you have described, they're an apprentice. Pay them. Pay them fuck all but you have to pay them. Otherwise you are a very little better than someone owning slaves.

You miss the point. If I was pushing paper around for you I would want to be paid.

For a trade, if I didn't have the opportunity to actually get paid work when I'm starting out, I have to PAY for training. Pay as in it is costing me, out of my pocket. It is not FREE, just to drive home that important point...
So, how is working for 'free', and learning the same skills to (in almost all cases) a higher standard worse than PAYING to be one of 20-30 peeps in a class learning basic as shit for a period of time that is often far longer than it needs to be (turns out education is a more of a business itself these days in case you haven't noticed).

If you would rather spend (in the case of the trade I work within) 30-40k for 3 years (plus lost wage opportunities) over working for 'free' (noted above it's not actually free for the business) for a year (possibly less) to gain the almost same skills, or better, without debt and begin a paid apprenticeship sooner then you are a fucking fool, to be brutally honest.
The other route would have you as a qualified jeweller within 7-8 years min (because you don't start your apprenticeship until after the training) as opposed to 4 min for sucking it up and proving your worth investing time into training.

I'll admit that not all employers are stand up people like I'd like to think the outrageously good bastard that owns the one where I am are, but that is a punt that in my mind is worth taking and quickly discovered either way.

On that note too, in a lot of trades apprenticeships are a service to the trade. Why should I put up with some little pimply fuck that can take 2 years to get into the groove of employment and what it entails, takes up all my time teaching and then costs me when they fuck up (which is part of the learning process) when I could just pay more to hire someone that is past all that? This is one of the reasons why there are not a lot of young guys coming through some trades, it's not because they're all lazy do nothings, the opportunities are not there like they used to be in a lot of cases.

[Sequins]

Thanks everyone for your input! I appreciate the help.

To clear things up, it is a requirement of the course that we spend time working in a shop to gain experience and hand skills that we just can't get in class. Some past trainees have been paid (once they develop their skills) but it is expected we be willing to do it for free. We cannot pass the qualification without actual work experience. Now, I'm not sure of the legalities myself but I trust that the polytech knows what they're doing in that regard.

The next 5 weeks or so in class will be spent on vehicle servicing so we at least have those basic skills early on and won't be completely useless in a workshop.

After this year we have to do an apprenticeship for 18 months to get the actual end qualification.

Cheers everyone.

[Sequins]

You have no bike I take it? Can you ride? Best bike mechanics are ones that have spent some time on the bikes.

I have a few things going in my workshop now and then. If you have transport, you can give me a hand when I'm doing something.

I'm also planning to strip a bike in next 2 months, repaint, put in harder clutch, aftermarket air filter, change out a few other things.

Thanks for your response! I can ride but I don't have a bike licence. I've realised since starting this thread that I'll need to get one before I spend time with bikes. I'm planning to get it before mid-year so I'll message you then and hopefully you'll have something I can help with.

In the meantime, when you strip that bike would you consider letting me watch or help out anyway, even if the time doesn't count towards my work experience hours?

I can't message you privately, can you let me know what part of town you're in?

[The Lone Rider]

I can't message you privately, can you let me know what part of town you're in?

Should be able to respond to private messages that I send.