Triassic Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 There aren't enough hours in th day! So ive decided I need a second pair of labouring hands, I've asked locally and the guy I used last time now has a full time job and isn't interested. I've looked in the local paper and free magazine and drawn a blank. I've called a few contacts and still nothing. Can anyone suggest the best place to find a suitable labourer, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC45 Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Local college? Students will be back in a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Gumtree? If no one comes up as "available" then stick an advert on there. They'll probably be loads of adverts from recruitment companies so you may need to guzzump them with £0.50/hr more to get some calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Ok I know it's an odd one but ... do you have a local Eastern European shop or supermarket near you ..?? I know someone who did something similar - girl behind the counter wrote the ad for him and he got a couple of good guys in a day or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 @PeterW Top Banana.... waragoodidea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassanclan Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Local handyman might help, in the short term. Although he might charge a bit more than a labourer per hour he might be more useful 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Trust is a huge thing for me. I have rejected many offers of 'labour' based on the fact I didn't know enough about the person I was going to be taking to a 3rd party ( customers ) home. If / when said customers moan about the job dragging on, I simply state " shall I just grab any goon from the pub or would you prefer I plod along on my own until someone I know and trust becomes available ?" They almost always see it my way and kinda respect the the decision, ( but I always treat others property equally or better than I treat my own, aka respect ). A bit different taking a stranger to your new build if your always in attendance and there's little of value ( or what there is of value is secured at the end of each day ) and I am a bit pessimistic when it comes to anything like this, so I guess the message is "beware" 4 minutes ago, bassanclan said: Local handyman might help, in the short term. Although he might charge a bit more than a labourer per hour he might be more useful Also, he'll have his own transport and tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 23 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Trust is a huge thing for me. I have rejected many offers of 'labour' based on the fact I didn't know enough about the person I was going to be taking to a 3rd party ( customers ) home. Same here. One of the labourers I used was brilliant, a young lad that was a friend of one of the plasterers, built like a brick outhouse and bright, too. I had no problem trusting him because I knew the plasterers pretty well, so he came with a good (and deserved) recommendation. On the other hand, another labourer I used (again from what I now know to be a slightly cautious recommendation) turned out to have a serious drink problem. I kept finding empty half bottles of vodka in the skip, then found that the reason the labourer had to get a lift to the site was because he was banned from driving. The final straw was me catching him coming out of the portaloo and tucking a bottle of vodka back in his pocket. That got him off site straight away. The big worry for me is that he'd been carrying slates on the scaffold all morning, stacking them ready for the roofers............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triassic Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 I've talked to our local handyman, he's semi retired and not interested in hard work! He's not cheap either, charges £25/ hour. There's one advert in Gumtree for a labourer at £11/hour, so going with IanR suggestion, it looks like I'll be looking to pay around £11.50/hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Whereabouts are you in the U.K...? Going rate for a semi skilled labourer round here is £75 a day so around £10 an hour. Insist on PPE - had experience of far too many who just turn up in jeans and trainers .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Down here I paid £80/day for a relatively inexperienced, but keen and hard working labourer, and £100 a day for an older chap who had a lot of experience, and was a dab hand at digging very neat trenches. The younger chap needed a fair bit more instruction, but both worked hard. The brickie I used had his own labourer, and I'm pretty sure was paying him around £80/day, based on the cost for the two of them, and subtracting what I now know to be the brickie's solo day rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Long shot, but look up "woofers" Usually East Europenans, travelling, will do almost anything in return for board and lodging. Very common source of short term labour on farms, and a near neigbour "employed" one to help re landscape their garden. Also the passive house builder up here, in their early days employed them as building labourers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Woofers here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 (edited) Depending on when you need them, another option is to ask local worthies (vicar or RC person where the East Europeans are more likely to be found, trade union branch chair, local councillor) for names. Another option is to ask someone who works at a manufacturing or depot type place to put something on the noticeboard. That might find former or trained but never made a job due to recession brickie and trade type people who moved into a different skilled or semi-skilled position. They may want a second regular or occasional job. Another source could be to ask for recommendations from the head of dept or lecturer at your local college construction dept. Ferdinand Edited August 24, 2017 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 As long as said help doesn't look like Enrique Iglesias and take on those "special" jobs YOU usually do for the missus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triassic Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 2 hours ago, PeterW said: Whereabouts are you in the U.K...? Going rate for a semi skilled labourer round here is £75 a day so around £10 an hour. Insist on PPE - had experience of far too many who just turn up in jeans and trainers .... I'm in Cumbria. Where ever you go in the National Park there are job vacancies notices in shop windows, hotels and in the local paper. I think a lot of Europeans have gone, or are considering going, hence the shortage of workers. The Polish shop in town closed a few months ago and the Turkish barber has been closed all summer, with a note in the window saying they'll be back in September, we'll see! We've started getting ads on the local radio for seasonal Christmas vacancies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney12 Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 11 minutes ago, Triassic said: I'm in Cumbria. Where ever you go in the National Park there are job vacancies notices in shop windows, hotels and in the local paper. I think a lot of Europeans have gone, or are considering going, hence the shortage of workers. The Polish shop in town closed a few months ago and the Turkish barber has been closed all summer, with a note in the window saying they'll be back in September, we'll see! We've started getting ads on the local radio for seasonal Christmas vacancies! Its very similar down here. I would say the only people not working are those who "can't" or "cant be bothered". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSharp01 Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 If you have skills to share why not think about taking on an apprentice, one day a week at college and 4 days on site with you. You pay the apprentice rate, making sure you pay Tax / NI - like employing a nanny so not onerous, they get an education and a 'ticket'. Thought about this one myself but I cannot commit to everyday on site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triassic Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 4 hours ago, MikeSharp01 said: If you have skills to share why not think about taking on an apprentice, one day a week at college and 4 days on site with you. You pay the apprentice rate, making sure you pay Tax / NI - like employing a nanny so not onerous, they get an education and a 'ticket'. Thought about this one myself but I cannot commit to everyday on site. I'm looking for someone for a few weeks to help help clear up after the demolition of our old house, to move shrubs, top soil and bedding plants, prior to the groundworker starting on the foundations. I'm off down the pub to tap up a few of the locals. Fingers crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now