[paulscotney]

no just normal

[L.J.Thorpe]

most workers in any trade
how much extra do tesco pay per hour in birmingham then
a post on here a while ago about a delivery driver for them taking home £250 a week
when you say trade do you mean builders,plumbers,sparkies etc.
or just anyone(shop workers,hairdressers,factory workers)

[Wayne Thomas]

26k is an ok-ish wage but if you go down the job centre you wont see many jobs advertised paying 26k in Devon. Lousy wage really if you're trying to get on the property ladder. I'm just glad I got a mortgage on my own 14 years ago 'cause I couldn't do it now.

[Londoner]

An average wage is not the same as a typical wage because it includes the pay of barristers, lawyers, bankers in the city, footballers etc. This distorts the figures.

If you have one man earning £10K and another earning £100K their average pay is £55K.

What is more significant, but harder to evaluate is how many "decent" jobs out there compared to the number of rubbish minimum wage jobs on offer.

Slowly but steadily the various industries and major employers have been shedding jobs and closing down as they lost out to places like China.

The people displaced have been unable to get jobs of equivilent pay elsewhere and have been forced to take jobs they never would have considered in the past.

[RPCCS]

Alot of people are under the misconception that anyone who is self employed and running their own business is raking the dosh in,they have no idea that we have to pay tax and nat ins as a lump sum,accountants fees, insurance etc.    As a result of this,window cleaners are expected to do the job for beer money, because we don't have many overheads in the eyes of the average Joe public. They don't think we pay mortgages/rent/council tax and fuel bills, thats why they are shocked when they get quotes for their windows to be cleaned. These folk need educating that window cleaning is a proper trade and not just a beer & fAg money job

[davids3511]

That's why I believe licensing in England would work well. If the DSS and HMRC are notified once someone applies for a license, the dole bludgers and 'Incapacitated' window cleaners will disappear and prices will be driven up.

[windowwashers]

That's why I believe licensing in England would work well. If the DSS and HMRC are notified once someone applies for a license, the dole bludgers and 'Incapacitated' window cleaners will disappear and prices will be driven up.

And it will be another tax for us that run a business the right way.

The dole boys and Incapacitated should be policed more because at the end of the day they are in the wrong not us.

Thats my view on it, now if it was totally free I would be for it.

Ian

[davids3511]

Hi Ian

I agree, it will be a tax on us but if it was enforced properly, I would willingly pay it. I know in an ideal world we shouldn't have to and these guys should be policed better but that isn't how it is.

Think how many new customers would be floating about if all the dole boys suddenly dissappeared.

Another point is that the guys starting up would have a little more expense to deal with. They would have a license fee as well as insurance to pay for. It would cut out some of the rounds being destroyed by newbies quoting £3.50 a house as their overheads would be a little more realistic with Tax, License and insurance to deal with, as well as not being able to rely on their dole while they 'get started'.

[davids3511]

Hi Ian

I agree, it will be a tax on us but if it was enforced properly, I would willingly pay it. I know in an ideal world we shouldn't have to and these guys should be policed better but that isn't how it is.

Think how many new customers would be floating about if all the dole boys suddenly dissappeared.

Another point is that the guys starting up would have a little more expense to deal with. They would have a license fee as well as insurance to pay for. It would cut out some of the rounds being destroyed by newbies quoting £3.50 a house as their overheads would be a little more realistic with Tax, License and insurance to deal with, as well as not being able to rely on their dole while they 'get started'. It would be a bit more of a level playing field.

[windowwashers]

Hi Ian

I agree, it will be a tax on us but if it was enforced properly, I would willingly pay it. I know in an ideal world we shouldn't have to and these guys should be policed better but that isn't how it is.

Think how many new customers would be floating about if all the dole boys suddenly dissappeared.

Another point is that the guys starting up would have a little more expense to deal with. They would have a license fee as well as insurance to pay for. It would cut out some of the rounds being destroyed by newbies quoting £3.50 a house as their overheads would be a little more realistic with Tax, License and insurance to deal with, as well as not being able to rely on their dole while they 'get started'.

I do agree with you on your points for sure, just annoys me that everything we do legal and above board costs us more money.
And if they cant police the people ripping us (every tax payer) how are they going to do it with a license.

Ian

[colley614]

Must admit the average wage in my area is poor. Week after week I look in the local paper and jobs on offer are jobs that you thought paid well, but they aren't. I've seen computer programming jobs in my local paper that went sort of like this.

Computer Programmer required.
Must know the in's and out's of blah, blah, blah,
Must be qualified to degree level at ( Something really technical sounding.)
Must have own car, mobile, lap top.
Must have 3 year experience.
£12,000 per annum.

Thats quiet a lot of must haves considering local window cleaning firms pay roughly the same.

Back to the licensing thing. If it was policed properly I wouldn't mind. If it brought our insurance down a little I would pay. Everyday I see at least 10 window cleaners that don't even have the gear that you need to do our job properly. The market in my area is full of part timers that disappear and re appear all the time. Some of the prices being charged for window cleaning is impossible to compete with. I've seen in my area a guy in his late 50's early 60's with a really dangerously old ladder, climbing to the second floor window on a massive commercial job with just a bucket and a couple of cloths. It amazes me, if the area around my house was to loose the cow boys and I'm talking a mile square round my house or less was to loose all the cow boys. I think that there would only be me still trading.

Really getting sick of it as I spend more time competing with cow boys. I don't think there is another professional window cleaner with 3-4 miles of my house but there is about 20 cow boys I see all the time.     

[Wayne Thomas]

You need to venture further afield to find better paying work IMO. I have the same trouble in Torquay with dole cheats. It's good in the posh areas and lousy in the deprived areas. I'm happy to drive out in the sticks (rural areas) for better work.

[groundhog]

Most of my mates are plumbers, electricians, plasterers ect, oh and a couple of engineers. I would say that the average they earn is around £280 a day, but I have many customers who are earning in excess of £1000 a day working as business/banking or investment consultants ect!!! Before I became a window cleaner I was a train driver and could quite easily earn £50,000 with overtime, they are no longer allowed to work overtime thanks to the unions!! but I think the basic wage is now about £40k.
I was chatting to one of my long standing customers today about the cost of living ect, and she couldn't believe that I can actually make a good living from window cleaning!! And was genuinely shocked to find out that I own my own home and don't have to claim any benefits!!!! 

[davids3511]

The ones who are surprised we are not selling the Big Issue outside the local Post Office to make ends meet have to be pretty thick. All they need to do is divide the day by the time it takes to do their windows and multiply it by the price we charge them and they should get some indication of a daily rate. I know it varies but they should get some idea.

[paulscotney]

most workers in any trade Huh
how much extra do tesco pay per hour in birmingham then Huh
a post on here a while ago about a delivery driver for them taking home £250 a week
when you say trade do you mean builders,plumbers,sparkies etc.
or just anyone(shop workers,hairdressers,factory workers)

To L J Thorpe  HUH huh    is huh a saying where u come from then?
Well I have a HGV licence( not a well paid job, but I do about 2 or 3 days a month to keep my hand in) and today for being driven to Leeds and then driving a small lorry to Redditch and then being driven back in a car to B'ham I got paid £103.50p. Bank holiday monday I drove an artic about 300 miles got paid £180, Tuesday, Wed, Tomorrow and part of Saturday I will window clean. So I will be on far more than £500 this week. Ten years ago I was doing £350 gross for a three day week commercial window cleaning.. I am not talking about shop workers but normal self employed people and also a lot of factory workers. Most blokes at Land Rover factory are on a good screw, the same at most car factories.  Hairdressers-- I have a hairdressing acquaintence who drives around in a 2 year old Jag and lives in a £600,000 house. As regards Tesco delivery drivers, I have often worked at Tesco depots,  the going rate for a class one  AGENCY driver is £11.50 mon to fri , £13 sat and £15 ph sun.Qualified HGV mechanics are on about £12 to £18ph. If an established plumber, electrician, builder or most self employed person and I reiterate, established person, isn't doing £100 a day then they must be not starting work till lunchtime.
So HUH HUH

Sorry for the lateness of the answer but been busy.

[groundhog]

If an established plumber, electrician, builder or most self employed person and I reiterate, established person, isn't doing £100 a day then they must be not starting work till lunchtime.
So HUH HUH

£100 a day!!! Most of the plumbers I know charge £60 an hour, especially for gas work!! 

[simon knight]

Not to mention the £50 call out charge...!!