The boomers ate all the avocados

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Comments

  • Interesting. I can certainly see why expectations would shift due to the higher fees. I think, had I had to pay higher tuition, my desire would actually have been for more contact time, increased tutorials, more lectures and teaching time etc to deliver better value. I certainly would not have expected tutors to do my work for me, or make it easier to pass exams etc. with insider info.

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463

    I suspect it is more that the lessons such as woodwork and metal work aren’t taught as much in school now. For my daughters it all got lumped into material technology whereas we used to rotate woodwork, metalwork and tech drawing plus cooking and sewing (boys and girls did them all).

    This, together with the New Labour university obsession, are why we have such a shortage in skilled trades now IMHO.

    For the record I was rubbish at those hands on classes and have remained pretty poor despite owning a house for nearly 30 years now. I missed out on apprenticeships in M&E engineering despite doing well in the written tests because I did badly in the practical assessments.

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312

    However, they are not stupid and they should know that universities or indeed lecturers do not get more money as a result of how the system is now funded. If anything, they should tell their parents who voted conservatives in 2010 to fund their education, instead of having to apply for a student loan… that would be a more pragmatic approach.

    They do ask for more contact time and we do provide more contact time, attendance however has not improved… they ask for things they then do not bother to show up for… that is the bottom line

    left the forum March 2023
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661

    Why do DIY when you can pay someone to do a better job while you're working, I'll never understand.

  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,548

    . . . so you can save a few hundred quid to go towards your cost of living . . .

    Wilier Izoard XP
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,928

    Some people enjoy it and can do a decent job?

    Sometimes it's just easier to DIY, especially if you're out at work all day and don't have a stay at home spouse.

    I earn enough that on paper it would make sense to pay a plumber in to replace a broken tap while i work for example but in practice it's quicker, cheaper and easier to do it myself.

  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,320

    Do a simple assessment. Can I do this without it going wrong? Yes, crack on and save money. No, get somebody in and ultimately save money.

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,383

    I listened at school so I wouldn't have to do manual labour 😊

    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Not sure what it is like elsewhere, but getting skilled trades people to actually turn up to even quote you for jobs is exceptionally difficult. The amount of times you arrange a time and date for them to then no show still amazes me.

  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,558

    That's because they're all too busy earning £100,000 pa and living in £250,000 houses that aren't in the south east.

  • MidlandsGrimpeur2
    MidlandsGrimpeur2 Posts: 2,115
    edited March 28

    A few of my friends (I never ask them to do jobs as it feels like I would be exploiting our friendship) who are in demand, essentially pick and choose their jobs depending on what they feel like doing that week/month. If you are in demand you can get away with it!

  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,122

    All the reputable builders around these parts are retiring, there doesn’t seem to be anyone to replace them.

  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,320

    That's cos everyone listened at school so they could get an office job.

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Interesting. There are quite a few younger blokes my way, builders/labourers/plumbers/electricians etc. Those that I have used (or know of via mates) over the last 12-18 months have tended to be under 40. All my mates/contacts who work in trades are under 50.

  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,383

    Seems like it can be quite lucrative and have seen a few articles about graduate types taking up a trade as it pays more than the sort of job you can get with a Philosophy degree or the like these days.

    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Yes, it can definitely be lucrative. You have to put in the hours and in most cases it works out better to be self employed, but certainly good money. Most blokes I know working in various trades (and all self employed to be fair) are clearing at least £65-70k a year, and most have uni degrees.

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312

    why these youngsters are so naive?

    I had to sit down with my step daughter and explain that her plan to leave a 35k job in the NHS to go solo might be flawed.

    She didn’t know about the 24.5% employer’s contributions into her pension pot, which means unless she earns at least 45k elsewhere, she might not be better off… I think she changed her mind 😁

    left the forum March 2023
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,648

    Youngsters?

    Maybe the waspis didn't teach them very well.

    There are clueless folk in every generation.

    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    edited March 29

    when I was her age and had my first semi permanent job, I was perfectly aware of the level of contribution. Thing is, these days they don’t read the contracts, they don’t talk about these things among them, it’s no surprise they have no idea… I also had to teach her about state pension, qualifying years, national insurance and what not…


    … in fairness, I had to do the same with her mum 😂

    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,320

    So it’s a female thing? 😂

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463

    Pension contributions don’t pay bills and are for ‘old people’. I doubt many of the young from any generation have really taken them into account when thinking of a career change. I thought about the pension when leaving local government but that was more from the end product guaranteed take home total rather than what was being paid in, in the end 15% more pay was of more immediate use to a 26 year old with a mortgage and baby as despite popular belief it has never been easy at that stage of life.

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312

    … as long as it stays between us…

    last week I was a bit baffled when that woman on TV said she would have liked 10 years notice, before the pension age was raised… it seems quite a lot of notice to me…

    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,320

    I thought they had 10 years notice? Maybe they just need to pay attention.

    It's an old phrase but I saw it in action today. If you're talking, you're not listening. If you don't listen, you don't learn.

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312

    I don’t disagree, but I think we should all put things in perspective when NHS staff complain about their salaries. I am not saying they should not earn more, but when junior doctors say they earn 12 pounds an hour, in actual fact, that is more like 15, once you include employer contributions, which they can opt out if they so wish… so the deal needs to be compared with another position offering £15 an hour, not 12, whatever that means in terms of how competitive the pay is.

    left the forum March 2023
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 61,383

    I can understand it more for NHS staff whose job doesn't allow them to progress, but junior doctors tend to become senior doctors and their earnings go up considerably over time, even more so when the opportunity to do private work is there.

    I have a few mates and people I know in the medical profession and poverty is not one of their problems. Most are just waiting for their DB pensions to kick in then they can retire.

    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    edited March 30

    NHS employer contribution 24.5%

    USS universities employer contributions 14.5%

    Tesco employer contributions up to 7.5% match

    Amazon employer contribution up to 5% match


    … just saying

    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,320

    Junior doctors have to fund a mortgage and raise a family. Looking forward to being rich in retirement doesn’t help. Just saying.

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661

    At least USS are the biggest shareholders in Thames Water