I have a few near me co-op, tesco, asda, argos, sainsburys etc.
They all have positions going but they all seem to be ‘full-time agency’ as they use a in house agency with the drivers.
How is that?
I’ve always been interested in giving them a try but have often been put off by the agency thing. Is it basically if your a decent worker and don’t take the ■■■■ your guaranteed work but if you rub someone the wrong way or ‘mess up’ your gone?
Edit: I’m not really interesting in the ‘work’ side of things more this full-time agency thing.
I worked for Tesco as a full time Tesco employed driver, it was a great way to work but I got bored and left to do some real hard work and travel doing road shows and motorsport event work.
Biggest mistake I ever made as regarding my future was leaving Tesco.
Try applying direct Via the relevent web sites, you don’t know until you try.
You may like the work you may not, lots of drivers don’t give it long enough and jack early doors, I know someone who started around 18 months ago with a supermarket and hated it at first and was talking of leaving, he now loves the job and makes good money as well.
As for being a good worker or a decent driver thats not required either you just have to pass a simple driving test usually, in fact they seem to positively encourage the recruitment of plant pots and s**t flinging monkeys.
This is good as it makes the life of anyone half decent very easy, you don’t have to try to hard to be adored, once you get past all the nonsense the work is quite good.
What I’m interested is this ‘full-time agency’ aspect.
Is it simply your guaranteed work until you fudge up? Or is it guaranteed work until it gets a little quiet? so in effect its not really guaranteed work at all.
You can’t blame a big company wanting to see what a driver is like for a while before direct employing, much easier to just stop offering work than it is to sack a chump.
As Mike 68, you have to give a new job a chance to click.
Some of these jobs arn’t as well paid as they once were though.
Iirc after 12 weeks of agency work the company has to offer you a full time position.
As already said it gives the company a chance to look at the employees before taking them on,the same way it gives the employee chance to decide if they’d do the job permanently.
What I’m interested is this ‘full-time agency’ aspect.
Is it simply your guaranteed work until you fudge up? Or is it guaranteed work until it gets a little quiet? so in effect its not really guaranteed work at all.
I work coop out of thurrock, I choose to work 5 days but could do more if i wanted, not guaranteed the 5 days but only had a couple of occasions in the last 5 months where i have not got a shift. As for work until you “fudge up” thats pretty much the case, although i think you have to mess up pretty bad to warrant getting the push.
You don’t have to be offered full time after 12 weeks, you have to be offered parity of pay. Different to full time.
I work for a supermarket and think it’s great. Don’t mind the unsocial hours or weekends. Best driving job I’ve had. Stable, well paid, good terms and conditions, what more do you want? Not everyone’s cuppa but suits me.
mick.mh2racing:
You don’t have to be offered full time after 12 weeks, you have to be offered parity of pay. Different to full time.
I work for a supermarket and think it’s great. Don’t mind the unsocial hours or weekends. Best driving job I’ve had. Stable, well paid, good terms and conditions, what more do you want? Not everyone’s cuppa but suits me.
sent using smoke signals
On our place all agency were on 12 week temp to perm contracts so they were offered full time employment after 12 weeks,most didn’t take it because agency work suited their lifestyle
What I’m interested is this ‘full-time agency’ aspect.
Is it simply your guaranteed work until you fudge up? Or is it guaranteed work until it gets a little quiet? so in effect its not really guaranteed work at all.
What I’m interested is this ‘full-time agency’ aspect.
Is it simply your guaranteed work until you fudge up? Or is it guaranteed work until it gets a little quiet? so in effect its not really guaranteed work at all.
I all depends if they are looking to recruit we have more drivers who are recruited from outside the agency pool, the hourly rate is a little higher on the agency but you receive none of the benefits of which their are many.
Don’t dismiss the work part as irrelevant, the chilled staff is easy enough a couple of cages of cheese and butter and a few potato shippers is about as heavy as it gets, the ambient is another story pallets of flour weigh 1 metric tonne and you have to take them off yourself, a cage of soft drinks can tip the scale at 300 kilos these could be tail lift and/or roadside deliveries if you don’t like a bit of graft then its not for you.
What you will find now at many employers is that the drivers who are agency want to be agency, the days of stringing people along with the promise of a job are long gone its a drivers market in many parts of the country, do a bit of research and try and speak to drivers who work the jobs that you think you would like.
The own account stuff isn’t what it was but its still well above what you get in the for profit circus, no contracts to be won or lost and people have to eat and drink it cant be out sourced, I like it as the long term prospects are good, the job I have will see me out and I have 15 years left.
I have a few near me co-op, tesco, asda, argos, sainsburys etc.
They all have positions going but they all seem to be ‘full-time agency’ as they use a in house agency with the drivers.
How is that?
I’ve always been interested in giving them a try but have often been put off by the agency thing. Is it basically if your a decent worker and don’t take the ■■■■ your guaranteed work but if you rub someone the wrong way or ‘mess up’ your gone?
Edit: I’m not really interesting in the ‘work’ side of things more this full-time agency thing.
You can scrub round Argos their last remaining “in house” depot at Magna Park closed down at the end of last year and relocated to Kettering,its either Wincanton Stobart or DHL these days
mike68:
One more thing, make sure its “in house” not contracted out to the likes of Wincanton Downhill or worse Stobart.
You will end up working weekends for bugger all, no pension no sick pay nothing.
I put 7.5% in the firm match it, £60 week for nothing all these things have to be considered.
It not Stobart or Wincanton fault but Uk private pension fault.In good situation people must choose pension company and employers must pay to this company.If change job that can be same company.But now if change job that another company use another pension company.
