Bucky88:
Don’t get me wrong I’m on a decent enough pension and it will allow me to retire at 60 but Im trying to think of enjoying my life now when I can do more then later on. This decision is a bloody hard one.
My opinion, please note this is not financial advice!
I am 35 later this year. I do NOT expect to retire using a pension. I think by the time I am 60ish pensions will be the biggest mis-selling scandal ever seen. Look how many schemes are in deficit and life expectancy/people claiming is only going to go up.
Someone I work with is a school governor and he said the biggest issue with school funding isn’t that its being “cut” but the school now has to pay more into pensions and this is projected to keep rising. Same principle with council tax, more and more of the bill is going to “gold plated” local government pensions, which again will only get worse.
With no offence all that pension is worth to you at the minute is kindling for the paper it is written on! Until you start getting it nothing is sure. Thats even assuming they don’t cut it once they start paying it. I know that sounds extreme but look at Greece, we are not far behind that mess.
If anyone is interested look on youtube for Moneyweek the end of Great Britain. Now I am not going to claim that everything in that video is right (they advertise at the end so have a vested interest) but worth a look for some of the points they raise.
Going for a driving job in the hope of seeing more of your family isn’t going to happen. On day work it’s most likely you’ll be away before the kid(s) are awake and home after they’ve gone to bed. If tramping you wouldn’t see them at all Monday-Friday.
harrawaffa:
Going for a driving job in the hope of seeing more of your family isn’t going to happen. On day work it’s most likely you’ll be away before the kid(s) are awake and home after they’ve gone to bed. If tramping you wouldn’t see them at all Monday-Friday.
Yep and if you do get to base during middle of the day expect to be reloaded and send back out like I did today
Touched base for 11/2 hours at lunch time , enough time to load fuel and refuel me
It all depends on where in the UK you are. My place are taking on new drivers I was lucky to be one of them. I should hit 40k this year but I work nights and weekends (Personal preference).
My place has locations in Bristol,Leicester and Penrith and are a good company to work for. Think number 1 rated on some site.
I’d not leave ya current job unless you had something sim to walk into.
MOSSSIDEDEEP:
I to also came out of public sector (hmp).
To earn anything like I used to means 60hr weeks.
Far less stressful than the old job on the most part.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Are you glad you come out in working in hmp at the moment
MOSSSIDEDEEP:
I to also came out of public sector (hmp).
To earn anything like I used to means 60hr weeks.
Far less stressful than the old job on the most part.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Are you glad you come out in working in hmp at the moment
Yes I’ve no regrets because they don’t work. I’m fully aware how it is at present Behind those walls and it’s only got worse.
Fare to say I enjoy hoping from job to job now, if I don’t like a job I just move on. My happiness and health is far more important than the final salary pensioned job I had.
MOSSSIDEDEEP:
I to also came out of public sector (hmp).
To earn anything like I used to means 60hr weeks.
Far less stressful than the old job on the most part.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Are you glad you come out in working in hmp at the moment
Yes I’ve no regrets because they don’t work. I’m fully aware how it is at present Behind those walls and it’s only got worse.
Fare to say I enjoy hoping from job to job now, if I don’t like a job I just move on. My happiness and health is far more important than the final salary pensioned job I had.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Exactly the same for me, i obsessed with the pension and holiday entitlement but the way things have gone and will go the stress would have killed me long before I got ever got the pension, had enough of the whole set up so typed out my resignation and handed it in next day, was worried I might have made the wrong decision but it was totally the right one, I still see people I worked with and no I am removed from there and can see how miserable they all are.
Thanks for all the advice I have taken it onboard. I think that the best thing for me to do is to get my licence and then do some agency work on my days off to get an insight into the work and whether or not I enjoy it.
I also left the public sector 4 years ago. I was earning the same as you if not slightly more. After the pension and pay changes and the constant refusal of annual leave and rest day cancellations and added stress I too had had enough. My take home pay now is more than it was in public sector. I now get more time off and I no longer get punched, spat at etc. I suppose I’m lucky in that I don’t get hassled at all during the day from the boss and left alone to get on with the job. Yes, the days can be long but as I mainly do a 4 on 4 off (no nights out) the rest days more than make up for it.
All the best in what you decide to do. Only you know how you truly feel.
simcor:
As said there are plenty of drivers that can’t hope to earn anywhere near the £35k you already earn.
Me personally for a Class 1 50-hour contract on nights my top line for the year is around £33k with my night shift bonus so it isn’t too bad, but there are companies that pay a lot-lot less than that. Where you live also seems to play a big part in wages too.
Hours are very unpredictable generally unless your really lucky as well, a normal day can be 12+ hours up to a maximum of 15 hour days.
I am lucky in my job that generally I only do my 50 hours a week, 10 hours a night, with a bit of overtime here and there. I can’t remember the last time I did a 15 hour day, had the odd 12 hour shift here and there though.
Obviously, it’s your business and no one else’s but roughly £1000 a month in deductions seems very steep are you sure that is correct?
Thank you for the info.
The way I see it is if your in work your in work so doing a 8, 10, 12 or 15 hours shift is the same to me I work 12 hour shifts at the moment anyway. I know I’m not going to make 35k doing this and I am willing to take a £200-£300 a month paycut for a stress free job with evenings and most weekends free.
Yes I am sure as it annoys me every month on how much my deductions are as my pension alone is 14% of my wage then with ni and tax it’s already £1000 gone.
It’s very stressful a lot of the time. The ones that are good at the job are the ones that love it.
It’s not really a job, it’s in the blood.
That’s what I reckon anyway.
If you are after a life driving a lorry isn’t for you. You’ll go to work in the dark and go home in the dark that’s if your not expected to sleep out. The money isn’t great and you wouldn’t see much of an improvement on your current salary. To the subject of bothering with your class 1 I wouldn’t as their is not much difference in the rate of pay compared to rigid work. All the best!
SouthEastCashew:
If you are after a life driving a lorry isn’t for you. You’ll go to work in the dark and go home in the dark that’s if your not expected to sleep out. The money isn’t great and you wouldn’t see much of an improvement on your current salary. To the subject of bothering with your class 1 I wouldn’t as their is not much difference in the rate of pay compared to rigid work. All the best!
But having his class 1 would open more doors and give him more flexibility .
The one thing that, in my opinion is crucial, is lacking from your post is why you want to drive?
Personally speaking, I changed out of an office job that had long, unpredictable hours where I worked alone for a good 90% of the time. Yes, I took a fair old pay cut to do it, but I’ve always wanted to be a lorry driver, out tramping all week. Now that I’m doing it, all I wish is that I’d done it sooner. However, I don’t have a mortgage, or kids, and I’ve got a supportive partner - so the home life side of things literally sorted itself out.
I’ve been amazed at how it’s changed my life, doing something I really want to do and with no chronic stress any more. Also, now that I’m away all week and am happy, the amount of money I save from not frittering it away trying to distract myself from feeling like my head is going to explode has actually evened out my financial position.
I can see how, if you don’t have a love of the job, it would be really hard work and probably pretty depressing.
After 24yrs Public Sector working (HMP) I took my VEDS (Voluntary Redundancy) just over 3 yrs ago & did my Class 2 & 1 within 2 months of each other. Started off with a few weeks on agency Class 2 multi - drop (eyes opened) & then took the 1st Class 1 job that I was offered as you have to build the experience ASAP. Did 6 months at one firm & then another 6 months at another firm, thus giving the 1 yrs required experience a lot of company’s demand. I then went back to agency work, 4 months at the Co-op, lots of tight reverses / blind side reverses etc etc. I then moved onto a “better” standard of agency work & earned 6k more than I did at HMP last year. It can be done but you need sometimes to be in the right place at the right time + some luck. I continue to look for a “good quality” permanent job but until / if it comes along I’m ok where I’m currently at & try to continue to build a good reputation. GL with what you decide.
MOSSSIDEDEEP:
I to also came out of public sector (hmp).
To earn anything like I used to means 60hr weeks.
Far less stressful than the old job on the most part.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Are you glad you come out in working in hmp at the moment
Yes I’ve no regrets because they don’t work. I’m fully aware how it is at present Behind those walls and it’s only got worse.
Fare to say I enjoy hoping from job to job now, if I don’t like a job I just move on. My happiness and health is far more important than the final salary pensioned job I had.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That’s the key. Finding that balance between earning enough and being happy.
Juddian:
Think carefully about that pension, it might seem a lifetime away at the moment but if they’re chucking in as much or more than you, with that sort of contribution the end pension should be really quite good, all of a sudden you find yourself in your 50’s and staring at retirement…lots of us here know we’re going to have to work at least a couple of days a week to make life bearable after we retire because we never managed to get on the right job at the right time to get a serious pension.
You’ve got more chance of ■■■■■■■ in the queens handbag than finding that again in lorry world, the exceptions are rare indeed.
This is true but there’s not many people in the public sector that live much more than 5 years after retirement. That’s a hell of a lot of saving for 5 years of enjoyment.
My advice: Don’t become a slave to the pension. There are no promises that you’ll even make it there.
Plus you’ve already got 10 years of pension and that’ll be fairly decent when bolstered by a private one.
slowlane:
The one thing that, in my opinion is crucial, is lacking from your post is why you want to drive?
Personally speaking, I changed out of an office job that had long, unpredictable hours where I worked alone for a good 90% of the time. Yes, I took a fair old pay cut to do it, but I’ve always wanted to be a lorry driver, out tramping all week. Now that I’m doing it, all I wish is that I’d done it sooner. However, I don’t have a mortgage, or kids, and I’ve got a supportive partner - so the home life side of things literally sorted itself out.
I’ve been amazed at how it’s changed my life, doing something I really want to do and with no chronic stress any more. Also, now that I’m away all week and am happy, the amount of money I save from not frittering it away trying to distract myself from feeling like my head is going to explode has actually evened out my financial position.
I can see how, if you don’t have a love of the job, it would be really hard work and probably pretty depressing.
Thanks for the advice. I have always said when I retire I would become a lorry driver but the way the job is going it may happen sooner. I love driving and what I do at the moment my car is my office really I’m always on the road so I don’t think I would get bored at driving for a living.
