So I have recently made the transition from LGV driving to Coach driving. My only gripe was that I am away throughout the week Mon to Friday each week. Then after returning home we usually throw in the general weekend day trip to help out, this leaves one day to see my wife and family when doing a saturday or a Sunday job. I expressed to my employer that I didn’t realise that this was going to be the norm. His response was that if I ever want to take my wife away on any of the tours that I am doing, then she travels free of charge inc the hotel etc. and if I want to request any weekends that I cannot work then I simply state them each month and they will not add me to the rota for that weekend. They only ask that in their busy periods that we all do the best that we can by helping out to cover all of the weekend work wherever possible. Absolutely the fairest employer I have ever had, absolutely the very best driving job that I have ever held.
Can’t complain about that, eh?
Do you feel you are fairly paid for the weekend work?
stu675:
Do you feel you are fairly paid for the weekend work?
Well to be honest with you, this job isnt really about the money as much as the lifestyle, however to answer your question. If I looked at purely the hourly rate then I would say no. but the extra sat or sunday is added onto your weeks wage as a 6 day week. It then bumps up your wages by usually £140 or £150 p/w so from that point of view it makes your wage up if you are chasing the money.
I presume you do not actually work 6 days every week right? Its 6 days every fortnight?
If you enjoy it then great.
Personally 6 days a week spent on the road is a bit much for me. Would only be tolerable with a premium wage.
adam277:
I presume you do not actually work 6 days every week right? Its 6 days every fortnight?If you enjoy it then great.
Personally 6 days a week spent on the road is a bit much for me. Would only be tolerable with a premium wage.
every other weekend but then you have to take into account we do not spend our time with hours maxed out. We might be paid for 60 hrs worked but actual working time (driving) is normaly very low, begining of week and end of week is our highest drive time to get to and from our main destination. After that we may only drive 3 hrs per day. We get paid for sightseeing as we get paid 10 hrs a day regardless to driven hours. Day trips are paid different, they are from putting card in to taking card out. Minimum 10 hrs if worked under 10 hrs. I have noticed a reduction in wages from my LGV wage as minimal and my stress levels and physical work reduced dramatically. We can make up the wages quite easily in other benefits. As I have stated it is actually a decent wage but this job is not about maxing out hours but does take you away from home as much as tramping did for me. However for me it is like being on holiday permanantly. We do so many different tours that we do not get fed up or bored with it. Different places and passengers all of the time. Some we will repeat but that is the same with any job.
Yorkshire Tramper:
We get paid for sightseeing as we get paid 10 hrs a day regardless to driven hours.
You get paid for sight seeing now but I can guarantee when you’ve been to Blackpool or Brighton for the 20th time in 6 months taking people to the same places you’ll get tired of it and it’ll become an endurance exercise - if you’ve ever been on a coach trip you’ll notice that the driver stays with the coach for a kip or goes for a wander elsewhere. The missus won’t be interested in going again for the 20th time to the same place once you’ve run out of all the tourist things to do. There’s only so many times you can go see Blackpool Zoo, the Tower, Sealife Centre, Pleasure Beach etc before it becomes boring. That’s the reason you don’t find locals going there or on the beach much even though as someone who doesn’t live at the seaside you couldn’t imagine doing anything else but going there every day. So don’t feel obliged to work the weekends justifying it to yourself as OK because you can take the wife.
On the upside though you should make a fair bit in tips if any coach trip I’ve been on is anything to go by.
Most coach drivers that I know (I mainly drove day trips) are divorced at least once. Others their lives were an absolute train wreck! Make sure that your wife is happy with all the time that you are away. It might seem to her that she is alone at home with the drudgery and you are off enjoying your self.
Yorkshire Tramper:
We can make up the wages quite easily in other benefits.
Do tell. 
Ken.
Conor:
Yorkshire Tramper:
We get paid for sightseeing as we get paid 10 hrs a day regardless to driven hours.You get paid for sight seeing now but I can guarantee when you’ve been to Blackpool or Brighton for the 20th time in 6 months taking people to the same places you’ll get tired of it and it’ll become an endurance exercise - if you’ve ever been on a coach trip you’ll notice that the driver stays with the coach for a kip or goes for a wander elsewhere. The missus won’t be interested in going again for the 20th time to the same place once you’ve run out of all the tourist things to do. There’s only so many times you can go see Blackpool Zoo, the Tower, Sealife Centre, Pleasure Beach etc before it becomes boring. That’s the reason you don’t find locals going there or on the beach much even though as someone who doesn’t live at the seaside you couldn’t imagine doing anything else but going there every day. So don’t feel obliged to work the weekends justifying it to yourself as OK because you can take the wife.
On the upside though you should make a fair bit in tips if any coach trip I’ve been on is anything to go by.
Aren’t you a bundle of joy, cherub, envy?
I would have an issue regarding ‘opting out’ of weekend work. Imho you should be opting in to it. Probably has no effect on the scheme of things, it’s just the schematics of the expectations.