Sorry a Moan

Thank you for the description of your accent, just read your post in what I think is your accent, capturing my inner Rory Bremner.

Thank you for saying thankyou.....

groundhog wrote:

Bilbobaggins wrote:Just thought you were typing in Scots dialect, as I was reading it I was hearing. Sutherland accent, just as with Groundhog imagine the words with a Cornish accent. Boaby leaves me a bit confused with Scottish background tinged with Yorkshire.


  Nurse.. I need my medicines now please

Except I have a sort of mid Atlantic Canadian accent, at a typical drive thru in Canada and I can't understand a word the youngsters are saying, Canadians think I am Australian, English think I am American and the Cornish haven't got a clue except they know I am from somewhere up country! My French is akin to the policeman in Allo Allo and don't get me started on whether a bonnet goes on your head or is part of a car or should that be automobile or even veeeehicle....!
Back on thread bugs me to when people don't say thankyou if their posts are responded to. Pet hate ( apart from the expression "Not fit for purpose" is when people come round to quote for a job and you never hear from them again. At least say at the time "Sorry it is not for me" or " I would rather not quote thankyou" anything else is just plain rude!

It seems particularly prevalent locally, GH. They either fail to turn up or don’t bother to call back. It takes the do-it-drekkly thing to extremes and chokes me off.

Your not kidding I am trying to find a carpenter to make and fit a hardwood window for me, two I rang to give a quote and neither answered the phone or returned the call, the third rocked up in his van which dripped oil over the drive, said he would get back with a price and never heard from him again.

I'm delighted to find someone else who despises the 'not fit for purpose' phrase.

I thought it was only in Norfolk we couldn`t get or hear back from tradesmen. my Daughter has said Mum this is Norfolk and it is laid back. 
 We had a plumber who came round straight the way and stuck to his word, plus a garage the same a for anyone else were still waiting.  Must have been spoilt where we lived before as never had a problem.

Not calling Norfolk love it ,  waited long enough to get here, frustrating trying to get the jobs done though , cannot do so much ourselves now.

I'm in a very fortunate position. My first cousin had four boys, all of which took up an apprenticeship when they left school, and now run their own businesses.
 So great uncle Al has priority and can call on a plumber, a carpenter, an electrician, and a brickie. 
Also the local builder's merchant is owned by a personal friend, 30% discount...
Al.

Have you tried the various tradesmen websites such as Mybuilder, Trusted Tradesman etc. Depending on the website you put in what work you want done and they either give you a list of businesses that do that work or you get 3 businesses contacting you to give a quote.

When we settled in this area it was an uphill battle trying to find trade people to do any work for us. We had no contacts here so had to judge the trade people by first contact and quotes. It was frustrating not to here from people to end up with a job done badly. 
The one time we find people do speak is when we are out with muttly. For some reason a dog seems to be a good leveller. I won’t guarantee muttly will always be sociable back because he is still a bit wary. Ladies with shopping bags are not his favourite.

bikeralw wrote:I'm in a very fortunate position. My first cousin had four boys, all of which took up an apprenticeship when they left school, and now run their own businesses.
 So great uncle Al has priority and can call on a plumber, a carpenter, an electrician, and a brickie. 
Also the local builder's merchant is owned by a personal friend, 30% discount...
Al.

Well done them!  I wish more would do this rather than 'Media Study' degrees . . . 

rogerblack wrote:

bikeralw wrote:I'm in a very fortunate position. My first cousin had four boys, all of which took up an apprenticeship when they left school, and now run their own businesses.
 So great uncle Al has priority and can call on a plumber, a carpenter, an electrician, and a brickie. 
Also the local builder's merchant is owned by a personal friend, 30% discount...
Al.

Well done them!  I wish more would do this rather than 'Media Study' degrees . . . 

I think "forensic science" is the new "media studies" 

daisy mae wrote:I thought it was only in Norfolk we couldn`t get or hear back from tradesmen. my Daughter has said Mum this is Norfolk and it is laid back. 
 We had a plumber who came round straight the way and stuck to his word, plus a garage the same a for anyone else were still waiting.  Must have been spoilt where we lived before as never had a problem.

Not calling Norfolk love it ,  waited long enough to get here, frustrating trying to get the jobs done though , cannot do so much ourselves now.

Register with NEXT DOOR Margaret, plenty help on there.
Also helps if you've been here a wee while we can get more or less anything we want, and are far from being natives!!!

Our son was saying yesterday that someone he knows is doing a crimanolagy coarse at college. Another one is doing social studies.
In this area I cant see much of a calling for crimanolagy. I think they have been watching too much American TV. As for social workers I think they will crumble after trying on some the misfits that live in this area. 
When I was chucked out of school e were told what trades were needed or join the forces. After being rejected for the RAF I discovered the army wanted apprentices. I did finish with a usable trade.

Once flew with a pilot whose wife was doing a degree course in Archaeology.
Asked him how many on course, remember just one university, 15.
Asked him how many jobs for degree qualified Archaeologists per year.....3!!!
Apprenticeships every time IMHO, mine has served me perfectly in 3 different and somewhat dissimilar careers my whole working life

Once upon a time a degree meant something, nowadays many courses say you couldn't get a real job on leaving school so went to do a  Mickey Mouse degree to fill in the time for a few years

My Grandson was told by his teacher that he would only be able to fill the shelves at Tescos, as he wasn`t academic, because he said he wanted to go in for boat building, told no chance, Well he did after his apprenticeship worked a few years then got redundant found another job then worked on his own, was offered his old job back but he refused as he wanted to try to make a go of it on his own, now at 27 he owns Norfolk Boats on Horning Broad and is doing well,  like the motorhomes in the pandemic the boats were the same he works 7 days a week,  He is happy and doing his dream job, then the school wanted to promote him as an ambassador for the school,as he was successful,  this was in Leicestershire, he refused ,some students would have given up with that teachers attitude, instead he left home at 16 moved on his own to Norfolk and started his apprenticeship, living on his own on a boat on the broads.  Not many 16 year olds would do that, rowing across the frozen water in winter and then biking to work, 

So degrees are not needed if  there is determination and a willingness  to work  , he has someone doing the books and a receptionist so providing jobs. Teacher should encourage their students not slap then down, then again how many have worked in the work place, ? not just in a classroom.

I get annoyed when companies complain they can't get suitably qualified staff.

One solution.... train them yourself! I think that is what used to be called Apprenticeships.

I started with BEA (eventually BA) in 1972. Year one general engineering (learn how to use a hammer) and machine shop skills, year two was basic aircraft maintenance (how to use a spanner), years three and four spent as a gofer for the qualified engineers on the line with more and more responsibility as time went on.

End result... the engineers BA wanted.

I hated school, got my apprenticeship before I took my exams and only passed 2 "O" levels (in the subjects I liked), it was a small boarding school and I was on the bus home before the last exam had finished.

Despite a (on paper) lousy education I had been promoted from Craft to Technician apprentice after the 1st term and finished 2nd in my group. It really showed that it comes down to HOW you are taught as much as WHAT you are taught. Grammar School didn't suite me, the apprentice training did.

HairyFool wrote:I get annoyed when companies complain they can't get suitably qualified staff.

One solution.... train them yourself! I think that is what used to be called Apprenticeships.

Yes, except........

We use a local plumbing company and have for many years, they are not cheap but they are reliable. Years ago they would be at the door in response to a phone call but now it's days or even weeks before an appointment. We've got to know several of the guys quite well. They have always trained their own apprentices but, according to the boss, they either leave during their last year or when they've served their time. 

It ould be an understatement to say he is questioning the point of making the effort to train youngsters as a means of expanding his workforce.

My group of businesses were leisure related, mainly aircraft sales and leasing but also tour operating, hotels and yacht charter. 
I have looked at thousands of CV's and employed hundreds of people but I was never impressed by university degrees or academic results, I was much more interested in the person and presentation of the CV. 
I always tried to teach my children the only person worth working for is yourself. They do both have degrees but I am not sure they were that relevant to their eventual career paths. One loves the material things in life, one doesn't. 
Daughter had a degree in business studies but went on to train as a pilot, this was cut short by illness and she had a successful career in the foreign office. Today she has four lovely Canadian grandchildren and lives on the family farm on Mount Benson enjoying an idyllic but hard lifestyle. They have the best of everything. 
Son did a degree in Ocean Science, then left uni and together we did some property renovations. He went to work for free at a charitable trust property, qualified as a tree surgeon and started an environmental contracting business. He could have expanded it in to a really successful company but instead bought an old camper van and set off round Europe for nearly two years. They have interest in material things at all. With his partner and our grandson they live in a gorgeous old cob cottage, they have no TV's and grandson doesn't have a phone or ipad like his friends and they are as happy as pigs ,,,,

Guess in the end we all regard success differently, it isn't where you start it is where you finish and how much you enjoy the journey.

As a non graduate Senior Design Engineer at FUGRO subsea services, I was in charge of all of the graduates entering our department and tasking them with realistic and practical projects.
I was one of very few in the department without a degree!!!
(I was also among highest paid!!)

Apprenticeship, ideally a good one, every time.
Like others I have seen hundreds of CV's, very rarely looked hard at qualifications, more a work history and experience level interest.

This thread appears to have wandered well off-track. As a new member to this forum, perhaps I ought to answer some of the initial complaints posted against us newbies.

When I initially joined, I didn't post in the 'Welcome' section, my first post was to ask a question. Apart from my first impression of the site being a forum for the discussion of serious motorhoming issues, rather than a place for social chat, I'm not the sort of person who likes to spout off about themselves hence my absence from other social media platforms where that seems to be the vogue. The same may apply to other people joining.

As I said, I posted a question. It was very helpfully answered as have been a couple of other issues I've raised. I think I have acknowledged and thanked those who took the time and trouble to respond. If not, I apologise. The dissemination of such knowledge is an alturistic action worthy of nothing less.

I readily accept that, being new to motorhoming, (yes, one of the so-called covid caravaners) I am unable to contribute a great deal. It becomes immediately evident that there are numerous long-serving members of this forum far more experienced and knowledgeable on a whole range of topics than I am ever likely to be and it would be wrong, in my opinion, for me to add my erroneous two pennarth worth unless I'm certain of what I'm talking about.

Frankly, I do not know how long I will be motorhoming for and hence a member of this forum. I bought a relatively oldish model that is not exactly ideal for our requirements so, chances are it will be sold in the not too distant future and my participation may end. I cannot see the point of participating in a forum for motorhomers without a MH so my tenure here may be shortlived.

Finally, those people referred to by the initial poster who failed to turn up for an appointment are ignorant. At the very least if they were no longer interested they ought to have said so and offered their apologies. I can't imagine such behaviour is confined to those of us new to motorhoming.

Thanks Crashman
We do seem to wander of track rather a lot and sometimes need to be given a shove back in the right direction.
Having read the OP again I am not sure it was directed at newbies who as far as I am concerned are most welcome and as valued as.any other member of the forum.
Agree 100% about social media I stay well away apart from this and one other motorhome forum.

This is, after all, a chat page, usually re weather ,but also other chats of interest such as this has become.
There are plenty specialist sections of the forum where specific questions can be asked and will, usually and accurately be answered.
Same applies to the section above which is mainly a Where am I quiz
I consider social media to be more globally damaging than covid!!!!!!

As an apprentice carmudgeon I greatly value this section, and the way discussion meanders, much like we would over coffee or in the pub. It is also good to see others share your frustrations or thoughts and are much more eloquent than I could be in expressing them.

Don't generally worry about if a contributed has been a member for 10 minutes or 10 years, all views are equally valid. I may not agree with all of them, but will defend your right to have and express them. 

Only niggle I have with new members is wading straight in to a forum with a question without introducing themselves first, makes me think they haven't spent time getting to know the forum before joining, and therefore if they haven't searched for an answer first. Still, I don't have to respond and tend to leave it to other more benevolent and tolerant souls.

As I was the one who first started this thread, I am sorry if some of you thought it was particularly about the newbies, well it wasn`t. I know some have joined just to sell vans and wanted to know a technical question and then disappeared, but this wasn`t the case here.

So sorry if I have inadvertently upset anyone. 
Best regards,
Margaret