What do think the biggest changes in our trade have been?

[Doc Hudson]

if you have your own business as a sole trader I would think the minimum average charge per hour depending on what region you are in would be about £25 - £30 per hour if you are acting as the main contractor, not subbing to another electrical contractor. So if you have 6 weeks off a year you would still turn over more that £45k per year if you did 40 hours per week. Plus any material supplied. 

Whilst the general concept of what you suggest is correct, with a sole trader the hours you are charging for are not the hours you work per week. The administration time, quoting for jobs you may or may not get, time organising collecting materials, time returning faulty materials, plus the general accounts and bookkeeping. If you are only actually working 40 hours per week at your business you will be earning far less than 40 hours of chargeable time. However I would think £25 per hour is a very low figure that would be a struggle for many sole traders to earn much of a living from.

Doc H.

 

[Murdoch]

^^ hit, nail and head spring to mind.

There's a lot of unpaid hours to work, then unpaid holiday , no sick pay, no pension ........

 

[binky]

....and these need to be factored into hourly rate. I can scrape a living at £25 an hour, I need £30 an hour to make a reasonable living, otherwise I would be probably better off stacking shelves inTesco. This is based on having completely minimised my overheads, long story, but basically I have shut my previous buisness down and restarted - I figured it was easier as it allows to me to focus on the more lucrative work and not spend all day turning away small domestic jobs that I don't want anymore. I am also working on the basis that Brexit will be a disaster and the economy will be lettuced for a decade, so a 'lean an mean' business might weather the storm far better.

 

[Evans Electric]

However I would think £25 per hour is a very low figure that would be a struggle for many sole traders to earn much of a living from.

Hhhm   As an employed electrician  his  rate would be £15. 46 / hour with no worries about quoting , etc  .  Say £484 /week   after stoppages. 

 

[revjames]

phones, trackers in vans, sat nav to find houses (if youre a house basher type) loads more forms to fill in, apprentices that know it all but know nothing.....

Bring back the 14th edition