Calling All Mechanics!

[Dr Greenthumb]

Hey all

Basically after working on my car i've found an interest in car mechanics. I'm possibly looking at doing various city and guilds courses after A-levels.

Is anyone here a motor mechanic? If so can you tell me how you find your work/what courses you have been on etc

Thanks Dan

[anzo]

I might be wrong with this, but is mostly advise based on my mates who are mechanics.

An A-Level will probably guarentee you the job, but it won't get you anymore benefits, depending how far you want to go with it.

My mate, for example, is on an apprentiship, one day a week at college, 4 days at a garage. The pay is utter shit, although he learns a lot which makes up for it, and when he has passed his exams (NVQ I think) he gets a pay rise, but it still won't be through the roof.

According to my mate, and his words not mine, you dont need much knowledge to be a mechanic in a garage (he works for Ford, Main Dealer). This is because you put the car through a computer, it'll tell you the problem, you replace the part...job done.

Fair enough if you enjoyed doing it for a few days/weeks. But could you do it day in, day out?

[Dr Greenthumb]

I've always had an interest in cars, and been ok with my hands when fixing stuff, i love working on my bike etc.

I think it's the style of work with mechanics that interests me, i.e you have a problem you are left to do it in your own way/time.

There are a range of courses on offer at my local college working through qualifications, obviously a knowledge of cars is required and this is where these courses will help. I would love to able to work through to being a qualified MOT tester as the pay increases noticably.

Cheers for the reply Anzo, as i said it's just something to concider at the moment

[Mr Motivator]

As long as you wear your reboks, addidas and nike you'll be 'safe'.

[pinky]

What about a degree in a choosen mechanical subject?

[trials_pimp]

Boy you guys dont have much of a clue.

Greenthumb, this is how it is.

You can do a course in motor vehicle mehcanics yes but you arent garunteed a job after.

Heres my story.

Went from School and did 2 years City and guilds 3830 motor vehicel mechanics, then went on to do an appreticeship with Ford Motor Company.

From that 3 year deal I got a NVQ 3 motor vehicle, Ford Masters 1(technician), and priceless experience.

Yes the pay was shit, but its something you deal with as you go. Its not great now, but I get by, and have the choise of gettting in at any other dealer, or getting a job almost anywhere in the trade, or other related trades (police road accident for example)

A friend of of mine from school went to the same colege, but done a 3 year Btec in Motor vehcile.

This should have been enough for him to Qualify to skip the appreticeship, but no one would employ him, as he has no experience at all. He now works full time at halfords bike hut.

FACT You will learn ALOT more and faster/better when you do it hands on

An Apprenticeship Garuntees you a secure job at the end.

What that guy said about computers telling you the answers is complete bolloks.

Yes new cars have diagnosis facilities on computers, but they only give you fault codes, freeze frame data ect. The Systems run on new cars are so complex that a computer is needed to compunicate with all the Modules in the car (anywhere from 1 to 75 modules)

Ill tell you this now, it isnt easy to do this, its not a drop-outs job anymore.

Ive seen countless people thinking its easy, only to quit because they cant hack it.

Being good at maths helps also

[Bucky]

do a hands on apprenticeship.

im in my thrid year workign under polar ford bradford.

i spoke to my careers advisor at school who put me in touch with ReMiT who in turn put me intouch with ford wher ei was accepted for an appreticeship.

every couple of months my remit assesor comes roudn and observes me on a couple of jobs to certify i am capable of them and every 8 weeks i go on a 2 week block to a Ford specialist college.

this way i get 5 days a week working full time in a garage getting to know what everything is really all about.

from my point of view this a lot better than a one or two day release at a local college.

plus when i finish i have the option to sign and extra contract with polar ford and then go on to be a senior, specialist then master technician.

bucky