Thinking a few years back to my last renovation, my plumber took on an apprentice from the local trade school and had the young kid tag along when he came to my property to work.
I was a bit dismayed when I was notified the plumber's rate increased by $65/hour because "he had to pay the apprentice". While I dont think the kid should work for free, nor do I think the plumber should pay him entirely out of his own pocket, I couldnt help but feel slightly unsatisfied by the new terms. We were very close to finishing my house; the apprentice came on maybe in the last 3 plumber's visits so overall I didn't pay that much more. I chose to keep my mouth shut because I wanted the house done, we were so close to finishing and I was so far very satisfied with the quality of work anyway. Plus I felt kinda out of my element. I had employed contractors many times but the apprentice was a new concept to me so I just observed them working and formulated my judgment.
My issues come from the fact that I was paying $65 dollars an hour for the following:
1. Plumber was pausing while working to verify concepts learned in classroom with real world examples seen on an actual job site while my clock is ticking. In effect I'm paying for him to learn.
2. IMO the kid was not worth the extra $65/hour on top of what I was paying the plumber. He idled around, no doubt he was paying attention, but for the most part he was the plumber's help; "go get this part from the truck", while on a ladder the kid handed him stuff from the floor, "cut me a length of copper x inches long", "flux this joint and hand it to me so I can sweat it." Stuff like that. The plumber didnt even allow the kid to solder copper near wood. While I appreciated the plumber's concern over not wanting my place to catch fire, I was failing to see how that was worth an additional $65/hour.
I know some of you guys are going to say that the apprentice system is how it is and how skills are transferred from master to apprentice as he works. I know some things just cant be taught in trade schools and on the job experience working under a master tradesman is the only way to teach these skills. For as much as I recognize the benefits of the master/apprentice relationship, I cant help but feel like I was subsiding his education; and from a business sense I'm not getting much if any ROI from this extra expenditure.
Its undoubtedly affected my professional relationship with this plumber and I'll now only call him for job where I really need his expertise. For instance, this plumber also does hvac and boiler maintenance. I found another hvac professional to come do my yearly cleanings/inspections or if the boilers have any issues in the future. Why should I pay an an apprentice an additional $65/hour to observe alongside a master and 1. not really contribute to the job and 2. not really make the job go along that much faster? The plumber charges $135 and with the apprentice's fee, I paid $200/hour for the last few visits.
Now I do like the plumber and want to keep using him; his work is excellent. We are getting ready to purchase a new property and will undoubtedly need plumbing work. What do you guys think about this? Am I out of my league or do all contractors bill customers for apprentice time? What are some alternatives? I'd like to discuss with him my concerns about the apprentice pay but hope to lean a bit more about what is customary or common before I approach him. Thanks
I was a bit dismayed when I was notified the plumber's rate increased by $65/hour because "he had to pay the apprentice". While I dont think the kid should work for free, nor do I think the plumber should pay him entirely out of his own pocket, I couldnt help but feel slightly unsatisfied by the new terms. We were very close to finishing my house; the apprentice came on maybe in the last 3 plumber's visits so overall I didn't pay that much more. I chose to keep my mouth shut because I wanted the house done, we were so close to finishing and I was so far very satisfied with the quality of work anyway. Plus I felt kinda out of my element. I had employed contractors many times but the apprentice was a new concept to me so I just observed them working and formulated my judgment.
My issues come from the fact that I was paying $65 dollars an hour for the following:
1. Plumber was pausing while working to verify concepts learned in classroom with real world examples seen on an actual job site while my clock is ticking. In effect I'm paying for him to learn.
2. IMO the kid was not worth the extra $65/hour on top of what I was paying the plumber. He idled around, no doubt he was paying attention, but for the most part he was the plumber's help; "go get this part from the truck", while on a ladder the kid handed him stuff from the floor, "cut me a length of copper x inches long", "flux this joint and hand it to me so I can sweat it." Stuff like that. The plumber didnt even allow the kid to solder copper near wood. While I appreciated the plumber's concern over not wanting my place to catch fire, I was failing to see how that was worth an additional $65/hour.
I know some of you guys are going to say that the apprentice system is how it is and how skills are transferred from master to apprentice as he works. I know some things just cant be taught in trade schools and on the job experience working under a master tradesman is the only way to teach these skills. For as much as I recognize the benefits of the master/apprentice relationship, I cant help but feel like I was subsiding his education; and from a business sense I'm not getting much if any ROI from this extra expenditure.
Its undoubtedly affected my professional relationship with this plumber and I'll now only call him for job where I really need his expertise. For instance, this plumber also does hvac and boiler maintenance. I found another hvac professional to come do my yearly cleanings/inspections or if the boilers have any issues in the future. Why should I pay an an apprentice an additional $65/hour to observe alongside a master and 1. not really contribute to the job and 2. not really make the job go along that much faster? The plumber charges $135 and with the apprentice's fee, I paid $200/hour for the last few visits.
Now I do like the plumber and want to keep using him; his work is excellent. We are getting ready to purchase a new property and will undoubtedly need plumbing work. What do you guys think about this? Am I out of my league or do all contractors bill customers for apprentice time? What are some alternatives? I'd like to discuss with him my concerns about the apprentice pay but hope to lean a bit more about what is customary or common before I approach him. Thanks
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