Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Chatting on the Plot => Topic started by: ches on July 16, 2019, 20:14
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I don’t know if any of you can help here but thought I’d post anyway to have some outside opinions.
I’ve not been posting on this for long so most of you don’t know me from Adam so I’ll start with a bit of background.
I’m 28, I’m ex-Royal Air Force. (7.5 years service to her majesty). I left the airforce and started work on a construction site (my dad was the site manager) I didn’t want to dig holes all my life (although now I choose to do it on my allotment) and I had an interest in the dreaded health and safety. I paid for myself to complete the health and safety qualifications. The company gave me an opportunity to step up to a Health and safety role. I’m now on my 4th Health and safety role. I’ve been in this job now about a month and it’s not just health and safety, it involves environmental and quality too, I’m loosing interest. I’ve decided to go it alone. I’ll stay in my job for now, until I can develop a client base.
I don’t have the first clue where to start to find clients. If anyone on here has any helpful hints or tips. They would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
Ches
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I am not sure about self employed H&S roles as often the postions are very much tied into particular fields ie agriculture, manufacturing etc.
Have you thought of looking for a position with another company where quality control is not part of the brief?
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I am not sure about self employed H&S roles as often the postions are very much tied into particular fields ie agriculture, manufacturing etc.
Have you thought of looking for a position with another company where quality control is not part of the brief?
I have considered it. I'll be honest i'm kind of regretting leaving my last place. My speciality is Construction Health and Safety so I would be looking in that area.
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It's a good career to choose because Health and Safety is an important part of everyday life. Have you joined LinkedIn, made enquiries in the NHS or any local major building firms?
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Have you considered the Company you used to be with, perhaps they will welcome you back. As has been said, H & E is so important these days.
It also occurs to me that perhaps you are finding you get restless and find adjusting from your position of "working for the Queen" I am glad you are considering your options so carefully and good luck. Mrs Bouquet
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Nice reply Mrs. B.
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Have you considered the Company you used to be with, perhaps they will welcome you back. As has been said, H & E is so important these days.
It also occurs to me that perhaps you are finding you get restless and find adjusting from your position of "working for the Queen" I am glad you are considering your options so carefully and good luck. Mrs Bouquet
Thanks Mrs B. I have considered it but before I left I helped to find a replacement
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Thinking of Pontypridd, Ches, one of my jobs in the nineties was to look at Gethin 1 and 2 mines, next to Abercanaid in Merthyr. The site was up for potential development, but was also being sized up for coal-washing to release what useable coal was left in the slack, before it was all closed off.
My client really wanted to look at the site at the junction with the A470 to the south, but included the two mines mentioned above. They closed in the nineteen-twenties.
You know much better than me that the H and S requirements for what's left of the coal industry are cast in stone (pun not intended), and while the industry will never be the same, there might just be a niche requirement for your qualifications, because there are still companies on the lookout for opportunities.
Long shot? Maybe, but a few calls here and there might be useful.
We also had some dealings with Newport Docks as well, and there's a great place to go, especially with the bananas coming in at a rate of knots...
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Growster - Thank you very much for this advice. I will definitely look into it. I think the one bonus with Health and Safety is it's not going anywhere any time soon. if anything it's going to be more in demand as company's fear being sued when Mr employee breaks a fingernail.
I am very much of the mind that employers should do all they can to keep their workers safe. No one should go to work healthy and come home injured, or worse, not come home at all.
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Hi Ches,
Could you find work through an agency specialising in this field to begin with, then you'd start to get an idea of potential clients?
One of the challenges with self-employment is delivering your current contract whilst also finding the next one, so you'd need to be realistic about how many days a week you would actually be working & earning, and how many days you will spend visiting potential clients, preparing quotes, negotiating, training to keep up-to-date, chasing late payers(!) etc. at your own expense. One self employed ex-colleague works on the basis of 4 days a week working to 1 day admin & planning for the next jobs.
As you gain experience you might also be able to find work as an expert witness in H&S injury cases that go to court, giving your opinion on whether the H&S arrangements were adequate or not.
G&R
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Like that GR. When I was in the NHS I always wrote down whatever courses or any training I'd been on and never realised how invaluable it was until I had to present written evidence that I'd been on various training courses and also went on many of the annual Institute conferences and that's how I became a Chartered Scientist.
Find as many certificates as you can for any H&S training and any experience you've had and put them in a file along with your CV then see if there's any courses that would assist you to get whichever job you want.
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Thank you GG and G&R,
I will take all the advice on board. Just need to get some clients now.