Guest Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I was chatting to a taxi driver who was taking me to the airport. Taxi driving gets a bit of a bad rep and he was telling me he used to work FIFO and still could but he can earn as much taxi driving as he was FIFO, difference is he gets to see his kids every day. He was putting in the hours though but you are really self employed and can more or less choose what hours you work and when. If the IT jobs Lady Rainicorn were paying average money maybe the guys would be better off as taxi drivers anyway. It may well be, but believe me those I spoke to were desperate to find skilled work. It isn't all about money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I've been unemployed in the UK and here. Here for 5 months when we first came. I've gone through agencies and applied for jobs personally in both countries and all agencies do the same thing. A lot of the agency workers are on commission and if they have your CV on file and they can match you they will. They will advertise a non existent job to do it a lot of the time. Don't expect agencies to be any different in the UK. UK agencies are just the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynne78 Posted April 7, 2014 Author Share Posted April 7, 2014 How bloody rude! I did find it quite an insensitive comment actually. As newjez said it does seem to imply that there is something wrong with my oh and we have nothing to complain about since your friends are so busy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmaclec Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 It can be very hard for new migrant sparks to get work. The years gap training does not help as most employers would prefer a 21yo with a license than a guy from the UK with 20 odd years experience without a license. I should know as i was one of the first to do this joke training and a lot of the guys in my class got paid peanuts. Not to mention the fact that someone just arriving does not have a network of contacts to help get them a job. Some of the posters on this post have no idea what it is like for people in this situation. Arriving recently is very differant from a few years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I was chatting to a taxi driver who was taking me to the airport. Taxi driving gets a bit of a bad rep and he was telling me he used to work FIFO and still could but he can earn as much taxi driving as he was FIFO, difference is he gets to see his kids every day. He was putting in the hours though but you are really self employed and can more or less choose what hours you work and when. If the IT jobs Lady Rainicorn were paying average money maybe the guys would be better off as taxi drivers anyway. Really? My wife is teaching english to a family at the moment - it is a scheme through politichnic west - the dad does speak english and has taken a job driving a taxi and my wife has been helping them with there budgets. For a month of nights he is earning under $4k. That is seven nights a week. Some of the geo's i know have looked at it recently - they estimate they would struggle to get $4k a month for 6 12 hour shifts a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Really? My wife is teaching english to a family at the moment - it is a scheme through politichnic west - the dad does speak english and has taken a job driving a taxi and my wife has been helping them with there budgets. For a month of nights he is earning under $4k. That is seven nights a week. Some of the geo's i know have looked at it recently - they estimate they would struggle to get $4k a month for 6 12 hour shifts a week The geo's would struggle to get that in their trade or as taxi drivers? Hat's off to anyone prepared to work nights month in month out to support their family and not 'bad' money for a skill that is common (i.e. driving, most of the taxi drivers I met didn't seem to have the kind of skills London cabbies have) but I was expecting FIFO workers to be on a LOT more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Really? My wife is teaching english to a family at the moment - it is a scheme through politichnic west - the dad does speak english and has taken a job driving a taxi and my wife has been helping them with there budgets. For a month of nights he is earning under $4k. That is seven nights a week. Some of the geo's i know have looked at it recently - they estimate they would struggle to get $4k a month for 6 12 hour shifts a week I just took him at his word VS. All I know is it costs $70+ for a trip to the airport that is about 30km and takes about half an hour. Someone is making a fat profit out of that. Wouldn't be a job I would fancy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 The geo's would struggle to get that in their trade or as taxi drivers? Hat's off to anyone prepared to work nights month in month out to support their family and not 'bad' money for a skill that is common (i.e. driving, most of the taxi drivers I met didn't seem to have the kind of skills London cabbies have) but I was expecting FIFO workers to be on a LOT more. With GPS as a standard fixture even London cabbies with little training would be able to get round OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Very few taxi drivers own their plate - it is the plate that is the big cost, followed by the cut the company take. On a $70 trip, the hire of the plate, the fuel and the companies cut - in the UK it is known as radio rental - would mean the driver would be lucky to see $10-20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Very few taxi drivers own their plate - it is the plate that is the big cost, followed by the cut the company take. On a $70 trip, the hire of the plate, the fuel and the companies cut - in the UK it is known as radio rental - would mean the driver would be lucky to see $10-20 Maybe he was one who owned his plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmaclec Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 If taxi driving was well paid there would be plenty of Ozzies driving cabs. Every cab I have got in has been Indians mostly (usually skilled) or Asians apart from one on christmas day, he was an older Serbian guy. Think that paints the real picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Maybe he was one who owned his plate? Possible but dountful as they cost hundreds of grand a pop and the market is pretty much tied up by the big boys - hence why they are up in arms about the new ap systems coming in that may get around a lot of things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) If taxi driving was well paid there would be plenty of Ozzies driving cabs. Every cab I have got in has been Indians mostly (usually skilled) or Asians apart from one on christmas day, he was an older Serbian guy. Think that paints the real picture. The guy I spoke to was one of the Perth born and bred few. I'll agree that most of the taxi drivers are Indian or Asian, met a couple of South Africans too. Whether they're skilled or not I don't know. As for the "real picture" these guys are obviously making a living and fair play to them. At least they aren't sat at home moaning about no work. Sorry Lynne that was a throw away line, not meant to be a dig at your hubby. If he's a qualified sparky and welder I could see why he's trying those trades and not wanting to drive a cab. Edited April 9, 2014 by Paul1Perth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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