Hello

Hi all... I have a job offer from Rac and am due to start in Bescot in 3 weeks. However, I have a dilemma... I am a serving firefighter and I wanted your advice. I have read a lot of forums on patrols view points of the company and just wanted your views on whether working for the RAC as a patrol is worth leaving the fire service for, even with what seems a larger pay cheque working as a patrol. I really hope you don't mind me posting on here as a 'not yet official rac employee.'

Lee

Hi lee and welcome can I just ask what kind of money they are saying to you buddy as 25 grand roughly is our basic

Hi Henry, so yeah 26 basic and with the guaranteed OT and further OT and upselling - 45k is quite achievable?

Leew wrote:Hi Henry, so yeah 26 basic and with the guaranteed OT and further OT and upselling - 45k is quite achievable?

May be if you wish to sell your soul.OT is not guaranteed and its showing now they aren't taking any OT at all,I do enjoy the job but believe me you earn every penny for it

£45k used to be quite achievable with a lot of flexibility, but in my opinion, not any more.
Not saying it can't be done, but you would need to be an RAC robot to do it now.........

Thanks very much for your replies. What would you say would be a reasonable and achievable salary with a good work life balance?

I genuinely think you would regret leaving the fire service. The balance of work life home life is terrible compared to what you are used to.
I wouldn't do it unless you're having read issues where you are.
Money?...., there is no overtime just now we are all down on money and those figures are not achievable just now for most if not all.

Ok, thank you. That really helps in what has been a massive decision already. I had seen that overtime had been cut and that unpaid standby was being enforced?

My opinions would be, last year and before, the potential to earn between 40-50k was possible with not many issues, above 50k was possible but you would be with an orange van quite often. These days with very little overtime been given the figures above are very difficult if at all possible in some areas.
The standby is not enforced,, it’s how they giving overtime out it’s like they did it in the standby days but without the standby payment

Dependant on the shifts you are on now, they would have to be terrible to be worse than our Home/work life balance, and to earn the wages you are looking at above the work to Home life will be even worse. All would depend if have kids or not I suppose. I have 2 and get very little time to watch play football either training or matches, struggle taking them to swimming lessons, in fact doing a lot of stuff.

The job itself I enjoy the basic job of the patrol role and I suppose you will be used to politics getting in the way of doing the job, ‘‘tis the same here. Managed on some unmanageable stuff but that’s the role, head down and ignore do your job and you’ll be ok with that side.

Need to ask yourself WHY you want to change career? What about pension? The grass will not be greener, it just looks greener when your looking at it from an angle over the fence

Hi Leew, the job is still good and it will be a complete change for you however I know of a few new guys that have been promised OTE of 45k and although that was easily achievable a year or so ago I find that it is getting harder and harder to get that kind of OT to pay that wage. As for unpaid standby, this is certainly nothing that can be forced upon you but you can stay out and try and get some Pay Per Jobs (eos) but this is not what I would advise.

Good luck.

Hi I would think long and hard about this job now. Money's not great  hours are bad.  Working 29 weekends and lots of mixed hours.  I used to clear 2900 now I'm lucky to clear 2300  lots of new lads have left within 6 months. Mis sold job and wages. Working on motorway s in passing rain with no blue lights  to protect you large sales targets   stay were you are.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I really appreciate hearing the job first hand. I have lost a lot of sleep toying with the idea and have actually struggled to find a patrol locally to ask first hand. It has helped a lot with balancing my decision, that's for sure. If anyone has anything else to add, I'm all ears but thanks again to those who have taken the time to write. Best wishes, Lee

Stay in the Fire Service, you will never earn any where near what you are lied to about on induction. It's completely bollocks. Your work/home balance will be completely fubar.

So, Leew, did you start with us, and if so, how's it going ?