aprentiships machanic.possible?

amaughan

how would one go about getting into this career.thanks

Car Mad

amaughan wrote: »

how would one go about getting into this career.thanks

You would find a garage who is willing to take on and train an apprentice and get them to register for fas.But to be honest you havnt much of a hope of finding one in this country for a long time yet unless you know someone who runs a garage so your best bet is if your still in school go onto college and do mechanical engineering or something of the sorts.

If someone wants to be a mechanic a 3rd level course in mech eng is not the way to go at all. Many, many folks have a degree and higher in mech eng yet would not tackle on oil change as they reckon modern cars are too complicated (I work with enough of them to know this is true before someone tells me that is not the case). In fairness a mech eng course deals with mech eng (design, physics, structures, maths, tensile forces, machining etc) and not car maintenance.

Just had a quick peak at your previous posts to see did you seem to be a car head.
Some similar threads to this, how to be a helicopter pilot and how to be an army sniper. May I ask how old are you ?

Mr.David

RoverJames wrote: »

If someone wants to be a mechanic a 3rd level course in mech eng is not the way to go at all. Many, many folks have a degree and higher in mech eng yet would not tackle on oil change as they reckon modern cars are too complicated (I work with enough of them to know this is true before someone tells me that is not the case). In fairness a mech eng course deals with mech eng (design, physics, structures, maths, tensile forces, machining etc) and not car maintenance.

Unfortunately, this is very true.

I did a Mech Eng degree (and I do lots of DIY & servicing etc) and now work in Jaguar - surrounded by others with degrees, masters, phds in mech eng - often even in automotive engineering.

Yet, whilst they can run complex FEA and CFD simulations all day long, half of them cannot change the oil on their car!

Personally I find it pathetic and think that calling yourself a mechanical engineer but never applying your knoweldge in a tangible manner is sad really!

Mr.David

Mr.David wrote: »

Personally I find it pathetic and think that calling yourself a mechanical engineer but never applying your knoweldge in a tangible manner is sad really!

Likewise, I currently work in a place that manufacture orthopaedic implants, hips and knees etc. It's essentially a workshop full of CNCs, blasters, grinders etc. The engineers are predominantly mech eng graduates (I'm not though) and from a practical perspective many of them are lacking in the extreme. With the younger lads (I'm only 29 myself so hardly ancient) what surprised me was that they seem to have f all interest in doing mechanical stuff. When I was in school myself and the lads who were leaning towards doing engineering in 3rd level (I was torn between that and going selling cars) used to be messing about greasing wheel bearings in our mountain bikes every couple of months and playing with the deraillers.

snowman707

amaughan wrote: »

how would one go about getting into this career.thanks

a spelling book to begin with

Cionád

snowman707 wrote: »

a spelling book to begin with

Yes, correct spelling is essential to becoming a mechanic. While your being pedantic why dont you capitalise your 'a' and end your sentance with a full stop?

snowman707

snowman707 wrote: »

a spelling book to begin with

In fairness that is not very nice, the chap is only asking for advice, presumably he is pre leaving cert (maybe even junior cert), his post was polite. Do you generally find picking on teenagers fun ? No doubt in real life you wouldn't say boo to a ghost but behind the PC you are a real peoples champion

Actually I gather from your previous posts you may be a farmer, quite often farmers are a tad rough around the edges with the social skills so in real life you may well be just as rude, in fairness you may well not intend to come across like that.

biko

Depends on if you have the money for courses
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=mechanic+courses+ireland

If you're young, start by getting an old banger and work on it, googling solutions to problems and generally trying to understand a combustion engine and the mechanics of a car. Or offer to help whenever your mates has problems.

Ask around if there is anyone you know that works with cars.

Offer to help in the local garage for free.

I found this on FAS http://www.fas.ie/en/Training/Apprenticeships/Apprenticeship+Listings/The+Craft+of+Motor+Mechanics.htm

Good luck

Hellrazer

The most essential thing needed for an apprenticeship is a leaving cert--dont mind what people tell you.Years ago you might have gotten away with a Junior Cert but not nowadays.

A bit of knowledge in the area also helps--most of the apprentices we take on have been pottering around cars since they were old enough to hold a spanner.


Keep trying OP--if you have a decent LC and a bit of knowledge you`ll get there.

I don't see why a decent leaving cert would be required, a pass at pass level at 6 subjects should be more than adequate, that's far from a decent leaving cert really.

Hellrazer

RoverJames wrote: »

I don't see why a decent leaving cert would be required, a pass at pass level at 6 subjects should be more than adequate, that's far from a decent leaving cert really.

It might be "adequate" as you say but if Ive 2 lads Im interviewing and one has a better leaving cert(assuming both have a similar bit of knowledge about cars) than the other hes going to get the job and I wouldnt say Im alone in that argument with the current climate in this country and the amount of people looking for jobs.

True, how good someone is at learning poetry, writing essays on Macbeth, the tenses "as gaeilga", french, geography etc shouldn't really influence your choice though. It's a bit like the folks with 570+ points getting medicine, they don't necessarily make the best candidates.

Hellrazer

RoverJames wrote: »

True, how good someone is at learning poetry, writing essays on Macbeth, the tenses "as gaeilga", french, geography etc shouldn't really influence your choice though. It's a bit like the folks with 570+ points getting medicine, they don't necessarily make the best candidates.

Its nothing got to do with what subjects he/she has studied or not.He could have studied ancient latin for all I care.

Its to do with them having the ability and the will to have to spend 6 months in a classroom environment and not just all garage based which is what Fas is--6 months on site and 6 months or thereabouts in class.

Ive taken on lads who ticked all the boxes but went to **** when it came to going to FAS for 6 months and what I noticed is that the ones who were bad at the classroom based stuff had a worse leaving cert than the ones who were were able to commit to both aspects of the training.

amaughan

snowman707 wrote: »

a spelling book to begin with

there is always one anal troll knob jockey on this forum.sorry if being dyslexic
has offended you mister honors English tool.:rolleyes:

im 19 did my lc last year and have been researching all career prospects i could think of (even sniper and pilot careers:D)as with most people in my position deciding on a career can be difficult.i am very interested in mechanics tho as i will (hopefully)always have a car and its always good to have the knowledge to fix your car without paying someone else to do it.i do enjoy working on cars as i have been doing bit and bobs since i left school just learning the basics from a friend of mine.

thanks to everyone for the positive and constructive feed back this will help me alot.

Car Mad

One thing I will say to you is its all well and good likeing cars and working on them now and again as a hobby its a hell of a lot differant working on them day in day out.Looking at cars everyday diagnosing problems fixing them skinning nuckles breaking fingers etc is enough to put the most enthuesastic car lover off cars and I have often seen it lads love there cars go to work in garage all goin well happy out for a few years and then one day just get sick of it.Having a mechanic as a profession does make an awful lot of people bitter and the money isnt the best either unless your out on your own.First year apprentice rate is around €180 a week.Op could you say you would be happy on that for a hole year working your bolix off everyday and maybe havin friends on the dole getting more for doing nothing.Its just something to think about if you do find a place to take you on have a trial for a few months before you decide if its for you or not.Im just explaining it from a differant perspective im sure theres mechanics here that will come on and reply to my post sayin I love cars and wouldnt have it anyother way and im sure theres people out there that done there time on cars and never wants to go near one again.

Very good advice above, I used to want to be a mechanic when I was a kid, my ole lad was always telling me how his Dad was a car mechanic (this would have been way back, Dad his 62 and his Dad passed away in '85 well into his 70s). Anyway my Grandad got sick of the trade as described above but went working as a mechanic for the Gas Company in Cork, still a mechanic but much different day to day than being in a garage, no doubt the money was better etc. Anyway after listening to the ole lad I worked in a motor factors part time from 16 to 21, few of the lads I worked with over the weekend were time served mechanics but left it a few years after qualifying. A few of the lads who were customers left the trade too to do factory work etc, just got sick of it. Most of the one man shows seemed very happy though, they were making a good lash of cash though I would expect. In saying that I have yet to work anywhere where folks are happy at work in the extreme, as the money isn't too good as a mechanic it is easier to leave the job and do a bit of a career change.

Few lads I know who worked in the likes of fast fit and advance etc also claim that with commission they make more than garage techs, probably why they have a habit of trying to sell you a set of shocks and a cat with a back tyre.

All said though if you love cars and love the trade a qualification as a mechanic won't hinder you at all, in a few years you may decide to go out on your own, sell a few 2nd hand motors if suitable ones come along, do recovery work........ loads of options.

amaughan

Car Mad wrote: »

One thing I will say to you is its all well and good likeing cars and working on them now and again as a hobby its a hell of a lot differant working on them day in day out.Looking at cars everyday diagnosing problems fixing them skinning nuckles breaking fingers etc is enough to put the most enthuesastic car lover off cars and I have often seen it lads love there cars go to work in garage all goin well happy out for a few years and then one day just get sick of it.Having a mechanic as a profession does make an awful lot of people bitter and the money isnt the best either unless your out on your own.First year apprentice rate is around €180 a week.Op could you say you would be happy on that for a hole year working your bolix off everyday and maybe havin friends on the dole getting more for doing nothing.Its just something to think about if you do find a place to take you on have a trial for a few months before you decide if its for you or not.Im just explaining it from a differant perspective im sure theres mechanics here that will come on and reply to my post sayin I love cars and wouldnt have it anyother way and im sure theres people out there that done there time on cars and never wants to go near one again.

iv been working 40hr weeks and been getting between 120 and 220 a weeks as a delivery driver for the past year(not taking account petrol).starting off at 180 a week will do me fine haha.also even if a few years down the line i do change career having that qualification behind me will be good.:D
im glad im getting a bit of contrast in the reply's it gives me something too think about.
i also think if i do change career i can also do nixers here and there.

thanks a million lads i am grateful for all the posts and keep them coming;)