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21 July 2022

Our Gas Engineer never looks back after swapping self-employment for permanent role

Stephen Jarvis gave up the perils of being self-employed for a stable career with us.
Stephen Jarvis

Our Gas Engineer, Stephen Jarvis, has never looked back since swapping self-employment for a permanent role with us. 

Stephen was a self-employed commercial engineer with his own business for 15 years but struggled to find a suitable work-life balance and wanted better stability for his work.

He believes a company structure, with a generous pension scheme, competitive salary, and a friendly and welcoming team of colleagues to work with, offers better benefits than working for yourself.

Stephen said: “The company offers stability in your earnings, so you aren’t looking for your next pay check. You’re not chasing anything – that’s the bonus. 

“You’ve got the security it’s going to be long-term which is great for people that are quite experienced tradespeople.

“The other thing I like is, you’re going to new places all the time, so you never work in the same places, and you get to see the countryside which is nice.

“You’ve got that structure behind you, like with the mental health support and other types of support but when you’re self-employed you just don’t get that.”

LiveWest is inviting trades people to find out more about job opportunities on 22 and 29 July at Rexel – Components House, Industrial Estate, Vale Lane, Bristol, BS3 5SA - between 7am and 10am. 

As well as a potential new career route awaiting, a free breakfast bap is also available. 

Stephen, 46, took a job at LiveWest over four years ago. He likes the option to add overtime if you need it as some don’t realise this is available at bigger companies.

He finds having a more set work pattern and the steady work he gets works better around his family life as he doesn’t have to lots of jobs at short notice.

He also likes the opportunity to share knowledge and skills with colleagues and new tradespeople.

Stephen said: “If you want to be self-employed you could be working 70 to 80 hours a week and that’s why you earn the money, because of the hours you’re doing. You work where the money is and where a customer needs you. 

“The other thing as well is you’ve got to work at the drop of a hat. I could be installing a shower cubicle somewhere and I could have another customer call me and say, ‘look this is broken’ and I can’t say ‘sorry I can’t go’ because I will lose that customer.

“I was very successful and earnt good money and holidays, but you cannot switch off. Even when you’re on holiday if you turn your phone off you will come back to hundreds of calls, and it was hard. The calls were ‘why aren’t you on site?’ and some of it wasn’t pleasant either.” 

Trades poster

Stephen enjoys getting the chance to train in areas he wouldn’t usually get the opportunity to through self-employment. 

The pressures are another aspect Stephen found difficult with self-employment. The corporate jobs being in high demand but faced with the personal fines with not completing a job to a tight deadline wasn’t appealing. 

Stephen added: “There are more diverse opportunities and training than a self-employed person would be able to get.

“With this company you get the opportunity to train in different paths, appliances and renewables. You are going to get more experience and more opportunities than you would if you were self-employed. You’ve guaranteed qualifications which I think is great. 

“The other thing is, you feel like you’re part of something big so doing your little bits regardless of what you do, you feel like you’re part of a bigger picture which is satisfying. 

“If you work for yourself, your own business reputation is on the line. In LiveWest, you have the support from other departments.”

Stephen, who has over 30 years’ experience is the industry, made it to the Top Tradesperson 2021 final for his passion and determination in trades. 

Stephen said: “That small job you did is actually rewarding so when a customer calls up with feedback, they really are pleased which makes you feel good. When you’re self-employed it’s in out, check, next job.

“You never get that feedback from a customer, the only thing you get is word of mouth to get another job. But you find it’s always one-way traffic when you’re self-employed. 

“So, within our company you will get acknowledgement of your skill set. But also, customers putting in good comments which you don’t get very often.”

If you are an electrician, a gas engineer or a multi-skilled technician, we are welcoming you to chat about the benefits of working for the largest housing provider in the South West.

For more information about career opportunities and current job vacancies click here