What should we know about your job??

SunderlandBlackCat

lennymfo wrote: »

Safeguard?

:rotfl: Took me about 3 years to finally wean myself off saying that when I left the mob.

Iwantahouse_2

I'm a police officer.
Main money saving tips are:
keep your car in order, make sure all lights are working etc
wear a seat belt
don't talk on your mobile phone while driving
If you go out and get drunk, don't moon the police officers who have already warned you
If you get a fine pay it by the deadline or it may go up.

poodlehorse

Firstly can I just say Lenny that was a fab post.

Dylanwing you made me snort tea through my nose with your PFI comment, spot on.

As for me, I used to be a librarian so not much moneysaving other than borrow books and bring them back on time. If you know you aren't going to get back in time then for goodness sake try and renew them. And for most authorities it shouldn't matter which of their libraries your return books to regardless of where you took them out. (although I have found a lot of our staff unwilling to do this even though it is a clearly stated policy).

If the book you want is not in your library check if the authority has it and you can request it (might be a small charge), if not then there are two routes. One (if it is a non-fiction book) is to ILL it (interlibrary loan) and they will try (usually for quite a hefty charge) and get it for you from anywhere they can (ie the world) but if you don't want to go for that (and you would really have to be desperate for it in most cases to do it as it can be very expensive if you have to pay to post it back to somewhere obscure, especially if you go overdue) then we used to put the requests for books not in stock into the to be considered for purchase pile. Very rarely did a book that had been requested not get bought. Different places might do it differently but I would say most librarians in charge of purchase will be as obliging as they can be with limited budgets and will be happy to know it is a book that is required rather than buying blind. So don't think twice about asking.

Oh and remember that libraries have free highspeed internet access via the People's NEtwork. Tony Blair paid to set it up (although not maintain it sadly that has to just be adopted by each authority) so for gawd's sake use it.

tirednurse_2

Iwantahouse wrote: »

I'm a police officer.
Main money saving tips are:
keep your car in order, make sure all lights are working etc
wear a seat belt
don't talk on your mobile phone while driving
If you go out and get drunk, don't moon the police officers who have already warned you
If you get a fine pay it by the deadline or it may go up.

Thanks for the tips. I will now be more cautious when I moon at Police Officers:rotfl:

wyebird

It's an obvious one, but be nice! Any customers I have ever dealt with in any job I have had, who have been pleasant and friendly, will always make me try a bit harder in their cause. I used to work in a call centre and had the authority to waive bank charges. Guess who got them back, the rude, abusive ones who spoke to you like you were somethething they stepped in? Strangely not!

Toto

We have a production company, sound/lighting/staging etc for bands. Apart from doing 'rock and roll' we do a lot of corporate events which include weddings etc. My biggest money saving tip would be, if you are planning a wedding or any kind of party where you'll be having a band/hiring sound for a DJ. Have the party in February/March or September/October. These months are dead in the industry and you'll get a much bigger discount. I am happy to put gear out at 50% discount if we are dead just to get it out and working and most production companies will do the same. If it's a charity event, I've been known to put the gear out free and just charge for the engineers and crew, so always mention it if you're organising a charity do.

I've also been a session musician for 15 years and have a load of tips to save cash if you're in a band and starting to tour, but I doubt that's much use to anyone here so I'll shut up.

Dragon_Lady_3

Hi,

I am a Painter and Decorator. Can't give a lot of MSE tips apart from:

If you employ a decorator and they ask you to clear as much as possible out of the room to be decorated before they get there. PLEASE do it. If you don't, they probably will get the hump and more than likely charge you for doing it. Obviously, stuff like big furniture can stay and be covered. But all smaller and personal stuff should be put elsewhere. [We decorated a restuarant a while ago, when we got there it was still set up, with 40 tables all laid for dinner. Wine racks against the walls with 1000's of bottles in them!!! I did refuse to move the wine and the owner was very suprised. [Then they wondered why we weren't happy bunnies]. We quote for decorating NOT furniture removal.

Also, a lot of preparation can be done yourself. If the wallpaper needs stripping, do it before you get a quote. It can save you one or two days off the charge.

If you have furry pets, please keep them out of the room until it is finished and dry. Paint in fur is not fun and can be difficult to get out. Paint in gloss is not funny for us because we are expected to put it right.

The biggest one is, [I think], the cheapest quote is NOT always the best value. We have been called in quite a few times to put right what previous trades have done. So the client has had to pay twice.

Ask for recommendations and references. If the trade is genuine and take pride in their work, they will not mind you contacting previous clients or supplying references.

That's all for now.

Queen.Bess

I work in Personnel and have to say the number of employees who don't realise they are paying basic rate tax on their earnings and don't need to is quite staggering! So my advice is to always check your payslips! Check the tax code and make sure it doesn't say BR (if it's your only job) and also check your tax code figure against what the tax office send through to you each year and make sure they're the same!

saraharrow

Hi

We have a courier company, so I will add a few things that may make things easier for people when they need one.

Couriers are generally paid by the mile, and that depends on vehicle size. So a an american style Fridge Freezer from London to Edinburgh will be more expensive than a TV from London to Edinburgh even though the mileage is the same.

Couriers are better for the more expensive / valuable stuff however if you have bought an ebay item like a sofa, ask the courier if they could collect and deliver as a 'backload', this means they will collect it and deliver it usually within a 5 day window. This could save you up to 50% of the price. We post our backloads on BT Tradespace.

Check that they have Goods in Transit insurance so that your items are covered. The Royal Mail couriers are only insured for £2,500 and some couriers for £10k, we have £25k, so that covers just about most things people require us to deliver.

Are you getting a courier or a man with a van advertising in the local paper? you will only usually notice the difference when something goes wrong, you get what you pay for and when your antiques are damaged and there is no insurance was the 30 quid saving worth it?

Double check that the courier has straps and blankets, some dont carry them for every job.

A courier company can often be cheaper to move home / office than a removal company BUT they generally dont have the same insurance as a removal company or as many helpers to load the van. This can be great alternative when the kids are moving to and from uni.

The prices quoted are door step to door step, so when the driver luggs your heavy goods to your back garden he's doing it out of the kindness of his heart, so a cuppa would be appreciated.

When getting a price from a courier be honest and tell them if the delivery point is up 7 flights of stairs to a little old lady, it wont affect the price but at least they are prepared.

And if it is a two man job, tell them that. It would be cheaper if you offered assitance at collection / delivery points, but if its a two man job and you dont tell them it causes huge delays and you may get cancelled.

Hope this is useful

Sarah

cannycat

With the NHS I think it often depends on what part of the country you work in. My first job was with the NHS in Nottingham and I don't remember ANY perks at all (though every job afterwards seemed dead easy by comparison!); I now work for the NHS again, only this time in Exeter, where we do get lower fares on local buses, some local hairdressers/beauty salons do offer a discount on treatments, and there is always the NHS Discounts page. (Ranges from 10% off at Dorothy Perkins to special offers at NHS Electric). Link is http://www.nhsdiscounts.com/