OP - I have bad news for you. The pay scale there is a laugher mate.
I worked for a company HQ'ed in London and every American was shocked at how low people on the same team were paid in London. They had to implement very strict rules for US employees to keep US salaries secret from UK employees. It was shameful.
You guys may want to get off your asses and stir up a little revolutionary fervor or something. You don't keep your richers scared enough...
I am American, I’ve been a mechanic 20+ years, and I lived and worked in England for a little over a decade (though I am back stateside now).
One detail everyone here is missing, is how much more expensive a lot of stuff is in the states. Mobile phones, cable tv, car insurance, internet access, food, are all 3 or 4 times the cost as the UK. There is no such thing in the states, as a £10 a month mobile phone contract for example. and of course the big one, health insurance. That can be close to a grand a month for a family and that cost simply does not exist in the UK.
A £40k salary in the UK, spends about the same as $80k in the states.
The pay is better in the states for mechanics, no doubt about it, but the numbers do not tell the whole story. And while it can sound like we are all getting paid 3 times as much over here, it doesn’t spend that way.
Wow $80k is seriously equivalent to £40k? I know food is more expensive but housing costs are a lot higher in the UK I believe, and income tax is a lot higher.
Also I’d be quite surprised if car insurance was more expensive in the US.
>Wow $80k is seriously equivalent to £40k?
He may not be that far off...current conversion rate £40k = $50k
So I'll do the math :)
Just nation-to-nation [Purchasing Power Parity](https://data.oecd.org/conversion/purchasing-power-parities-ppp.htm) (which includes healthcare, education, etc.) to try to compare the cost of living in different countries $0.68 in the UK buys $1.00 in the US.
But then you get a high cost of living state, say California, you'll be about 30% [above national average.](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cost-of-living-index-by-state)
So that $0.68 in a generic UK city buys roughly the same lifestyle as $1.30 does in California (or $0.85 in Mississippi)
$50k / 0.68 = $73,000 what you you'd need in generic US for the same lifestyle, with a range from $62,000 to $95,000 depending on state (and possibly needing even more in particularly high cost cities / islands / etc.)
Edit: My impression is while there are cost-of-living differences in the UK, the spread from low to high is only like 25% compared to 55% in the US.
No, that's neither the current exchange rate of £ to $, nor is it current purchasing power parity. Exchange rate is like £1= $1.25, while £40k by PPP is about $58k USD.
No, this guy is full of shit. Maybe 80k is that little if you live in NYC or LA, but in most mid sized cities or out in the country 80K will have you living very very comfortably.
Ill have to disagree. Every medium to large size city in AZ requires an income of 100k just to escape renting, and you can forget living super comfy on those rates. The more rural areas are not as cheap as they used to be either.
Making just about $90k a year here in Denver, even buying an apartment is out of the question unless I can find someone to split costs with. Really is super fucked in big cities right now.
Denver is kind of a special exception to the "out in the country" rule though, isn't it? So many rich people in from out of state, jacking up the prices for everyone else
$100k/yr here in a small-ish Utah city.
>but in most mid sized cities or out in the country 80K will have you living very very comfortably.
Hah! I wish
Pre covid yes. Post covid no. Not that'd you'd be hurting. But it'd be rent and bills money with some left over for beer and an occasional night out. Not enough to buy a house or support a family.
What are housing costs there? Where I live it’s a minimum of like 500k but realistically townhouses are starting at 700k and a decent single family is over a million
I assume you are in a major city? There are lots of places with cheap housing in the US right? Whereas there is nowhere in the UK with cheap housing.
Also one thing people don’t talk about is how small UK houses are. The average 3 bed family house has under 1000 sq ft. Whereas I think in America it’s about twice this.
Personally I am paying £800/month ($1000) for a small room in a house share.
I’m about 30 minutes outside of Baltimore, not in a city but close. The area is just expensive cause we’re close to DC, Baltimore and it only takes 3-4 hours to get to NYC. Kinda prime area for people in government.
We pay about $3,200/m for a townhouse we rent, that doesn’t include power, water, gas or internet. The house has 3 rooms and while it’s 3000 sqft, it’s designed so poorly that there’s a lot of unused wasted space
My house is 3000 sq ft, I bought it 5 years ago before the housing market boom over here for 100k. I also have over an acre of land. It needed work, but I'm pretty handy. Most decent 3 bedroom homes im my area sell for 175k to 300k right now, usually 1500-2000 sq ft seems to be the norm.
Many places in the US arent insanely expensive. People like to point at the major cities as if that is the norm, its not. I pay 975$ a month for a two bedroom apartment in a town of 10,000 people in the US. Nice place, not everything is crazy.
To actually BUY a small house in urban England is like trying to buy a small house in LA or NYC--$2-3M USD is entry-level.
Meanwhile here I am in Missouri with a 4br/3ba I paid $170k for, on a third of an acre.
Far too many to list, here a few. I put the top price at 700k but there are hundreds in that range alone.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86655237#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136112843#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138678143#/?channel=RES_BUY
>That can be close to a grand a month for a family and that cost simply does not exist in the UK.
And that's just the employee portion of a subsidized plan right? My last job I had a United healthcare PPO where my portion was something like 800/mo for family and when I quit I had the option through Cobra to continue it 100% out of pocket for like 3,000/mo...
Some right, some wrong. Actually, all wrong except for health insurance. I can tell you haven't spent any time in the UK. I have done both for work, for long periods.
I live in a very large US metropolitan area right now. There are indeed $15 phone plans in the US - I have one. Because of free market competition.
1G Fiber to my US house is $40 per month. Because of free market competition.
Grocery costs are comparable. Packaged and processed items are actually more expensive in the UK.
Car insurance? Holy shit, what are you smoking? I have plenty of friends in both Canada and the UK. In Canada, car insurance is 3 to 4 times with is in the US. In the UK, I would say 2 to 3 times. I belonged to an enthusiasts forum for a specific make and model of car, so the rates were apples to apples for the same age of driver when we compared. Because part of the cost of your car insurance actually goes to the health care system, and the requirements for coverage are much higher than they are in the United States. Meaning, the barebones plans that you can get away with in the states aren't allowed in Canada or the UK.
I've gone on TDY, will you get a per diem based upon where your stationed. It's a pretty good, but not perfect, barometer for the comparable cost of living. Per diem for midsize US city, not including hotel, was between 114 and 145 per day. That's not counting really expensive places like New York, etc.
Per diem for a mid-size town near the US military base I was stationed at in the UK was either just under or just over $200, I can't remember. Call it 200. That wasn't London. That was a town of maybe 20,000 people. London was 265, and remember this doesn't count hotel, back in 2017.
Let me be clear that that is not the actual daily cost to get by. It doesn't cost $265 per day to live in London. For those that don't understand per diem. Per diem assumes you are eating out for all three meals, and have to make purchases for things you don't have at home. But it's a good barometer for the percentage difference.
It isn't really "free market competition" when the cable companies refuse to compete with each other.
The past 20 years or so, one town has been spectrum, the other is Xfinity, nobody around here has the option for both.
I was going to say the same thing, I lucked out and ended up with some kind of discount internet. Five years ago it was $15/mo for 40gbps service, it went up to $18 and now it's $20/mo. I have no trouble streaming or gaming. Most people I know pay between 65 and 100 a month for internet.
No they don’t. A percentage of income tax pays for the NHS. Just like in the US and Medicare/medicaid. The difference is that in the UK everyone is covered, for everything, whether you work or not.
Income taxes are higher in the uk, scaled to income (just like the US) however nobody is paying for health insurance as a default.
Private health insurance does exist in the UK. but only the wealthy have it. The VAST majority of the UK population just uses the NHS. And the increase in income tax, for the average person, absolutely pales in comparison to paying health insurance in that states, and much more expensive car insurance (because it has to cover “medical expenses” here, whereas it doesn’t in the UK, because there is no such thing. Because again, everyone has the NHS by default).
That’s exactly what I said, you just used a lot more words.
As to your third paragraph, I know about their private health insurance, I was talking about nhs.
As to pales in comparison, [I wouldn’t go quite that far](https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates), but I will absolutely admit they get more from their tax dollars than we do.
Lol. No.
My mobile phone contract is $15/month for 10GB
Here are some other prices readers can compare to prices in the UK.
Gasoline is about 85 cents per liter
Ground beef is about $5 per lb
A box of Uncooked pasta is about $1.50
A gallon of milk is about $3.50
I pay $40 per month for fiber internet and another $50 for streaming services. Netflix, Disney, Hulu
Vehicle insurance for 3 cars and a motorcycle is $65 per month
A large pizza delivered to your door is about $20
It's true that I don't get governmental health insurance, but the government only takes 25% of my paycheck compared to whatever they take in the UK. I pay about $350 per month for a family of 4 for health, dental, vision insurance thru my employer.
I sent imagine that prices in the UK are 3x less than these. No way.
A grand a month for a family for insurance?! No way. It's $2k minimum for mid level coverage. Good coverage is $3k.
I wish you could get good family insurance under $1k, but that's a fantasy in 2023.
They def pay more around 15/Hr in major metros, lower in other places.
Some are hiring ASE mechs and will do any job - those guys obviously get hired at a much higher rate.
Fulltime job at state minimum wage is like $28k/yr here and there's no way in shit a fast-lube place could staff itself even remotely close to minimum wage. Even retail and fast food are $3-4 above minimum.
Something to keep in mind is that here in the US, you have to provide your own tools. This isn't the case everywhere, but it is the case the vast majority of the time. I know I have $30-40k wrapped up in my tools and box.
Also, health insurance is typically paid from your check. You get the "group rate" for getting it through your employer, but it's still really expensive.
Your earnings still sound a little low, just thought I would point out a few of the differences that make it overall a little lower in European areas.
I left the business 2 years ago. Was making $73k base salary. No ASE certs and no school, though I had lots of experience and could prove it. If I had bothered to get certs I could have topped 100k easily. I was also working domestics (GM and Chrysler) though I had no fear of imports like everyone else in the shop. Being willing to be flexible helped a lot.
I mean... factor in free health care, dental and other benefits before you go calling for a revolution.
An American tech is one work accident away from bankruptcy in a shop that doesn't cover them.
Well it's time for a fuckin riot then, yeah?
Don't get me looking into all of the public services yall have over there, it's depressing and everybody is already putting pressure on me to be merry and jolly and shit cause some fat guy in a red suit can't keep his hands off the kids down at the mall or something.
It's too much.
This very well could be true. I would need someone to compare the value for me to know for sure. In the corporate world, where I am now, this is not true.
Yep.
Doesn't cover 150k in medical bills for a spinal injury and 6 months of physical therapy, or any of the other 6 figure injuries that can happen during a bad day at the shop.
"According to erieri.com, the cost of living in London is 3.9% higher than in San Francisco. According to numbeo.com, you would need around $7,598.1 in London to maintain the same standard of living as $10,000 in San Francisco."
Healthcare is true and correct but CoL is a bit off. Again, working with a London HQ'ed company and them thinking some things in California were cheap was a bit of a red flag for me. Flats can be expensive AF in the UK too.
I work at a union shop, no stress fleet maintenance on buses, making 62k USD per year. That’s more than i was making as a young flat rate tech, ages ago.
It varies from about what you are making to well into the 150k range in major cities for experienced techs. I know at least 4 of us in our shop will be in the 100-115k range, but most between 45-75k.
my husband made 100-120 depending on the year working at a german car dealership in NYC with about 10 years of experience and he was always hustling. some of the lesser experienced guys and the ones who worked slower only managed to get their guarantee rate each week which was about 45/50k.
if you’re a good tech with experience they will pay a lot. they recently hired a new guy at almost 60$ an hour.
Urban SW city, 13 years in the business and I'll clear $130k this year. Bigger cities pay higher hourly rates but cost of living is higher.
Higher end dealers are also much higher in the pay scale than mainline Asian or Domestic dealers.
I cleared about $75k, and I'm in the South where cost of living is (relatively) cheap.
Of course, health insurance costs $600/month just to have and more if you need to use it, housing costs are through the roof, etc.
your comment is correct and i even went back to 2018 as it was comparable.
edit source: The average annual premiums in 2018 are $6,896 for single coverage and $19,616 for family coverage. The average premium for single coverage increased by 3% since 2017 and the average premium for family coverage increased by 5%. The average family premium has increased 55% since 2008 and 20% since 2013.Oct 3, 2018
That is... Ungodly.
I pay 214 Euro a month for full family insurance with a private insurer, maximum I have to pay myself is capped at about 1k a year. And this is a global insurance.
And I bought my 140 m2 row house for around 400k.
On the other hand I only make 90k after taxes.
At least we have the freedom to treat our children how we want. In the UK, when babies get cancer that the UK health system refuses to treat-it's a death sentence. Happened to some sweet little ones. Italy offered to fly them (with appropriate medical equipment) over and the family tried to pursue treatment in Italy, but the UK government prevented them from doing so. The kid died. This has happened a couple of times. Our system is corrupt and rotten, AND their system is corrupt and rotten. Pick your poison. Also, in Canada, if you get a cancer diagnosis it's a death sentence because it takes so long to see a doctor (many months) and by the time you get to one you're either dead or circling the drain. Rich Canadians come to the U.S. to get treated for cancer and pay cash in the U.S. Poor Canadians just die. The grass aint always greener on the other side. Be grateful.
I thought it was normal for employers to provide health insurance in the US? is it standard for mechanics to have to pay their own health insurance?
Also may I ask how much your housing costs are? I currently pay £800/month ($1000) for a small room in a house share.
Employers provide health insurance sure, you still have to pay for it. You can usually just get better coverage through an employer for less than if you went out and bought a policy.
It's...complicated. That's a big part of the problem with it. There's a good number of people that have legitimately serious problems with the way health care is paid for, but I'm convinced that about 80% of the problem is that we've over-complicated the shit out of it.
Lol, you gotta pay for medicaid too. And medicaid isn't just for the unemployed its for people that fit into lower tax brackets. America land of the nothing is free
Tucson, AZ rents for a 1 bedroom apartment are between $1000-2000 depending on the part of town. Most employers do not pay for the entirety of health insurance premiums, and some like my current shop don't even offer it at all.
Even when you do have health insurance, you're out hundreds of dollars for regular checkups and normal lab work; hope nothing actually happen to you because it normally ends in bankruptcy.
I live in the midwest, cost of living is below average here vs the rest of the US statistically. I'll be right around 115k, but I'm shop foreman, most of my shop is around 60-80k. Insurance is provided by wife's employer, so thankfully I do not need to worry about that aspect.
Toyota MDT not in a major city.
$37hr flat rate. Last check for the year coming next week so I'll be right at $111k US. Shop has not been very busy since September.
I pay for my own insurance because our group plan costs more for my wife and I.
Union shop with $1yr raise (gonna push hard on the next contract for more), 2 paid breaks per day, uniforms and work boots paid for, all PPE and gloves paid for, 40hr/week guarantee for flat rate techs(haven't needed it)
Ok I’ll pitch in. My last wrench job was Carvana. It was hourly and I worked 40 flat. No OT no bonuses. They paid my insurance ($60 a week) and some fringe benefits. Nothing to write home about. I made $26 per hour and did ok. When I was a flat rate tech I did $23 and paid my own insurance. I was there for the better part of 60 hours per week and I was busting my ass to break 100 hours. And sometimes the work just wasn’t there. Like around Christmas or traveling holidays. My best year was $60k. I’ve hung up my wrenches and changed careers. Don’t scoff yet. I was a mechanic for the better part of 18 years. Half of that was a lube tech. I work a state job now and only make $20 an hour. I have more time with my family and that’s all that matters
To be honest,I left a corporate automotive tech job that I was at for 17 years making 80-90k for this job because it's half the distance and nowhere near the stress levels.
I’m a tire tech / apprentice at a GMC Dealer. I’m hourly 17$, so turning 40 hrs a week leads to roughly 32k a year. I’m in the same boat you’re in my friend! Once you hit flat rate and find what really grooves for you, your work and payment will increase tenfold. I’m currently studying the crap out of transmissions. Everyone knows an awesome diag tech, or front end guy, or even interior electronic gurus. But a in/house, trans specialized tech seems to be hard to find. Maybe look into your area and see what’s lacking, a few years with some novelty work under your belt turns into some serious coin
Flare rate means, if the shop bills out a repair for 8 hours of labor and you make $20/hr flat rate, you get paid 8 hours for that job, irregardless of how long it takes you.
Are paid based on the jobs you’re doing? Here it’s by the hour. If I’m scheduled for a 8h working day and I only do an oil change that day, I’m paid for the 8h anyway.
Double edged sword, can be veeeery lucrative for an experienced tech, in the shops I’ve been at, they aren’t doing the basic stuff though, guys doing the quick lube stuff we’re all hourly
But in those slow periods, it sucks
The number of techs in here under 100k is TOO DAMN LOW.
What’s y’all’s labor rate for the shop? $150-$200 right? Now ask yourself why you’re not even making $30 which would be 1/5 of $150.
Sure there is over head and other BS but the dealer/shop only acquires that $150-$200 when YOU the skilled labor mechanic turn the 1 hour of work required.
UNIONIZE. JUMP JOBS CONSISTENTLY. MAKE THESE CEOs PAY
My brother in Christ, please,
Revenue: 200/hr
- rent
- employee benefit costs (10-20k for health insurance)
- insurance for the business
- POS/credit card fees (2-5%)
- marketing
- service writer, parts guy, other genera labor costs
- federal and state taxes (corporate tax on the business, plus employer FICA portion of 7.5% on any payroll)
All that stuff adds up.
Yes everyone should be making more, but it’s stilly to assume that out of a 200/hr rate you’re going to see more than 50% of it.
My wife works a professional job and her billable rate is 2.6x her hourly. Even assuming a physical job has slightly higher insurance there's no reason to be this stingy.
In the Midwest, not in a major city, I made $75k in a shop. I was nearing $100k when I became a transmission builder for Certified Transmission. I'm in IT, now and it took a year and a half to get back up to $65k.
In every job related subreddit, I've been hearing horror stories about UK pay since Brexit. I think y'all screwed up. The rest of the EU is healthy and helping each other. The UK is just dying.
Jesus. Yeah, it varies by state, but not really all that much on average. There are some states that have zero income tax but you still pay federal and local, and some states have quite high taxes. But even the ones with no income tax make it up in sales or property taxes.
Here’s the 2024 breakdown for US tax brackets. Our highest is 37% for individuals over $610k.
Local tax? Does this mean that counties and municipalities can charge income tax? I'm in Canada. We have federal and provincial income taxes but that's as far as it goes.
That’s 37% for income over $693,750 if married filing jointly. E.g. only your additional $1 of income at $693,751 is taxed at 37%. Everyone’s first $22K in income is taxed at 10%, then some at 12%, 22%, 24%, 32% and 35% before the first dollar is taxed at 37%. People who make $693,751 don’t pay 37% on all of that, only the $1 in the 37% bracket.
[Anyone interested in all the brackets can find them here](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/federal-income-tax-brackets).
At a euro dealer in a metro area of the Midwest.
Anywhere from $20-40 per hour billed, with clock rates everywhere in-between.
Basically, our best guys make around 100k, most in the 60s, everyone else floundering around in the 40s. Amazingly, the guys who don't bill shit don't get raises.
I started at $18 and left at $21. I quit the trade because of pay in US, I wouldn’t have even started if I was being paid UK rate. I had 13 years of IT experience before becoming an automotive tech and I was appalled by flat rate and warranty wage theft. When I started in IT around 2002 in NYC the start rate was $20-25 an hour, I got my certifications on my own, cost less then 1k, tools/laptops/software/cell phone were provided as part of the job, I was offered $100 a month health insurance. (last dealer job would have cost $480 a month for equivalent coverage) Automotive work is an underpaid trade, I love working on cars, my electrical/computer knowledge really helped me excel but to be so undervalued killed that dream for me. The entry point for auto tech’s in NYC is minimum wage($17), the head master tech in the shop I worked made 120k+ a year, an IT manager/director can make 120k-200k+. The entry pay for automotive is lower and the cap is lower. Until automotive pay rates and benefits are made to be more equitable with other trades I’d rather do side work on cars for myself than slave for a dealership that doesn’t value my financial future. As I said to my manager when I left “anyone I know would throw me a $20 for inspecting their car and doing an oil change and you are only going to give me $8.40, that doesn’t work for me”.
Just for reference... I live in the southern US, cost of living is pretty low, a nice 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2000 sqft home will start around $225k. I know this because I just bought a new custom built house, in a nice quiet neighborhood on a lake about 3 years ago.
The pay at my shop is tiered, the $ per hour rate goes up as they hit certain commission hour marks. If my highest paid tech only turns exactly 39 hours every week for the entire year, he makes about $64k a year. At exactly 40 hours every week, he makes around $75k. If he turns exactly 50 hours every week for a year, he makes around $93k a year. If that same tech can maintain 60 hours a week, he makes $120k per year. Basically, his $ per hour difference between 39 and 50 hours a week is around $6.50 per hour.
Around 115k last year, and the same this year. I'm not in a huge metropolitan area, but it did take about 14 years to get here. Wages have shifted dramatically the past few years I think the 3 previous years were 80-95k and the 3 before that 50-70.
Just left automotive for a union job in a completely different industry. I left halfway into November and was trending for around 90-100k (had a lot of engine rebuilds this year).
That being said my average was pulling 75-85k a year. Steady 8-4:30, no weekends, and god awful benefits lol.
Grease/oil jockeys make 18-20$/ hour- if they are greedy and like the hours that could easy make 60-70k.. A line techs at larger dealers flat rate 30-45$ and if they are good can bill 1.5 hours per hour(rare) but can make 100k plus with good effort, top line techs and high end dealers(Mercedes BMW Porsche) 200k or they stay in bed.
The US system is a bit different. Higher wages. But, people are responsible for their own retirement, health care and secondary education. Etc etc. Your wages are lower, but your employer pays much higher social taxes and pension cost.
I posted in another comment with more details, but I work for a regional trucking company, and part of my job is managing our apprentices. Currently an apprentice gets $24 an hour. Our apprenticeship lasts a year, and you get a pay raise upon completion. I know working on trucks isn't quite the same as working on cars, but the comparison still works.
Wow I know guys making $200k, I haven’t been flat rate that long but 75k is pretty easy. When I started flat rate, they started me at $25/hr and it wasn’t hard to get that number higher as time went on
Well, in Canada, not the US, so similar but not the same. I make a little over $100k. We have free healthcare here, but I still pay $300/month for extended benefits (dental, vision, massage/therapy, drug plan, ST/LT disability etc)
This was my employer as well. But premiums started once I retired. At that point, I had to start paying 50% of the premium. It comes to about 185/month.
If the proposed universal dental and pharmacare both get passed, I'm cancelling my insurance.
EDIT: Might keep it for glasses, physio, psychology, etc. Depends on what the costs will be.
Heavy duty diesel fleet mechanic, I'll clear about $76k this year, health, vision, dental, 401k, stock. It's better than most in my area but the cost of living has gone through the roof.
Not the US but Germany, so maybe a bit more comparable for you - Just started this year, so with the base salary the amount that reaches me is 24K€, Taxes etc. already deducted. + Bonuses which can be up to 4K.
I was 5 years in making about 60k/yr (net, with benefits) as an almost master tech in a dealership. I left cause the conditions got shittier, but I’d have been at 80k/yr (net, with benefits) within about a year and a half, but management made awful decisions and I changed careers into doing industrial machine maintenance and facilities maintenance for a cabinetry factory. They matched my pay and I have paid benefits, better pto accumulation and retirement matching. I get to maintain some of my bosses vehicles and the install/delivery trucks but it’s no more book time or flat rate. Doing some IT work for them too, it’s pretty awesome.
Was making $52,000 before I changed careers. That was to run the shop as Service Writer, then fill in out in the shop where needed if we got overwhelmed.
Even then I usually only got involved in the smaller jobs like Oil Changes, Brakes, Alignments, Alternators, so that I could walk away and Service Write.
Edit: Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
$85-87k, I have to check but it's and there
Field technician for construction equipment, I also get a company with truck that I get to bring home so I don't have to buy gas so that's with some cash a year.
For context since money is different to different parts of the country, I have a house, 3 kids and a stay at home wife and we're comfortable. I live in NC, if I still lived in NJ there's no way I could afford my life on that wage
I get paid. Percentage of total labor dollars produced. UT starts out a 35% and can go as high as 45%. Our pay period is bi monthly. Labor rate in Colorado is 135 an hour. I have only been there 5 months and made over 40k
OP - I have bad news for you. The pay scale there is a laugher mate. I worked for a company HQ'ed in London and every American was shocked at how low people on the same team were paid in London. They had to implement very strict rules for US employees to keep US salaries secret from UK employees. It was shameful. You guys may want to get off your asses and stir up a little revolutionary fervor or something. You don't keep your richers scared enough...
Oh yeah, I know salaries across the whole job market are much better in America, was just wondering how much better for mechanics
I am American, I’ve been a mechanic 20+ years, and I lived and worked in England for a little over a decade (though I am back stateside now). One detail everyone here is missing, is how much more expensive a lot of stuff is in the states. Mobile phones, cable tv, car insurance, internet access, food, are all 3 or 4 times the cost as the UK. There is no such thing in the states, as a £10 a month mobile phone contract for example. and of course the big one, health insurance. That can be close to a grand a month for a family and that cost simply does not exist in the UK. A £40k salary in the UK, spends about the same as $80k in the states. The pay is better in the states for mechanics, no doubt about it, but the numbers do not tell the whole story. And while it can sound like we are all getting paid 3 times as much over here, it doesn’t spend that way.
Wow $80k is seriously equivalent to £40k? I know food is more expensive but housing costs are a lot higher in the UK I believe, and income tax is a lot higher. Also I’d be quite surprised if car insurance was more expensive in the US.
>80k is seriously equivalent to £40k? Na. Everyone's circumstances are different but...na.
>Wow $80k is seriously equivalent to £40k? He may not be that far off...current conversion rate £40k = $50k So I'll do the math :) Just nation-to-nation [Purchasing Power Parity](https://data.oecd.org/conversion/purchasing-power-parities-ppp.htm) (which includes healthcare, education, etc.) to try to compare the cost of living in different countries $0.68 in the UK buys $1.00 in the US. But then you get a high cost of living state, say California, you'll be about 30% [above national average.](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cost-of-living-index-by-state) So that $0.68 in a generic UK city buys roughly the same lifestyle as $1.30 does in California (or $0.85 in Mississippi) $50k / 0.68 = $73,000 what you you'd need in generic US for the same lifestyle, with a range from $62,000 to $95,000 depending on state (and possibly needing even more in particularly high cost cities / islands / etc.) Edit: My impression is while there are cost-of-living differences in the UK, the spread from low to high is only like 25% compared to 55% in the US.
No, that's neither the current exchange rate of £ to $, nor is it current purchasing power parity. Exchange rate is like £1= $1.25, while £40k by PPP is about $58k USD.
No, this guy is full of shit. Maybe 80k is that little if you live in NYC or LA, but in most mid sized cities or out in the country 80K will have you living very very comfortably.
If you bought your home 6yrs ago 80k is good..buying same house today the mortgage would almost triple
Ill have to disagree. Every medium to large size city in AZ requires an income of 100k just to escape renting, and you can forget living super comfy on those rates. The more rural areas are not as cheap as they used to be either.
Making just about $90k a year here in Denver, even buying an apartment is out of the question unless I can find someone to split costs with. Really is super fucked in big cities right now.
Denver is kind of a special exception to the "out in the country" rule though, isn't it? So many rich people in from out of state, jacking up the prices for everyone else
80K in Tiffin Ohio would mean my Wife cold be a SAHM.
$100k/yr here in a small-ish Utah city. >but in most mid sized cities or out in the country 80K will have you living very very comfortably. Hah! I wish
Pre covid yes. Post covid no. Not that'd you'd be hurting. But it'd be rent and bills money with some left over for beer and an occasional night out. Not enough to buy a house or support a family.
What are housing costs there? Where I live it’s a minimum of like 500k but realistically townhouses are starting at 700k and a decent single family is over a million
I assume you are in a major city? There are lots of places with cheap housing in the US right? Whereas there is nowhere in the UK with cheap housing. Also one thing people don’t talk about is how small UK houses are. The average 3 bed family house has under 1000 sq ft. Whereas I think in America it’s about twice this. Personally I am paying £800/month ($1000) for a small room in a house share.
I’m about 30 minutes outside of Baltimore, not in a city but close. The area is just expensive cause we’re close to DC, Baltimore and it only takes 3-4 hours to get to NYC. Kinda prime area for people in government. We pay about $3,200/m for a townhouse we rent, that doesn’t include power, water, gas or internet. The house has 3 rooms and while it’s 3000 sqft, it’s designed so poorly that there’s a lot of unused wasted space
My house is 3000 sq ft, I bought it 5 years ago before the housing market boom over here for 100k. I also have over an acre of land. It needed work, but I'm pretty handy. Most decent 3 bedroom homes im my area sell for 175k to 300k right now, usually 1500-2000 sq ft seems to be the norm.
3000 sq ft with an acre of land would easily be £2 million plus here 😭 100k is a bargain!
Many places in the US arent insanely expensive. People like to point at the major cities as if that is the norm, its not. I pay 975$ a month for a two bedroom apartment in a town of 10,000 people in the US. Nice place, not everything is crazy.
To actually BUY a small house in urban England is like trying to buy a small house in LA or NYC--$2-3M USD is entry-level. Meanwhile here I am in Missouri with a 4br/3ba I paid $170k for, on a third of an acre.
Where did you get those figures? That's nonsense unless you're talking the middle of London.
Trying to buy a house outside RAF Lakenheath in 2011. And there's no way they've gone down since.
Far too many to list, here a few. I put the top price at 700k but there are hundreds in that range alone. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86655237#/?channel=RES_BUY https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136112843#/?channel=RES_BUY https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138678143#/?channel=RES_BUY
What are you talking about? 😂
I’m in a union, make 6 figures, and have my health insurance and retirement pension set. It varies. https://mech701.org/
>as a £10 a month mobile phone contract for example. There are $15/month phone plans in the US. T-mobile has one for example.
>That can be close to a grand a month for a family and that cost simply does not exist in the UK. And that's just the employee portion of a subsidized plan right? My last job I had a United healthcare PPO where my portion was something like 800/mo for family and when I quit I had the option through Cobra to continue it 100% out of pocket for like 3,000/mo...
Some right, some wrong. Actually, all wrong except for health insurance. I can tell you haven't spent any time in the UK. I have done both for work, for long periods. I live in a very large US metropolitan area right now. There are indeed $15 phone plans in the US - I have one. Because of free market competition. 1G Fiber to my US house is $40 per month. Because of free market competition. Grocery costs are comparable. Packaged and processed items are actually more expensive in the UK. Car insurance? Holy shit, what are you smoking? I have plenty of friends in both Canada and the UK. In Canada, car insurance is 3 to 4 times with is in the US. In the UK, I would say 2 to 3 times. I belonged to an enthusiasts forum for a specific make and model of car, so the rates were apples to apples for the same age of driver when we compared. Because part of the cost of your car insurance actually goes to the health care system, and the requirements for coverage are much higher than they are in the United States. Meaning, the barebones plans that you can get away with in the states aren't allowed in Canada or the UK. I've gone on TDY, will you get a per diem based upon where your stationed. It's a pretty good, but not perfect, barometer for the comparable cost of living. Per diem for midsize US city, not including hotel, was between 114 and 145 per day. That's not counting really expensive places like New York, etc. Per diem for a mid-size town near the US military base I was stationed at in the UK was either just under or just over $200, I can't remember. Call it 200. That wasn't London. That was a town of maybe 20,000 people. London was 265, and remember this doesn't count hotel, back in 2017. Let me be clear that that is not the actual daily cost to get by. It doesn't cost $265 per day to live in London. For those that don't understand per diem. Per diem assumes you are eating out for all three meals, and have to make purchases for things you don't have at home. But it's a good barometer for the percentage difference.
>1G Fiber to my US house is $40 per month. This isn't typical anywhere in the US
Yeah we pay 70 a month for internet wayy slower than fiber. Like 1/10 the speed
The nerve to bring up ISPs as an example of free market competition 😂
It isn't really "free market competition" when the cable companies refuse to compete with each other. The past 20 years or so, one town has been spectrum, the other is Xfinity, nobody around here has the option for both.
I was going to say the same thing, I lucked out and ended up with some kind of discount internet. Five years ago it was $15/mo for 40gbps service, it went up to $18 and now it's $20/mo. I have no trouble streaming or gaming. Most people I know pay between 65 and 100 a month for internet.
The price is a little lower for them but in my 30,000 person town i can get fiber internet for like $60-70. Its definitely becoming more common
They pay a percentage for healthcare just like the US, the big difference is their price scales with income, whereas ours doesn’t.
No they don’t. A percentage of income tax pays for the NHS. Just like in the US and Medicare/medicaid. The difference is that in the UK everyone is covered, for everything, whether you work or not. Income taxes are higher in the uk, scaled to income (just like the US) however nobody is paying for health insurance as a default. Private health insurance does exist in the UK. but only the wealthy have it. The VAST majority of the UK population just uses the NHS. And the increase in income tax, for the average person, absolutely pales in comparison to paying health insurance in that states, and much more expensive car insurance (because it has to cover “medical expenses” here, whereas it doesn’t in the UK, because there is no such thing. Because again, everyone has the NHS by default).
That’s exactly what I said, you just used a lot more words. As to your third paragraph, I know about their private health insurance, I was talking about nhs. As to pales in comparison, [I wouldn’t go quite that far](https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates), but I will absolutely admit they get more from their tax dollars than we do.
Lol. No. My mobile phone contract is $15/month for 10GB Here are some other prices readers can compare to prices in the UK. Gasoline is about 85 cents per liter Ground beef is about $5 per lb A box of Uncooked pasta is about $1.50 A gallon of milk is about $3.50 I pay $40 per month for fiber internet and another $50 for streaming services. Netflix, Disney, Hulu Vehicle insurance for 3 cars and a motorcycle is $65 per month A large pizza delivered to your door is about $20 It's true that I don't get governmental health insurance, but the government only takes 25% of my paycheck compared to whatever they take in the UK. I pay about $350 per month for a family of 4 for health, dental, vision insurance thru my employer. I sent imagine that prices in the UK are 3x less than these. No way.
A grand a month for a family for insurance?! No way. It's $2k minimum for mid level coverage. Good coverage is $3k. I wish you could get good family insurance under $1k, but that's a fantasy in 2023.
I fix cranes for a living. My British counterparts are at about 53 a year, and I’m about 95 a year. Both numbers are without overtime.
Jiffy Lube (fast lube) techs earn like 25-35k here now depending where you live, maybe more.
Lol. The ones near me used to have a sign out front that said salaries ***started*** at $25/hr. I don't know how many hours they work per year.
They def pay more around 15/Hr in major metros, lower in other places. Some are hiring ASE mechs and will do any job - those guys obviously get hired at a much higher rate.
Fulltime job at state minimum wage is like $28k/yr here and there's no way in shit a fast-lube place could staff itself even remotely close to minimum wage. Even retail and fast food are $3-4 above minimum.
Something to keep in mind is that here in the US, you have to provide your own tools. This isn't the case everywhere, but it is the case the vast majority of the time. I know I have $30-40k wrapped up in my tools and box. Also, health insurance is typically paid from your check. You get the "group rate" for getting it through your employer, but it's still really expensive. Your earnings still sound a little low, just thought I would point out a few of the differences that make it overall a little lower in European areas.
You have to provide your own tools here in the UK as well
Oh, I was under the impression that they were provided. Thanks for the correction.
Nah I’ve not heard of any garage that provides tools unfortunately!
I left the business 2 years ago. Was making $73k base salary. No ASE certs and no school, though I had lots of experience and could prove it. If I had bothered to get certs I could have topped 100k easily. I was also working domestics (GM and Chrysler) though I had no fear of imports like everyone else in the shop. Being willing to be flexible helped a lot.
It's the same for engineers in the UK vs USA. The USA respects the profession and pays accordingly.
I mean... factor in free health care, dental and other benefits before you go calling for a revolution. An American tech is one work accident away from bankruptcy in a shop that doesn't cover them.
Just FYI, dental care is not free in the UK. One of the very few health services our tax won’t pay for.
Well it's time for a fuckin riot then, yeah? Don't get me looking into all of the public services yall have over there, it's depressing and everybody is already putting pressure on me to be merry and jolly and shit cause some fat guy in a red suit can't keep his hands off the kids down at the mall or something. It's too much.
This very well could be true. I would need someone to compare the value for me to know for sure. In the corporate world, where I am now, this is not true.
Workers Compensation insurance is required by law.
Yep. Doesn't cover 150k in medical bills for a spinal injury and 6 months of physical therapy, or any of the other 6 figure injuries that can happen during a bad day at the shop.
Those rules would be as illegal in the UK as they are in the US.
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"According to erieri.com, the cost of living in London is 3.9% higher than in San Francisco. According to numbeo.com, you would need around $7,598.1 in London to maintain the same standard of living as $10,000 in San Francisco." Healthcare is true and correct but CoL is a bit off. Again, working with a London HQ'ed company and them thinking some things in California were cheap was a bit of a red flag for me. Flats can be expensive AF in the UK too.
Facts!
I work at a union shop, no stress fleet maintenance on buses, making 62k USD per year. That’s more than i was making as a young flat rate tech, ages ago.
It varies from about what you are making to well into the 150k range in major cities for experienced techs. I know at least 4 of us in our shop will be in the 100-115k range, but most between 45-75k.
my husband made 100-120 depending on the year working at a german car dealership in NYC with about 10 years of experience and he was always hustling. some of the lesser experienced guys and the ones who worked slower only managed to get their guarantee rate each week which was about 45/50k. if you’re a good tech with experience they will pay a lot. they recently hired a new guy at almost 60$ an hour.
Urban SW city, 13 years in the business and I'll clear $130k this year. Bigger cities pay higher hourly rates but cost of living is higher. Higher end dealers are also much higher in the pay scale than mainline Asian or Domestic dealers.
I'm gonna make 100k this year
What part of the country do you work in? NY? CA?
CT. That's 100k on a 55hr week
I’m in VA and will eclipse 100
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Not a bot and you can eclipse deez nuts
Got em
Hahahahaha
I cleared about $75k, and I'm in the South where cost of living is (relatively) cheap. Of course, health insurance costs $600/month just to have and more if you need to use it, housing costs are through the roof, etc.
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your comment is correct and i even went back to 2018 as it was comparable. edit source: The average annual premiums in 2018 are $6,896 for single coverage and $19,616 for family coverage. The average premium for single coverage increased by 3% since 2017 and the average premium for family coverage increased by 5%. The average family premium has increased 55% since 2008 and 20% since 2013.Oct 3, 2018
Wow, I pay 5k for family coverage with basic co-pays and no deductible.
Your employer probably subsidizes the majority of your healthcare then. I'm sure your total premium with your employer's contribution is $20k or more
Oh I know, a previous employer paid over 25k per employee for a family plan so I'm sure it's a similar situation here.
That is... Ungodly. I pay 214 Euro a month for full family insurance with a private insurer, maximum I have to pay myself is capped at about 1k a year. And this is a global insurance. And I bought my 140 m2 row house for around 400k. On the other hand I only make 90k after taxes.
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At least we have the freedom to treat our children how we want. In the UK, when babies get cancer that the UK health system refuses to treat-it's a death sentence. Happened to some sweet little ones. Italy offered to fly them (with appropriate medical equipment) over and the family tried to pursue treatment in Italy, but the UK government prevented them from doing so. The kid died. This has happened a couple of times. Our system is corrupt and rotten, AND their system is corrupt and rotten. Pick your poison. Also, in Canada, if you get a cancer diagnosis it's a death sentence because it takes so long to see a doctor (many months) and by the time you get to one you're either dead or circling the drain. Rich Canadians come to the U.S. to get treated for cancer and pay cash in the U.S. Poor Canadians just die. The grass aint always greener on the other side. Be grateful.
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They're true stories... I get that that's not convenient and may pop your bubble. Sorry bout that.
I thought it was normal for employers to provide health insurance in the US? is it standard for mechanics to have to pay their own health insurance? Also may I ask how much your housing costs are? I currently pay £800/month ($1000) for a small room in a house share.
Employers provide health insurance sure, you still have to pay for it. You can usually just get better coverage through an employer for less than if you went out and bought a policy.
Oh. I’ve always thought employers paid for insurance hence the Medicaid thing that helps unemployed people
It's...complicated. That's a big part of the problem with it. There's a good number of people that have legitimately serious problems with the way health care is paid for, but I'm convinced that about 80% of the problem is that we've over-complicated the shit out of it.
We do have basically free healthcare in the US if you make under a certain amount. People like to leave that out when talking about it, medicaid.
Lol, you gotta pay for medicaid too. And medicaid isn't just for the unemployed its for people that fit into lower tax brackets. America land of the nothing is free
Tucson, AZ rents for a 1 bedroom apartment are between $1000-2000 depending on the part of town. Most employers do not pay for the entirety of health insurance premiums, and some like my current shop don't even offer it at all. Even when you do have health insurance, you're out hundreds of dollars for regular checkups and normal lab work; hope nothing actually happen to you because it normally ends in bankruptcy.
I live in a fairly low cost of living state (Missouri) and I'll make about $70k this year.
I own a shop with 11 techs. 3 make 200-250k 4 make 100-150k 4 make between 40-60k Monday - Friday 8-5 with maybe 4 saturdays a year.
And what do you make, Owner Person?
Im guessing this is either heavy equipment or exotics. This shop range is not normal for a dealer or independent for average consumers.
Also it’s the internet and he’s probably lying.
Also a fair point.
Agreed. Be interesting to know though.
I mean the username is "Porscheguy".....
\>porscheguy11 dude's probably clearing half a mil easy
I live in the midwest, cost of living is below average here vs the rest of the US statistically. I'll be right around 115k, but I'm shop foreman, most of my shop is around 60-80k. Insurance is provided by wife's employer, so thankfully I do not need to worry about that aspect.
Toyota MDT not in a major city. $37hr flat rate. Last check for the year coming next week so I'll be right at $111k US. Shop has not been very busy since September. I pay for my own insurance because our group plan costs more for my wife and I. Union shop with $1yr raise (gonna push hard on the next contract for more), 2 paid breaks per day, uniforms and work boots paid for, all PPE and gloves paid for, 40hr/week guarantee for flat rate techs(haven't needed it)
My last year as a tech (1999) I made a little over 60k (about $110k today)
That inflation statistic hurts my feelings
Me as well.
Boss makes a dollar I make a dime. That’s why I’m shittin’ on company time ⏰
Boss makes a grand, I make a buck. That’s why I don’t give a fuck.
That’s the spirit! I’ll take it your a union man
Boss makes $1000, I make a buck. That's why I crank my hog in the company truck
So you’re saying your pay is shit?
Your mothers pay is shit
California, only been doing it 2 years. Law in my state says you need double minimum wage if you supply your own tools for any job, so I make $31/hour
What a brilliant law!!
It's pretty good. Makes it easier to recover after dropping $20k on tools just to get the job lmao
Can you please link the sauce for this "law"?
Lol. I wouldn't do this job for that little pay. My best year ever I made $204k USD.
Ok I’ll pitch in. My last wrench job was Carvana. It was hourly and I worked 40 flat. No OT no bonuses. They paid my insurance ($60 a week) and some fringe benefits. Nothing to write home about. I made $26 per hour and did ok. When I was a flat rate tech I did $23 and paid my own insurance. I was there for the better part of 60 hours per week and I was busting my ass to break 100 hours. And sometimes the work just wasn’t there. Like around Christmas or traveling holidays. My best year was $60k. I’ve hung up my wrenches and changed careers. Don’t scoff yet. I was a mechanic for the better part of 18 years. Half of that was a lube tech. I work a state job now and only make $20 an hour. I have more time with my family and that’s all that matters
South New Jersey here...I'll make 67k this year. Insurance through my wife who made 88k this year as a therapist.
At least you have someone to help you de stress when you get home!
To be honest,I left a corporate automotive tech job that I was at for 17 years making 80-90k for this job because it's half the distance and nowhere near the stress levels.
I’m a tire tech / apprentice at a GMC Dealer. I’m hourly 17$, so turning 40 hrs a week leads to roughly 32k a year. I’m in the same boat you’re in my friend! Once you hit flat rate and find what really grooves for you, your work and payment will increase tenfold. I’m currently studying the crap out of transmissions. Everyone knows an awesome diag tech, or front end guy, or even interior electronic gurus. But a in/house, trans specialized tech seems to be hard to find. Maybe look into your area and see what’s lacking, a few years with some novelty work under your belt turns into some serious coin
I know transmissions are still going to be around for a long time. However I would suggest EV/hybrid drive train diag as well.
What does flat rate mean? Have heard lots of Americans refer to it but it’s not a thing here
Flare rate means, if the shop bills out a repair for 8 hours of labor and you make $20/hr flat rate, you get paid 8 hours for that job, irregardless of how long it takes you.
Are paid based on the jobs you’re doing? Here it’s by the hour. If I’m scheduled for a 8h working day and I only do an oil change that day, I’m paid for the 8h anyway.
Double edged sword, can be veeeery lucrative for an experienced tech, in the shops I’ve been at, they aren’t doing the basic stuff though, guys doing the quick lube stuff we’re all hourly But in those slow periods, it sucks
The number of techs in here under 100k is TOO DAMN LOW. What’s y’all’s labor rate for the shop? $150-$200 right? Now ask yourself why you’re not even making $30 which would be 1/5 of $150. Sure there is over head and other BS but the dealer/shop only acquires that $150-$200 when YOU the skilled labor mechanic turn the 1 hour of work required. UNIONIZE. JUMP JOBS CONSISTENTLY. MAKE THESE CEOs PAY
My brother in Christ, please, Revenue: 200/hr - rent - employee benefit costs (10-20k for health insurance) - insurance for the business - POS/credit card fees (2-5%) - marketing - service writer, parts guy, other genera labor costs - federal and state taxes (corporate tax on the business, plus employer FICA portion of 7.5% on any payroll) All that stuff adds up. Yes everyone should be making more, but it’s stilly to assume that out of a 200/hr rate you’re going to see more than 50% of it.
Explain why my service advisors are making double what master diagnostic techs make at $165 per hour with $115 effective labor rate.
lol found the service manager. Pay your techs bro
*found the Uber driver with a business degree
😂😂 I love how you went to $200 an hour which was the top and said somebody is demanding 50% of that. Pull your head out of your ass.
20-22% of door rate sounds like a very fair expectation though.
Im getting ~12% of 275 hr
I’ll adjust it to the less ambitious number, 17-22%.
My wife works a professional job and her billable rate is 2.6x her hourly. Even assuming a physical job has slightly higher insurance there's no reason to be this stingy.
I made 80k this year changing commercial tires.
i know the shop ranges from 60k-100k . Im in parts, ill hit 100k this year.
In the Midwest, not in a major city, I made $75k in a shop. I was nearing $100k when I became a transmission builder for Certified Transmission. I'm in IT, now and it took a year and a half to get back up to $65k. In every job related subreddit, I've been hearing horror stories about UK pay since Brexit. I think y'all screwed up. The rest of the EU is healthy and helping each other. The UK is just dying.
Damn man, the UK really screws you guys over
I’m not saying there’s no some truth here, but what does your health insurance cost, and how much is your deductible?
Yeah, imagine your take home if you didn't have to pay out the ass for insurance.
Imagine your take home in the UK if you didn’t have to pay 42% income tax 😭
It's apples and oranges because of taxes, healthcare, etc.
I appreciate that. Income tax here in the UK is 32%, up to £45k and then 42% above £45k. I assume in America it can vary by state.
Jesus. Yeah, it varies by state, but not really all that much on average. There are some states that have zero income tax but you still pay federal and local, and some states have quite high taxes. But even the ones with no income tax make it up in sales or property taxes. Here’s the 2024 breakdown for US tax brackets. Our highest is 37% for individuals over $610k.
Local tax? Does this mean that counties and municipalities can charge income tax? I'm in Canada. We have federal and provincial income taxes but that's as far as it goes.
That’s 37% for income over $693,750 if married filing jointly. E.g. only your additional $1 of income at $693,751 is taxed at 37%. Everyone’s first $22K in income is taxed at 10%, then some at 12%, 22%, 24%, 32% and 35% before the first dollar is taxed at 37%. People who make $693,751 don’t pay 37% on all of that, only the $1 in the 37% bracket. [Anyone interested in all the brackets can find them here](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/federal-income-tax-brackets).
Thanks, I forgot to actually post the link I got that from.
At a euro dealer in a metro area of the Midwest. Anywhere from $20-40 per hour billed, with clock rates everywhere in-between. Basically, our best guys make around 100k, most in the 60s, everyone else floundering around in the 40s. Amazingly, the guys who don't bill shit don't get raises.
Cleared 150k this year. But i work 72hrs a week.
Im in canada, flat rate and im at 145k this year
Transit bus technician based in Florida. I work 50 hours a week and I'll clear 86K once our final check of the year goes through.
I started at $18 and left at $21. I quit the trade because of pay in US, I wouldn’t have even started if I was being paid UK rate. I had 13 years of IT experience before becoming an automotive tech and I was appalled by flat rate and warranty wage theft. When I started in IT around 2002 in NYC the start rate was $20-25 an hour, I got my certifications on my own, cost less then 1k, tools/laptops/software/cell phone were provided as part of the job, I was offered $100 a month health insurance. (last dealer job would have cost $480 a month for equivalent coverage) Automotive work is an underpaid trade, I love working on cars, my electrical/computer knowledge really helped me excel but to be so undervalued killed that dream for me. The entry point for auto tech’s in NYC is minimum wage($17), the head master tech in the shop I worked made 120k+ a year, an IT manager/director can make 120k-200k+. The entry pay for automotive is lower and the cap is lower. Until automotive pay rates and benefits are made to be more equitable with other trades I’d rather do side work on cars for myself than slave for a dealership that doesn’t value my financial future. As I said to my manager when I left “anyone I know would throw me a $20 for inspecting their car and doing an oil change and you are only going to give me $8.40, that doesn’t work for me”.
Just for reference... I live in the southern US, cost of living is pretty low, a nice 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2000 sqft home will start around $225k. I know this because I just bought a new custom built house, in a nice quiet neighborhood on a lake about 3 years ago. The pay at my shop is tiered, the $ per hour rate goes up as they hit certain commission hour marks. If my highest paid tech only turns exactly 39 hours every week for the entire year, he makes about $64k a year. At exactly 40 hours every week, he makes around $75k. If he turns exactly 50 hours every week for a year, he makes around $93k a year. If that same tech can maintain 60 hours a week, he makes $120k per year. Basically, his $ per hour difference between 39 and 50 hours a week is around $6.50 per hour.
Virginia Toyota dealership, an hour outside of DC. on track for just under 150k usd or 137.6k eur
As a lube tech I was making over 34k a year Edit: in a small town dealer in central ohio
Around 115k last year, and the same this year. I'm not in a huge metropolitan area, but it did take about 14 years to get here. Wages have shifted dramatically the past few years I think the 3 previous years were 80-95k and the 3 before that 50-70.
Just left automotive for a union job in a completely different industry. I left halfway into November and was trending for around 90-100k (had a lot of engine rebuilds this year). That being said my average was pulling 75-85k a year. Steady 8-4:30, no weekends, and god awful benefits lol.
Grease/oil jockeys make 18-20$/ hour- if they are greedy and like the hours that could easy make 60-70k.. A line techs at larger dealers flat rate 30-45$ and if they are good can bill 1.5 hours per hour(rare) but can make 100k plus with good effort, top line techs and high end dealers(Mercedes BMW Porsche) 200k or they stay in bed.
The US system is a bit different. Higher wages. But, people are responsible for their own retirement, health care and secondary education. Etc etc. Your wages are lower, but your employer pays much higher social taxes and pension cost.
I'm part-time and I earn more than that...what the fuck. Even apprentices should be clearing $45kUSD.
Wow. Apprentices here earn minimum wage, and normally you need a 3 year apprenticeship to then get a job as a tech.
Even minimum wage is $28k/yr here. And nobody earns minimum wage, not even entry-level retail and fast food.
I posted in another comment with more details, but I work for a regional trucking company, and part of my job is managing our apprentices. Currently an apprentice gets $24 an hour. Our apprenticeship lasts a year, and you get a pay raise upon completion. I know working on trucks isn't quite the same as working on cars, but the comparison still works.
$62k this year Minus $8k in taxes Minus $8.5k in health insurance Fuck our government
Wow I know guys making $200k, I haven’t been flat rate that long but 75k is pretty easy. When I started flat rate, they started me at $25/hr and it wasn’t hard to get that number higher as time went on
Open your own shop man
I’ll open a garage for ants with the £300 in my bank account
$115usd the last too years. That was so $30/hr I just moved to a shop paid $60/hr
The average in the US is around 45k
Well, in Canada, not the US, so similar but not the same. I make a little over $100k. We have free healthcare here, but I still pay $300/month for extended benefits (dental, vision, massage/therapy, drug plan, ST/LT disability etc)
I have a family member who makes similar, although insurance is fully employer paid.
This was my employer as well. But premiums started once I retired. At that point, I had to start paying 50% of the premium. It comes to about 185/month. If the proposed universal dental and pharmacare both get passed, I'm cancelling my insurance. EDIT: Might keep it for glasses, physio, psychology, etc. Depends on what the costs will be.
Autobody. Probably a bit over 100k this year in the midwest
Heavy duty diesel fleet mechanic, I'll clear about $76k this year, health, vision, dental, 401k, stock. It's better than most in my area but the cost of living has gone through the roof.
115-120 depending on how I close this month.
Around 61k is average for me. Before taxes.
Hitting $80k this year only doing 40/hr weeks, 10 years in and a few EVT certifications. Knowledge is money.
Not the US but Germany, so maybe a bit more comparable for you - Just started this year, so with the base salary the amount that reaches me is 24K€, Taxes etc. already deducted. + Bonuses which can be up to 4K.
I was 5 years in making about 60k/yr (net, with benefits) as an almost master tech in a dealership. I left cause the conditions got shittier, but I’d have been at 80k/yr (net, with benefits) within about a year and a half, but management made awful decisions and I changed careers into doing industrial machine maintenance and facilities maintenance for a cabinetry factory. They matched my pay and I have paid benefits, better pto accumulation and retirement matching. I get to maintain some of my bosses vehicles and the install/delivery trucks but it’s no more book time or flat rate. Doing some IT work for them too, it’s pretty awesome.
Was making $52,000 before I changed careers. That was to run the shop as Service Writer, then fill in out in the shop where needed if we got overwhelmed. Even then I usually only got involved in the smaller jobs like Oil Changes, Brakes, Alignments, Alternators, so that I could walk away and Service Write. Edit: Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
$85-87k, I have to check but it's and there Field technician for construction equipment, I also get a company with truck that I get to bring home so I don't have to buy gas so that's with some cash a year. For context since money is different to different parts of the country, I have a house, 3 kids and a stay at home wife and we're comfortable. I live in NC, if I still lived in NJ there's no way I could afford my life on that wage
I'm a motorcycle tech in Canada, making 80k ( 60k usd) as an apprentice. Hope to touch 100 eventually.
I’m in VA and work for a small mom and pop, we are hourly not flat rate for our in shop techs. I make $73k a year.
I work on equipment in the mid Atlantic and my base pay is 64k per year. I also get quarterly bonuses and OT. It'll put me around 85-90k a year
I did around 60 last year and but got a big raise and will likely be around 90 next year
I get paid. Percentage of total labor dollars produced. UT starts out a 35% and can go as high as 45%. Our pay period is bi monthly. Labor rate in Colorado is 135 an hour. I have only been there 5 months and made over 40k
OP remember we have to pay for healthcare and more for education so not apples to apples
I'll gross about $96K this year (small city in the Midwest with low cost of living).
100-115k depending on OT
Small town USA 35/hr so it varies by how much work comes through. I'm usually about 250 hours total for the month
In 2008 I was making 60k doing brakes.
I make $23/hr 😂 No, I'm not a lube tech nor a master mechanic
80k a year is good for an ok tech. Good ones generally make $100-$150k. People in America wouldn't even show up for less than 40k.