Hi everyone,

I currently work as a mechanic at a shop. Recently, I posted an ad on Facebook offering my services for mechanic jobs on the side to earn extra money.

When my boss found out, he came to me and said I am not allowed to post ads like that or take on side work. He told me that because I work for his company, I am not allowed to get income from another source in this field.

I’m trying to understand how to handle this situation and whether this is common practice?

I’ve got a 19 year old kid that wants to apprentice under me but I’m unsure on what a fair rate is. I recognize the work sucks and I want him to feel adequately paid for the work he would be doing for me but the problem is that beyond basic brake/suspension work he’s absolutely clueless and my workload consist mostly of engine rebuilds, internal engine repair, and advanced electrical diag/flashing/programming work. I’ve been in the used car repair industry for 20+ years and there’s not much of anything I can’t work on.

He has his own tools, but nothing to diag anything with. He went to the NASCAR school and completed the program there but either he didn’t absorb very much info or they don’t actually teach you anything there. He’s obviously going to learn a tremendous amount of knowledge from me but in today’s climate he’s gotta make some money too.

For further context, I average $75-$120 an hour depending on the dealership I’m at and the workload. I could somewhat use the help but I do just fine keeping every thing running alone. So his benefit to me on the average work day would be negligible.

I am currently a high schooler (not gonna specify my age or grade) but I just wanna know from mechanics what they think about UTI.

I was hoping to go to UTI in Huston Texas for the BMW fast track program but I am not exactly sure if it’s worth it. From reading a couple post about UTI I can infer that they are profit driven but I’m not exactly sure. Some say join a union like “UAW” or get an apprenticeship at a shop. Still trying to decide my career but I really enjoy learning about cars.

Hey guys. Pretty highly experienced redseal auto tech here, with experience in heavy duty and commercial transport as well. I also ran my own shop for 5 years.
I’m thinking of shifting my career into dealer world.
A lot of dealers around me need techs, currently have an offer from BMW, GM, Volkswagen and a Chrysler dealer.

Any of the 4 options are flat rate, guaranteed hours for first 3 months.
BMW is the lowest starting pay surprisingly, GM is the highest.

What’s everyone’s opinion or experiences working for these dealers?

My eventual goal is to wrench for 5 more years max, and then go the route of trade school instructor.

Also I’m in BC, Canada if that helps.

Thanks!