Hey Michael,
Hope all is well bit of a late reply but I guess there's been plenty going on. Did you get to start your civil role in Feb? I was offered a job but had to turn it down as our daughter was very ill and we had no idea when she would get better. Thankfully all is well with her now and I've another interview next week over Skype this time, not face to face. If you have any info on the role i.e what's the day like and do you like it etc I'd appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.
Jonathan

Hello mate

Yes I started and I’m still enjoying it. It’s a good company to work for, some good benefits and can earn good money especially with overtime.

For your interview make sure you mention experience with manual labour, mostly they want to hear that you’re fit and can dig. (Even if you’re not just tell them you are)

Focus on health and safety and customer service in your answers, they don’t question you hard, it’s a standard interview.

Day to day, you’ll be doing either

blockages, digging down on a duct and repairing a blockage.

Trench work. Digging trench and laying duct into it. Might be into a customers garden and/or on the street.

Fitting boxes. Digging a big hole and fitting a box.

Or usually a mix of the above.

Some jobs only last a day some last 2 or 3 days.

Just depends on how big it is and how had the jobs is.

You work in pairs,

You get a van each but can’t take it home but your start and finish the job in the yard so it’s not even like you’re out digging all day, you might have an hour to travel there and back to a job.

Any questions just ask....

Hey, Thats great glad your happy seems the only thing people can find to dislike is the weather! Thanks for getting back to me I've some questions to ask in my interview but if you've a spare 5 mins maybe you can answer these two?
It says 37 hours per week usually over 4-5 days a week including weekends is that correct? i.e do you have to work weekends? And whats your usual start and finish times?
Appreciate your reply and thanks again,
JM

In Civils we don’t work weekends unless you want to work them for overtime. (Paid time and half)

If you’re on a 5 day week (probably will be) Monday to Friday. it’s 7.30am - 3.40pm, start in the yard at 7.30 and head back to the yard to unload and leave for home at 3.40pm. Unless you want to stay on a job and get it finished and get some easy overtime in.

If you’re on a 4 day week, it’s 7am until 5pm. Monday to Friday with either a Wednesday or Thursday off and the weekend off too. It would be the same week day off each week.
You can work your day off for get a full days overtime in and still have the weekend off. A lot of lads do that, means you get about 40 hours overtime a month with out having to work a weekend.

Thats brilliant thank-you.

Jonathan

Hey Michael,

I got the civils gig, I'm just waiting for my contract to arrive due to start training mid October. Thanks for the advice.

Jonathan

Civil engineering covers a wide range of topics. There are some commonalities between them, though.

1) General Math, Trigonometry and Geometry - these are used all the time in many facets of civil engineering. They are used in surveying and to calculate dimensions and quantities, among other things.

2) Design - whether you design buildings, roads, pipelines, or the like, it is important to know how to design. Part of being a good designer is learning how to best communicate your design to someone who will build it. In order to do this, you need to be able to look at something in 3D and put enough information into 2 dimensional plans for someone unfamiliar with that "3D thing" to construct it in 3D.

3) Knowledge of Materials - whether it is aggregate, concrete, asphalt, pipe, steel, or the like, you need to have an understanding of the materials used in construction and how they will work to best suit your design. You need to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

4) Statics - "Statics is the study of methods for quantifying the forces between bodies. Forces are responsible for maintaining balance and causing motion of bodies, or changes in their shape." Statics is important when designing structural elements.

5) Engineering Law - Some knowledge of engineering law is helpful to keep you out of trouble. You don't want to put your stamp on something that is outside of your purview.

6) Understanding of regulations, standards, guidelines: there are a lot of important references to know to make sure that you are following regulations, standards and guidelines.

7) Estimating - it is important to know how to estimate the cost of construction

8) Determination - this is difficult work. There is a lot of problem solving. You need to have determination to think it through.

Hi thank-you for the helpful advice, I start my training with Openreach later this month.

In reply to a post by elisecoen:

Civil engineering covers a wide range of topics. There are some commonalities between them, though.

1) General Math, Trigonometry and Geometry - these are used all the time in many facets of civil engineering. They are used in surveying and to calculate dimensions and quantities, among other things.

2) Design - whether you design buildings, roads, pipelines, or the like, it is important to know how to design. Part of being a good designer is learning how to best communicate your design to someone who will build it. In order to do this, you need to be able to look at something in 3D and put enough information into 2 dimensional plans for someone unfamiliar with that "3D thing" to construct it in 3D.

3) Knowledge of Materials - whether it is aggregate, concrete, asphalt, pipe, steel, or the like, you need to have an understanding of the materials used in construction and how they will work to best suit your design. You need to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

4) Statics - "Statics is the study of methods for quantifying the forces between bodies. Forces are responsible for maintaining balance and causing motion of bodies, or changes in their shape." Statics is important when designing structural elements.

5) Engineering Law - Some knowledge of engineering law is helpful to keep you out of trouble. You don't want to put your stamp on something that is outside of your purview.

6) Understanding of regulations, standards, guidelines: there are a lot of important references to know to make sure that you are following regulations, standards and guidelines.

7) Estimating - it is important to know how to estimate the cost of construction

8) Determination - this is difficult work. There is a lot of problem solving. You need to have determination to think it through.

I think you’ll find these roles will have more to do with wielding the ‘business end’ of a shovel.

Looks like an American definition, where 'Engineer' has a different meaning to the UK.

As Zarjaz says, this is more likely to be a lot more manual labour.