Car Mechanic is a very familiar term. We all have to go to car mechanics if we have a car of our own. The industry is always increasing and these days are no different. So, the job of a car mechanic doesn’t seem to be going away. Speaking of which, the vehicle industry is facing huge disruption. From the expansion of new taxi services like Uber and Lyft to the invention of self-driving cars, the industry is changing. But the necessity of a Car mechanic isn’t going down with that change. So, it could be a potential career for many. In this article, we will discuss the ultimate guide for getting into the car mechanic industry.
Table of Contents
Why do you want to become a Car Mechanic?
The reasons for becoming a car mechanic can be very simple to understand. First of all, it’s a flexible job. You can do it part-time. And you can do it on the weekends or the evenings. A typical full-time work-week can be like 38 to 45 hours.
And the yearly income could start at around £18000 and go up as high as £35000. It kind of is a decent-paying job for the United Kingdom. Thus, we can reach the conclusion that if you are currently making less or are unhappy, this can be your path.
What does a car mechanic do?
A car mechanic could be our everyday need. If nothing else every car owner has to go to car mechanics every once in a while. The job of a car mechanic is without a doubt, increasing. And it’s especially true for the UK market. Our vehicles are getting more and more modern but the need for a mechanic is not falling at all.
We will list the daily responsibilities of a car mechanic in the following:
- telling customers if they need repairs and if they’re urgent.
- giving an estimated time and cost for jobs.
- knowing and staying updated with stock levels and ordering parts.
- standard servicing, repairs and maintenance.
- after repairs, taking the vehicles for road-testing.
- fitting, fixing and servicing accessories like alarms and stereos.
- keeping records of everything.
How to become a Car Mechanic
There are two ways to become a car mechanic.
- Take a course.
- Take an apprenticeship.
Take a course
There are many courses available on how to become a car mechanic, including a car mechanic course. There are college diplomas. Even though it’s not convenient for most people. Unless you are a regular student and are 100% committed to becoming a car mechanic from a young age, it’s hard. Apart from the educational expenses, there are other obstacles to cross. In most cases, we can’t afford the time or schedule. For those reasons, an online course might also do the solutions for you. If you get certified on the subject, you will get a head start in the job.
There are many online affordable courses available. Feel free to search for them.
Take an apprenticeship
It’s always best to learn things on the field. You can get working knowledge by working under a mentor in a garage. This way, you could learn on-field. The downside to this option is that you have to be on the entry-level for a little longer. But who can get ahead without paying his/her dues? So, if we don’t want to take a course, we should consider an apprenticeship. This can take up to 2-3 years.
Skills and knowledge required for being a Car Mechanic
You’ll need the following skills to become a car mechanic:
- The ability to repair, maintain & use machines and tools.
- To pay attention and be thorough to all necessary details .
- The ability to take your initiative.
- The skill of analytical thinking.
- Movement, coordination, agility and charm i.e. physical skills.
- Perseverance and will power.
- The ability to work in a team with other team members.
Career path and progression
As you gain more and more experience, you could rise in the ladder of the industry. What can you become? Well, senior technician, garage manager or workshop supervisor etc. could be your future.
You could also work as an MOT Tester. Or perhaps a breakdown engineer. You could also specialise in a certain field such as motorsport engineering.
Working on electric and hybrid cars could also be your future. Can you imagine yourself tuning and modifying vehicles for higher performance? You could do all these in this industry.
And last but not least, you could always run your own business. You could use these skills to build your business up hands-on. You could also supervise other people with your knowledge of the required skills.
It is clear that the industry has a lot of opportunities. You’re only one step away from upgrading your career.
Apprenticeships in the UK
Right now, we can’t find any Car Mechanic apprenticeship vacancies in the UK.
Find an apprenticeship service can help you with the query. They send alerts when new apprenticeships become available. They also provide advice on how to apply.
Jobs in the UK
We can’t list all Car Mechanic job vacancies here in this article. But we could point you in the right direction. The marketplace known as Reed has a lot of jobs on that particular query. You will find hundreds of job vacancies on that site. There are other job marketplaces for finding a job.
What's going to be the first step?
As we started the article with a solution, taking an online course could be the best first step. You can learn the ropes at your convenience, at your own pace. If you are currently on a job or have some other kind of engagement, an online course seems like the only way. If online is not your thing, look for places you could enrol for a course offline. If you want to take the apprenticeship route, you have the resources above too. We are hopeful, you can upgrade your career as you deserve to.
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