Steady job
You're handy. The people around you know it: you're the one they call for the shelf, the sticking door, the floor that needs finishing. One day, the question comes up: "Why don't you make a career of it?"
And right after that, the second one: self-employed, or as an employee? Here's an honest comparison, with no pipe dreams either way.
Going self-employed: what nobody tells you
Working for yourself is appealing for good reasons: freedom, the feeling of building something, the chance to earn more when things are going well. But a self-employed handyman is really doing several jobs at once:
- salesperson: finding clients, answering calls, getting known;
- estimator: sizing up every job, writing quotes, negotiating;
- bookkeeper: invoicing, chasing late payments, handling taxes;
- manager: of the vehicle, the insurance, the tools, the schedule;
- and finally, tradesperson, the job they loved in the first place.
Slow weeks aren't paid. Neither are vacations. And the time spent chasing clients is time you're not fixing anything.
For some people, that's exactly the life they want. For many others, it's what pulls them away from what they truly love: doing good work.
Being an employee: real stability
The other path is a job. Someone else takes care of finding clients and setting the schedule. You do the work.
But be careful: not all jobs are equal. Before you accept one, ask these questions.
- Are my hours guaranteed? A "full-time" job where they send you home when it's slow isn't stability.
- Will I be asked to sell? Some "employee" positions hide pay that depends on your sales and the quotes you write.
- Who pays for the vehicle, the gas, the tools?
- What's the career path? Will I grow, or be doing the same thing for the same pay five years from now?
What Beau-frère à louer offers, in black and white
At Beau-frère à louer, the Handyman position was designed for people who want to fix things, not sell.
Your pay
- $26 an hour from the day you're hired, $27 after 12 months;
- 35 paid hours every week, guaranteed from your first day. A slower week? Those hours go to shadowing an experienced colleague and to inspecting our members' homes. Your pay doesn't change.
Your schedule
- Days, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.;
- your schedule is prepared by our call centre: you know ahead of time where you're going.
Your equipment
- a company van, gas paid, that you take home so you can head straight to your first client (for work only);
- $400 a year for your tools;
- T-shirts, cap and hoodies provided.
Your benefits
- a $500 bonus at the end of your first 3 months;
- group insurance 50% paid after 3 months;
- the holiday week paid.
What you don't do
No selling, no quotes, no chasing clients. If a client asks for something else on site, you call the office.
A job, and a career path
A steady job doesn't mean a dead-end job. At Beau-frère à louer, the path is laid out in advance:
- after 3 months, your first assigned members, clients who know you;
- after 6 months, if you want it, the Residential Maintenance Lead position at $28.50/h, after 10 supervised inspections and training in building maintenance plans;
- later on, if independence calls you, the Pro position, with earnings tied directly to your work.
And if you love your trade just the way it is, staying a handyman is a choice we respect.
What if I'm really an entrepreneur at heart?
Then we have a way in for you too. The Pro position is for experienced tradespeople who want to manage their own schedule and quotes, with clients provided and a team behind them. Our Pros earn $50,000 to $80,000 a year, earnings tied directly to their work, with group insurance 50% paid by the employer after 3 months. It's the freedom of being self-employed, without chasing clients. You create your quote and your invoice on site in the Beau-frère à louer app, and hand it to the client.
How to know if it's for you
You're the right person if:
- you're good with your hands, and you can prove it: a bathroom redone, a floor installed, a basement finished;
- you like helping people and you care about the client being happy;
- you like a clear framework and well-established rules;
- you have a valid driver's licence.
You don't need to have worked in the trade. But you do need to have done the work. Attach photos of your projects to your application: they're worth more than a résumé. Then: a 15-minute call, a one-hour hands-on trial near you (at our Laval warehouse for the Montréal area), and an offer in under two weeks.
Key takeaways
- Self-employed, you're doing several jobs at once: salesperson, estimator, bookkeeper, manager, and then tradesperson.
- Before accepting a job, check: guaranteed hours, selling or not, who pays for the vehicle and tools, what career path.
- At Beau-frère à louer: $26/h, 35 guaranteed hours from day one, weekday daytime hours, company van provided. No selling, no quotes.
- To apply: photos of your projects, a 15-minute call, a one-hour trial near you, an offer in under two weeks.
Connect-forces
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