should i just hire an apprentise in spring 2012?

[huggytree]

yea, yea...i know ive talked for years about hiring someone....

i picked up 7 new customers in the past 2 months now and am currently up to 21!...the highest # ive ever been up to
i have plans on being more aggressive on adding to that # this year

if the work load looks positive in March i am planning on FINALLY doing something about hiring my 1st employee....

should i get a brand new 'fresh' apprentice? (apprenticeship is 5 years)
should i get a 2nd or 3rd year apprentice?

i am considering this whole thing an EXPERIMENT.....by hiring a brand new guy i am only paying $12 per hour + i dont have to buy a van/power tools/stock.........(if i hired a journeyman id have $50k in van/tools/stock to unload if it didnt work out)

i only worked 1300 hours in the field in 2011.......probably 350-400 more in office time

in 2010 i was up to 1600 hours in the field

my main worry is no one will stick with me with such low hours.....

i am getting older and am having trouble with some of the physical parts of my job....a 21 year old apprentice would help me on the larger projects, but be sitting around watching on the small ones....many small projects are 1 man jobs...id be paying him to sit and watch and eventually id be sitting and watching him

ive been thinking about this day for 2+ years now and am not quite sure how to transition other than to just do it

ive considered getting a retired part timer in the past, but the union has been difficult....+ that still doesnt help me with the physical parts of the job.....an apprentice will cost the company $40,000 a year in total.....if i could get $40,000 in value it would probably be worth it....it would be nice to make $10k-$20k off of him though

any thoughts or opinions?

i would be pushing the union for a Vet. to hopefully get a good work ethic

[SteveM]

I guess the way I'd approach it is determine if the extra help will allow you to perform other business-building functions such as increasing your marketing efforts, which it sounds like you are planning to do, as well as remain productive. I don't ever hire anyone without making it perfectly clear they have a probationary period to satisfy - you could make yours whatever you need to, as long as both of you are in agreement on the hiring terms (depending on how the union handles that).

Could you work it so the new worker is a sublet contractor for your business to be used only as necessary, as opposed to an actual employee?

[huggytree]

the worker would most likely 'cost' me time at first...maybe for up to a year.....but then the advantage i have is 'training' someone from the start to the way i do things....

cant have an apprentice as a sub contractor.....id love to find someone who's available for a couple of days a week instead of full time....a rent-a-grunt

WI law says to work on plumbing you must be licensed....so it has to be a legal Apprentice....it would be nice if i could find another plumber who has an apprentice that i could rent a couple of times a week.......i may call the union about it