What's it like being an "Automotive Collision Repair Technician?"
 

I'm thinking about going back to school and not really sure what I want to take...

I've given some thought about collision repair, but that would depend on what's it like. Do people in this field struggle to make a living, say 10-15 years down the road? Cause I think starting pay was $10/hr or something like that?

I'm in my mid 20s now. So I'm starting to feel a bit pressured with income. Don't really have all that time to test out this career and that career, etc. As I've done that a few times already.

I used to work in an office which was nice and laid back, decent pay and all, but I got laid off a few months ago. But besides it being comfortable with free coffee and mon-fri 8-5 hrs, I felt like I was more so just hanging out there, collecting the pay, and not really moving up the ladder or anything. No passion for the job basically, and I think I would have a lot more with collision repair, but of course, I also hear stories how people in this field can just get stuck doing entry level stuff forever...

And what are the typical work hours/ work days for this kind of field? What kind of salary should I be expecting down the road, etc
Any info appreciated.

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You on an automotive forum...use the search function...then ask specific questions.

you're gonna be on your feet all day long.

I'll help you out..since I work in a bodyshop.

Autobody is a GREAT trade....you'll always have work...Do you wanna be a bodyman or painter? Bodyman require more hands on skills while painter requires hand-eye cordination.

First off you need to goto school...VCC is better than BCIT for autobody...do you have money saved up to goto school? Once you finish school and know your basic theory work...most shops will start you off at $12 the first year...2dollar raise for every year after...by the 4th year you should be making $18 an hour.

Can you endure 4 years of being a biatch? With every trade you gotta work your way up....once you become fully licensed...then you'll can be making good loot. $22-$25 flat rate.

Dont look at this as a job...it's a career...your comitting your whole life towards it...you can eventually own a shop...which is where the real money is at.

I was deciding to be a bodyman, only because people told me painters get exposed to paint fumes all day long (and that would effect their brain cells or something... =/ ) I really wouldn't mind either one.

It's a bit tough. I was making $21 at my old office job and 3 years ago, I started at $18 at the entry level... so quite a bit difference in pay. And I assume work is going to be random through all 7 days of the week?

Any reason why VCC is better than BCIT?

^^^$ really depends on what shop you go to.
In this trade, it is about what you can do, more than your credentials. I know painters and bodymen that get paid more than some who have their trade certificates. Trade certificates just alllow you to get a few dollars raise...an excuse basically.

Body work in no way is any healthier than a painter. You may not suck up fumes, but you are in return breathing in filler, primer from other ppl sanding, fibreglass, anti-rust etc.
Bodywork is just plain dirtier than a painter. Bodymen have to know mechanics as well, so you will have to do the odd brakes, and oil changes, where your hands just get messed up....along with cuts everyday. You get creepers and crawl under the car all the time as well. Where I worked, the guys got super dirty and never washed their hands when eating. Not to mention the Second Hand Smoke. You will breath it in for the rest of your life.

Best way to go about getting into the trade is not through BCIT ( as mentioned above). you just end up wasting time, because everyone has to go through ITA ( industry training autority) to get their license. BCIT only has a dilploma program which means jack all in the trade. I dont think ITA recognized BCIT's program as a apprenticeship program. VCC does. Find a shop that will sponsor you, then you can get the work hours, and school hours at the same time: http://www.itabc.ca/site3.aspx

Process is bascially: Work hours, School hours, Challenge test. These 3 must be done through a sponsor, and that sposor(yourshop) will have to sign off on you to say: youre ready.

Off topic, but I know a guy that recived both his BODYMAN and PAINT license by just going to school and taking the test. He has never stepped foot into a bodyshop before. I think he paid for it. That being said.....goes to show how much the goverment cares about the trade.

It is a rewarding trade if youre after money. You have to have a real heart for it. Its rare that you will find a good bodyshop/bodymen that actually cares about your car now adays. Once they get paid flat rate, all their work goes to crap. All about the $. Not saying there arent, but VERY hard to find. Alot of the guys i use to work with feel that they have no choice, and are stuck in the trade because they are getting old or for wahevr reason, too late, dont know english, never gradeuated etc...of course, not all of them are like that. Alot of ppl come into the trade, and ALOT leave as well.

You dont necessarily have to do bodywork for the rest of your life either. You can always increase your knowlege by going to school for updates etc. Alot of City jobs out there that require paint/bodymen licenseing. City painters make a lot, Coast Mountain rebuilds buses etc, they make 33$ and hour....so yea...food for thought.

im doing autobody collision right now at VCC and from what i hear from the students that are a few months ahead of me and from grads, they say it is good. i do have a friend that did finish it and told me it was total bs because he could only find 10 dollar an hour jobs.( i guess he wasnt too motivated.)


From my experience so far is that VCC is pretty slack on you, they give the attitude of if you wanna learn they will teach you.. if not then you can just mess around and waste your money.


The teachers there know alot about the industry and can help you learn things alot. At BCIT a student that finished the course told me that it was pretty much 100% hands on and that it was BS because from what he learned in that 1.5 years or so he could have learned it in a bodyshop in a few months.


In conclusion i chose VCC because from asking around people told me that VCC has the greatest outcome of finding jobs.

whatever you do stay away from shitty i mean surrey automotive training centre. go to vcc. i'm 2nd level and you need to ask you self these questions
1. are u willing to go almost broke for 2 yrs in which during this period you will be getting paid fuck all and try to buy your own tools.
2. how good are you with politics?? there's alotta sharks in the trade and you gotta know when to draw the line and move to another shop.
3. depending on the shop, can you keep up with the pace... how do you re act under pressure?
4. how open minded are you? are you the type of guy that gets choked when ur told or asked to do things differently.

I'll tell you this right now. DO body side over paint side. If you do go flat rate in the future, the body hours will ALWAYS be better than the paint hours. Re-inspecting a car will net you more hrs from body than you ever will for paint. Also Body guys rarely stay late and work OT. Painters however, usually stay late to catch up on work. It's how it always was and always will be. Being a collision painter sucks. You have to clean up the jobs, prime, prep, paint match, paint. You fuck up and you pretty much start all over. Not to mention the stress you get from it.

Once the car gets to the paint side, the job gets the whole "Was supposed to be painted yesterday" attitude. If the job gets damaged or scratched while it was being put back together..well, guess what, you get to paint it again. I've already re-painted 3 jobs this past 2 weeks cause of carelessness body guys. They don't give a shit that you have to re-do their fuckup. It's very rare the bodyman will apologize. I've worked at 3 shops and they're all the same. I'm a painter, so trust me. I'm into my 9th year in this trade

As for money, well, lets put it this way, if you want to make good money painting (which is attainable) you pretty much have no life. This guy I went to school with, made something like 150 hrs a week (which is a lot for a painter) worked 6 days a week, like 12-14 hrs a day. One of the body guys at work, comes in 930-4pm, takes the full 3 breaks and made under $70g's. I come in 830-5 (sometimes till 6 or 7). Take lunch only and sometimes afternoon break, never leave early and I made $60g's. I bust my ass and he works half of what I do and he makes more than me.

But hey..I like painting and I do airbrushing now and like someone said, it's a commitment. You have to view it that way.

Now 1 of the upsides (very few) is your tool cost is relatively low but high tool maintenance.

I'd like to see a body shop who'll give an entry level guy more than $10--12/hr. Good luck.

I went to BCIT. They'll teach you if you want to learn. Hate to say this but 90% of people that go to BCIT are retards anyways and always slack off.

I went to BCIT...I think cause of our class... the curriculem changed.

When I went 2 year ago....it was 3 month school then 3 months work...repeat cycle for 1.5 years until u graduate. Problem with this dumb setup...most students just stayed at the shops and never return to complete their schooling.

VCC is just 8 months school...learn what you need to know...graduate and you're done.

Both schools are ITA accredited...VCC is more practical and makes more sense...about which school is actually better is bullshit...teachers will teach who ever puts the effort in and wants to learn.

Being in your mid 20's is it even possible to make a decent living at 10bux an hour?

I mean I'm 18 and sell Computers making 11 hour (which requires hardly any skills, just communication, and know how to use the stores database server)

anyone taking collision at vcc right now?
im currently in the same class as nvasion, what up pw lol
as i was told by my friend(painter 2nd year journeyman) is that after you grad from first year you go out and find some work experince and most likely get paid 10-12 at most washing/cleaning cars(thats when you bust your ass to show your employer you want to be in this trade)

like any other jobs out there you obviously start at the bottom of the barrel and if you wanna move up you just have to work hard

Helps to explain why it is so hard to get a decent repair job done these days.

surrey automotive training center is a joke! the guy keeps telling me its icbc recognized but its not.

from wat i saw in bodyshops in richmond..
painter---> always the boss and has his own bodyman to fix and prep all the shit; the older u get the more experienced u will be and the more u will get paid and the higher chance u will become a boss

bodyman--> always young man who just graduated or in the field not very long getting paid less than 20 bux an hour

painter always know bodyworks and bodyman may not be good at painting..I know a few bodymen that did body+paint and later on they hire bodymen to fix and prep shit and they do the paint job themselves and make so much more $$

in my opinion, i would do bodyman first in school..learn the shit then later on when u have accumulated enough experience and connections, then u can move on to be a painter..

Yup listen to this guy he knows what he's talking about :) But really the money is in the office, sit back write estimates, surf the internet all day. Deal with a stupid customer every hour or so :p Oh ya if your at BCIT your wasting your time, VCC is much better.

mm.. wow.. ya.. after reading all this.. SFU dun seem so promising anymore hha

I took the 10 month ELT course in kelowna for autobody right out of high school, which the government picked up the tab for.

I quickly found out that the money sucks ass in the kelowna shops, so I never ended up pursuing it as a career. Plus youre dealing with all the hazardous materials like other guys have mentioned.

Seems like the kind of trade that you really have to love it to do it day in and day out to be successful in the industry, compared to many other trades.

from my actual experience in the trade. it's the other way around :confused:

It depends on the shop really.
In my experience, both sides dont get along and talk S#%T about the bosses that sit inside the office.


Oh yea, if you do go work for somebody, make sure you work for the white folks.

amen to that. no offence but the asian owned shops i've checked out don't have full medical and no dental wtf??

This thread is very informative, thanks.

Maybe in Asian owned shops it is.

And if your lucky, get Laser Eye Surgery paid for as well:p

I think only the older generation of Bodymen and painters didn't get along. It seems the trend is changing.

But +1 about working for white people. I will never work for asians..........ever