ᐅ Electrician Apprentice Billing

Hello everyone. Our electrical work has been/is being done entirely by an apprentice. When I asked the boss if I would have to pay less because of the apprentice’s hourly wage, he simply said no, since the apprentice takes twice as long. We were given a quote beforehand. So the price neither decreases nor increases because of this. What are your thoughts on this, and how is the situation generally? According to the boss, the work was checked periodically. The apprentice is in their third year of training and this is their first independent construction site.

Why should it be cheaper? In our company, apprentices are also employed, and the service is neither cheaper nor of lower quality. We provide training, supervise the work, and approve it. Where is your logic?

An apprentice simply does not cost as much as a skilled worker. That’s why I wonder if they can be billed at the same rate as a skilled worker. I have read online that billable costs can be, for example, 65 percent in the third year of training. Of course, this always depends on the situation on site (whether the apprentice just observes or does everything, etc.).

I also wonder if the argument is valid that I should pay the same amount just because it takes twice as long.

He can also charge double working hours at 65%. Would you be more satisfied with that?

Why should it be cheaper? He probably does the work just as well, maybe not as efficiently, but still properly. It just takes him longer, and the supervisor reviews it afterwards—that’s all. After all, he has to learn somehow and somewhere. So, why should there be a price reduction?

Tx-25 schrieb:

An apprentice simply doesn’t cost as much as a skilled tradesperson.

Do you ask the baker whether the bread was made by the master baker, a journeyman, or an apprentice? Or when buying a car? Or in any other situation?
You ordered an electrical installation for price X. Did you receive the service you ordered? If so, the agreed price is due.

Whether a Nobel Prize-winning physicist magically delivers the electricity to the switches and outlets, or a trained chimpanzee painstakingly chisels the slots by mouth, makes no difference.