Which way to go

[Integrator741]

Hi,

at the moment i am working for Mitie Engineering through some agency, at the same time I am a first year part-time engineering student (Electrical and Electronics);

Because I am doing low caliber jobs at the company, I am getting upset. Our principal subcontractors has noticed that, and they started paying interest in me.

Our principal contractors are "Total Controls" - building management systems company. They are offering me to jump on installation team or to start their BMS Commissioning Engineer program. That is kind of related to my study field and I am quite attracted to it.

Mite Engineering has offered me to jump on to their graduate scheme. The main project Director says that we might pay for your university fees and we might be able to get you different pay rate, because they would treat me as an individual. So I am guessing something about £25k. Mitie hasn't got such a strong engineering side as our main subcontractors, so probably the best thing they can offer me is management training program, but I don't want to depart from technical side.

On one hand, if they are willing to pay for my university fees why not? But on the other hand, Total Contracts company (Main principal contractors) they got strong technical side, and they might give me some price work, which would allow me to safe enough money to pay for my university fees. (Specially if I am working as self - employed. Then I could claim my university fees as my expenses, which would give me a nice tax return)

Quick note: I am a 20 year old bloke, who is doing his NVQ 3 in Electrical installation and 17th edition courses in evenings ( I am almost done with them)

How should I play it?

Thanks.

 

[(*steve*)]

it sounds like the options can be boiled down to experience vs formal qualifications plus experience.

I'd look at it this way: Formal qualifications are an objective that your future employers can tick off, experience is rather more subjective. Formal qualifications can also be a requirement for entry into professional bodies. Later on in your career experience becomes far more important, but so can membership of professional bodies.

Things are relative. If your experience is at somewhere highly prestigious it may well count for more.

If someone is offering to pay for training you need to find out how secure this offer is and what obligations it comes with.

 

[shrtrnd]

*steve*'s pretty smart about things like this. Reading your post, I thought the same thing *steve* did.
'MIGHT" pay university fees and "MIGHT' get you a different pay scale is a 'mighty' slim offer.
Things like that are supposed to be a part of the complete job offer, not just theoretical possibilities .
Study present and future ramifications of what you have and what you want for the future, and choose wisely.