Discussion
Hi
I have just completed a National Diploma in Motorsport Engineering at Wiltshire College, predicted grades DDD. I have had a couple of years experience with teams.
I am know stuck on my next step.
Do I carry on with a Foundation Degree course in Motorsport at Bath?
Or do I try and get a job as a motorsport mechanic/engineer. What is the current job market like?
I have been checking all the job websites and researched into local teams and have got no where.
I was also wondering if there are any team that are looking for mechanics or any teams I could try. I am based in Swindon.
Thanks.
I have just completed a National Diploma in Motorsport Engineering at Wiltshire College, predicted grades DDD. I have had a couple of years experience with teams.
I am know stuck on my next step.
Do I carry on with a Foundation Degree course in Motorsport at Bath?
Or do I try and get a job as a motorsport mechanic/engineer. What is the current job market like?
I have been checking all the job websites and researched into local teams and have got no where.
I was also wondering if there are any team that are looking for mechanics or any teams I could try. I am based in Swindon.
Thanks.
Its the age old problem of getting the right qualifications and also experience.
I suggest you try and get onto a degree course in motor sport engineering and offer your services free to any team that needs assistance in order to get the experience. If you keep asking around in the paddock at race metings something will come along.
I suggest you try and get onto a degree course in motor sport engineering and offer your services free to any team that needs assistance in order to get the experience. If you keep asking around in the paddock at race metings something will come along.
I agree with Patrick Head when he was asked the same question. He said something to the effect; 'Don't do a motorsport degree, you are specialising too early. Do a general motor vehicle engineering degree. The experience will do you good in the long run, you will have a broader knowledge base to draw from.'
And if you think you have enough experience to get paid for weekend work, but are not getting paid for weekend work, guess what?
And if you think you have enough experience to get paid for weekend work, but are not getting paid for weekend work, guess what?
RC racer said:
Hi
I have had a couple years experience working for different race teams at weekend.
James
what team? and what cars?I have had a couple years experience working for different race teams at weekend.
James
also what role did you play in the team, e.g: enginer, mecanic, wheel washer, tea boy ect..
the fact is that most teams will not take someone on to do proper mecanic work unless they have proof of proper experience as there is such a posibility for something big to go wrong on a car they wont want someone who they cant trust doing important work
....... saying that im a apprentice forklift engineer ... check out Ray Mallock as they were offering apprenticeships a while back and might start again ! i applied but failed in that application about 2 years ago ... worth a try and good luck . Sorry RC Racer but you are not giving anybody much to work off here. Posting on Pistonheads has the potential to expose yourself to a lot of people working full time in the motorsport industry so sell yourself!
Exactly what experience do you have and who with? You said above you have a few years experience and should be paid but then you also said your just out of college and don't have much experience?
Wht do you really want to do in the motorsport world?
How aggressive have you been with contacting people in the motorsport industry? Any team that has full time, paid staff receives hundreds of letters and emails from people wanting the top jobs but very few people willing to make sacrifices and work hard at the bottom.
Try getting a job in the regular motor industry and constantly write to every single team (even club teams with no pay) until they let you help on the weekends or the odd test day. Be prepared to travel, work hard and long hours doing unglamorous things for little or no pay.
Exactly what experience do you have and who with? You said above you have a few years experience and should be paid but then you also said your just out of college and don't have much experience?
Wht do you really want to do in the motorsport world?
How aggressive have you been with contacting people in the motorsport industry? Any team that has full time, paid staff receives hundreds of letters and emails from people wanting the top jobs but very few people willing to make sacrifices and work hard at the bottom.
Try getting a job in the regular motor industry and constantly write to every single team (even club teams with no pay) until they let you help on the weekends or the odd test day. Be prepared to travel, work hard and long hours doing unglamorous things for little or no pay.
I have had three seasons of working for race teams. Doing stuff from Superkarts, Britcar, Clio, Mini, Locost and GT cars. I have just finished college, I have had just weekend experience, I am looking to get more workshop based experience over the summer with a few teams.
I do want to become a Motorsport Mechanic working in GT/Touring cars and doing endurance racing.
I have been emailing local teams and heard bits back saying they will keep my CV on record or they are not hiring at the moments
I do want to become a Motorsport Mechanic working in GT/Touring cars and doing endurance racing.
I have been emailing local teams and heard bits back saying they will keep my CV on record or they are not hiring at the moments
That's the stuff people need to read!
Now if you want to be a mechanic then the normal way in would be from the regular motor trade. Not many mechanics manage to get in straight out of college so unfortunately you are going to have to do a couple of years in the trade, if that is to depressing you could try and specialise in something.
Instead of targeting the teams look to their suppliers for a job....specialise in building gearboxes or try and get yourself in to engine building. That can either give you the skills to move on to a team but is also not a bad place to be if it doesn't work out and will still give you some connection to motorsport.
Keep bugging the teams, they want to know that you can work the long unsociable hours away from home so you need to prove some commitment.
Now if you want to be a mechanic then the normal way in would be from the regular motor trade. Not many mechanics manage to get in straight out of college so unfortunately you are going to have to do a couple of years in the trade, if that is to depressing you could try and specialise in something.
Instead of targeting the teams look to their suppliers for a job....specialise in building gearboxes or try and get yourself in to engine building. That can either give you the skills to move on to a team but is also not a bad place to be if it doesn't work out and will still give you some connection to motorsport.
Keep bugging the teams, they want to know that you can work the long unsociable hours away from home so you need to prove some commitment.
James
A few years ago I had a mechanic help me out with my TVR Tuscan. He lived in Wales at the time and had done a motorsport degree at Swansea. He would travel significant distances to help out in the workshop and attend races, just for petrol money. His day job at the time was spannering agricultural machinery, but he wanted to work in motorsport full time
I asked him to take a gearbox up to Silverstone and he took the opportunity to knock on the doors of all the teams based around there. He got lucky, Grand Prix Masters were hiring - and he had sufficient hands on experience from the Tuscan racing to be offered a job. The catch was he had to start the following week. He seized the opportunity, took the job and moved himself hundreds of miles from home - within 4 days. GPM as you know didn't last terribly long and a year or so later he was out of a job. By now he had made more contacts and had that much more experience... and managed to find another opportunity. Again, it was an immediate start and again, it was a couple of hundred miles from what was now home.
He's since worked on A1GP, gone to race meetings all over the world and is currently involved in BTCC.
The reason for the story is to make the point that if you really want to make a career out of this you need to do whatever you can and take whatever opportunities present themselves. If no-one is hiring this summer locally then to keep moving forwards you'll have to work for expenses - you have to continue to build your practical CV. Also as you know, being around the paddock you are more likely to hear of opportunities
By all means e mail teams - but combine this with good old fashioned letters followed up by a phone call the day after the letter will have arrived. An e mail is faceless and impersonal - its sometimes used to hide a lack of confidence. As you get older you'll notice that younger people (and indeed some older people too) will make a phone call to communicate good news, but bad news is consigned to texts or e mails (ever rung your parents to tell them good news but use a text to say you're going to be late home?). A letter with a follow up phone call will make more impact. Ask to go and see people. Just turn up and say you were passing. Offer to work for expenses if it is local, but build your experience and give yourself the edge for when the opportunity does arise.
Above all keep perservering - but don't whinge on here or elsewhere that it is difficult. Of course its difficult - if it was a job that no-one wanted to do it would be easy.
Finally, when the opportunity does arise, take it. It would been very easy for my mechanic to turn down that first full time job offer because he couldn't relocate in 4 days - and lets face it, many people would have thought it too difficult. He made it happen because he really wanted it.
Good luck
A few years ago I had a mechanic help me out with my TVR Tuscan. He lived in Wales at the time and had done a motorsport degree at Swansea. He would travel significant distances to help out in the workshop and attend races, just for petrol money. His day job at the time was spannering agricultural machinery, but he wanted to work in motorsport full time
I asked him to take a gearbox up to Silverstone and he took the opportunity to knock on the doors of all the teams based around there. He got lucky, Grand Prix Masters were hiring - and he had sufficient hands on experience from the Tuscan racing to be offered a job. The catch was he had to start the following week. He seized the opportunity, took the job and moved himself hundreds of miles from home - within 4 days. GPM as you know didn't last terribly long and a year or so later he was out of a job. By now he had made more contacts and had that much more experience... and managed to find another opportunity. Again, it was an immediate start and again, it was a couple of hundred miles from what was now home.
He's since worked on A1GP, gone to race meetings all over the world and is currently involved in BTCC.
The reason for the story is to make the point that if you really want to make a career out of this you need to do whatever you can and take whatever opportunities present themselves. If no-one is hiring this summer locally then to keep moving forwards you'll have to work for expenses - you have to continue to build your practical CV. Also as you know, being around the paddock you are more likely to hear of opportunities
By all means e mail teams - but combine this with good old fashioned letters followed up by a phone call the day after the letter will have arrived. An e mail is faceless and impersonal - its sometimes used to hide a lack of confidence. As you get older you'll notice that younger people (and indeed some older people too) will make a phone call to communicate good news, but bad news is consigned to texts or e mails (ever rung your parents to tell them good news but use a text to say you're going to be late home?). A letter with a follow up phone call will make more impact. Ask to go and see people. Just turn up and say you were passing. Offer to work for expenses if it is local, but build your experience and give yourself the edge for when the opportunity does arise.
Above all keep perservering - but don't whinge on here or elsewhere that it is difficult. Of course its difficult - if it was a job that no-one wanted to do it would be easy.
Finally, when the opportunity does arise, take it. It would been very easy for my mechanic to turn down that first full time job offer because he couldn't relocate in 4 days - and lets face it, many people would have thought it too difficult. He made it happen because he really wanted it.
Good luck
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