Thinking of becoming an appliance repair technician

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amother

Chocolate

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 10:59 am

Is that crazy? I have some general technical aptitude- I've (with dh) put together many pieces of Ikea furniture and fixed broken trisim, and helped dh change a broken part of a faucet. I took physics in high school and mechina (I'm an olah) with good grades, so while electricity was not my preferred topic I have some idea what I'm getting into on the theoretical level.

I should probably mention that I dropped out of a completely unrelated degree program (nursing)- that largely had to do with bullying and difficulty with writing papers in Hebrew.

Pros:
-course is less than a year as far as I can tell, or may be doable as evening or Friday classes. Minimal disruption to family life, minimal need for a babysitter.
-related to the previous point- I have difficult pregnancies, so a short program is preferable so I can just plan to get pregnant afterwards and not in the middle. (My baby is currently under a year old.)
-I'm generally interested in the topic.
-I want to work in something where I use my hands but also my brain. I like troubleshooting.
-being my own boss, avoiding the bullying that seems typical of all- or mostly-female workplaces.

Cons:
-expense- though we can technically manage it, I'd like it to pay off in the long run.
-most likely an otherwise all-male class.
-could I legally make housecalls only if there's a woman or girl present?
-dealing with taxes as an atzmai

And if I do go for it, there's an interview as a condition to getting accepted. What do I wear for this kind of interview? A polo shirt and neat denim skirt? I'm guessing based on what dh said he'd wear to such an interview.

amother

Jade

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 11:15 am

I love the idea!
I'm in the U.S. so I can't help you with the details but keep us posted as to what happens. I'd love to do that here. I'm very handy (actually beyond ikea furniture to actually building furniture, sheds, fences etc...) and always wondered if there was a way, as a woman, to use my innate "handiness" to help with parnasa.

I also can't deal with womens "cattyness" Rolling Eyes

so I totally hear you on that!

MyTimeNow

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 11:37 am

It sounds like a great idea!
I'm in the States, but I'd guess that you can have a thriving business.
If the sensitivities in your area are such that many women need to arrange that either their husbands must be around when a repairMAN is due, or simply prefer it, or that some women without husbands right now (May Hashem soon see fit to send all His daughters their right zivugim, and shalom, health & happiness!) encounter difficulty or discomfort in waiting for/with repairMEN, that's a niche you can slide right into. For women whose work or other responsibilities take them out of the house during service hours, a friend or neighbor might feel more comfortable with a woman repair technician.

mommy3b2c

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 11:44 am

I happen to think it's an amazing idea! The last thing in the world that I can do, but if you can, that's awesome!
I think you would be in high demand for reasons already mentioned. I think there would be many that would rather a female repair person.

One question, why would it be illegal ?

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 12:22 pm

Wow, great idea! For sure I'd prefer a woman appliance repair~~man~~person!

For what to wear in general I would recommend longish a-line denim skirt — something you can sit on the floor in without having tzenius problems. Your top will need to be longish too (no plumbers' butt! Surprised

amother

Chocolate

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 1:33 pm

I think it could possibly be illegal if not worded correctly, as it might count as discrimination. I don't know which types of business are allowed to discriminate clients by gender.

I'm really glad to get such positive feedback from you all on the idea- since I've never met a repairwoman, I didn't know how it'd go over!

The one thing I can't see myself doing is plumbing- I'm too scared of needing to fish out other people's used tampons and worse.

Mama Bear

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 2:43 pm

Bear in mind that a lot of these things require a lot of physical strength. I have some aptitude for appliance stuff too, but I find that a lot of the work is mamish beyond my strength. Forget about working while you're pregnant, it's probably dangerous. and lugging around your tools from house to house can be heavy too. and you'll need a car.
But hatzlocha!!!

amother

Chocolate

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 3:28 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

Eep- thank you so much for pointing out I'd need a car! That settles it- I need to work on getting my driver's license this summer.

You're probably right about pregnancy, though I'm pretty strong otherwise. Our fridge needed repairing recently, and I moved it myself to look at the back to guess at where the issue was. And I regularly tote around maybe 30 pounds of baby+diaper bag Smile

grace413

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 4:20 pm

Brilliant idea. Also anything along plumbing, electrician, small repairs etc.

My male plumber tells me he has immense scheduling problems with women who will only let him come when their DH's are home. He thinks female handywomen could do very well in the Jerusalem area.

amother

Chocolate

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 4:24 pm

grace413 wrote:

I'm in the vicinity of your city, so your viewpoint is especially helpful! Thank you! And yeah, I was hoping I wasn't the only one who's asked that of repairmen.

amother

Chocolate

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 4:58 pm

Here's another question- is this something I could do part-time? I'm not looking for full-time employment at present and be"H not in the near future. I want this as a supplemental income, and as something I know I'll be able to put more hours into once my kids are all in school. It's not worth it to me if I need to put my babies in daycare since b"H we're managing on one income for now (and I'd need to pull in a pretty big income to make the extra expenses of daycare and a car worth it, especially as I'd need to pay taxes to two countries and probably wouldn't be eligible for bituach leumi while on maternity leave, assuming I can't work in the third trimester).

sweetpotato

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 5:04 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

That's definitely true, but a lot of other more traditionally female occupations require a lot of physical strength (nursing, home health aide) and many (not all) women manage those jobs during some or much of pregnancy. It depends on the pregnancy and the specific job details. OP could turn down gigs that require lots of lifting etc. if needed or hire an assistant.

FTR I think it's a great idea. I am in the States but I tend to find male handymen talk down to me and don't explain/try to upsell repairs.

Stars

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 5:56 pm

This is a brilliant idea.

mirror

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 6:17 pm

I hope your Rabbi lets you wear pants. You may have to climb a ladder and you can't be too sure that there are no men around.

amother

Goldenrod

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 6:33 pm

I am definitely the more handy one in my marriage so I can hear where u are coming from
Also just had a repair man come to my house recently to fix my fridge

Some other points to consider.

As much as some women are uncomfortable having strange men working in their house. You will be putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation. How can u garantee that there will be other women present

Even if you are fully clothed you still might need to get in uncomfortable positions. Crawling around with your tush in the air might be a lite uncomfortable

Woman are always having to prove themselves. Some repairs and diagnostics take more than one visit. I could imagine a lot of people telling the dispatcher "send me a real technician" this time

Men might feel intimidated by a women repairman asp leading to not getting repeat customers.

I think if you can take a few courses and the work for your self so you can screen your clients that might be you best bet

Good luck

greenfire

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 6:34 pm

as a handywoman, I say GO FOR IT ...

PinkFridge

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 7:02 pm

mirror wrote:

I hope your Rabbi lets you wear pants. You may have to climb a ladder and you can't be too sure that there are no men around.

What about leggings under ~~pants~~ a skirt?

Last edited by PinkFridge on Sun, Jun 19 2016, 9:20 pm; edited 1 time in total

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 8:36 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

What about leggings under pants?

You meant to say leggings under a skirt, right?

PinkFridge

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 9:20 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

You meant to say leggings under a skirt, right?

Yup.
Let me go back and edit. (And see if I still have the likes afterwards Wink

)

theotherone

Sun, Jun 19 2016, 10:08 pm

As far as part time- I would imagine that it can be done but bear in mind that when my washing machine is leaking, I want you NOW, not next week when your kids are back in school. Very interesting idea!

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