Lia: Welcome to the Sparky Life podcast with Lia Lamela. I share with you my electrical journey, experiences and insight through engaging banter with those I've met along the way. If you're interested in trade tales, an industry fraught with excitement and risk, subscribe and be notified, every Thursday when trade tales continue. A special thanks to all of the Sparky Life supporters and our guests who have been a part of Sparky life. You are amazing. And Sparky life would never be able to shine the way that it is without all of you. So thank you. Today on the Sparky Life, we speak with Chloe Williams. She is a 29 year old panel technician at Lookers, Body Paint and Body Center in Newcastle, England. Chloe represents the now and future of the UK collision repair industry. After she qualified, she spent two years applying for jobs in her field, getting rejected and ignored. Now, originally Chloe wanted to get into childcare, but she soon realized that career path wasn't for her. And it wasn't until she went to college on Open Day that she learned what a panel beater was. What's a panel beater? Well, I certainly had no idea until I came across an article from Body Shop and read about Chloe. A panel beater is a modern day “Bam Bam,” with a mallet in hand and the eye of a sculptor. She manipulates the auto body structure to return it to its beautiful, crafted shape. So please, welcome with me, Chloe Williams. You're muted. What? Yeah. Yeah. You look beautiful. I love your top.
Chloe: Well, thank you.
Lia: So, how has life been since we last spoke?
Chloe: Crazy.
Lia: Crazy. How so? Crazy.
Chloe: I went to Benidorm on a hen party, so that was a bit wild.
Lia: Sounds like wild means a good time.
Chloe: I'll try to remember it. Yeah.
Lia: I came across Chloe when I saw your article. The article that was written about you.
Chloe: The body Shop?
Lia: Yes. Is there more than one article that I'm unaware of?
Chloe: I've done two. I've done another one. It was only a little one, with girly garage.
Lia: That's awesome. Let's talk about this. So, did they reach out to you because of your occupation?
Chloe: Yeah.
Lia: Okay. And because you're primarily one of very few females in your occupation. Okay. It's auto repair body technician. Is that correct?
Chloe: Yeah.
Lia: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So I love the video that you sent me. I basically thought of “Bam Bam,” just like banging the shit out of a door. Like making it beautiful. Yeah, it was very cool. You looked badass with that hammer.
Chloe: You got to hit a lot of things to make something beautiful.
Lia: That is. Well said. You got to hit a lot of things to make it beautiful. Why do you think there's this allure to women in skilled trades and people being fascinated by that?
Chloe: Oh, I don't really know. I just could not think of anything worse than sitting at a desk, or find it really boring. Yes, I have to be on the go.
Lia: You look very feminine and you're beautiful. And I feel there's a stereotype that a females in a skilled trade occupation is more masculine looking.
Chloe: Yeah. Like I once went into work on a day off. I actually got asked to leave because I'd come in through the, I came in through the back gate and someone was like, “You do realize reception's around there, You need to go back out.” I was like, “It's Chloe.”
Lia: I work here. No nuts.
Chloe: And they’re like, “Oh my God.”
Lia: Yeah.
Chloe: I wouldn't believe it.
Lia: I love it. You know, I don't always wear, like, knee length shorts and boots. Yes. That reminds me of a company Christmas party that I went to. I got dressed up nice, I put heels on, I had red lips. And I went into the company Christmas party and no one had a clue who I was. So it was quite entertaining.
Chloe: Like the blinded by the face you put on to come in at work.
Lia: Yeah. And well, for me in particular, when I go to work, I'm wearing a gator, so I'm covering my hair. A lot of the time it's tied back, covered. I'm wearing a hard hat or my favorite fishing cap. Right? So you're not really seeing my shape in any way. And so with my red hair and red lips and high heels, they were just like, “Who are you?”
Chloe: So recently went on a night out. And it was quite a lot of them I had never met. They work for the company, but like the logistics side of things, so I'd never met them and they were like, “Oh, so what do you, are you in the admin section?” I was like, “No.” “Oh, so you on the floor?” I was like, “Yeah,” “All right. Um, do you work on the parts department?” I was like, “No, I'm one of the panel beaters.” What? Yeah.
Lia: Bam Bam. Professional panel beater. I love it. What's your favorite thing about being an auto repair technician?
Chloe: You know what still amazes me? That what I can do quite often I will look at a job and I'll be like, “Oh my God, I cannot do this. What am I going to do? Don't know where to start.: Kind of overwhelmed myself.
Lia: What about it is overwhelming? Is it the physical aspect of it or…
Chloe: It's the, how are you going to achieve what you need to do?
Lia: Problem solving?
Chloe: Yes. So some jobs will just be simple, but then you might get, I've done one recently and oh, I did a van two weeks ago and I nearly cried in the back of a van.
Lia: Really? It was that bad.
Chloe: I got so overwhelmed and was just like, ”I need to take a breather, take a step back,” went in the office. I was like, I need a different job. I can't physically work on this today. I'm not there. And I went in the next day and I was like, “Right, I can do this.” So I took a step back and, I think it was more the fact that I'd never done one before. Did it go along with it? And then I was like, “You know what? It's not actually that bad.” Ah, so it was like a full panel sided van and it wasn't one with the door in the middle. So I have the full panel. So it was just a really, really big job to do and I ended up cutting off an extra panel. I didn't need to say, to order a new one.
Lia: But you learned a lot, I'm sure.
Chloe: You learned, “don't do it again.”
Lia: Yeah. And did your confidence just, like, skyrocket after you completed that?
Chloe: Yeah, I was like, I've never done one of these. I just need to know this and this. And then after I'd done something, it was like, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, you should have done that.” So it was like, on the back of this new panel, there's meant to be holes for where you put your hinges for your door, okay? And they weren't there. You have to put them in yourself. You went, “Oh, yeah, you should have done that before you put it on and went, Well, I didn't know they weren't there. You never told me that.” Yeah. Just back to like, guesswork where all these holes one timer got there in the end.
Lia: Yeah, that's the important part. You got there in the end, right?
Chloe: Yeah.
Lia: What would you say is your favorite aspect of being in auto repair?
Chloe: I don't know. Really love it all. Absolutely love going to work. Love what I do. Love telling people what to do. I love when people come and ask me what needs doing. It's like, yes, I'm all new with the new estimate.
Lia: Oh. That's great. So you just basically fell in love with every aspect of it?
Chloe: Yeah.
Lia: Take me with you. Put me in your pocket. What is our day look like? What are we doing? What happens when we walk into the shop?
Chloe: So I start at 6 a.m. so I get there for about quarter to change your shoes and head straight for coffee.
Lia: Coffee? Got it. Okay. I'm a big coffee fan, too. Yep. Check.
Chloe: And then it just depends what you've got on, really. You got a normal, go into the office and check my like, everyone's got a rack to see what jobs you've got in. So it could be that I've got a new job to go and get. It could be, I've got a refit, could be in the middle of a panel job. So literally just go in and crack on with what you left the night before.
Lia: So everything depends. So you're given a job for that day, right? And then what do we do? We go beat the shit out of shit. What do we do?
Chloe: Just depends on what kind of job it is. We do a lot of, we do a lot of sales cars, so it's like, if people have handed them back so they'll just be like minor repairs. So it'll be like you go, you do your diagnostics on them, do your little repairs, send them to the pin. Or it could be the bigger ones are normally your insurance jobs. So if you get an insurance job, it could be like a new panel. Or if you're trying to save a panel, it'll be like a substantial size repair to do. Like, I've just well, I left one on Friday and it was completely caved in when I started with it.
Lia: Wow. So you have to reshape it and basically put it back together again?
Chloe: Yeah, it's all about getting the right shape.
Lia: And when you say insurance, talking about a car that was in an accident that you're repairing or, okay, and then a car that's regarding sales is somebody is sold it or reselling it and you guys are cleaning it up.
Chloe: I work for Audi.
Lia: Audi. Nice. Okay. Sign me up.
Chloe: It could be that someone's leased a car and they're just giving it back.
Lia: I see.
Chloe: Or like trading it in for a new one. So a lot of them is, I don't know, 16 plates, plus it's all relatively new work on.
Lia: And when you were in school, did you know that you wanted to be an auto body repair technician?
Chloe: I didn't even know what one was.
Lia: Yeah, literally, it wasn't until like, I went through various things I wanted to do, was like, “Oh, I want to be a hairdresser. I want to be a beauty therapist.” Then I wanted to be a vet, then I wanted to be a nurse. And then it was just like, right then it was alright, I’ll do childcare. So I studied. I started to be a teaching assistant for a year and then I moved. I think it's like a hundred miles away from home. And I was like, I'm going to do something different. I thought, I'll go and I'll do mechanics because I don't know, it's just something different. And when I got there, it was like two days before the course was starting, so it was all full. So it was good and it was like, “Oh, but we do have Panel B in our PIN.” And I was like, “Well, don't want to do pin and it sounds really boring.” So I went through and I had a look at the body shop and I fell in love there. It was just like, Wow, this big car on this big jig getting there's like big machines attached to it with chains. I was like, Yeah, this is a bit my style.
Lia: Yeah, awesome. So you're basically a badass hot cavewoman that beats the shit out of cars, right? Is that, do I have a good visual on this? And not a lot of women are in your field. Why do you think that is?
Chloe: I don't know. A lot of female painters. I don't think it's one of those trade like occupations that is widely known for what it is.
Lia: Yeah, that, that I agree with. Yes.
Chloe: When they do career days and stuff at school, it should be put there. I know a painter and she works a lot with going around to different schools and educating and letting kids know about the automotive trade to try and get people to come in. When it comes to like, the industry side of things, when people take a look at what you've actually got to do and then like the wages, I think it's, there's still, they are coming up, but they do need to like increase a bit more.
Lia: So where does the wage fall? Give me an idea like can you live comfortably on the salary?
Chloe: I do bonus work. So with my bonus I live comfortably, but that's uncapped. Bonus. Even if I just met my basic bonus, I'm comfortable. If I don't make any, I can survive.
Lia: But it's tight.
Chloe: Yeah.
Lia: Okay. See, that's a, that's usually when I talk about skilled trades on the show, a lot of the salaries are substantial. In fact, a lot of the women that end up going into it was because they needed the money. And one of the reasons why I became an electrician was because as I needed the money, there was nothing that could beat that salary at the time. So I'm surprised.
Chloe: Yeah. Think it depends on where you are in the country. Obviously the further down south you get because it gets to like London, their wages a bit higher but obviously their cost of living is higher.
Lia: Right.
Chloe: But there is, it's getting very competitive. It could be like, oh, brand new garage opening offering up to sun. So I'm out and you're like, looking like that is absolutely ridiculous amounts of money. But then you've got to work your ass off for that. You have got to, you could probably be doing 50 hours plus a week, plus over time, plus your bonus. So you're literally just trying to fire through all these jobs constantly. You'd never get a break. So much to consider when you see that number in your eye. It's not going to be as easy. It's just got no work.
Lia: Right, right, right, right. Okay. That makes sense. So that might be a deterrent. And I'm, I'm suspicious. Maybe it's intimidating for most women. They check out what they need to do and maybe they think, “Oh, wow. That's going to require a lot of physical strength.”
Chloe: Yeah. And I get it because a lot of people, oh, definitely, when you first starting out, you don't want to ask people for help. You don't want to be seen as this woman who's come into thinking she knows what she's doing and needs to come and ask for help. It's not about having to ask for help. Everybody's going to need help when it comes to carrying things or and it's not even just about your physical strength. It's about health and safety.
Lia: Yes. Yes.
Chloe: Not just that. It's about the job. If you're trying to hang a door that's just being painted. A man doing it on his own, he could guarantee he's going to scratch it. You can't physically place it and look on the other side of the door at the same time. So it's going to be hitting somewhere.
Lia: Right? So it's not like it's uncommon to have more than one person help.
Chloe: Personally, I found that a man is just a bit more. He doesn't want to ask for help, especially me. They wouldn't come and ask me for help because we don't know. They just think asking a woman it's going to make them look stupid.
Lia: I do think that some of the guys have the mentality that they can probably pick up something heavier than you. So they're going to ask another guy in the sense of maybe not wanting to make you uncomfortable or not wanting to put you in a situation where you might not be able to do what they're asking. Yeah, I find that sometimes the guys will be cautious in asking me in particular to pick up something heavy, but most of the time I initiate, so I'll just go up and pick it up myself or I'll see that someone needs help and just go over and help them. That way I take the pressure off of them and I let them know like I'm stepping forward to do this so I know I'm capable. So let me help you. What would you say to a woman who is interested in this skilled trade and wants to explore it?
Chloe: Go for it. Don't ever feel intimidated about it. Because if, think if anything, someone getting a woman, especially now, I think it's more of an appeal to an employer to be like, “Oh my God, a woman wants to come and do this.” I think if anything, they'll be like, “the equal opportunities.”
Lia: Yeah. Right.
Chloe: How good would it look for the business?
Lia: Well, you're in England, right?
Chloe: Yeah.
Lia: Yes. Okay. And where in England? I know you're not in London. You're a little south of London. Is that right?
Chloe: No, I'm in the Northeast.
Lia: Oh, you're in the Northeast? Okay.
Chloe: I'm like, literally just like a couple of hours out of Scotland.
Lia: Oh, wow. Okay. All right, Now I have a visual. Okay. Okay. Wow. Because we're in skilled trades. What tool is in your tool belt with something that you've learned along the way that has helped you achieve your goals?
Chloe: Don't look at somebody else to get them to give you the go ahead and tell you that you're doing a good job. You know yourself, if you're doing a good job because you wouldn't carry on doing it if you didn't think you are. So I think just be confident in yourself. Nine times out of ten, you're not going to get someone coming up telling you you've done a good job. So there's no point to looking to someone else for them to tell you.
Lia: I love that. That's great advice. So basically, don't look for someone else to validate what you're doing. You need to validate what you're doing with yourself. Definitely. That's wonderful. Oh, wow. I like that a lot. I feel like when I was younger I definitely sought out validation from others as opposed to being confident and validating myself.
Chloe: Yeah, I think whenever I've like, I went into a garage after I finished my college and it was like two years before I could get a job. And when I first went in, there was like, “Oh my God, do I even know what I'm doing?” So it was a lot of like, guys that were the same age as me. None of them did my job. They were all painters, but they were all like, “Oh, do you know how to mix filler, do you know what to do? Do you know what you're doing?” And I'm like.
Lia: Ah.
Chloe: Yeah, yeah. So it was always like I felt they were watching me and judging me for everything. My confidence grew and then got made redundant and went into a garage that that was a hire company. So and it was all commercial. And then I went into a garage that did insurance and crash work and it was like customer cars. And I was like, “Oh my God, I'm going after him. I don't know what I'm going to do. What if I do something wrong?” It's not as easily fixed because obviously there were other companies, vehicles. These are customers and you can't ask someone's broke this unit to pay for it. It's all down to us then. But I had one of the guys that I worked with, they weren't very supportive, shall we say, like, “Oh, you're gonna have to book your ideas or point when you're moving to a different garage.” So I was like, “Oh my God, I'm not going to be able to do this.” And I went in and for the first couple of weeks I was like kind of clinging onto one of the panel beaters. And I was like, “Oh, does this feel all right? Is this all right?” And he was like, “If anything, you need to go and ask one of the painters because they're going to be getting the job after you. They'll have to put it right if it's not or they'll send it back to you.” And then one of the painters was like, “I don't know what you're getting so worked up about, it's everything's been fine.”
Lia: Oh.
Chloe: I just, I don't want to have, like, you thinking I'm really bad at my job or not long after that. Yeah. I was shouting at him and calling him all the names into this.
Lia: So after that painter made that comment, you started to find the courage within and the validation of it and, and realized, I do know what I'm doing.
Chloe: Literally, the day I started, there was the day everyone went on furlough for Covid.
Lia: Oh, wow.
Chloe: I went in at 7:00 to a full body shop and then by 9:00 we'd lost two thirds and stuff. So it was like, well, it's easier. There's not as many names to learn, right? For me, game because I'm like, there was only me. And one of the panel beaters was like, “Oh my God.”
Lia: Okay, got you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Chloe, for doing this again with me. It's a pleasure speaking with you. If there are some ladies that would like to reach out to you regarding the career path, how can they best reach you?
Chloe: Mainly my Instagram. I'm like, on that constantly. So that would be the Northern panel.
Lia: Ah. Okay.
Chloe: I post a bit on LinkedIn, which would just be my name. Chloe Williams.
Lia: Thank you. Thank you, honey. Really appreciate it. It was great.
Chloe: Well, thanks for having me on.
Lia: Who knew you could get paid to beat the shit out of metal all day? Chloe is just an example of the diverse range of skilled trades that exist in the construction field. You won't know what jobs are out there until you start talking to people. She wasn't even aware that this job existed until she started navigating a new path. Chloe's confident attitude speaks for itself, but she shares with us the secret to her success, which is to stop seeking validation outside of herself. If you keep searching for others to give you that pat on the back, you'll drive yourself mad. And when will it ever be enough? If you can learn to be your best and most trusted advisor doing a sound, valuable and professional job, you can focus on enjoying your livelihood. I don't know about you, but there have been days where I have wanted to take a mallet to things. What type of demo jobs do you think are out there that might be the right career path for you? I hope you enjoyed this episode of Sparky Life. I am always looking forward to hearing from you. And now, we have Patreon. I have some behind the scenes little hidden tips and tricks about skilled trades, some secret footage for all the beautiful Patreon subscribers. So if you guys want to take a look at that, please head on over to the Patreon link in the show notes. We are also now on YouTube. Yes. So if you guys are interested in checking us out on YouTube, go ahead and subscribe, get all the fun notifications, bells and whistles. It really helps your girl out. I greatly appreciate all of the listeners. I always want to hear from you, so please don't be shy till next time when trade tales continue. Thank you for joining us. If you felt a spark in today's episode, I invite you to write a review. I'd love to hear what lit you up. Take what resonates with you, and if you'd like to hear more of the Sparky Life, please subscribe, like, follow and share. Until next time, create the sparks in your life.