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Here you are.
Thinking about your future and what's next?
You've taken the first step and chosen a career in the trades.
Congratulations.
A career in the trades is exciting and challenging and to help you
become successful we'd like to introduce you to www.tradelinks.ca
a trades web site designed to answer all your questions,
help you find jobs, health and safety tips,
trade school and community college web sites, student aid, career counselling,
financial resources for your business, bookkeeping and much, much more.
This site – and this video – are designed to help you to “get down to business”
the business of being successful in your trade.
It's all about things like establishing a strong reputation,
limiting your risks and staying on the right track.
Here's a great tool for when you're starting out.
Tradelinks.ca will give you hints on dealing with the many people
who are important in helping you become a true professional in the construction trade.
Let's look at the people around you - the people who are really important to you.
Take a look around:
• Your banker
• Your employer -
• Your co-workers
• Your customer
And...
• Your community.
Each one of these groups... the building blocks of your world...
is important to you in different ways, as you build your career.
Let's start with an obvious one: your banker.
You'll need the right tools for your trade,
which means you'll probably need to take out a loan or get a line of credit.
Your banker can be a pretty important person in your professional life
and they will DEFINITELY want to see a paper trail. Receipts. Pay stubs.
Who you work for... where you live... proof of income... to name a few
If you are working for an above-ground business, you have these!
If you're taking cash jobs, then you are in the underground economy,
and you won't have any business records to give your banker about your business.
If it looks like you're not making any money, you won't be able to borrow.
Having a banker on your side will help you when you need a loan,
a line of credit, and want to start your own business.
Otherwise you create some pretty definite dead ends for yourself.
Tradelinks can help connect you to information on financial resources
as a student, jobseeker or new business owner.
Now, let's move on to your employer.
Working for employers who pay workers the right way, report their income,
don't do cash deals, who pay taxes, keep up to date with worker's compensation
that's the right way to go.
This way of doing business will support you when it's time to go to see your banker...
and if you get hurt, you're covered. You may have health and drug coverage.
If you're laid off... it means you could qualify for EI benefits.
Working for someone legitimate lowers your risks.
It's in your best interests to work for someone who is looking out for you!
Watch out for the employers who want you to work under the table.
If you're not on their books you're not covered.
Right. Now, we'll look at the people you work with.
These folks... the people on the job site—offer you all kinds of advice.
Some good... some not so good. You'll learn a lot about working in your trade.
You may get good advice about paying your bills and reporting all your income.
So... you've already heard about “working under the table” or “doing jobs for cash”
so you don't have to pay any taxes.
But did you know that under-reporting your income is cheating?
And when you get caught, you'll pay significant fines, lose your assets,
have your name published in the newspaper, or even go to jail.
The Tradelinks.ca Web site even has information on the benefits of reporting all your income
and outlines the risks to you if you don't.
Check out the section on the Underground Economy.
It's worth the visit.
There are decisions you need to make, and they aren't easy ones
but YOU need to make up your own mind.
Back to the people around you ...Next—your customer.
Every customer is looking for good work for a good price.
But there will be some that want a “cash deal.”
Sell them on your skills, and the quality of your work.
Tell them that you can do the work AND include taxes
AND still give them a price that they will like.
You will also be able to offer them a proper receipt.
And a receipt is like gold – so put it in writing!!
Need help with the paperwork?? Tradelinks can give you tips on keeping books and records.
All right... last one. The community.
No matter where you live, you are also a member of your community.
Your trade association... your competitors... labour unions...
potential customers, employers, your neighbours, your family, and even the government.
They all want you to succeed!
The Web site has links to many of these associations and government sites
that offer you valuable information on building a successful career.
With your skills, you help build your community,
and your taxes help pay for all the benefits we enjoy.
Those taxes contribute to paying for health care, public education,
police, fire, the Armed Forces, and all those other services we take for granted
not to mention personal benefits such as the Canada Pension Plan,
Old Age Security, Employment Insurance, and many other things.
By not reporting your income, your community loses... and you lose too.
Now you know the deal. You can see the benefits of working above ground.
You can find all the info you need to begin a successful career right here at Tradelinks
It provides apprentices and professional tradespersons like you with information on training,
how to find a job, financial aid, avoiding hazards on the job and much more.
Check it out! It's the first step in the right direction.