this shift pattern may be introduced where I work, how many weeks do you work before you get a full weekend off, the reason I ask is because being divorced I only have access to my daughter at weekends so depending on how it works out I may have to look for a new job
Big Roy:
this shift pattern may be introduced where I work, how many weeks do you work before you get a full weekend off, the reason I ask is because being divorced I only have access to my daughter at weekends so depending on how it works out I may have to look for a new job
about 4 i think, never fully worked it out, 
I’m on 4 on, 4 off and its generally pretty great - especially given my job involves 4am starts so I get chance to actually get some sleep. When my days off are in the week I usually get an extra shift or two in… as I result you usually take home more money than somebody on a 5 day shift and done loads less work 
One thing you will notice though is that despite having so much time off, whenever you are planning to do something with others sods law dictates it’ll be on a day you are working. 
this shift pattern may be introduced where I work, how many weeks do you work before you get a full weekend off, the reason I ask is because being divorced I only have access to my daughter at weekends so depending on how it works out I may have to look for a new job
In ten weeks, you will get 3 full weekends off and 4 part weekends. The other 3 weekends you work completely through.
4 on 4 off wins. Your holiday goes far further. Take 4 days holidays and have a total of 12 continuous days off work as opposed to a normal working week where you take 5 days off and only have 9 continuous days off work.
So what is the difference in the amount of work you do in a year? Take working 5 days a week. Thats a total of 260 working days (5x52) less 28 days hols so you work 232 days a year. Now 4 on 4 off is a maximum of 182 days a year less 28 days hols off so you only work 154 days a year, a difference of 78 days 
So assuming that the wage over the year works out the same as it does with most companies due to the fact you work weekends, you work 78 days or, compared to a normal 5 day week, THE EQUIVALENT OF WORKING THREE MONTHS AND TWO WEEKS LESS A YEAR for the same money for sacrificing 15 full weekends and 20 half weekends. In short on 4 on 4 off, you earn the same in 8 and a half months as you would in a year doing 5 days as a normal working week. I know I’d rather have the extra 78 days off and would happily give up 15 full weekends and 20 half weekends a year to do this, although it would be less as you’d have some off as holiday anyway and if you work it right, you could actually have every full weekend you were supposed to be working bar one off.
Quite why people are against 4 on 4 off so much is beyond me. Understand it if they’ve a young family but TBH I think I saw more of my kids on that shift pattern and I was less knackered too so didn’t just spend the weekend off recovering enough to do the next week.
I too came off top spec wagon Euro work to 4 on 4 off permanent days,was absolutely brilliant.
When I had my 4 day weekends thursday to sunday through to saturday to tuesady off that was me out of there,when the four off fell in the week I’d do 2 days o/t,coined it in! Where I worked they paid £1.50 per hour (£18 per shift) more on nights & at weekends,so the night men actually got £36 per night sat & sun extra.
The holidays are great too as already mentioned, but due to the amount of days worked your entitlement falls. Where I was the drivers on normal shift got their 33 days but us on 4 on 4 off only got 26 & this was more than the legal entitlement. The garage staff were employed by a contractor on 4 on 4 off & they only got 14 days & the 8 in lieu of bank hols (22 in total) & this was the legal entitlement at the time (I left in '08 as I moved away from the area) so you may wish to ask your company about that.
As mentioned though,you only actually work about 6 months of the year,pretty good if the money’s right imho. I’d go back to it tomorrow if the opportunity arose.
As for the weekend work,well if you’ve tramped or similar you’ll be used to it anyway & if not then at least you know what your shifts are (I used to highlight my working days on a wall calendar in January for the whole year) then if anything is being arranged you can tell at a glance if you’re working or not,it’s pretty easy to organise family/social life then.
The only lads I knew who struggled with it were the young ones who treated every 4 off as a mini holiday & went on spending sprees on their days off,however if you’re disciplined it shouldn’t be a problem & as a previous reply said,you actually discover that “life” thing you hear people with normal jobs talk about!