Find subcontractor work in the UK, according to Reddit? The honest answer from the trade subreddits: not from apps. The threads say the real channels are relationships with two or three builders, the wholesaler counter, CV Library for agency work, and word of mouth that compounds for years. They also document what those channels cost: opaque agency margins, 30-to-120-day payment terms, and CIS deductions that sometimes never reach HMRC. This page collects the real threads - and explains where Plan@Job fits, honestly, as the platform trying to fix the parts Reddit complains about.
What Reddit threads actually say
On finding main contractor work:
- Getting the bigger contracts? (r/ukelectricians) - the consensus is blunt: it is who you know. Emails to main contractors get ignored, council work goes to the big firms via Contracts Finder at margins barely worth having, and schools will not look at you without NICEIC registration.
- Advice for finding new build work (r/ukelectricians) - a spark who lost a six-year new-build pipeline reports that cold-emailing the contractors on site hoardings gets ignored nine times out of ten. The channels that work: someone who vouches for you, and the notice board at the electrical wholesalers.
- Any subby work in Kent? (r/ukelectricians) - a gold-card spark asking Reddit itself for subby leads, and getting one by DM in the thread. When a forum thread is the best available job board, the market has a gap.
On agencies:
- How much should a gold card spark be getting on a CIS day rate? (r/ukelectricians) - real numbers: £220 a day on a Skanska site, £250 called the floor by several, £22-26 an hour in Yorkshire, £25-28 on the M4 corridor. The warnings matter more: rates have stagnated since 2020, and an agency day rate can quietly mean a 10-12 hour day - always ask hours, not day rate.
- Going self employed (r/ukelectricians) - the hard version: agency subbing described as bogus self-employment, and one spark silently moved onto 120-day payment terms buried in a new site contract. Read every contract, every time.
On payment and CIS:
- How do you handle paying subcontractors when letting agents have 30-day terms? (r/smallbusinessuk) - the thread every subbie should read about where maintenance work actually comes from: a company sits between letting agents and a bench of subbie plumbers, sparks and handymen. One contractor in the comments pays his subbies same-day and says the loyalty repays tenfold. Fast payment is the whole recruiting pitch, and most of the industry still does not make it.
- Ever had a contractor not pay your CIS deduction to HMRC? (r/ukelectricians) - yes, it happens: 20% deducted from your invoice and pocketed. Demand the monthly CIS statement, keep invoices and bank records, and per the industry-state thread, apply for gross payment status once your labour turnover clears £30k.
On word of mouth:
- Self employed electricians, how do you get a good flow of work? (r/ukelectricians) - the best single thread on channels. One spark found a single landlord in 2007, got passed around the landlord's other trades, and has not been quiet since. Another puts cards in the butchers and the chip shop and works local Facebook groups. A £2,000+ directory listing returned about £500 of work.
- Gone quiet - advice needed (r/ukelectricians) - the most upvoted play: walk up to local builders, ask if they have a regular spark, leave a number for overflow. Two or three builders equals a nearly full book.
What Reddit does NOT have: a platform answer
We searched for threads on subbie-to-contractor platforms - SubbieUK, Plentific's trade side, anything. There are none. The "how do I get on a letting agent's list" and "which agencies are good" questions sit unanswered across the subreddits. That absence is the most useful finding on this page: the B2B side of trade work runs on relationships and luck, and nobody has owned the alternative yet.
That is the gap Plan@Job was built for. Contractors and property managers send scoped jobs - photos, access, turnaround - to vetted subcontractors near them. You quote with line items, deliver, prove it with photos, invoice. It is free, there are no lead fees, and CIS is handled properly in the flow with a clear statement on every payment - the exact paperwork the threads above tell you to demand. Our honest catch, same as we print everywhere: we are newer, and job flow depends on your trade and area.
The playbook the threads add up to
- Two or three local builders who use you for overflow beat any marketing spend. Walk in, leave a number.
- Work the wholesaler counter - it is the industry's informal job board.
- If you take agency work: ask hours not day rate, read payment terms on every contract, and demand your CIS statements monthly.
- Get gross payment status at £30k+ labour turnover, and chase every deduction.
- Certifications gate the good lists - NICEIC and a current EICR ticket open letting-agent and commercial doors that marketing cannot.
- Put your profile where the scoped B2B work is starting to move: join Plan@Job free.
FAQ
What is the best way to find subcontractor work in the UK? Per the threads: relationships with local builders and main contractors, the wholesaler counter, and word of mouth that compounds. Agencies fill gaps at a cost. Platforms are new to this space - Plan@Job is free to join with no lead fees.
What day rate should a subcontractor expect? From the r/ukelectricians rate thread: roughly £200-250 a day for a qualified spark depending on region, £22-28 an hour. Rates have stagnated since 2020 - and always confirm the hours a "day" means.
How do I get maintenance work from letting agents? Mostly indirectly: agents hand repairs to property managers and maintenance contractors, who dispatch their approved subbies. Getting on those benches is the real goal - certifications first, then platforms like Plan@Job where property-side businesses send scoped jobs to vetted trades.
What should I check before signing with an agency or contractor? Payment terms (30 days can quietly become 120), the hours behind a day rate, and CIS handling - insist on the monthly deduction statement, because Reddit documents contractors pocketing deductions.
This page summarises public Reddit discussions and our own operating experience. We are not affiliated with Reddit.