Mobile Machine Maintenance Engineer

Small factories, workshops, food producers, packaging firms and farms that lack their own maintenance team.

Day rate or hourly call-out rate, plus parts at a margin. Annual service contracts give steadier monthly income.

• Mechanical or electrical engineering background
• Fault finding and problem solving
• Reading manuals and technical drawings
• Reliable, tidy record keeping

• Public liability insurance, and check whether customers also expect professional indemnity cover
• Electrical, gas, pressure or lifting equipment may need specific qualifications or inspections, check what applies to the machines you work on
• Customers' site safety rules and your own risk assessments and method statements
• Warranty terms, as work by a third party may affect a manufacturer's warranty
• Late-paying commercial customers, agree payment terms in writing

Startup costs are typically estimated at around £2,000 to £10,000, depending on your van, tools and insurance. Monthly revenue is estimated at around £1,500 to £7,000, depending on how many customers and hours you take on.

Check whether you need public liability insurance, and whether customers also expect professional indemnity cover. Electrical, gas, pressure or lifting equipment may need specific qualifications or inspections, so check what applies to the machines you work on, and customers' site safety rules.

A mechanical or electrical engineering background helps, along with fault finding, reading manuals and technical drawings, and tidy record keeping. The estimates start at around 15 hours a week, so you can build up gradually.