Can it be done? is there the demand?

[papillon_65]

A recurring theme but I need to find out before I commit. I have the offer of a generous redundancy package on offer and am fed up with being a corporate slave. I am considering retraining as a plumber so I can work for myself and be master of my own destiny. I have a long career in customer service and have managed people and am fully capable of managing myself and running my own business. I have also worked in a manual trade to a decent standard albeit a completely different discipline.
I have looked at lots of fast-track courses available and believe I could pick up the basic skills necessary.
The question I need to ask is whether there is the demand for plumbers and whether it is a viable option for someone like myself. I am under no illusions as to the amount of effort required but there is a lot of conflicting advice out there from "there is no demand" to "fast-track courses are no good" to "I completed the course but couldn't find work".
My father (who has been deceased for 15 years unfortunately) was a self employed plumbing and heating engineer and always had work and I also have seen first hand what is involved so I am not looking at it through rose tinted specs.
Has anyone else been through this loop or have a sensible opinion on this?
I am aware that existing plumbers are not particularly keen to have more competition but I believe I have what it takes to succeed if the work is out there. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Tony

 

[fuzzy]

There is work out there but it is very difficlt for a newly qualified plumber to get all the contacts required. You ear of high wages which attracts people into the business but they are only achievable when you have all the quals and experience to give you the speed and contacts required to gain those BIG wages.
I suggest taking the 6129L2 if poss to get some basic skills, just look at it as a stepping stone. If you like it and want to progress then you can go onto TC L3 or try to get a job with a plumber to upgrade the 6129 to 6089 which is the NVQ.
The difficult bit is the 'work with a plumber' as many people want this experience but cannot really offer the plumber anything in return they are reluctant to have somebody tagging along!

Good luck