P
Per Andersson
Hi All
I am new to this forum and would be grateful for advice and recommendations from a forum like this rather than from salesmen selling courses!
OK, some background.
I am 47 and have spent the past 23 years working as a professional chartered surveyor managing commercial property in London and the South East of England. 13 months ago I was made redundant when my employers lost a client contract that I was working on. It went to a competitor. I was TUPE'd over but made redundant within a few weeks. I was out of work from August 2010 to Feb 2011 and just as the not very large redundancy pot was turning to thin air, got myself another job in the same line of work, again in London, however 6 months in, redundancy has hit again as my employer had planned to buy more office buildings but this didn't materialise, so I found myself sitting there doing not a lot, and around came redundancy again (it is a very small firm - 8 people iun all, so no option to work in another team or department). With employers having such a huge choice of candidates it is becoming harder and harder to get a foot in the door for an interview, and with the commercial property world really struggling, I have been mulling over my options - I have considered becoming a lottery winner but that's less likely than getting a job tomorrow!
I have some experience with plumbing - I have done 2 self builds and done the first and second fix plumbing of the heating systems and the hot and cold water and foul drainage systems (I haven't done any gas work for clear and obvious reasons!). On my own house where I live now I have installed the heating system (again excluding the gas connection work) and have extended the heating and hot/cold water pipework and modified the foul drainage when the house was extended).
I have worked with copper and solder ring fittings, together with compression fittings and plastic push fit pipework.
With this experience in mind I am looking in to the option of training to become a plumber, including gas safe qualifications, and also considering part p qualifications.
As I am currently not working I would like to do a quick/intensive course, but am finding the quoted costs hugely variable. The frustration is that now I have time onmy hands to retrain, but not the income to sustain the costs of the training and maintain payment of bills.
Can anyone make any suggestions about where is worth looking at for training, what the range of fees are likely to be etc?
I live in Stevenage in Hertfordshire so somewhere that I can drive to would be handy rather than having to add in costs of staying locally to a training course.
Comments, advise, suggestions, recommendations all gratefully received.
Many thanks
Per
I am new to this forum and would be grateful for advice and recommendations from a forum like this rather than from salesmen selling courses!
OK, some background.
I am 47 and have spent the past 23 years working as a professional chartered surveyor managing commercial property in London and the South East of England. 13 months ago I was made redundant when my employers lost a client contract that I was working on. It went to a competitor. I was TUPE'd over but made redundant within a few weeks. I was out of work from August 2010 to Feb 2011 and just as the not very large redundancy pot was turning to thin air, got myself another job in the same line of work, again in London, however 6 months in, redundancy has hit again as my employer had planned to buy more office buildings but this didn't materialise, so I found myself sitting there doing not a lot, and around came redundancy again (it is a very small firm - 8 people iun all, so no option to work in another team or department). With employers having such a huge choice of candidates it is becoming harder and harder to get a foot in the door for an interview, and with the commercial property world really struggling, I have been mulling over my options - I have considered becoming a lottery winner but that's less likely than getting a job tomorrow!
I have some experience with plumbing - I have done 2 self builds and done the first and second fix plumbing of the heating systems and the hot and cold water and foul drainage systems (I haven't done any gas work for clear and obvious reasons!). On my own house where I live now I have installed the heating system (again excluding the gas connection work) and have extended the heating and hot/cold water pipework and modified the foul drainage when the house was extended).
I have worked with copper and solder ring fittings, together with compression fittings and plastic push fit pipework.
With this experience in mind I am looking in to the option of training to become a plumber, including gas safe qualifications, and also considering part p qualifications.
As I am currently not working I would like to do a quick/intensive course, but am finding the quoted costs hugely variable. The frustration is that now I have time onmy hands to retrain, but not the income to sustain the costs of the training and maintain payment of bills.
Can anyone make any suggestions about where is worth looking at for training, what the range of fees are likely to be etc?
I live in Stevenage in Hertfordshire so somewhere that I can drive to would be handy rather than having to add in costs of staying locally to a training course.
Comments, advise, suggestions, recommendations all gratefully received.
Many thanks
Per
