Furure of working in Gas industry

[combo]

Hi,
What do ppl think the future holds for working in the gas industry. I've floated in and out over the last few years, usually doing some agency servicing work and safety checking for councils/maintenance firms. Over the last year or two ive been jumping on other jobs in engineering and doing a few weeks here and there, then returning to gas. I''ve cleaned up my finances by doing this and I was thinking about jumping full on into gas in the new year...continue with whatever agency work I can get, get a webiste, jump on some breakdown courses and try and make breakdown work my main area over the next year ot two.
I've been offered a full on job in another industry, fitting drive belts. Money aint great i nitially ( training period )but within a two years or so I should be pulling in 25k ( with 30 possible on o/T ). Trying to decide what to do.

 

[newcastle phill]

Well you probably have an idea as much as any of us.

All I can see at some point is more regulation, more expense so on and so forth.

I think at some point they will roll out cmdda and if installing part L as obligatory.
Ive nothing to back this up...just my opinion.

 

[combo]

Yeah, the regulation and the expenses of working have always been an issue, especially for me, who has nearly always been self-employed. There doesn't seem to be many opportunities to actually be employed anymore, unless, you ur with BG or someone similar. I think my main issue is going from a recognised tradesman job to a lesser skilled job, even though the money is probs faily comparable ( I imagine most employed guys are on about 25-35k )....it feels like a step backward.

 

[Millsy 82]

I think gas is a good base but there are so many gas engineers out there that competition is fierce, also with training centers churning out so many want to be plumbers/ gas engineers it won't get any better.

I think you need to look at other areas as well as gas though to keep the work coming in as it will get fairly quiet in the summer.

 

[dancinplumba]

What happens when gas runs out ?

 

[townfanjon]

I think gas is a good base but there are so many gas engineers out there that competition is fierce, also with training centers churning out so many want to be plumbers/ gas engineers it won't get any better.

couldnt agree more, i am an old git now but if i started again, sort of within this industry , it would be down the renewable route

 

[dave1]

I look most days at agency's and see plenty of employed jobs paying anywhere between 28,000-32000. I can't believe the number of clueless, poor quality or knowledge and sometimes dangerous engineers. Then there's the ones that don't turn up or go sick regularly, the ones that do a service in 10 minutes and do 20 a day then moan that prices are so low. I've seen 'engineers' turn up that are unable to fill in a cp12 and don't understand the most basic tests to carry put. Grrr rant over,
my thoughts are, there is work out there and there's plenty of rubbish engineers, if your decent enough a good well paid job will come up, and surely they wouldn't want you to leave.
How long will gas last? Who knows, renewables has to be the way forward of which I've no experience.

 

[combo]

Is it unrealistic to think that you can specialise in and soley work on breakdown ? Thats sort of what i was thinking of doing.

 

[dave1]

I'd say if your a very good breakdown engineer people will want you to work for them.

 

[combo]

For me it would have to be a learning curve for breakdown, I'm talking about two/three years down the line. For someone like myself in my 30's it means doing it via being selfemployed....courses and learning as ya go....not many training ops for ppl my age, companies tend to take younger ppl on.