Gas Engineer Courses

[Opal99]

There maybe an alternative why don’t you train be become a smart meter installer with a big company they will train you and guide you accordingly.

I was faced with redundancy a few months ago I applied for several jobs got a few interviews one social housing group said they didn’t think I was experienced enough for the gas engineers post (I was a gas engineer at the last place for 5 years). It’s very difficult for a newbie to find a job in our industry.

Thanks I will look into this. It’s definitely an option but I’m not sure how hard it would be to get into this role either. I suppose that’s where I have to do some leg work now if I am to succeed in some way or another getting into this industry.

 

[Opal99]

Can I ask a question regarding this as I hadn’t even looked into this option...I have just done some research on this and it seems that I have to pay for the training myself. I have no issues with this but again I am not guaranteed a job at the end of it. Would the chances of obtaining a job be quite high once my training was completed which is approx 3 months. If I did get a job as a meter installer how would I approach the company with the question of training to become a gas engineer...I could not see them allowing me to shadow anyone during a working day when I am supposed to be installing meters. Can I also ask what is the average wage of this job.

 

[Riley]

I wouldn’t be paying for any training if it were part of the role they have interviewed you for. Have you ever done any plumbing? Soldered a pipe? Hung a radiator? Do you understand a heating system??? These are the questions you need to ask yourself. There are loads of time served plumbers and engineers on here that will still tell you everyday is a school day

 

[Opal99]

I wouldn’t be paying for any training if it were part of the role they have interviewed you for. Have you ever done any plumbing? Soldered a pipe? Hung a radiator? Do you understand a heating system??? These are the questions you need to ask yourself. There are loads of time served plumbers and engineers on here that will still tell you everyday is a school day

I have no experience. You may ask how I know I want to do this...but people constantly tell you it’s never too late to learn, and I am hoping this is the case but it seems extremely difficult to get on the ladder so to speak. I’m not expecting to be servicing boilers after a few months I just want to gain experience to achieve my goal. Sometimes parting with a bit of money might be the only way to at least get your foot in the door. Maybe starting out as a Smart Meter Installer is an option, I’m still looking at this route. Perhaps this is a pipe dream but I will at least try.

 

[Riley]

Many colleges will offer a plumbing taster course. This would be a great intro. You may find you hate it

 

[Opal99]

Many colleges will offer a plumbing taster course. This would be a great intro. You may find you hate it

I’m going to contact some collages during the week for some information and if they have an introduction course I will give it a try.

 

[Roverspete]

I’ve been a self employed plumber for 2 years now. I started as a mate after being made redundant from a building firm I was with for 12 years.
Lucky enough I’d done a few jobs with a plumbing firm whist building and they knew my capabilities. I then signed up at 35 for college and a City & guilds LV2. I’ve now completed all courses and gained on the job experience through Mybuilder and word of mouth plus 2 jobs a week with a GS Engineer.
I’m now looking at doing my GS through Gas Flare in Bristol for £3999+VAT.
We had a young Indian guy who was on our course for a property developing family expecting to be earning 30K within the first couple of years with Only estate agent experience. He could not even solder properly!!

I’m still astonished at the amount of people that think they can change a career from shirt and tie to a highly skilled trade with £’s. I’m not someone you wants to discourage just tell it as it is.

Hope this might give people who are thinking of a career change a little insite to what’s involved.

Regards. Pete

 

[Michael1960]

Hi

I am after some advice please.

I am looking at training to become a gas engineer. I have done some research and have come across various courses which last a few weeks (after which and providing I pass I would be registered on the gas safe register). I am fully aware these courses do not provide the skills and experience of an apprenticeship as I have seen the negative comments regarding them on here; however, an apprenticeship would be extremely difficult for me to secure with so much competition and people with previous experience (I have none). I am 37 and this would be a complete career change for me having only worked in customer service roles: although I am certainly not doing this on a whim. Whilst I will try my best to secure an apprenticeship before going down the course route as my last option, I was wondering if anyone has had any success with these courses (I understand it would be almost impossible getting a job with British Gas etc) but are social housing firms more flexible?
I called one of the fast-track courses mentioned above and spoke to a lovely person who advised me to try and get an apprenticeship as they are highly regarded. He said if I do manage to secure a place then with time, effort and dedication I will go far and there is a market for women gas engineers as there is a current shortfall of them. Unfortunately I do not know any gas engineers (friends or relatives) who can help me on this journey so any genuine and helpful advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for your honest answer. I have been looking at the college routes but they also want you to be employed in the industry and have one or two days a week in the classroom. That’s the difficult part...finding someone who will let you shadow them. Maybe this will be a pipe dream at my age but they do say you are never too old to learn

Hi, you are definitely never too old, I was older than you when I decided to come into this industry. I cant stress enough on the importance of following the apprenticeship route. There is a massive ammount of technical certificates to be gained out there all backed by C&G ,Bpec, NIC. But the only one that counts is the work related qualifications ie C&G 6189 -11 And then onto the level 3 which leads to your ACS.(gas) if you choose. As stated by others employers wont recognise technical certs. The private colleges will charge a fortune. Go back to basics knock on doors and get an apprenticeship, sit in college with all the kids, I did, you will learn how to do things properly. Find somebody local to shadow, the experience is priceless. Hope this helps.

 

[Bibbs118]

Go on a gas course and apply for british gas, thats what i did. British gas do not want experienced engineers if they are going to train you, they want fresh meat they can train. When i was there the group behind us had a 57 year old guy on their adult apprentice scheme .

The fact you're a woman will help you get a job.

I believe there are some fast track success stories but you need to be very lucky getting a mentor for the 2 years you'll need.

I think most fast track people either end up installing or flipping burgers.

 

[Opal99]

Go on a gas course and apply for british gas, thats what i did. British gas do not want experienced engineers if they are going to train you, they want fresh meat they can train. When i was there the group behind us had a 57 year old guy on their adult apprentice scheme .

The fact you're a woman will help you get a job.

I believe there are some fast track success stories but you need to be very lucky getting a mentor for the 2 years you'll need.

I think most fast track people either end up installing or flipping burgers.

Do you mean go on a fast-track gas course and then apply with British Gas?

 

[Opal99]

Hi, you are definitely never too old, I was older than you when I decided to come into this industry. I cant stress enough on the importance of following the apprenticeship route. There is a massive ammount of technical certificates to be gained out there all backed by C&G ,Bpec, NIC. But the only one that counts is the work related qualifications ie C&G 6189 -11 And then onto the level 3 which leads to your ACS.(gas) if you choose. As stated by others employers wont recognise technical certs. The private colleges will charge a fortune. Go back to basics knock on doors and get an apprenticeship, sit in college with all the kids, I did, you will learn how to do things properly. Find somebody local to shadow, the experience is priceless. Hope this helps.

The problem is I can’t get an apprenticeship as although there is no upper age limit...in reality employers want young blood. I have applied for a few apprenticeships but heard nothing so I think It’s unlikely I will fine one...that’s not being negative just truthful. So I think I will do the course and then just hope afterwards I have a chance to succeed in the business...or get an apprenticeship after the course. I am not expecting to earn 30k plus as that would take years of experience to get to a level like that...I want to learn the job and become experienced and hopefully become a good engineer.

 

[Faz88]

Hi Opal99.

3 years ago I started down a similar path. I am 29 and had limited experience in but had wanted to pursue this path and go into the Gas industry. I researched fast track courses, distance learning packages, local colleges etc not knowing which path was best with the experience I had but also the difficulty in getting an apprenticeship and having bills to pay!

My local college didn’t offer a course that was accessible to candidates new to the Gas industry unless it was through an apprenticeship - not all do so this is something to check when you speak to them. There’s different categories of entry depending on your experience.

What I decided to do in the end was to take a course through a local training centre which was affiliated to BPEC (so the same as what you would learn at college) whilst working for a local Guy to build up experience. This essentially gave me an apprenticeship type way of learning without a formal apprenticeship however this is by no means an easy option as you will have to find a local company/person who would be happy to take you on and bite the bullet in terms of minimum wages whilst doing it! It took me 18 months to qualify. However that’s when it gets even tougher as you still have very little experience and so options are limited in terms of company’s wanting to employ you as most will ask for a minimum of 2 years if not 5 years experience.

I did manage to find a job though and am still learning every day! The way I did it isn’t necessarily the best way to do it as I’m sure other posts will say but It’s certainly possible which is what I wanted to show however it is tough. But as long as you are willing to work hard for it, good luck to finding the correct course for you.

 

[Opal99]

Hi Opal99.

3 years ago I started down a similar path. I am 29 and had limited experience in but had wanted to pursue this path and go into the Gas industry. I researched fast track courses, distance learning packages, local colleges etc not knowing which path was best with the experience I had but also the difficulty in getting an apprenticeship and having bills to pay!

My local college didn’t offer a course that was accessible to candidates new to the Gas industry unless it was through an apprenticeship - not all do so this is something to check when you speak to them. There’s different categories of entry depending on your experience.

What I decided to do in the end was to take a course through a local training centre which was affiliated to BPEC (so the same as what you would learn at college) whilst working for a local Guy to build up experience. This essentially gave me an apprenticeship type way of learning without a formal apprenticeship however this is by no means an easy option as you will have to find a local company/person who would be happy to take you on and bite the bullet in terms of minimum wages whilst doing it! It took me 18 months to qualify. However that’s when it gets even tougher as you still have very little experience and so options are limited in terms of company’s wanting to employ you as most will ask for a minimum of 2 years if not 5 years experience.

I did manage to find a job though and am still learning every day! The way I did it isn’t necessarily the best way to do it as I’m sure other posts will say but It’s certainly possible which is what I wanted to show however it is tough. But as long as you are willing to work hard for it, good luck to finding the correct course for you.

How long was your course? I know I would need to accept minimum wage. I think I will just go for it but like you I will have to do it the unconventional way.

 

[Riley]

I think a lot of the problem you will experience here is that you say you’re going to have to build up the experience and expertise but from from whom?? I’m not being negative but if you don’t get any sort of plumbing background then a lot of jobs will utterly baffle you.

 

[Michael1960]

The problem is I can’t get an apprenticeship as although there is no upper age limit...in reality employers want young blood. I have applied for a few apprenticeships but heard nothing so I think It’s unlikely I will fine one...that’s not being negative just truthful. So I think I will do the course and then just hope afterwards I have a chance to succeed in the business...or get an apprenticeship after the course. I am not expecting to earn 30k plus as that would take years of experience to get to a level like that...I want to learn the job and become experienced and hopefully become a good engineer.