help please

[sleevydawg]

Hi Everyone, Please help... im wanting to change career and become a plumbing and heating engineer. Im in full time employment and cant afford to and am too old to be an apprentice, im looking at doing distance courses, buy im unsure about qualifications that I would gain and they are ok in the industry. I have basic knowledge of plumbing and heating and have the confidence to tackle most related jobs around the home. please advise....thanks guys and gals

 

[Ermintrude]

Lots of threads on this. Near impossible but not impossible

 

[Killy Bing]

Extremely hard to break into if you have to have a full wage all the time.

As a newbie you would struggle to demand a wage to support yourself.
Most employers wouldn't gamble that on you and you can't exactly blame them.

you could go self employed but with lack of experience you can be in a world of pain.

with a full time job you can't say you will pop back in the mornings either.

before you commit to a wonder course offer yourself as free labour to local plumbers on your days off.
slightly different ballgame when you are doing it at a trade level.

 

[Young Gunner]

I was in the same position as you. I've taken the course and passed it (while working) but the course is only the C&G. To get the NVQ2 you need to find work yourself and have verifiers come and sign it off. I am attempting to find work with just the C&G but it's difficult unless you have money to advertise yourself (which I don't).

I had a large job March 2013 so I left work and went self-employed - I don't regret that one bit - however work has been slow as I haven't got the experience/confidence to take on all the jobs so I'm looking for work as a plumbers mate.

All companies now require a CSCS card, which you need an NVQ2 to qualify for... so in other words you can't get work without an NVQ2, and you can't get an NVQ2 without work. You have to be really lucky to find the jobs or have enough money to advertise yourself or have the connections where people will give you the work.

I have a missus and kid to maintain so I can't be sitting around doing nothing. Half my work so far is decorating. It's not ideal seeing as I've put so much effort into getting a plumbing qualification but I have to pay the bills or not eat. Unless you have the savings to take a few months of no work I wouldn't personally recommend it.