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adders81

Hi there

New to the forum and new to the world of plumbing :D

Im 29 and for the last 10 years have been commuting to Oxford from Birmingham to the BMW plant to build the MINI.

Moved in with my partner at the start of year and after much debating and sleepless nights I put in for my redundancy last week , got accepted and will be finishing with BMW on the 15 dec.

Without given exact amount Ive been given a decent payout and with it I would like to completely change my career .

Plumbing for some time now has caught my eye and have read into the various courses on offer (New Career SKills ,Train For trade etc etc ) and also had a look into the various college courses (only one collge near me doing it ).

Basically im at a crossroads now with how and where I go and I really want to go with a career in plumbing whether it be within a company or at some point out on my own .

My brother left Bmw a few years ago and has turned himself around (with the hard work and tears along the way )and I guess I use his story as a way of turning my life around .

Im basically looking for advice on where I start and where I go . Im 29 with three kids and a partner so do I go with a fast track course and learn my skills along the way with my brother and his network of work mates or do i go the college route and take a longer aproach to it .

I dont know how to fix a broken toilet or a leaky tap but i do know that you have to work bloody hard in this and other domestic industrys to get where you want to go and after 10 years of putting up with long shifts and long travelling times to Oxford and back I think im totally comitted to doing this for myself and my family

Anyway ILL shut up now and hopefully hear from some of you out there

thanks

neal
 
turning away a secure salary in the middle of a downturn in the building/construction trade where experienced tradesmen are short of work is a descision I wouldnt make.
 
hi there

just to point out its the automotive trade - i work on the assembly line - will get some work back home and my partner works full time in a decent job so all ok so far

thanks
 
turning away a secure salary in the middle of a downturn in the building/construction trade where experienced tradesmen are short of work is a descision I wouldnt make.
Nail on the head. Ive heard Landrover/jaguar will be setting on.
 
you find working at cowly hard? plumbing is much harder with out wishing to put you off i hope you realise how hard a trade this is i would rather build cars. anyway i hope it works for you good luck my car came from the plant you work in can they have it back? its a bit worn LOL and no its not a mini its a rover 75 and its far from tired its a cracking car
 
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yeah i will swap jobs with you now - you probably earn more than me, and l have been plumbing for a while now!

I would do anything for a nice steady salary . . .

(see how the grass is always greener!)
 
adders81 go for it my friend, I left a factory job 23 years ago to become a plumber and have never looked back. OK admittedly i questioned my own rationale when I was carcusing a roofless house during a snow storm and there were a few drain jobs that I'd prefer not to remember but on the whole I think I made the right choice.
As for timing i think it's perfect, if you can survive and get all your training done during this down turn then when the boom is back (and like the terminator it always comes back!) then it'll be happy days.
As for the training itself, I took the long approach, did my C&G + advanced by day release at my local college over 3 years, paid for it myself and got a poorly paid trainee job with a boss from hell, for me it was worth the extra effort and wait. To be honest I really can't see how a 6 week intensive course can create a tradesman. It might help you start out and teach you how to solder and glue a bit of abs but the moment someone asks you to sort their faulty heating for them then you're going to be lost.
Ultimately the question is do you want to be a respected proffessional or do you just want to wing it without a care for your reputation?
I reckon it's pretty much like anything, you'll only get out of it what you put in.
But that's only my opinion...
 
think the market is flooded with newbies at the moment, different than 23 years ago, sorry for the pun
 
I agree with shorticus, do your training now while the industry is completely dead anyway, and once things pick-up again in 18months - 2 years you might be able to slot in somewhere. My course started in September, so hopefully a course near you will start asap, you dont want to waste time.
 
fast track will take a yr and a half and loads of dosh ,it not easy you need to no loads of little tricks also insurance in case you flood anyone and being new to it there a good chance you will .plus forget all the £30000 to £80000 cos some days am lucky to get £40 cos to many to compete against plus all the experienced plumbers from the sites who got no work,sounds great on paper ,but really its a mare
 
hi id say go for it just what i did a year ago am not makeing amazing money but am not doing that bad either have only had two weeks off thi year so carnt be doing that bad good luck fella
 
hi i'd also say go fot it, i quit my mindnumbing desk job 2 years ago and i'd never go back. ever. i have managed to build up a viable business in the middle of a recession, i work twice or sometimes thrice as hard and only earn roughly the same money. but there's more to life than money. if you enjoy variety and being your own boss then go for it. if you want a job in the industry you've probably no chance at the moment. i've got about 20 or more spec letters from people looking for work.
your plumbing training will not equip you to be a self employed plumber, in the last 12 months i have done flooring, dry lining, decorating, loft flooring, fitted new doors, loft insulation, floor and wall tiling, plus all the usual plumbing jobs.
you will need a healthy 5 figure sum to get you through the initial training and first 12 months, as has been said on here many times, don't do it for the money, its all the other benefits that make it worthwhile.
 
As above my friend, its not all about the money, its for the ability to be your own boss and enjoy what you do with all the variety that comes with it.

Yes there are days when you can walk away with £2000 in used £20's but remember you'll be paying £1200 back to your merchant, then a couple of hundred in tax on the profit leaving you with £350 for three days work after you've paid your apprentice.

I'd take the long approach at a reputable college who will chances are be ex installers themselves who will know what they are talking about, not like the ridiculous adverts you see on late night tv where its more likely to be conmen.

Whatever you decide, good luck my friend
 
good point, people see 2k on a job and think happy days, really its a 20% return on total job
 
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