I want to be a plumber....Please advise!

[Henry83]

Hi, I'm 29 and live in Manchester. I have reached a point where I am not enjoying my current career in the hospitality industry and sincerely believe that a career in plumbing would give me a rewarding and challenging new career. I realise I am slightly older than your average apprentice/student but would work my arse off to achieve this goal, so would greatly appreciate any serious advice on courses and apprenticeships, or anything that you think may be of use to me. Thanks in advance.

 

[mountainman]

Hi Henry
You'll receive good advice on your potential future career on this forum.
Do yourself a really big favour and heed it.
MM

 

[SimonG]

Welcome along Henry As MM said have a search on here with regard to similar topics it's an interesting read.

 

[Barry98]

welcome fella try to avoid any fast track courses they will get you no where and teach you little .

try and find a bloke whos coming upto retirement and offer him your youthful willingness in exchange for his years of experience.

ignore all the hype that all plumbers are millionaires etc. its a hard trade which is flooded with members

most of all if you want it keep at it ,

good luck

 

[Henry83]

Thanks bod, was just reading a Guardian article I found in another thread you commented on, suffice to say I'm going to steer clear of such organisations! So essentially, I should follow the traditional route of college and apprenticeship?

 

[Deleted member 25704]

I should follow the traditional route [/B]of college and apprenticeship?

The traditional route is apprenticeship and then college, we have just been indoctrinated to think that we need to go to college 'first' to learn a trade - but it sells courses.

Mainstream courses in Further Education colleges will arguably offer better value than fast-track courses. However, don't be mislead by this also. It seems a poor investment to shell out thousands on course, for a job which massively over-subscribed, which you might not get (even if you become self employed).

Try to get some work experience to begin with, that way you can learn the problems of this industry first hand (no work; high overheads; non-payers; legal pitfalls with gas; hassle from customers because you are inexperienced).

 

[jtsplumbing]

i think you stand a better chance for long term employment, advancement and job security in what you are doing, your in a nice warm, clean environment and want to give it up, to have a chance of poor working conditions, in and out of work, finish up with bad knees and back, If you have been watching Plumbers where you work and think that looks a nice easey job and listening to fairy stories about high earnings, well its just that Fairy stories.

 

[TBServices]

i think you stand a better chance for long term employment, advancement and job security in what you are doing, your in a nice warm, clean environment and want to give it up, to have a chance of poor working conditions, in and out of work, finish up with bad knees and back, If you have been watching Plumbers where you work and think that looks a nice easey job and listening to fairy stories about high earnings, well its just that Fairy stories.

Agreed. Honestly if i could walk into something else, I would.


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[jtsplumbing]

What about swaping jobs with Henry83 ??

 

[TBServices]

Couldn't do the commute lol


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[frankjames]

welcome fella try to avoid any fast track courses they will get you no where and teach you little .

try and find a bloke whos coming upto retirement and offer him your youthful willingness in exchange for his years of experience.

ignore all the hype that all plumbers are millionaires etc. its a hard trade which is flooded with members

most of all if you want it keep at it ,

good luck

Sounds like a good plan !

 

[Meterman1]

My Advice: Is Forget It ,Give yourself a Lucky Break.Get on the Next Flight Out of the U.K , Start a New Life Down Under / Canada / or Anywhere but here. Give Yourself / Your Family a Better Life & Start your New Career Move in Plumbing .Ten years from Now you will Reply to me Informing Me this Was the Best Career Choice you could of Made... If you Got the Cash You Have Passed in this Country..No Bull**it

P.s ..Im happy to Assist You in any Way
Meterman1

 

[chris watkins]

So I think thats a NO to the plumbing trade then ?? or have I misunderstood.

 

[Meterman1]

No Chris Get into this Trade ..I was trying to say if your going to get into plumbing /Gas ...Go for it .... If I was in your shoes I would Get out of the U.K & Start a Fresh........ After a few years working your balls off to get some where in life you will then notice all the effort dont get you anywhere in the U.K .unless you have a Lot a ££££ or Aint got a pot to **** in...then U.K is great...People like us on this site / us who hope to get somewhere in Life are Dommed in this Wonderfull Land of Ours... ..
P.S if you need any assistance / Advice .just ask..

Meterman1

 

[Petefinny]

Dont become a plumber!! Its Flooded with them!! Gt yourself outta the country and start a fresh!! Become a sparky!There alot better paid than Plumbers

 

[850Rick]

Is it that bad lol

 

[chris watkins]

Yes it really is that bad Rick !!!!!!
Only 3 or 4 apprentices this year out of the whole of our area (south & east London)
Still doesn't matter as long as there are the members of the armed forces who have finished there tour of duty & want to jump into a trade & the "I've had enough of this job" & I've got some money to get retained, brigade. We will be all right cause there is such a skill shortage, a.
PS my nan has always longed to be a plumber, does anybody know of a plumbing course for OAP,s, O & her dog as well !!!!!

 

[mountainman]

Unlike you to be cynical Chris.
Accurate yes, cynical no.

 

[acecharly]

All this fast track being no good is ok if youre 18 but if like me you were 34 with 3 kids to feed a 3 year full time college course wasnt going to happen.

As for find an old guy near retirement....thats as bigger myth as earning 70k a year. There not there.

Il say this, in our game getting the work is the hard part, the plumbing is the easy bit, you need to be a salesman and a businessman if you really want to go anywhere.

 

[chris watkins]

Unlike you to be cynical Chris.
Accurate yes, cynical no.

Can I just be Accurately Cynical ?
or possible Cynically Accurate.
it had been a bad day.

 

[fuzzy]

Yes it really is that bad Rick !!!!!!
Only 3 or 4 apprentices this year out of the whole of our area (south & east London)
Still doesn't matter as long as there are the members of the armed forces who have finished there tour of duty & want to jump into a trade & the "I've had enough of this job" & I've got some money to get retained, brigade. We will be all right cause there is such a skill shortage, a.
PS my nan has always longed to be a plumber, does anybody know of a plumbing course for OAP,s, O & her dog as well !!!!!

thats a low amount, do you take on full timers?

 

[chris watkins]

thats a low amount, do you take on full timers?

Hi Fuzzy
Can't you guess the answer to that one ?

 

[Mark2244]

Hi Henry, I am in exactly the Same situation as you were, in hospitality and aged thirty, only difference is I live in Birmingham, did you have any joy with pursuing a career in plumbing, if so any advice you could give?

Thanks

Mark

 

[Barry98]

mark welcome to the forum nice to see you used the searched option

 

[Mark2244]

Thanks for your warm welcome Bod, do you have any advice? My biggest problem is I work all the hours god sends at my current job so can't go down the traditional route of college etc without getting a full time job in ideally plumbing.

 

[Barry98]

is there no evening courses near you , i know they take longer and i sincerely wish you all the best of luck but the trade is saturated with plumbers a fair size proportion of which have no work

 

[SimonG]

Consider why you want to be a plumber and have another search on here, plenty of threads along the same line. If you want it enough you'll do it, but you'll have to sacrifice to get there.

 

[Mark2244]

There are evening courses but my job Doesn't allow me to have set times off in a weekly basis. The only other option is the intensive 8 week courses which cost an arm and a leg, also read bad reviews about them, just need a chance at a plumbers mate/labourer and I'm certain I would succeed but no one wants to take the chance

 

[Mark2244]

Thanks Simon, will have a good read through later.

 

[Steve1968]

Hi been a hands on builder for 20 odd years, got loads of gas work and can't get a reliable plumber/gas fitter to work with us so I'm going for a quick hit gas course, doing the most of our plumbing now so it will be usefull, anyone got any advice on my plans for this, thanks

 

[Ray Stafford]

Hi been a hands on builder for 20 odd years, got loads of gas work and can't get a reliable plumber/gas fitter to work with us so I'm going for a quick hit gas course, doing the most of our plumbing now so it will be usefull, anyone got any advice on my plans for this, thanks

Hi Steve1968.

Don't take this question the wrong way - I mean it genuinely, not trying to have a go at you!

Is the problem that you can't find a reliable subby, or is the problem that reliable subbies are too expensive? The reason I ask is that from a lot of postings I see plenty of skilled blokes struggling to find work. Of course - it might just be a geographical thing - some areas busier than others.

 

[Barry98]

or it could be a lot dont trust builders , again not having ago but i know a fair few plumbers got done over by builders when things went belly up a few year ago

 

[chris watkins]

Have you done any research, like contacting gas safe or a training centre, into what is required Steve or did you just think I'll asked on hear to save the time ?
Go on then I will bite.
What makes you thing you could become a GSR Engineer then ?
I take it you do not have an NQV in plumbing or heating, so you will be a category 3 entrant therefore you will need complete around 20 - 30 training days at a centre doing the theory & you will need to work along side a GSR engineer carrying out a range of gas work, including installation, testing & commissioning on boilers cookers & fires as a minimum the GSR engineer has to sign off your log which must be a minimum of 100 day's (might be more, I will have to check).
Only after completing the on & off site training can you sit the CCN1 test which is the core safety, once you have that you can sit the appliances that you require to work on (boilers, cookers, fires etc etc)
Once you have all those you can then apply to Gas Safe to go onto the register (after paying your fee's) oh & don't forget you will need to do your Part L so you can register each boiler with the council.
Or did you think it was as easy as turn up & pay over some money ?

Stick with the building mate & find a good plumber / heating guy ! (helps if you offer a bit more lolly, you tend to get the better ones interested).

 

[Steve1968]

Can't get a reliable subby mate, they turn in but if something comes along they just bail out on us, had one guy fit a floor standing boiler last week and charged us £520 for his mornings work, we don't mind paying a decent rate but as we get desperate some times we leave ourselves open to get robbed, we are in the north Wales area and builders are complaining about not having work, we have been lucky and stayed busy so far,

 

[Steve1968]

lol thanks for that