Newly Qualified Plumber

[DCann-MacLean]

Newly qualified City&Guilds 6128, Brec Vented & Unvented, and Bpec & WRAS Water Regs plumber. As my job history has been very bad, and I was tired of struggling, and want to better the lives of my Family I paid for, and passed a New Careers Skills Course based in Doncaster. Looking to work for myself / work for another plumber?. Would like some advice on TAX, N.I, getting help with a van, prices to charge customers for various jobs, Estimates, and anything else that you good guys out there might be able to help me with. I want to be a good plumber and learn to do things by the book and above board, so any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly in advance for any help offered. Kindest regards, David.

 

[mikimac]

Hi David & welcome. Here is my personal opinion to the questions you have asked:
Tax & NI are best handled by a qualified accountant. I've had the same one for years & as I keep up to date with industry changes so does he with tax matters & is therefore best placed to advise me with allowances etc. You can do it all yourself if you want but someone else on here might give advice on the pros & cons of that one.

Looking to work for yourself/other plumber. As you have recently qualified & if I'm right, still have your NVQ to gain and in an ideal world working with a plumber would be the best option. This will most likely prove a hard task as the work situation is still unsteady & most plumbers are just getting by from week to week.

As for working for yourself, see above.

If you know someone selling a van you are less likely to end up with a scrapper! Keep within your budget & as you are just starting out keep overheads to a minimum ie no finance..the latest VW transporter with shiny rims isn't going to automatically open the work floodgates (although you will look the part lol).

Prices & estimates are a minefield & to summarise - one mans peanuts is another mans prize. You need to ascertain what your minimum day rate is including fuel, tax, wear & tear etc & stick with it. If you start taking less & I know I've done it you end up in a bit of a jam before long. I have a day rate for general water based plumbing & another for gas work for obvious reasons..and I still often lose work on both because there are people out there who will work for a fraction of the price :freak:

I hope this doesn't seem too gloomy an outlook & best of luck.

 

[fuzzy]

hello and welcome mate

 

[fuzzy]

Newly qualified City&Guilds 6128, Brec Vented & Unvented, and Bpec & WRAS Water Regs plumber. As my job history has been very bad, and I was tired of struggling, and want to better the lives of my Family I paid for, and passed a New Careers Skills Course based in Doncaster. Looking to work for myself / work for another plumber?. Would like some advice on TAX, N.I, getting help with a van, prices to charge customers for various jobs, Estimates, and anything else that you good guys out there might be able to help me with. I want to be a good plumber and learn to do things by the book and above board, so any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly in advance for any help offered. Kindest regards, David.

just read this now, i wish you the best of luck but you only have a tech cert in heating and vent, not a plumbing qual and not classed as a full qual, sorry to tell you that if you didnt already know

i hope it works out for you, getting your nvq would help(also C&G)

 

[PlumbBobBob]

welcome along david

 

[DCann-MacLean]

I was lead to believe that the City & Guilds 6128 was a qualification. When the guys old the course to me he said I'd be doing an NVQ, and we didn't find out til the day of the final exams in October that it was not. They are now doing NVQ's for new students. I am hoping to start working for myself and do my NVQ.

 

[mikimac]

Yep, seems like a lot of people fall for the old 'you will have an NVQ at the end of this' Jedi mind trick before parting with their hard earned £££... On the bright side, a lot of chimps (and I mean that in the nicest possible speedfit kinda way lol) in the business havent even got technical certificates so at least you're on the first rung...stick with it!

 

[DCann-MacLean]

Thanks for that, much appreciated. I have been duped big time, but I am determined to make a go of this, and will be doing just that. I have a few jobs lined up and hopefully that will bring in some more. Might find me on here asking some advice, lol.

 

[plumbqate]

i feel sorry for you on this as i have heard this many times,including one newly qualified "plumber" wanting to buy tools. These people should be ashamed for taking money and under false pretences. Unfortunately the word qualified plumber only becomes relevant after an apprenticeship is completed (usually 4years) . You certainly need to work for or with a plumber for the forseeable future . Then experience is the key word and a large dose of common sense is one of the best tools to keep on the van. Good luck. ps. been doing this over 30 years and still learning.

 

[DCann-MacLean]

Many thanks to you for your post. I will not give up. As one of the previous postings stated, I have more than some others out there, and a desire to get things right and be a good plumber. I shall not give up, and always try to do a good, proper job for any and all customers I have. I may be on here to ask advice from you good folks at some time?. Thank you ALL.