starting out self employed

[fuzzy]

its difficult for people to justify paying you £20 per hour when you are not a qualified plumber

 

[johnmcginty]

its difficult for people to justify paying you £20 per hour when you are not a qualified plumber

I have never had anyone ask if I am fully qualified , if you look experienced I think most people are fine with simple jobs , (not gas) although if you are just starting out it will be apparent that you are not experienced. The pricing seems about right for starting out and making sure you get the work in. Just be really confident and have many spares etc in your van. All the right good tools.

 

[mike_s]

Good luck but I don't think set prices work. What if you're an hour extra cus you made a mistake or forgot to get parts, going to charge for that too? People need to know how much something is going to cost, especially big jobs.
"20 pound an hour"
"how long will it take"
"don't know"
See what I mean? Maybe its all you can do as you're not experienced but when possible try to give a price for a job and don't let it go up afterwards unless you really have to and it wasnt your fault.

Plus, if you're charging per hour or day, your more inclined to drag the job out, naturally, you'll be in no hurry. Not good for the customer. We often stay til 7ish to get what we can done if it helps the customer and means we can move on to the next job.

 

[fuzzy]

I have never had anyone ask if I am fully qualified , if you look experienced I think most people are fine with simple jobs , (not gas) although if you are just starting out it will be apparent that you are not experienced. The pricing seems about right for starting out and making sure you get the work in. Just be really confident and have many spares etc in your van. All the right good tools.

you must also consider the moral aspect, just because they dont ask if your fully qualified doesnt make it ok. They most probably presume you are.
why suggest gas? gas does not make you a fully qualified plumber, NVQ2 or craft cert makes you a fully qualified plumber, NVq3 or advanced craft cert makes u an advanced plumber

gas is a different qual for gas fitters. ACs is a qual for plumbers who need to install or work on the gas side of things, a seperate qual by the way

people always mix up 2 or 3 different disciplines, gas, plumbing and H&V

 

[johnmcginty]

its difficult for people to justify paying you £20 per hour when you are not a qualified plumber

Ok I agree with you , maybe if you said EXPERIENCED instead if qualified. As i would prefer to have someone with 5 years exp than a 6089 doing any work. What I meant to say about the gas side is that custards are very aware about " corgi" as they still say and not necissarily anything else , particularly unvented. It is sometimes difficult to articulate exactly what you mean in this format.

 

[moony]

in all fairness john fuzzy mentioned nvq not the tech cert.... i totally agree with you in saying you would rather have someone with 5 years experience than the 6089 but i would rather have someone nvq qualified than 5 yrs experience as i know the experience gained from passing his nvq is quality experience and is certified rather than just 5 yrs......

anyways good luck to original poster, but im sorry to say i think something needs to be done by the government or whoever to stop people opening up plumbing businesses whilst not experienced or more importantly at least certified...

i have worked hard to get my nvq's and struggled on low money with a family to support, i have recently started up my own business - websites registered professional leaflets designed and will be competing against people such as yourself - so i hope you can see why i think something should be done...

good luck though it will be a hard road for anyone to take.

 

[Plucky]

In the long run i'm glad I done things the hard way. 4 years in college. 2 more to gain experience to do my ACS. 8 years in the trade and I am just starting out on my own. I have lots oif contacts now and 2 months work booked in with more in pipeline and quotes waiting to be done.

I feel anxious and nervous enough so god knows what a fast tracker must feel.

Good luck though

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i was absolutely petrified going out by my self after 23 years as a bus driver. 15 months later i don't regret a thing.

 

[oldplumber]

i was absolutely petrified going out by my self after 23 years as a bus driver. 15 months later i don't regret a thing.

if id stayed in Hampshire and been plumbing there, id be earning a lot more due to the huge customer base, but im in devon and the wages are lower but the areas great and the mexican manyarnaa attitude, and be there Tuesday (dont say which tuesday) attitude is far less streeful. So poor but happy in Devon is and gradually building a business is my advice, youll live longer

 

[andyskint]

thankyou everyone who has replied to my question. you have all given me lots to think about.

I have revamped my website as suggested. www.andysplumbingservices.com
I would love to do my nvq 2 before going out alone but have had no luck in finding a placement or a job in the field so feel a little stuck regarding advice that i should wait until i am more experienced. what i have decided is that i will take on any small jobs (i fixed a toilet inlet valve today for example and charged £20 plus parts) that come from the business cards i have put in shop windows in the local area. other than this (and the job hunting) i won't advertise any further or take on any more complicated jobs yet until i have at least finished my city and guilds level 2. Then i will have completed 3 years in college at least. does anyone have any tips on finding an NVQ placement as i agree that this would be very helpful for me? i rang a huge list of all the local plumbers already asking if they were taking on apprentices but had no luck with that approach.