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freeman1986

i have just finished my city and guilds plumbing course. this has set me up for my nvq. but i can find NO ONE in my area or surrounding willing to take me on so i could do the nvq. they either say their not looking to take on trainees/not looking for anyone/need to be gas safe etc. the college said i need to be employed before i can do the nvq.

i'm 24, not a school leaver which i thought might help as i would be more mature than the 16/17 year olds looking to do theirs. i would also be paying for the cost of the nvq myself. as i did with the city and guilds course. but it doesnt seem to help
this is what i want to do but i'm finding it very hard to get my foot in the door with anyone.

any tips on what i should do?/say to employers?

cheers
 
would going self employed be an option? would i still be able to do my nvq if working for myself? my mates a plumber and he said he should be able to chuck some bits my way, but cant take me on
 
Im sorry to hear this, ive been posting on here for some time saying that the C&G 6129 is not recognised by industry but people still keep thinking it is and doing these courses, often at a lot of expence. They would prefer to listen to a saleman than me, just anyone on a board. Anyone looking to pay big money for a course look at this persons query first.

I hope you get the work you need, fuzz
 
Yes registering as self employed should satisfy the college, in fact my college suggested thats what I do as I'm in full time employment doing something else, you should be fine if your mate will let you do some bits and sign them of as workplace recorder

Registering as self employed is easy just a phone call or a web site

HM Revenue & Customs:
 
As you are older the government have priced you out of the market. You can only get 1 year at apprentice rate ! This is not your fault !
For me NVQ while you are self employed is a joke, sorry but it is
 
For me NVQ while you are self employed is a joke, sorry but it is

Totally agree with you Toddy. And our trade is also being made a joke as a consequence. No wonder people have little faith in plumbers.
 
training on peoples properties whilst getting piad to get the qual you should have before you work on someones property
 
This isnt helping the poor bloke.does anyone a 100% right answer? we all want to get on and the clock is ticking.cheers
 
I did the NVQ2 via self employment and I'm getting the NVQ3 done in the same way. Contrary to what some posters above imply, the customers actually have some reassurance as the work is inspected by an assessor. In some respects this could well be better than doing the NVQ while working for someone else and using them as a work place recorder - who's to say that person isn't as diligent as an assessor? So if you can't get a job, go self employed...
 
I did my nvq a couple of years ago, i asked a mate to sign a letter as my workplace recorder as he is a plumber, i then did a few jobs for him (for free) and family and friends and took photos as evidence. I then had to have witnessed two installs of bathrooms so i placed a small advert on gumtree.com and explained the situation and offered to do some plumbing for free in return for my lecturer to come and observe. Worked a treat. Failing that ring round local plumbers and offer your services for free a couple of days a months/week in return for experience/photos etc
 
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Thank you.ocentric,a bit more positive and constructive .thats what we want to hear.
 
I did the NVQ2 via self employment and I'm getting the NVQ3 done in the same way. Contrary to what some posters above imply, the customers actually have some reassurance as the work is inspected by an assessor. In some respects this could well be better than doing the NVQ while working for someone else and using them as a work place recorder - who's to say that person isn't as diligent as an assessor? So if you can't get a job, go self employed...

The assessor does not garantee the work? he only needs to assess two of the criteria directly anyway, the rest can come from photos or write up. You are mistaken, theres no way that an un qualified installer with an assessor checking a small part can be deemed more reassuring for a customer than a qualified and expeirenced engineer completing the job. very misleading.

want to know fact about training and assessment ask me
 
This isnt helping the poor bloke.does anyone a 100% right answer? we all want to get on and the clock is ticking.cheers

answe to what exactly? yes you can do the NVQ self employed, it wasnt desinged that way and is a loop hole, this is set to be a closed loop hole with the new diploma, but maybe people will find a way round it?
 
cheers for all the info. think i'm gonna go self employed in jan. my old mans been in the trade for 30 odd years so i always got him if i get stuck. had a pretty good private message explainin everything, apreciate it. i like the comment about putting an add out to do the bathroom install for free in excahnge for the assesser to see etc. doubt you'd have much trouble findin someone wanting free labour lol

cheers again guys. loads of help :)
 
Dont take these things personally guys it is the system that is at fault.
I agree with fuzzy , we see it every day
P.S we have 2 apprentices one from school and one mature (they do 4 years)
 
when speaking to my tutor i was told you can be self employed and do your nvq which is good but at a extra price think it was £1500 but worth it long run.
its a shame that a lot of time served plumbers on here are very negetive but get it every were.
my view is i have seen work done by our polish and romanian friends that have been a joke as they have no clue on the regs and think if i can get away with it why not but doing a fast track course you learn the regs/ have the info to look back on if you are not to sure and some basic skills.
for me i was working in catering naff pay long hours so if i can do a couple of bathrooms tapwashers and garden hoses each month i would be taking the same home if not more but enjoy it and not be up untill silly oclock
 
Most time served guys are not being deliberately negative. We are saying it as it is.
Speaking as an employer, most fast trackers will never be employed because they are not employable. Having a paper qualification and absolutely no experience (i could learn the grand kids to do workshop stuff) gets you nowhere in the real world. If i want a dog i will buy one.
SE is the only other option to try and recoup the "investment". Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. Depends very much on the individual. Just don't be taken in by the hype.
Btw i know a few decent Eastern European tradesmen. They can't all be tarred with the same brush. Same as the fastrackers.
 
fair play as people need to be told the truth as they wont get it from the training centers.

but for some people this is the only way as they dont have the time or are to old for a apprentice so its the only way for them to change there life for the better i am 30 with a kid and a house so its my only way as i dont want to spend the rest of my life pouring pints and dealing with **** heads all the time.

i do think it is wrong that when you phone up about fast track courses you are told you will earning silly money as it takes time i was told i would finish the course in under a year. phoned up to book weeks 3 and 4 and was told may and july so how are you ment to do the 5 weeks at that rate but i am not in a rush (well not to much dont want the job i have been offed to go)

dont get me wrong there are good and bad i know of some bad and i meen so bad would not trust them to flush the loo let alone put one in english / bitish trades people what ever we have to call ourselfs now days

most of my family are SE so i know the ups and downs which is ok for me but a lot of people dont
 
time serve tradespeople are not being negative, you may be led to believe tha, may want to belive it as it is more encouraging than the truth. I hope it works out for you, but dont blame the people in the trade for the problems, by problems i mean poor workmanship from either polish or english and fast track courses
 
i have never blamed any one in the trade at the end of the day as a employer if you are going to pay someone £20k are you going to take on someone with little or no exp or someone that has been in the trade a few years its a no brainer they will work quicker be less of a libity.

but for people trying to get into the trade its not good

the only people i blame for poor workmanship is the person that did the work its there work so on there head be it
 
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christ havent been on here for a few weeks..... few more comments than last time i looked lol

happy to report i found a company who could take me on full time and have been working for them for about a month now, and they are putting me through my nvq 2, and then onto level 3.

one of the few happy endings :) lol

cheers for replies
 
Nice to hear it. I hope I find someone to take me on and support me through the next few years whilst doing the new diploma. After all the other posts I was starting to think I'd have no chance but yours has at least given me a faint glimmer of light at the end of a long and thankless tunnel lol.
 
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