Help required what do i need to be a plumber!!!

[wini1979]

Hi everyone, if this post is in the wrong thread please move, but I have a big problem. Until recently I have been training and enrolled with a company under the illusion / information that once I complete my course I will be able to work as self employed...Well due to the fact they have vanished and all communication ceased, i feel its not going to happen for one, but think I may of been mis-informed. I will give you a run down of what I was taking on and then the people in the know can either rip this to bits or tell me whether I was on the right track:

• City and guilds 6129 Level 2 Technical certificate - without attaining an NVQ
• BPEC WRAS Water Regs
• Part P defined scope
• Registered as Self employed
• Site card

Does this amount to the fact I will be legally able to work as a self employed plumber!???...Firstly I do not wish or want to hear that you need to have experience and so on...Im in the military and have been for 16 years....distance flexible learning is my only option and volunteering to work for free as a mate to get experience...thats my way round the experience...not gold plated solution but helps...

Secondly, What I need is the Cold hard truth as to what qualifications I need to work legally, as self employed and by which methods are best to get there. Taking into account my circumstance. I know there are the "old and bold" out there and its you guys I aspire to be.. and get ahead in the transition to civilian life....I just need a steer so my 2 years of work have not been a complete waste of time..

Thanks in advance Wini

 

[SimonG]

A miracle.


Seriously though have a search on the forum, plenty of info.

Welcome to the forum

 

[wini1979]

Thanks Si will doo...and the miracle...working on it..

 

[deandive]

The best way in my opinion, provided you can find someone to sign off a portfolio is to get qualified in gas, that will make you a better prospect for any potential employer or contracts manager then complete any other qualifications from there, unvented and heat pumps would be a good way to go, where are you in the country?

 

[Dannyparty92]

You need NO qualifications to work as self employed along you don't install unvented cylinders, undertake any gas work! If you want to work on big sites as a plumber you need a skilled cscs card and to get one of them you will need a NVQ in plumbing.

 

[SimonG]

Thanks Si will doo...and the miracle...working on it..

Good luck with it.

It's what I say to my customers, 'the imposiible, no problem but miracles take a litlle bit longer'

 

[Simon F]

Hello Wini.
The NVQ is seen as the practical application of knowledge, so it would be well worth looking to complete that.
Some would specify the NVQ as the minimum needed.
You have already achieved a reasonable level but can add to it. Confidence could be a tricky qualification.

as to what you can legally do?? depends on what you are planning.
clearly gas is out of bounds, unvented cylinders, things that have very specific qualification requirements.
but what do you need to fit a bathroom suite, swap a set of taps etc?? plenty of guys put thier hand to this type of thing without having the qualifications that you have.

 

[lame plumber]

As said no quals required but like anything in life to do it well training is required. a 6129 tech cert is the way to get the theory, nvqs are vocational and Ill be shot down, a waste of space as they are an attempt to bin a proper apprenticeship under a decent employer as you can knock one out in 6 weeks if you have the work in hand as a self employed worker and the college visits you at work to assess you in the workplace. I know Mr W says doing this breaks the rules etc, but I wasnt a teenager when \I did this and my experience in life and site work put me way ahead of the lads in my college class. Re site work, no quals and experience and i doubt if youll get near a site even with a site caed and forget part p defined scope as thats why you make friends with a good sparkie and he passes you jobs and vice versa, jack of all trades etc comes to mind. If your serious and the pension will keep you going start up small, do anything, join a local college to train upto level 3 to understand the technical side and work with someone else to go acs quals and gas. then if you want hit the oil side etc. Its hard, the markets bad and theres to many of us out there at present. dont believe what you here about plumbing shortage, there is a shortage of those willing to work for peanuts and most arent earning £60k plus. good luck

your hardest thing to get your head round is the difference between working in the mob and outside, you cant give orders, no one responds in the timescale you want, any civi manager is nothing like youve experienced inside and the only way to cope is go it alone, I tried working for others and had to work for myself as I couldnt get on as a civi team member!! Its the mutts nuts once youve cracked it and most customers are great, the bad ones just remind you how good your others are

 

[wini1979]

deandive I'm in plymouth, what course do you reccommend in the gas C&G code etc...with what has happened been thrown back in the dark as a newbie now...

 

[deandive]

I think the c&g is 6012 may be wrong, im sure someone can confirm that. You dont need the c&g though you could enrol on a 'Fast Track' course (I can already hear the moans of discontent from the forum lol) they would provide you with the training you need to get started, if you can find an engineer to do a portfolio with you (spend as much time as you can afford with them) and then apply to do ACS and providing you pass you are eligible to go on the gas safe register. Dont do it though if you cant get an engineer to build your portfolio with you as this is where alot of lads fall down. I did mine with OLCI training had been plumbing for years first though and had a good engineer who took me under his wing

 

[wini1979]

Thanks to everone thats posted, some good info and much appreciated, and Lame I know it will be an epic in mindset but ready to gear up for civi life. Just want to clarify something, SimonF those qualifications were what I was supposed to have achieved....but has been possibly taken away as a company I am using has dropped off the map without a word....

 

[gasmanrob]

You need lots of savings to help you through.
a stiff upper lip when it all goes wrong
a supportive family
a good set of contacts before you start make sure you have somewhere to gain experience a quick read through some previous posts will prove that.
the desire to do it because it's a job you enjoy rather then one that pays well.

And above all 28 hour days

 

[lame plumber]

Thanks to everone thats posted, some good info and much appreciated, and Lame I know it will be an epic in mindset but ready to gear up for civi life. Just want to clarify something, SimonF those qualifications were what I was supposed to have achieved....but has been possibly taken away as a company I am using has dropped off the map without a word....

looks like you have really dipped out there, If the companies dead it looks like a restart. If your rn which being guz based id think you are, are there any resettlement schemes open to you. if you are shore based for a couple of years, one option would be local college evening classes for tech certs. its one way, or as suggested a fast track but costly way. pm me if you want a chat or Mr watkins is very useful for the "formal" way ahead, he may have other ideas offline?

 

[chris watkins]

This is going to sound harsh wini1979 but when you did your training to get into the army did you do it on a distance learning scheme or did they have you siting in a class room studying picture of guns & giving out bits of paper that said you will be able to use em, or did they just send you straight out on to the battle field, I think not.
So can I ask why you thought that plumbing would be so different ????

 

[wini1979]

28 hr days is the norm, I have accepted that i may have dipped completely (financially and qualifications) but its sent me down another route, dig in and crack on... Lame Im At 29 and will look into the college route as just seen that city college offer 6012 (thanks dean dive). I will be devoting my time to get ahead an got mates that are qualified gas engineers...see if they can square me away....

Again thanks for the info & keep it coming....appreciated!!

 

[Jarv5116]

You signed of winni?

 

[lame plumber]

AAAgh been helping a cabbage head! (i alaways wanted a go at the all arms course,but wasnt allowed by appointers) but live down the road from Chivenor, so come across those lads fairly regularly. Happy to offer advice, pm me if you want stripes mean nothing now.

 

[deandive]

I fail to see your point Chris, when I was in the army we learned plenty from reading, digesting and putting into practice things studied in text books, I cant see that is any different to a distance learning course for plumbing. In an ideal world every plumber would have started at sixteen and completed a four year apprenticeship, however when I was sixteen I was planning my entry into the army and at eighteen was serving my country, so ****ing £45 a week against a wall whilst being babysat by an experienced plumber was not an option for me and Im pretty sure this is the case for wini 1979. Ok he may have been messed around by his training provider but that is hardly his fault so lets not beat him up about wanting to better himself eh

 

[wini1979]

This is going to sound harsh wini1979 but when you did your training to get into the army did you do it on a distance learning scheme or did they have you siting in a class room studying picture of guns & giving out bits of paper that said you will be able to use em, or did they just send you straight out on to the battle field, I think not.
So can I ask why you thought that plumbing would be so different ????

Chris as I stated in my first post,(Holding back the red mist) I do not want pointless irrelevant information / posts about my route,selection or personal circumstances for my plumbing.....I'm on here trying to get information to move forward with my life....Its sunday night, and you are on a forum posting a stupid comment that benefits noone.....Obviously you haven't got a life! get your head down...

 

[wini1979]

Dean and lame good to make contact with you and will pick your brains at some stage.....cheers...I have not signed off but am trying to get ahead of the game now, whilst still in. "Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail"

 

[deandive]

No worries, stick at its a good career move dont know about others but I get a great sense of pride and achievement when Ive done a good job and the customer is happy.

 

[nicro3]

No worries, stick at its a good career move dont know about others but I get a great sense of pride and achievement when Ive done a good job and the customer is happy.

A good attitude will get you a long way. Nice to see.

 

[chris watkins]

Sounds to me like you found your true vocation in life & now you want to leave it & join mine. What do you know about my life ?
If your reaction to my post is anything to go on, then god help any customers you may disagree with.

 

[lame plumber]

Sounds to me like you found your true vocation in life & now you want to leave it & join mine. What do you know about my life ?
If your reaction to my post is anything to go on, then god help any customers you may disagree with.

Its a pity you can't relax a bit and offer some decent advice, you obviously have a lot of knowledge and experience and could help. The one thing you dont understand is how people in the services work and you arent dealing with a teenage numptie who doesnt want to be in your class here. What you have is someone who has probably been in a learning environment over the last 10-20 years, constant improvement is the norm. so sitting down and passing a tech 2 o3 cert is not an issue despite what you think. you also have someone who will go out and achieve his aim without a problem once he settles down to it. Like Ive said befre along with others passing the courses is easy, its achieving the correct vocational bits thats harder and the best way is via a college imho as they arent profiteering, but it takes time. this guys probably been stripping down and repairing military hardware in conditions you cant ever imagine, so doing a bit of attic work is not an issue. It is time you changed your dogmatic viewpoint and started to help and encourage after all arent you in the teaching proffession!! I'd be happy to help this guy if he wanted to work with me a week at a time when he could, why cant you just try a bit harder to help some of the people out there. they need experience and the only way to get it is to start small, link in with other plumbers and work bigger over time, sorry but you dont need college to do that and before apprenticships were thrown out the window years ago you never needed to plant your bum in a classroom, so you still dont need to imho

 

[wini1979]

Sounds to me like you found your true vocation in life & now you want to leave it & join mine. What do you know about my life ?
If your reaction to my post is anything to go on, then god help any customers you may disagree with.

Chris don't get me wrong I love my job,what I have done and i do,all I am trying to do is not come out at my end of service without a plan to look after my wife and kids. My reaction may be seen as excessive but I'm not in a good place at the moment, I may have lost years and thousands....I am trying to stay upbeat move onwards and upwards..you comment had the opposite of this...lets just move on I...don't want to derail the thread. Bygones as such

 

[DrainMedic]

Wini, can you actually do any form of plumbing work already?

Qualifications aside, if you can get by with a blow lamp, there's tons of work out there for anyone who's willing to actually do it. My advice, if you can do the job, is to get some work in either by advertising online, or by getting a leaflet firm to put you some leaflets out. Once the phone starts ringing, and it will, you could get a plumber to work with you to give you some experience til you find your feet. We all had to start somewhere and I'm a very firm believer that you will only get out what you're willing to put in. You're clearly willing, or you wouldn't be here.
I personally work about 18 hours a day and do about 5/6 jobs a day. As a side note, anyone who tells you there's no work out there is either retarded or scared that you'll do better than them! In my opinion obviously.
If you PM me your number and when you're ready to take on work, I can pass on any enquiries from your area to you. We get national enquiries and can't cover the majority of what comes in from farther afield than the northwest. It is only emergency work though, but it pays well.

Best of luck pal!

 

[kay-jay]

right then i just want to add something about the whole 'no quals required to legally trade as a plumber' statements being bandied about.

while this may be true (it is) do not under any circumstances pick up a spanner in anger without a completed level 2 including nvq. the reason for this is public liability insurance. god forbid you ever need to claim but should the need arise and they get wind that you hold no quals they will shyte you down the river. leaving you with a bill that may mean working for years to pay off. essentially you would be unable to provide any certificates therefore classed as self taught which is 'a lay person' trading as a proffessional. likely as not the story would wind up in the local rag.

 

[chris watkins]

right then i just want to add something about the whole 'no quals required to legally trade as a plumber' statements being bandied about.

while this may be true (it is) do not under any circumstances pick up a spanner in anger without a completed level 2 including nvq. the reason for this is public liability insurance. god forbid you ever need to claim but should the need arise and they get wind that you hold no quals they will shyte you down the river. leaving you with a bill that may mean working for years to pay off. essentially you would be unable to provide any certificates therefore classed as self taught which is 'a lay person' trading as a proffessional. likely as not the story would wind up in the local rag.

Totally agree kay-jay but do you think the vast majority worry about insurance ?

This thread is just over 2 years old now, it would be interesting to know how the OP has got on ?
Did he make it as a plumber does anyone know, lame?

 

[DrainMedic]

I really ought to start looking at the age of posts before hitting the reply button! What a fadge!

 

[philtheflush]

You need 6129 for the knowledge and confidence to get the job done to be self employed but don't attempt a job that you think might to big you just take the time to learn the practical side this forum will help you best thing is try to enjoy what your doing it alleviates the stress of the business side of things

 

[Subby]

Ring HMRC and get a UTR number.
Voila! You are self employed.
Get a CSCS card and you.Can then work as a sub contractor for a plumbing firm/agency.

 

[lame plumber]

Totally agree kay-jay but do you think the vast majority worry about insurance ?

This thread is just over 2 years old now, it would be interesting to know how the OP has got on ?
Did he make it as a plumber does anyone know, lame?

I know nothing........... apart from the fact this thread is ancient

 

[philtheflush]

I know I just realised just after I pressed the button it would be nice to see how he got on

 

[Subby]

Ha didn't realise that either bloody thread necromancers

 

[kay-jay]

I know I just realised just after I pressed the button it would be nice to see how he got on

Well this thread is his only post so I guess he didnt get into plumbing after all