Commercial gas qualifications

We are finding it very difficult to replace our technical team leader, who has left for pastures new. Had an advert on our web site, in the local papers, on the internet etc.

Despite offering good rates, we have had very little interest. Even one of the UK's leading gas recruitment agencies has failed to find us a suitable candidate - and it's worth £6K to them! We are offering £34K Bupa, bonus, Nissan Navara crewcab, etc etc.

I think the sticking point is that we must have someone with commercial and domestic gas experience and tickets.

Are there that few commercial people out there in South London/Surrey?

My commercial gas qualifications have just expired and I am still considering if I should bother to renew them.

I have done little paid work on commercial systems and in view of the latest interpretation that the premises are not relevant then I could probably work on the typical system using Hamworthy boilers with a 60 kW output using my domestic ACS.

When I took it I anticipated lots of repairs in hotels and small business. I can only assume these are done by domestic CORGIs and the unregistered.

There is a shortage of commercial catering but thats another minefield because the restaurant owners are accustomed to paying catering staff at £4-£5 per hour and professional gas engineer rates are a shock so presumably they again use the unregistered. Oddly there does not seem to be any requirement for gas safety certificates for restaurants.

Tony

simond said:

Despite offering good rates, we have had very little interest. Even one of the UK's leading gas recruitment agencies has failed to find us a suitable candidate - and it's worth £6K to them! We are offering £34K Bupa, bonus, Nissan Navara crewcab, etc etc.

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Wouldn't think you're get anyone any good for less than £45 k plus perks, £34k plus van, phone, bonus and overtime rates, including limited private use of the vehical, is average fitters wages, Add to that london allowance, staying away allowance, travelling time etc etc.

We don't have staying away, it's all local work. No callout, no 24hr.

15-20% of the job is office based dealing with H&S, CORGI, OFTEC and quality inspecting fitters work.

Travelling time does not come into it; its a typical 8hr day.

If we expected our staff to travel nationally and stay away it would be a different ball game; our work is all within a 30 mile radius of base.

If we paid commercial chaps £45K we would not get any work. Incidentally, the specialist gas recruitment people don't have a problem with the salary, they say there is a general shortage on the commercial side.

We get loads of domestic guys writing in.

There is a big shortage, and the reason ???

There's a huge void in proper old fashon training. How many fitters can doitall, including welding etc etc. How many of your guys understand good old systems, maybe one or two at an educated guess.

Trust me as us old dinasaurs plop out clogs and get out of the trade it will only get worse. There is no-one replacing us, so the rewards will get higher and higher

you are totally wrong their is legislation regarding restaurants ie the healthy and safety at work act

simond
JEEESUUS ... your a tightwad firm FFS ...SHOCKING !!!!
My buddy Col is still a commercial lad , an he gets 52 k in Greater Manc , he has a team of lads he trains as his work gang , he gets an extra 4k for every lad he trains up on tools ....
He like me is old sckool an went through the full B/Gas commecial gas training back then in the early 80s ,

anyway he stuck with it , an 52 k , is small patotoes for a guy like him ,

Agile
you got it right about the commercial work cert , that work goes too the Commercial Gas Fitter firms , who CAN charge the Big Bucks ,
not worth the hassle ... an I found it hard for the corgi guy to cert my competance , back then I would throw my cards in with Cols work an do work to show ,I was sound...
then I left corgi behind , thank F*** for that day ...OH YES ...LOL ..

doitall
you got it bang on , mate ... you know the game ...as my old teacher at gas school said "they are just big gas cookers.....that you need to treat with respect .."


the plumbing miracle
healthy and safety at work act

give over .. an the Rushden Curry Mile is all cooked on corgi cert cookers

Curry Mile?

I thought that was in Manch?

Trouble is I never managed to find it and my friend who lived there suddenly died whilst driving one of his old bangers from a heart attack!

Tony