Which trade to get into??

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My nephew is 21 and is looking at learning a trade but not sure which one. What would you guys say were the pro's and con's of the following trades please;

Electrician
Plumber
Decorator
Joiner
Tiler
Plasterer
Bricklayer
 
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Hi Deccy,
Been a carpenter for quite a few years now and if i'm honest its been good to me, always steady money, always a bit in your pocket, you'll not be rich unless youre a top joiner /all rounder but can't complain.
If i started afresh id of been a spark i guess.

Hope this helps Matty
 
No disrespect to Electricians but they do tend to be quite boring individuals, constantly spurting the Regs, arguing the toss over some pretty pathetic points. ;) ;)

Decorator,s no real money in it, same with the rest of the trades down the list, I suggest Plumbing
 
awww.. and I thought I was the life of the party... :(

the problem is, we have rules but the DIYer ignores them..
they can't do that with gas which has lots of rules as well..
your painter and decorator has no rules per se.. ..
same goes for your plasterer and tiler..
not sure on the brickie, they may have structural rules but probably not that many..
same for chippies.. they may need to know timber sizes for joist spans and supporting walls and such..
 
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All of those trades listed are very narrow - ie they tend to be concentrated to their own trade and will only be on site at specific times with not much interaction with other trades..... except for bricklaying and carpentry

With these two, on the right sites, a chippie or brickie will get to experience all the other trades - especially as an apprentice, and this will help him later on if he wants to progress.

Most foremen and managers or people who run their own building firms were brickies or chippies

But it comes down to the guys character. I can't see someone who wants to be a decorator, being the same person as someone who wants to be a bricklayer. So I don't think its a simple choice ... he has to be aware of what the work is .... inside/outside, heavy lifting, intricate work, attention to detail, technical etc etc.

Also there is the actual workplace ... working on large sites is completely different to working on a house extension or travelling to a few jobs a day at different places.

And if he wants to learn, a large company on a large site will let him do more, see more and work with more people, rather than working with the same crusty old man on small extensions
 
No disrespect to Electricians but they do tend to be quite boring individuals, constantly spurting the Regs, arguing the toss over some pretty pathetic points. ;) ;)

Decorator,s no real money in it, same with the rest of the trades down the list, I suggest Plumbing

Just a thought.
You say there's no real money in decorating...depends how much you want to earn. Some people don't want to be stinking rich, they just want to do a job they enjoy and get paid enough money to pay their mortgage. I can't speak for the other trades but I am a decorator, earn a pretty good living and totally enjoy what I do, plumbing would bore me to death. Is there still a shortage of plumbers or has everybody jumped on the bandwagon that much that now there's too many?
To be honest I don't think that my nephew is cut out for a trade that requires a bit of hard work like my job does (he's a lazy git) maybe he needs to look for an office job!
 
Don't worry, there's no real money in my trade at the moment :LOL:

As you say, it's what you enjoy and I get enormous job satisfaction from my Bathroom work, I don't think I have ever woken up in the morning with a bad thought about going to work ever since I have been self employed.
 
Don't worry, there's no real money in my trade at the moment :LOL:

As you say, it's what you enjoy and I get enormous job satisfaction from my Bathroom work, I don't think I have ever woken up in the morning with a bad thought about going to work ever since I have been self employed.
Never woken about 3.30am and thought "f*ck, I didn't do that!" Then realise that you've gotta spend a few hours extra cause you forgot something.
 
Roofing!

As long as houses get older and the British weather carries on, there will always be a need for a roofer. 9 out of 10 roofs are in need of some kind of repair.

Roofers, though, have a bit of a bad reputation :(
 
But we don't all like scrambling up a hip off a ladder resting on the plastic gutter :eek:

Flat roofing is OK I suppose. lol
 
My nephew is 21 and is looking at learning a trade but not sure which one. What would you guys say were the pro's and con's of the following trades please;

Electrician
Plumber
Decorator
Joiner
Tiler
Plasterer
Bricklayer

Tell him to learn them all and then become a handyman. But he must become aware of his limitations, and the law.

The jobs I won't take on are plastering, bricklaying and most electrical jobs. I make a reasonable living considering I only work part time. :LOL:
 
Ignore what I said earlier, train as a plumber, big, big money to be had.

Below is an advert I just found on this site so it must be true, must it not? DIYNOT would not allow advertisers to tell porkies, would they? :LOL:

Re-Train As A Plumber
Huge Shortage. Earn Up To £50,747. No Exp Needed. Free Info Here.
Career-Changer.co.uk/EarnMoreMoney
 
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