ACS Qualified Plumber looking for a new start in North East

Joined
17 Feb 2008
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Location
Tyne and Wear
Country
United Kingdom
Hi guys, my first post here.

Basically, i served my time as an apprentice gas fitter, and due to being sent to a crap college at the time, neither me, nor the other apprentices got the oppurtunity to actually get our gas tickets in time.

So after being made unemployed and going through a court case, i decided to take a year out and get my head together.

A year later i took my ACS tests and have passed them all.

However now i need to get my foot back on the ladder and im willing to work for a low wage until my confidence is back up 100%.

Id appreciate it if anyone near Newcastle in england could give me a hand.

Cheers

Chris :)
 
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Hold fire you may get a job managing a footi team up there shortly. :LOL: :LOL:
 
Hi guys, my first post here.

However now i need to get my foot back on the ladder and im willing to work for a low wage until my confidence is back up 100%.

Cheers

Chris :)

Thats likely to be the problem! You dont want a permanent job and will be off as soon as the benefactor has trained you up to be able to do the job commercially.

Think of whats in it for them! It would take about a year to train you and let yo get the experience you need to be able to go to a customers house on your own. When you get that you will be disapearing into the sunset, perhaps taking some of his customers!!!

Try thinking what you can offer an employer. To work for the minimum wage is still too much for a trainee with no experience.

If you dont drink, swear or smoke and can drive I would consider taking you on for a limited time in London but I doubt you would last a week!

Tony
 
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Got any fault diagnosis experience?

Theres a job going down here in the smog if you can handle up to 2 hours a day commuting. Some of the call out work is in Sunderland so you could do Ok out of that.

01642 453131

The guy is good to work for so I hope you can work something out.
 
Agile, i do have the experience. I spent 5 years as an apprentice, working supervised with gas.

I know how to strip down and service 99% of appliances, i have repair experience, installation experience, and i have plumbing experience (bathrooms etc)

I passed my ACS certs in every main area CCN1, CEN1, HTR1, CKR1, WAT1, DAH1.

I dont plan on using someone only to drop them in the **** when i feel im capable.

I want to offer myself to work to prove myself. The year out went against me, but i had a long dragged out legal situation with the council i worked for which left my life up in the air for a while.

Im not looking for training as such, ive had all of that. Im looking for the oppurtunity to work with people again in the industry to get back the confidence i lost in the last year.

Although i do see some of the points you have made Agile. Thanks
 
But to be a useful employee you have to be able to go to homes and do repairs and installation work on your own.

Depending on the court case, many employers would be unwilling to take the risk with someone who has a history of taking employers to court!

How presentable do you look? Many people who have not been working for a while can look pretty hippy like or just plain wild! Is your hair neatly cut and do you shave every day and wear clean clothes?

Tony
 
But to be a useful employee you have to be able to go to homes and do repairs and installation work on your own.

Depending on the court case, many employers would be unwilling to take the risk with someone who has a history of taking employers to court!

How presentable do you look? Many people who have not been working for a while can look pretty hippy like or just plain wild! Is your hair neatly cut and do you shave every day and wear clean clothes?

Tony

Ok tony, heres my story.

I was an apprentice for the local council. We all signed the agreement that after 4 years, as long as we put our work in, we would finish our time fully qualified...

So, after 2-3 years it was clear that the college they were sending us to were incapable of providing us with the education we needed. After 3 years of day release, we didnt even have NVQ2. We complained numerous times to our training leader at work and they promised to chase it,

nothing was ever done, 3 years became 4 and we had barely scraped an nvq2 out of them, and this was through no fault of our own (fair enough if just 1 of us failed to get qualified to the highest level.. but this was every one of us).

The apprenticeship ran on into 5 years without anyone saying a word, we asked for meetings etc but they kept getting cancelled / rearranged.

Cut a long story short, they finished my year, and the year below (who were suffering same **** from college).

The college admitted to me that the only year that were on track were the first year, who had only been there a month. Every other year was in the same situation with being behind.

The college compensated the council and we saw none of the compensation.

So me, and a number of other apprentices threatened them with court action and they settled out of court for a pitiful sum. (after dragging their feet for a year)

None of this **** that i recieved was my fault.

Appearance wise i have a short back and sides, clean shaven, clean teeth, and wear clean clothes.

All im asking for is a chance to get back some hands on experience because most places ive applied ask for 2yrs experience working "On my own", which i cant say i have.
 
Also, i am not asking to work alone right away, im asking to tag along with someone to learn more things.

considering that people can do fast track courses into the trade, im only looking for the same kind of help that i imagine they get.

Its not as easy as you would expect getting a job after a year out
 
I fully understand just how difficult it can be particularly for those who adopt the non working life of not shaving, getting up at lunchtime and never washing.

However if you are clean and tidy and can get up on time then you have a very good chance and to help you your grammar and spelling is good ( unlike some of the others on here! ).

Your problem is that you really need to be taken on by someone who will nurse you along. Unfortunately unless you are committed to working for them for at least two years that will be difficult. Also being in your area does not help. I have a couple of friends in London who would often help someone like you but you are not in London and have not said anything about your domestic circumstances and if you would be able to relocate.

Put a popsting on the screwfix site as there are more employers there and someone might be able to help. But do give your full story first as they are not in the mood to draw it out of you as we do here.

Good luck.

Tony
 
Thanks Tony.

I managed to pass my ACS in december 07, after studying up and practicing on my own boiler / family etc. Considering i had a year between working with gas and doing my ACS i think that I proved to myself that I have the knowledge.

I see what you mean about being dedicated to someone for years. I would actually do that happily.

What i think i should probably do is sit down with a yellow pages and just phone every local plumber i can.

There is probably plumbers out there who do gas work, but pay someone to sign it off for them. In an ideal world they would be interested in the offer of me (being qualified) getting myself corgi registered and working with/for them.

Do you think it would be worth putting a notice up in the local trade places like PTS etc
 
Call them about 6.30 pm or later and ask to come and meet them to discuss the possibilities the next day.

Otherwise they will be busy and just put you off.

Also try speaking to people in gas signed vans at filling ststions. One trainee found me that way!

Paul Barker on here could do it if you dont put your foot through ceilings etc. but then he is in Scarborough.

Tony
 
Thanks again for the advice.

Relocating is unfortunately not an option for me right now as ive only just moved in with my Girlfriend (although she normally wants rid of me, i doubt she would like it lol)

I drove past 2 vans today from local firms and i was actually tempted to stop and find the engineers. I think thats definately something i need to consider.

Cheers mate.

Chris
 
Im in the north east doing just plumbing.im going to to do my acs this year too.just start up on your own,im on my own now,and will also do gas when i get qualified
ben
 
Im in the north east doing just plumbing.im going to to do my acs this year too.just start up on your own,im on my own now,and will also do gas when i get qualified
ben

Ive considered this but i dont have the finances to fund a van / liability cover etc. I was young and daft with the money i earned, buying expensive dj equipment, going on holidays etc.

dont know how much work i could get either.
 

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