Gas Safe Engineer

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West Midlands
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Hi guys wonder if you could help me..

My son is wanting to take one of those 8 week Gas Safe Engineer courses. Followed by 100 portfolio days working with a qualified engineer. At the end of it he will be has safe registered with an ACS qualification.

Have any of you took such a course or could offer advice? Course in total is about 7k does this sound about right?

Your advice would be much appreciated.
 
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Thanks for the reply. He has no experience at all. He was going to do the course. Work for someone for a year or so and start up on his own maybe? Just looking at options for him at the moment. I believe there is high demand for gas safe engineers?
 
My mates son is doing the same. Been doing it for about 4/5 months so far I think. Pretty sure he (or rather my mate!) was paying something like £400 a week for the college stuff. Done all his classroom/college type stuff now and I was round their house only yesterday and he was printing up photos for his portfolio. Working with his mate who is gas safe registered and he works for his dads plumbing/heating firm. Still got some more stuff to do - I think he said he has to do things like gas safety/landlord checks and boiler installs but he was saying his hardest thing to get evidence on at the moment is something to do with three gas fires as he says not many people have them these days. My mum has a gas fire and I said he can do what he has to do on that if he’s stuck for his last one. When qualified he plans to work with his mate on a self employed basis for his mates dads firm until he is experienced enough to do stuff on his own.
 
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Friend of mine's son did one of these. College bit was fine but he hasn't been able to get any real experience to build his portfolio (no local firms interested).
If the scheme vendor contracts to guarantee the portfolio phase (subject to success in the classroom ) then probably worth a go
 
Thanks guys you have been really helpful. Seems a few of you know of people who done this which has put my mind at rest.
 
Thanks guys you have been really helpful. Seems a few of you know of people who done this which has put my mind at rest.

Don’t rest easy yet. The hard part WILL be getting the evidence. When I had a heating shop, I had at least one guy a month coming in asking to work for me for free. I said no to them all, because “free” labour is generally a libility. Over the years, I assisted 2 guys, both due to connections. The first could never get a job, but ended up fitting meters. Have not seen him for a few years. The 2nd DID get a servicing job, but was working ridiculous hours, the overtime being, I believe, unpaid because it was due to his inexperience. He is now fitting meters.
The going rate, I believe, for a Smart Meter Ritter is £25 - £28 K, but with incentives to stay for a few years. Often, thiugh, new recruits are expected to pay for training.
So, my advice, before shelling out £7k plus maybe loan interest, research expected wages (FWIW, I am only on a little over £30K, but have few overheads), assume he will NOT get a “good” job with no real experience and MOST IMPORTANTLY, find a willing RGI FIRST. They will be thinner on the ground than you expect (also, can he afford to work for free, bearing in mind trainees that offerevenibg and weekends are generally of no use), without some connections.

IMO, the training outfits should be arranging and paying mentors, but that will never happen. The training industry is very one sided.
 
Friend of mine's son did one of these. College bit was fine but he hasn't been able to get any real experience to build his portfolio (no local firms interested).
If the scheme vendor contracts to guarantee the portfolio phase (subject to success in the classroom ) then probably worth a go
That seems to be the same with most vocational type qualifications worth having and there's plenty of training organisations that will take your money but leave it down to you to find the practical work bit. Best bet before starting this type of course is to go round local gas safe firms offering to work for free/low cost/expenses in exchange for real world work experience and training. Might even involve working a week for free to show them you are not kak-handed and reliable. My friends son gets a token payment/expenses at the moment but he only goes on jobs relevant to his training or he gets a bit more dosh on non relevant jobs where they need a bit extra labour. If it wasn't his mates dads business he may have struggled getting experience and evidence for his portfolio.
 
Apparantley the course offers the experience for the portfolio. 100 days of work needs to be completed with an experienced gas safe engineer before you can become qualified.
 
Apparantley the course offers the experience for the portfolio. 100 days of work needs to be completed with an experienced gas safe engineer before you can become qualified.
The course will teach him to pass the mind-numbingly simple written test; the 100 days of work experience (If he can get it) will scrape him through his practical test, at which point he'll be one of those people who turn up on Facebook forums asking really really stupid, basic questions, because he'll very quickly realise he actually knows virtually nothing.

If he wants to get into the trade, a proper 4-year apprenticeship is the way to go
 
Apparantley the course offers the experience for the portfolio. 100 days of work needs to be completed with an experienced gas safe engineer before you can become qualified.
TBH, that would be a first. Normally, it is down to the candidate to find a mentor.
If they claim to provide 100 days practical, make sure it is in writing, in a positive form. Not generalities. Ask what happens if they cannot find a mentor - does the £7k get refunded.
There have also been some firms closing, leaving guys high and dry. And skint.
Pay by Credit Card for protection. If they take cards, it is illegal to charge a premium.
 
It's a total myth about the shortage of trades...put out by training companies and those interested in saturating the trades to knock the rates down (the parasite contracting companies).
Many of us turn work down due to our 6th sense...we can tell whether the customer is going to be a pain, not pay us, knock the price down, a time waster, too stupid etc. and that inevitably leads to the conclusion there's a shortage too.
Many of the articles in the press extolling the vast salaries are in fact dishonest advertorials...paid for by training establishments
There is however a shortage of customers who actually want to pay for quality work done at a sensible price.
Around 120,000 qualified gas installers at the last count...
Have a look on Gas-Safe website and see just how many are in your area competing for work.
It's also very seasonal work.
 
Good advice from GG.
You can go to the GS website, look for the find an installer section, and put in your (sons) postcode. It will throw up your nearest rivals to be.

Also consider: why would an RGI train someone to be HIS competitor for no benefit, financial or otherwise.

Do not misunderstand- it IS. A good trade to be in. But not so easy to get to the lucrative bits without a “proper” apprenticeship.
How DO you self fund 100 days of free labour?
 

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