Hello. I am interested in becoming a plumber. At the moment I work in a 9/5 job, on the minimum wage. What is the best route into this industry? Would it be advisable to join a company like Dyna-Rod who help you get the qualifications you require?
How to become a plumber
- Thread starter PhilStone
- Start date
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if some willing take you on train you that is best way in
As ADL says, if someone is willing to take you on then this is the ideal way in as you will pick up a lot working alongside an experienced plumber.
However you can also complete a City and Guilds/NVQ course. I started with Level 2 Plumbing, i learnt a lot from that course including hands on experience over 2 years.
Good luck.
D
DeltaT2
You are having a laugh mate, going by the questions you ask on here you're clueless & a fine example of the product of these mickey mouse short courses!!
The only way to become a Plumber is to do an apprenticeship, just out of Skool. Stay in the job you're in son. There's 1000s of good time-served Plumbers looking for work. Just look at all the deadbeats on here, done a short course, have no work & are sitting waiting for the phone to ring!! No Bona Fide company will employ them, as they are classed as no more than common Labourers.
Save your money, these short courses are cr.p!!
The only way to become a Plumber is to do an apprenticeship, just out of Skool. Stay in the job you're in son. There's 1000s of good time-served Plumbers looking for work. Just look at all the deadbeats on here, done a short course, have no work & are sitting waiting for the phone to ring!! No Bona Fide company will employ them, as they are classed as no more than common Labourers.
Save your money, these short courses are cr.p!!
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Learn how to shut water off, is a first then get a pipe cutter and a plastic cutter, buy a shed load of plastic and push fit fitting push them all together. Turn on water quick test don't give a dam about water regs or sod all else box in pipe work make sure no clips are used. Come on here a lot and ask for answers to problems. Advertise on check a trade and yell. Buy a van signwrite it, have some bottle and there you have it your a plumber. There all at it my way so can't be worth the agro I had with college and apprenticeship. They all seem to do well with no outlay or crap wages for 5 years before I was let loose whilst being watched and tested. Hey you can fit kitchens, wire a house,plumb, gardening the list is endless.
Nicking your boss's customers, yet again good advice from Naz. Just wait till your boss finds out and see how long you last.!
Andy
Pure comedy gold.
well considering no plumber would take me on, i've had to learn as i go, taking on jobs for friends and family. Its given me a decent level of experience.
nonsense. you guys just dont want any rivals.
firstly i work full time in IT and because of this have had to turn down a lot of work as i simply have not had the time to do bathrooms and central heating installs. However i am in the process of giving this job up and will be leaving within the next couple of weeks. I have already got my first 6 plumbing jobs lined up, two rad upgrades, 1 bathroom install, 1 en-suit upgrade, 1 large tiling job, couple of maintenance jobs etc so i'm certainly not short of work, all this through word of mouth. i havent even started advertising yet so there is tons of work out there.
it was a City and Guilds level 2 course over 2 years at college. Hardly call it crap, city and guilds are the bearers of industry standards.
still can't figure out this hostility you guys are showing me! ah well, now that all the cowboys have dissapareard, its us sexy indians bearing the brunt of the angry plumbers!
OP, steer well clear of this trade!
I've served an apprenticeship, I have my NVQ's and ACS qualifications etc etc. I can't get a job, hell I've even tried getting some agency work to see me up to xmas and I'm struggling.
The only thing that I can think of that isn't helping is my age, I'm 25 and more than likely up against people with much more experience.
Its tough at the top, but its even tougher at the bottom! Be thankful you have a job at least.
I've served an apprenticeship, I have my NVQ's and ACS qualifications etc etc. I can't get a job, hell I've even tried getting some agency work to see me up to xmas and I'm struggling.
The only thing that I can think of that isn't helping is my age, I'm 25 and more than likely up against people with much more experience.
Its tough at the top, but its even tougher at the bottom! Be thankful you have a job at least.
I would try and learn what you can yourself.
The chances of getting taken on as a trainee with a plumber/gas engineer
are as good as a snowball in hell.
This is mainly the reason people end up doing the short courses.
A sad reflection on the state of our economy and the availability of work.
No one will take you on without experience but it is impossible to get
any experience because no one will take you on.
I find myself in the plumbing/heating trade simply because I had to find
a job where I could employ myself and this was the best thing I could think of.
Despite being well educated and years of working in industry I found that
for curious reasons I still do not understand I could not find any job in anything. I seen not to have the right qualifications for even working
in a local warehouse. Obvious they must only be taking on doctors, brain surgeons, rocket scientists and the like to fill the orders.
The chances of getting taken on as a trainee with a plumber/gas engineer
are as good as a snowball in hell.
This is mainly the reason people end up doing the short courses.
A sad reflection on the state of our economy and the availability of work.
No one will take you on without experience but it is impossible to get
any experience because no one will take you on.
I find myself in the plumbing/heating trade simply because I had to find
a job where I could employ myself and this was the best thing I could think of.
Despite being well educated and years of working in industry I found that
for curious reasons I still do not understand I could not find any job in anything. I seen not to have the right qualifications for even working
in a local warehouse. Obvious they must only be taking on doctors, brain surgeons, rocket scientists and the like to fill the orders.
Gas engineer good at his job will A have a good job or B Have plenty of his own work
It's certainly the wrong time to be leaving ANY job, especially attempting to enter an entirely different trade, which is becoming increasingly competetive.
Your best bet is to concentrate on something your good at, already.
If you were capable of being a good Plumber/Gas Fitter etc. etc. you'd probably already know the answer to the question you asked.
Because you didn't know you'd require an NVQ, ACS, Experience etc. I take it you have even less of an idea as to what this industry is, so here goes...
1) IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS.
2) IT DOESN'T PAY AS WELL AS THE PAPERS SAY IT DOES.
3) EVERYBODY WANTS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, BUT DOESN'T WANT TO PAY YOU TO DO IT.
Anybody else care to add to this?
Your best bet is to concentrate on something your good at, already.
If you were capable of being a good Plumber/Gas Fitter etc. etc. you'd probably already know the answer to the question you asked.
Because you didn't know you'd require an NVQ, ACS, Experience etc. I take it you have even less of an idea as to what this industry is, so here goes...
1) IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS.
2) IT DOESN'T PAY AS WELL AS THE PAPERS SAY IT DOES.
3) EVERYBODY WANTS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, BUT DOESN'T WANT TO PAY YOU TO DO IT.
Anybody else care to add to this?
Yep I can add a couple:
You'll be working most nights till late quoting, invoicing, ordering etctetcetc
Your phone will ring at stupid hours - mine has just gone now
Your only time to relax is when you're on holiday, and even then you might have one eye on the jobs you have or haven't got when you get back
Make a list of your bills, then add a dozen more.
You'll be working most nights till late quoting, invoicing, ordering etctetcetc
Your phone will ring at stupid hours - mine has just gone now
Your only time to relax is when you're on holiday, and even then you might have one eye on the jobs you have or haven't got when you get back
Make a list of your bills, then add a dozen more.
I have a chap with me at the moment, he is 26 and wants to change career. He has worked as a welder since leaving school and has started a 2 yr, 1 day a week course. He has come for a couple of weeks experience as he has never worked on site before.
He is a lovely lad, would have no problem putting him in someone's house. But, he would need constant attention for several months and needs a wage enough for a 26 year old to live on.
He is, and would be, a liability for quite a while.
He struggles with the make up of the building, how to get pipes from A to B. what tools to use. What materials to use. What to fix those materials with. What to cover them with.
I could not afford to have him with me for any length of time.
I've suggested he maybe better to approach some commercial outfits where his welding skills could come in useful.
Just to say really that doing a course won't make you a plumber, it will teach you to join pipes and make your bath water disappear, but it won't teach you the thousands of little work arounds you need to get by. Don't be fooled by the hype, you can't afford to be practicing whilst trying to earn a living.
He is a lovely lad, would have no problem putting him in someone's house. But, he would need constant attention for several months and needs a wage enough for a 26 year old to live on.
He is, and would be, a liability for quite a while.
He struggles with the make up of the building, how to get pipes from A to B. what tools to use. What materials to use. What to fix those materials with. What to cover them with.
I could not afford to have him with me for any length of time.
I've suggested he maybe better to approach some commercial outfits where his welding skills could come in useful.
Just to say really that doing a course won't make you a plumber, it will teach you to join pipes and make your bath water disappear, but it won't teach you the thousands of little work arounds you need to get by. Don't be fooled by the hype, you can't afford to be practicing whilst trying to earn a living.
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