Plumbing Training Courses

[DIYbloomers]

Hi all,

Do not know if this is the right place to ask such a question, but hope someone might have some good advice.

I'm thinking about a change of career (age 46) and have seen various adverts for Plumbing training courses, as some of these 4 week courses can run into several thousand pounds in cost I would be grateful to hear any comments (good or bad) on the subject.

Regards
Mark

Ps: dont get me wrong all you pros out there, I do realise it takes many years of experience to get where you are but I need to start somewhere !!

 

[oilman]

Some good advice:

Search the forum for plumbing courses.

It's been covered loads of times. If you don't want to do this, it tells you how much you want to know.

I'm not a plumber, I just fix peoples heating when plumbers can't. Why do you want to be a PLUMBER? Seems like every one who's stuck for an idea wants to be a PLUMBER.

Be a thatcher, lime plasterer, building restorer, gold leaf worker (whatever they are called). But a PLUMBER? always down somebody's lavatory pan? fixing their waste trap under the sink? Or do you just think it's easy money for little work?

What's your background?

As for expensive courses, they're very useful to learn how to .....er.....can anyone offer anything? I can't think of any benefit.

 

[breezer]

i can, it keeps the "teacher" employed and the plcae who get the money rich

I am sorry to say but a lot of hands on, under this crawl through here lift that style of jobs are not for us old boys

 

[oilman]

Good thing about plumbing:


I had to fix the heating yesterday, need to change the diverter valve. Couldn't see a valve to stop the feed water, so looked like it was up in the loft. When I saw the size of the loft small I needed to think again. Luckily I found a stop valve, and finished the job. When I went to close the loft, s hit!!! the place was full of angry wasps!!!! a fkkin good job I found a way round it.

Is that what you want in a job?

 

[corgiman]

My tuppence worth is

they aint worth jack sh1t

waste of cash

 

[DIYbloomers]

Hi,

Thanks for replies so far (is there any good news ??).

OILMAN: Thanks for your comments, I shall have a search through forum. As for my background, I've been a lab assistant (YEARS AGO), started with pipework fitting company (but apprentice promised never appeared, again years ago), and then spent many years behind a desk working on computers and recently ran a dog kennels and cattery with my wife (now that is a Sh***y job !!!). Dont mind hard graft and am able to get stuck into most DIY jobs including plumbing with good results.
Obvioulsy at my age I dont have the time to spend a few years at college etc.

 

[breezer]

Obvioulsy at my age I dont have the time to spend a few years at college etc.

so you "havent got the time" to spend the time to learn a job? so who you gonna call when you have a problem, Ghostbusters?

stand back and look at your self you want to learn what a plumber knows in a few weeks? you say you are 46, were you born knowing what you do now?, no it took time and years of practice, so does any skilled job.

Try something different

 

[corgiman]

must say I agree with breezer

you CANNOT learn even the rudimentaries of plumbing in a few weeks, it does take a goodly while to learn it

the level 2nvq (which ain't worth a bean now really) takes two years to get and a further year for level 3

also the amount of people entering the trade is unprecedented

don't do it

 

[oilman]

DIYbloomers, forget the expensive courses, if you can do diy stuff in a way that works and that looks professional start with small jobs and turn down the ones that are a bit of a handfull.

Practice with bits at home, and have enough tools to cope with the job. Some bits of equipment are expensive and you will use them rarely, but you still need them unless you're botching jobs. There are always things people need doing which someone doesn't want to do. Spend hours every day reading this forum.

There are plenty of time served "professionals" who are hopeless, yet they claim to have spent years learning what they know, they know how to hide their litter under their customers floorboards, literally. They know how to pretend they've replaced something they haven't. That's not to say they are the majority.

 

[DIYbloomers]

Hi again,

Thanks once again for your views, very much appreciated.

BREEZER: Sorry if did not sound the way it was intended, I realise that there is no way on earth that I can train to be a "pro" in a few weeks.

OILMAN: Thanks for your sound advice, may be the way to go !!

Has anyone out there actually done one of these courses ??

Regards
Mark

 

[a1topdog]

First off I'm not a plumber - but I would of though that as well as learning the practical side of plumbing theres the theoretical.

Practicing joining pipes at home won't help you learn the correct plumbing procedures. ie correct pipe sizes , regulations etc.

 

[zutman]

Hey ive just been told if you aint got your Gorgi opps sorry Corgi ticket you aint a Proper Plumber !!!

 

[Noisemaker]

Hey ive just been told if you aint got your Gorgi opps sorry Corgi ticket you aint a Proper Plumber !!!

Hi "zutman"

I had my new boiler fitted by a corgi registered doode. He had a 15 grand new van with his name and corgi registration number sign written in bold letters. Nice chap to talk to. whilst he was doing the Job he didn't shut his loud mouth for a moment. He talked about anything and everything.

What did he do, fitted my boiler, comissioned it, took money off me and off he went to another job. He took my boiler manuals with him. I had to buy another set from boiler manufacturer.

Recently my boiler developed a fault I tried to contact him. I was told he had left for Australia for a career there. I had to sort the fault myself and in the process I found he more or less bodged the job. He didn't flush system and litrally hung boiler on wall and connected to the exhisting pipework which was in bit of a mess. If that's corgi registered doodes workmanship then it doesn't count for the standards corgi has set. I am not surprised so many are wanting to become plumbers and heating engineers. In present climax what is 4 week training teach you. Just the basics.

The experiance will come with bodging peoples plumbing.

Noisemaker

 

[oilman]

Practicing joining pipes at home won't help you learn the correct plumbing procedures. ie correct pipe sizes , regulations etc.

Maybe not, but reading a book will fix that. Even then, so what? From what I've seen, there's plenty of qualified people who don't give a fig for the theory.

How do you think I learnt? (If I've learnt anything that is).

 

[Noisemaker]

Practicing joining pipes at home won't help you learn the correct plumbing procedures. ie correct pipe sizes , regulations etc.

Maybe not, but reading a book will fix that. Even then, so what? From what I've seen, there's plenty of qualified people who don't give a fig for the theory.

How do you think I learnt? (If I've learnt anything that is).

Hi "oilman"

Good idea buddy. Get a job and take your "How to fix plumbing and heating problems" with you. Start job read your manual a bit and work a bit. Most engineers refer to product manuals. If your are lucky job gets done if not then pass it on to someone else.

What happens if your customer is a hammer head?

Noisemaker