Retraining to Boiler Engineer - any advice ?

[keego]

I've just done my domestic to commercial ACS at Hybrid & they are quite good, also ask them if there are any grants available for you to do the course as I got mine for less than half price with a grant from Sysco.
As for getting into the domestic gas game then good luck, I got the commercial qual's so I can get out of it!, it's back to being a wage slave for me at least you know you're going to get paid at the end of the month.
It sounds like your just up the road from me, if you want to have a chat then by all means email me your number & I can give you a bit more of an insight as to what you're letting yourself in for.

 

[Kev F]

think you should go and work for a company for a couple of years on site experiance, ie plumbing and heating installs and fault finding, should also pay for your training, travel and will be able to give the 20 hours i think it is now you need of gas experiance, not sure if their is any jobs going for unqualified people at the minute though,

good luck were all needing it at the minute

 

[kirkgas]

Pengwyn i'm sure your particular experience will give you a head start and i hope you do well, i dont have an issue with someone joining my industry, in fact in my last job as Gas Manager to 35 engineers we employed people who did a full time one year course as gas engineers who came to us on 6 x 1 week placements during their course, the workload we had enabled me to place them on local authority servicing only to build up experience with 1 going into a 4 man squad for assistance etc, not a luxury you will get many places to be honest, we started 7 and they have just done their reassessment so that is 5 years they have been there and all are fully experienced doing repairs etc but they still lack all round plumbing experience which shows while trying to clear airlocks choked feeds etc but that work gets passed to plumbers, as they came from a high end electronic background they trained the other engineers on good PCB testing techniques so it worked all round, i did tell them all when they

 

[kirkgas]

Pengwyn i'm sure your particular experience will give you a head start and i hope you do well, i dont have an issue with someone joining my industry, in fact in my last job as Gas Manager to 35 engineers we employed people who did a full time one year course as gas engineers who came to us on 6 x 1 week placements during their course, the workload we had enabled me to place them on local authority servicing only to build up experience with 1 going into a 4 man squad for assistance etc, not a luxury you will get many places to be honest, we started 7 and they have just done their reassessment so that is 5 years they have been there and all are fully experienced doing repairs etc but they still lack all round plumbing experience which shows while trying to clear airlocks choked feeds etc but that work gets passed to plumbers, as they came from a high end electronic background they trained the other engineers on good PCB testing techniques so it worked all round, i did tell them all when they started to stick with it and learn their new trade before jumping ship and going self employed etc as they had discussed that, until they had built up experience

 

[swidders]

Pengwyn, you are no doubt aware of the costs involved in training and becoming qualified. Althoug the current economic downturn is harsh, it won't always be and now seems a good time for you to do the necessary if you're in a financial position to do so.

You could always start off by applying to bigger companies - BGas included, just to get yourself going.

 

[Pengwyn]

Thanks for all of the advice guys.
I am aware of the costs involved - not cheap by anyone's standards. And without wanting to sound arrogant I suspect most of it will be wasted time. What I need to experience fitting and fault finding. Having someone teach me about primary combustion and boyles laws will be boring as hell.

I am under no illusions. Starting a business in a recession will be bloody hard. But I think my business plan is sound. Most people want to replace systems where as I will be encouraging the maintenance and repair of the existing one. A sound argument in a recession me thinks. I will also have the Part P electrical angle to give income and I am more than willing to clean gutters, drains and repair fences if need be to keep the money rolling in, however slowly.

The only problem I can see me having is not doing the job fast enough through lack of experience. But I am fortunate enough to be able to work at it for 12 months without needing an income.

I cannot get away from the idea that if I am going to retrain and go self employed then this is the time, when business is poor and things are slow. Surely that is the best time to get started from an even keel to everyone else.

Today I went to a family day party and got speaking to a Corgi fitter and he told me how hard times are. I then had 5 people tell me how they had tried to get him do jobs in their houses and he had let them down and wasn't interested. Alot of mixed feelings out there.

I have always intended to go self employed. Now is the time and this is my choice. Fingers crossed with hard work, skill and abit of luck I will make it work.

 

[swidders]

Good luck - hope it all goes well. Look forward to you posting on here and putting me straight about technical matters

 

[leakydave]

... and don't forget we are all still learning every day. If in doubt, ring manufacturers for advice on their products.

Good luck!

 

[Pengwyn]

LEakydave,
couldn't agree more, after 17 years in industry I am still learning, and I dont care who from.

One of the first things I will be doing is going on ANY manufacturers courses that are free or reasonably priced. Like everyone points out, I will have plenty of time LOL.

 

[gas4you]

I always attend manufacturers course where possible, but although they point you in the right direction, the fault finding parts of the course are usually where they just remove a wire or something similar before asking you to find the problem, never a real world awkward intermittent fault

Good luck though. You will need a large bank balance and a very strong will to succeed, whilst a strong moral attitude to always want to do the best job possible

Avoid any 'fast track' training providers like the plague. All they will do is 'fast track' the money out of your bank account

 

[gremlin16]

couldn't agree more, after 17 years in industry I am still learning, and I dont care who from.

Thats a good attitude.

Its a shame so many Rgi's THINK they know it all and are beyond teaching.

If you have a chance of keeping your job then do so, if you are sure you are loosing it then what the hell give it a go. You have nothing to loose.

 

[Mike2007]

Middle East mate.
You have speciallised experience, you don't need to be house bashing with valuable industrial qualifications. To be honest its pretty s*it work anyway if you have working in a very ordered well paid industry.
Power stations. They are all on track for building in the future (if Britain isn't broke)and all use steam turbines.
Get to college and push your electrical quals further, as this would be better I think (whilst the slump is on).

 

[Goldspoon]

Pengwyn - prior to November 2007 I didn't know an isolation valve from a cistern. I had never plumbed anything. I am, however, very eager to learn, computer savvy, have a Diploma in Management and Marketing, have run various companies, and am conscientious and polite and I smile a lot.

I did go on a plumbing course in Nov Dec 2007 and 2008 was my first year. A key reason is to learn the ropes before establishing a larger business (have a goal but that's for another day).

I did go sole trader straight away.

Every customer except one has been very happy (and that was a tiling issue and guy suspect).

I have had a tough first year and averaged £150 pay per week during 2008 (after all outgoing direct expenses).

However I am starting to develop some roots and a small customer base and I have worked the last 21 days in a row with not a day off (worked through three weekends) and during those days earned a lot. Changed a cylinder, changed a pump, cured a tough airlock, changed a loo, fitted rads, two electric showers, one power shower, bathroom in hotel, first fix in house, two woodburners with a Hetas guy and more. Knackered but happy. Am full all next week and a couple of small jobs after that - then... who knows.

I charge approx. £22 per hour in North Wales (not quite as wealthy as the home counties!).

If you live, breath and sleep thinking about your chosen trade and love every minute then you can do it. Just my opinion.

 

[Pengwyn]

GoldSpoon,
That is the kind of story I am hoping to have in 12 months or so.

Well done mate and good luck for the future.

 

[Bambergaspipe]

Not trying to sour or dampen anyones enthusiasm and crack anyone`s Rose tinted specs or anything but...

If you weren`t cr*ap at the job you are doing now, maybe you wouldn`t have been given the Bullet.

Good luck though.