vacancies

[michael0708]

i worked for an electrical firm basically working for there technical help line, the course i am doing is the technical certificate( maybe getting this confused with nvq2), which i suppose has practical work involved,i.e projects to complete) now i know these might not be a real world situation.

course i am doing involves 13 exams with practical assignments on them

i know the world does not owe me a living but hey i did say i was prepared to work hard .

i have 3 kids aged 5,8 and 10, wife is a hairdresser, am i wasting my time with this course then?

what can i say i want to learn, i want to work , i am older ,but i will turn up ,quick to learn, i have a mortgage like most on here, if i had to do some over work at night to get me through first year so be it

if its not going to happen then i suppose look elsewhere

ps technical certificate is what i am doing, as far as i uderstand to get the next qualification i have to work for a plumber

 

[tonybhoy]

Trade's saturated mate.

There is no shortage of plumbers any more or gas fitters or heating engineers or boiler service engineers.

There are more and more plumbers vans on the road now than there ever were and frankly there is not enough work for all of of them.

I've been twenty year self employed and in the trade since 1976 and at times it has been very difficult regarding continuity of work.

When I was younger I always worked but the wages were really poor and there was no overtime but on some jobs you were paid off with about two hours' notice (obviously you got all of your dues) and some jobs were flooded with guys trying to keep out of the road.

Past five years has been the best in terms of earnings but right now, at this moment in time,is the quietest I've been during that time.

People ,IMO, are simply not spending any money at the moment.

January I did six boilers since then I've priced another two (with another two to price) and so far have got none.

I'm basically working from hour to hour right now.

 

[Agile]

course i am doing involves 13 exams with practical assignments on them

i have 3 kids aged 5,8 and 10, wife is a hairdresser, am i wasting my time with this course then?

what can i say i want to learn, i want to work , i am older ,but i will turn up ,quick to learn, i have a mortgage like most on here, if i had to do some over work at night to get me through first year so be it

if its not going to happen then i suppose look elsewhere

If at all possible you should try to get the full NVQ2 and not the technical certificate which is the same course but without the external work assessments. Because of teething problems with external assessors some colleges may not be offering the full NVQ2 now.

Please forget your age! Its not at all relevant and its to your advantage! You are mature and will be more serious.

As Tony has said above, there are too many plumbers, many working for £6 per hour from East Europe so dont expect very high earnings.

As I said before, to get any experience you will most likely have to work unpaid for a few months, if necessary working evenings in McDonalds or something.

It all hinges on whether your wife can earn enough to cover your basic outgoings for several months until you are sufficiently capable and lucky to get a paid job. But with the Polish fully experienced and available at £6 per hour why should anyone want to employ you without any experience???

Tony

 

[keego]

I was in your situation 7 years ago & not wanting to burst your bubble but what has been said so far is spot on. If I could turn the clock back till when I was filling in the enrollment form for college, then I would be ticking the box for the tiling or plastering course. Plumbers & gas fitters are ten a penny at the moment but you can't get a decent plasterer or tiler for love nor money.

 

[stevehayes]

hey-don't give up if you want to be a plumber. I have seen an advert in my local paper this week looking for plumbers. I believe there is a shortage of GOOD plumbers and a lot of work being done is a result of it being done poorly by cowboys in the first place!!

I was thinking about doing a plumbing course at a college. NVQ isn't done at college now. You have to gain a technical certificate, which is 11 theory modules, 1 GOLA assessment and practical assessmnets, including fitting a bathroom suite, a hot water cylinder to a cold water tank and also features lead work.

Apparently once you gain this, to upgrade it to an NVQ (so to have BOTH) you need to be working for a NVQ qualified plumber, and assessors come out and assess you on 5 things (installing copper pipe/fitting a bathroom, etc). This is supposedly the easy part, you just do what you learn in college in a work place situation. Of course the hardest thing is to find work with a QUALIFIED plumber who also has an NVQ!!!!!

Just thought i'd share what i know with you guys/gals!!! ...

 

[fitz1]

Australia would take you in tomorrow because of your wifes proffession .hairdressing is aussies biggest shortage.

 

[michael0708]

australia well could be a option,she is a good hairdresser , but i do not want to put pressure on her to make aliving for us all, surely if i get through this course and with her profession we must get work some where as a plumber and hairdresser

ps anyone know whats australias situation regarding plumbers, not turning nothing down at moment , good 100k equity in me house so maybe an option

steve that is exactly course i am doing and why next year have to get involved with plumbing firm is what i am after

 

[mcniven]

 

[michael0708]

is that supposed to represent ex pats who go to australia and get burnt to a crisp , or the fact that every one needs a haircut over in australia

 

[simond]

hey-don't give up if you want to be a plumber. I have seen an advert in my local paper this week looking for plumbers. I believe there is a shortage of GOOD plumbers and a lot of work being done is a result of it being done poorly by cowboys in the first place!!

I was thinking about doing a plumbing course at a college. NVQ isn't done at college now. You have to gain a technical certificate, which is 11 theory modules, 1 GOLA assessment and practical assessmnets, including fitting a bathroom suite, a hot water cylinder to a cold water tank and also features lead work.

Apparently once you gain this, to upgrade it to an NVQ (so to have BOTH) you need to be working for a NVQ qualified plumber, and assessors come out and assess you on 5 things (installing copper pipe/fitting a bathroom, etc). This is supposedly the easy part, you just do what you learn in college in a work place situation. Of course the hardest thing is to find work with a QUALIFIED plumber who also has an NVQ!!!!!

Just thought i'd share what i know with you guys/gals!!! ...

Let me condense the above. 'I have no practical experience in the plumbing/heating industry but these are the courses you can do. I have decided that there is a shortage of plumbers but cannot corroborate that fact.'

If you want to follow this man's advice who knows nothing, that is what internet forums are all about, go ahead

 

[stevehayes]

what do you mean i know nothing!! i know how the courses work for a fact!!! I'm not saying it's a perfect situation, it's the way it is nowadays. I also know for a fact a lot of dodgy plumbers muck up because they do not know how systems work properley, etc. It's true, anyone can do plumbing work, but knowing how systems work and why you are doing what you are doing makes you a plumber.

Anyone can undo a few nuts for eg, but it's knowing what nuts do undo and why you are undoing them!! For example, anyone can connect up a grundfos heating pump! and run pipes to and from it - it's not difficult! It's knowing where to install the pump, etc.

How many times has a dodgy plumber, usually a great big strong guy, who doesn't really know what he's doing done a so called plumbing job, and it go wrong within days/weeks? !!!

Plumbing is supposedly the intelligent trade as it deals with other aspects, ie electrics, etc. I know experience is valuable, but I think knowing a lot of how systems work, in good detail is also as valuable.

 

[tonybhoy]

Plumbing doesn't deal with electrics.

Plumbing is plumbing.

Stop digging that hole!

 

[stevehayes]

lol i know what you mean, but basic plumbing electrics like wiring an immersion heater to the fused spur, or the wiring plan for s-plan, y-plan central heating systems, via the junction box!! but i agree with you in principle!