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Thegift

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Thinking ahead into the future I realise I don't want to be on the tools for the rest of my working life.

At the moment I'm only 31 and been plumbing for 12 years and plan to for a few more years yet. Has anybody made a switch in job to another sector in the plumbing industry? I e maintenance manager and so on?

I have no plans on being my own boss or running own company etc, just wanted to know routes I can take it get info a different area.

did you find you have to get extra training or qualifications?

Would assume after a few years on the tools you would have a good understanding of the plumbing industry, be good with dealing with people, customer etc and would have built up a good contact base and network.
 
Thegift said:
Not a bad shout wonder what's the pay is like.
Click to expand...


according to my college tutor he was in the same boat on the tools for 20 years got
bad knees and hes earning a good packet, problem is hes from Burnley lol
 
Thegift said:
Not a bad shout wonder what's the pay is like.
Click to expand...
Crap !! & I am not just saying that.
Your local FE college does not want to pay even plumbers wages for someone to teach it, let alone any premium for someone you can stand in front of group youngsters & effectively deliver Level 3 pump sizing, heatloss, electrical, un-vented etc etc.
Its a vocation they say !!! my bum, I still have to feed the kids & house.

Go for supervisor then site manager then contracts manager or try your luck on the design side ?? Move around as much as poss to see how different company's do things, hope you like paperwork & lower pay, but keeps the old grey stuff active.
PS, I am getting out soon !!!
 
Site manager is not easy! Everyone is in your office evey day blabbering. I was overjoyed my fist few months on the tools after being made redundant for the 3rd time. Only had to worry about me, my materials and my work. Wow easiest job in almost 10 years


I worked for
Jarvis
Carillon
Private equity group

All reasonable jobs £12m up to £300m
 
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Cousin teaches electrics at Oldham college he's on £28,000 a year doesn't sound a lot but has the usual 13 week holidays and a decent pension. he says gas tutor there are on about the same. thats a half decent wage up north maybe not down south/london.
 
lame plumber said:
grass is always greener, till you hop over the fence :)
Click to expand...

Defo. One of my construction directors jumped to carillon to manage early stages of the PFI boom. Asked if I would join him said I wanted lots and lots of money they obliged. But carillon is a horrid company full of incompetence / jealousy Few have to drag the many! Wished I had stayed with the medium sized civils company and managed a few roads / tunnels and open casts .
 
Worked for Alfred mc alpine and loved it taken over by planed matiance and they were brought
by carillion
I hated it they manage to take everything away from the blokes and manged to ruin a good thing was with them for 3year and left to work for a local company that I love.

haven't enjoyed work like this for years

treated with respect

already spoken about me taking more control of the job and quoting for work

you need to do the extra bit to show an interest and show you want to progress as they will have to invest time and money into you


This is my plan anyway

all the best in what ever you do
 
Thegift said:
Not a bad shout wonder what's the pay is like.
Click to expand...

After about 4/5 yrs you will be on £36k, you teach 22hrs a week, get 9hrs to prepare and mark papers etc, and only work 40 weeks per year for permanent, if you can get regular hrs via a temp rolling contract you get about £24per hr, but you get nearly half your hrs on top for prep, so this equates to about £32-34 per hour for every hr worked, most colleges hold back about £9ph as your holiday pay
 
chris watkins said:
Crap !! & I am not just saying that.
Your local FE college does not want to pay even plumbers wages for someone to teach it, let alone any premium for someone you can stand in front of group youngsters & effectively deliver Level 3 pump sizing, heatloss, electrical, un-vented etc etc.
Its a vocation they say !!! my bum, I still have to feed the kids & house.

Go for supervisor then site manager then contracts manager or try your luck on the design side ?? Move around as much as poss to see how different company's do things, hope you like paperwork & lower pay, but keeps the old grey stuff active.
PS, I am getting out soon !!!
Click to expand...

Chris what area are you in, Ive posted further on what the pay scale is up here in colleges, it's very difficult to get in full time, I'm in a lucky position that I only need to work part time, if at all, so I wouldn't do it full time, but I enjoy doing it part time ad hoc, but it can be a challenge doing the school groups etc
 
My dad took one evening a week at college with another tutor doing the other night, he enjoyed doing it but said he would never want to do it full time cos of the school leavers and people that were just there for the sake of it. He got let go 2 years ago when the uptake of the evening class went down.
Don't know exactly what he was on then but said it was fair money and he did enjoy the banter of the older students you get in an evening group.
 
chris watkins said:
Crap !! & I am not just saying that.
Your local FE college does not want to pay even plumbers wages for someone to teach it, let alone any premium for someone you can stand in front of group youngsters & effectively deliver Level 3 pump sizing, heatloss, electrical, un-vented etc etc.
Its a vocation they say !!! my bum, I still have to feed the kids & house.

Go for supervisor then site manager then contracts manager or try your luck on the design side ?? Move around as much as poss to see how different company's do things, hope you like paperwork & lower pay, but keeps the old grey stuff active.
PS, I am getting out soon !!!
Click to expand...

I would stay clear of site managers jobs,go direct to the manufactuers on there technical side,or try local authority technical gas officier roles,or head of facilities management roles.
 
Come over the counter to the dark side... :)

Mind you, it will mean retraining from scratch so you get a proper understanding of plumbing equipment. :biggrinjester::biggrinjester:
 
My tutor at was on 56k a year.
He told us before he retired.
He retired early because they were renegotiating contracts...
He was there over 30yr

He left, got his pension and golden handshake and has just come back part time now.
I imagine hes on a good screw as well as thst he also does external verification work
 
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Ray Stafford said:
Come over the counter to the dark side... :)

Mind you, it will mean retraining from scratch so you get a proper understanding of plumbing equipment. :biggrinjester::biggrinjester:
Click to expand...

Could be a dangerous situation.
The ex plumber 'on the dark side' - may forget which side he is on from time to time.

Might end up treating customers the same way he treated counter staff
 
What with the uppermost respect and give them all the time they need and a cuppa?
 
Ermintrude said:
What with the uppermost respect and give them all the time they need and a cuppa?
Click to expand...


Exactly!!!!!

And particular respect when he finds out his competition was being charged far less for goods than he was being charged
 
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