Gas Installer Training & Certification - Is this the course for me?

[robertwo]

Hi, new to the forum, but hoping that someone can and is willing to offer some advice.

I am currently living and working in France. I own and run my own construction company here which covers everything, including complete renovations, plumbing, heating, electrical, drainage, sanitation (most of which is installing Fosse Septiques, Sewage Treatment Plants), drywall, roofing, kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, newbuilds etc etc....

I have a lot of experience in all these areas, plus have degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, so can find my around most electronic or mechanical systems quite easily, which I hope will be a benefit when fault finding on the modern boilers/systems.

Here in France, we generally only install Oil Boilers as Gas, well unless it a big town, there isn't any... except LPG, but most do not opt for this route due to the 2000-3000 euros to have the tank installed compared to 250 Euros for a 1500 litre oil tank.

I am hoping to move back to the UK in August and will be based in Buckinghamshire around the High Wycombe area. I want to add Gas Installations to my skills and know that I need to be Gas Safe registered and have been looking at a course provided by a company called GasTec in Milton Keynes.

They say they offer a 4 week course, plus a work placement and also the ACS Assessment on top of the training, all done via CSkills.

I basically want to add this to my skills as it will be of a huge benefit when fitting kitchens, building extensions and just another skill that I can call upon when times are slow.

The course looks good and seems to cover everything and they tell me that upon completion of the course, work placement and ACS Assessment I can then apply for Gas Safe registration (something about 20 days to get the paperwork through for the qualifications first though!!)

The course offers the following qualifications;

CSkills ACS Certification Core Gas Safety CCN1
CSkills ACS Certification Domestic Central Heating CEN1
CSkills ACS Certification Domestic Water Heaters WAT1
CSkills ACS Certification Domestic Cookers CKR1
CSkills ACS Certification Domestic Space Heaters HTR1
CSkills ACS Certification Domestic Meters MET1
CSkills ACS Certification Combustion Performance Analyser CPA1
CSkills Energy Efficiency 6084
CSkills Certification Combination Boilers Basic **
CSkills Certification Essential Electrics **

So, my question to you guys;

1. Does this course seem appropriate for what I am looking for and my experience?
2. Any info about Gas safe registration i.e. how long to register, cost etc
3. Hows the market for Gas installers, plumbers at the moment in the southern UK

Any info/views would be much appreciated.

Rob.

 

[fuzzy]

these are only short courses, they last for 5 years, when they run out your unqualified again

 

[oldplumber]

Personally Id stay in France, works better paid and the long lunch breaks are my idea of heaven. Why on earth leave an established business to come to a bancrupt country overun with plumbers?

 

[quality]

My ACS runs out every 5 years just the same as everyone else

 

[robertwo]

thanks for the replies, so you have to renew the ACs every 5 years? I assume you just have to resit the assessment and pay the for the privilege? what does it cost, £1000?

As for France, you may think we are better paid and we do charge between 250-280 euros a day, 250 at the moment!! But then you have to factor in that out fo that 250 you are paying out the running costs of the company and then 47% goes on your social charges, which covers your penison and healthcare!! Then, on the profits each year there is the equivalent of corporation tax which is 15% to start then 33% over... I cant remember quite how much, but its not high... so in reality we don't earn much more here than the UK, just the tax man here gets a lot more! You also then need medical insurance which is 40 Euros a month for me at 34 years old, which gets more expensive every year older you get. I will pay out on social charges this year over 6000 Euros and you have no choice but to pay it, no matter if you have work or not. It's not like PAYE in the UK, you just pay as you earn, they want it here no matter what. then there's a company tax of around 800 euros a year, increased rates on the equivalent of council tax for running a company, the 2500 Euros a year for an accountant as the tax is so complicated to do each year.... our last year end accounts was about 25 pages long!!

Then the banks charge for every little transaction, plus a hefty account fee each year, 120 Euros a year for each debit card you have.....

It goes on and on here.... I struggle to keep up with what has to be paid out! Oh, dont forget the 5600 Euros we pay out each year for a compulsory insurance that provides our customers with a 10 year guarantee on all our work, it does include liability insurance though....

then you have to deal with all the crap surrounding health and safety... here the police are responsible for H&S and depending on the mood and if you are english or french depends on what they decide is the right and wrong way and how the interpret the law.... H&S breaches here, even minor ones, can result in thousands of euro fines and the possibility of up to 2-5 years in prison and still having to pay the fine. Get caught taking cash for work and thats got a max fine of 35,000 Euros and 5 years imprisonment, plus back payments as they calculate and reposetion of your personal assets.

So, France might seem rosey from the UK, but it's as expensive if not more expensive for some things than the UK.

Take tools. I brought a makita 400mm petrol disc cutter from the UK for £450 shipped to France.... The cheapest in France you can buy it is 1200 euros!! tyres for the van are nearly double the price of Kwick-Fit for instance and that sbuying them off the internet! things like servicing are cheaper as in France they are not charging £70-90 an hours, but instead 40-50 Euros and hour.

I see what you are syaing about the flood of plumbers. I did a search for plumbers around the postcode I would be living in on the Gas Safe site and found 50 in 1.5 miles of the postcode!! Seems somewhat extreme.

Maybe I should just employ a plumber when needed and stick to the construction work!