Is Plumbing a good career for me

[Badcompany]

18 from london thinking of either becoming a Plumber or Electrician i like the sound of both but not sure which to choose.

 

[leelister6]

Read some of the similar threads on here......................Then think again!

 

[PlumbBobBob]

spend a couple of hours reading through the threads before you decide. the industry is flooded (no pun intended) at the moment and there is not enough work to go around.

 

[leelister6]

There needs to be a dedicated thread on here regarding this subject! Come on mods and admins, earn yer corn!!

 

[GQuigley67]

no one is taking anyone on at the moment, it would be a miracle if you got an apprenticeship in this current climate, and have a read at this article

http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/plumbing-courses/19241-info-people-considering-fast-tracking.html

as I'm sure you know we are still in a recession and the building trade is one of the hardest hit

 

[fuzzy]

loads of threads on here about plumbing careers and courses

 

[Badcompany]

Do you reckon the climate wil get better in the next 5 years or so ?

 

[Badcompany]

spend a couple of hours reading through the threads before you decide. the industry is flooded (no pun intended) at the moment and there is not enough work to go around.

Thanks
To be honest i dont have much options , cant afford uni dont have no qualifications etc.
Learning a trade is the best thing for me i think , just need to decide which one.

 

[fuzzy]

well if they have trained 50,000 new plumbers in the last 7 years i think its enough to cope with an increase in demand so id say no.

i think the crunch will come in 10-15 years time. Many people re training are in their 40s and 50s, they will be dropping out of the trade by then

 

[GQuigley67]

yes it better be anyhow lol, plumbing and heating can be a good career with constant changing technologies and now we have renewables to look forward to in the future, there is a diversity aswell your not always doing the same thing day in day out you could work in domestic, commercial, industrial and work abroad.

If you could get an apprenticeship at the moment then take it, but I highly doubt it everyone is getting paid off at the moment, my old company have almost cleared out all their workforce and are down to just a handful of small contracts where as before they had alot of big multi million pound ones

Although the word recession does annoy me, if the banks can make money out of thin air then why do we have recessions in the first place ??

 

[Badcompany]

Is plumbing enjoyable ?

 

[fuzzy]

i know a company thats 100 years old and very respected with big contracts go under, apparently coz the bank pulled the plug on the overdraft required to purchse materials for big contracts before money came in, 100 years down the drain parden the pun

 

[Badcompany]

I reckon i would be able to get an apprenticeship.
What qualifications should i be loooking for ?

 

[fuzzy]

I reckon i would be able to get an apprenticeship.
What qualifications should i be loooking for ?

quals are the easy bit, its the apprenticeship thats gold, get the job GET THE JOB,

 

[GQuigley67]

my old company is around 113 year old, they seem to be surviving so must be doing something right, although no one has had a raise in pay in around 2 years and are on week rolling contracts

 

[Badcompany]

I found an apprenticeship and it these are the quals you gain

You will be working towards an Apprenticeship in Domestic Installation consisting of:
NVQ in Mechanical Engineering Services - Heating and Ventilating Installation Level 2
C&G Certificate in Heating and Ventilating Installation Level 2
Key Skills in Communication Level 2
Key Skills in Application of Number Level 2
Key Skills in Information and Communication Technology Level 1

Any good ?

 

[Badcompany]

It says you work Mon to Fri 8 - 5 for £95

 

[Bartdude]

If it's a genuine apprenticeship with a good company then you'd be wise to take it.They're rarer than rocking horse manure.

 

[fuzzy]

I found an apprenticeship and it these are the quals you gain

You will be working towards an Apprenticeship in Domestic Installation consisting of:
NVQ in Mechanical Engineering Services - Heating and Ventilating Installation Level 2
C&G Certificate in Heating and Ventilating Installation Level 2
Key Skills in Communication Level 2
Key Skills in Application of Number Level 2
Key Skills in Information and Communication Technology Level 1

Any good ?

is it a good employer? the employer is the key, dont worry about the quals, if its an apprenticeship there is only one set of quals you will do and they will be the right ones

who is the employer? they seem to know alot about quals which is good

 

[tamz]

It says you work Mon to Fri 8 - 5 for £95

And ??

 

[Badcompany]

And ??

Nothing ?

 

[GQuigley67]

thats a standard rate for a 1st year apprentice im afraid you won't be making any decent money until your in 3rd year

as said before the quals are only a peace of paper, although they still are essential to get employment but make sure you get a good employer that will let you do everything and not the same thing day in day out that way you don't learn much

 

[Badcompany]

is it a good employer? the employer is the key, dont worry about the quals, if its an apprenticeship there is only one set of quals you will do and they will be the right ones

who is the employer? they seem to know alot about quals which is good

Employer is AA Plumbing Uk limited

Learning provider is Training Trust (WFCCTT)

 

[Badcompany]

thats a standard rate for a 1st year apprentice im afraid you won't be making any decent money until your in 3rd year

Yeah im fine with this i was just stating the details the apprentice said.
I would work for nothing if it meant getting qualified and experienced .
The pay is a bonus.

 

[fuzzy]

Employer is AA Plumbing Uk limited

Learning provider is Training Trust (WFCCTT)

are they a college?

 

[fuzzy]

just checked it out , it looks good go for it, i guess therel be a lot of people going for it

 

[tamz]

Nothing ?

This will give you an idea of the pay rates you could expect if you found an apprenticeship
[DLMURL]http://www.unitetheunion.org/pdf/IssuedPayRates20112012Prom163A3.pdf[/DLMURL]

They can vary up and down a bit depending on the firm.

Apprenticeships are thin on the ground but there are always some to be found. The place you mentioned seems legit enough. Go for it.

 

[Hybrid]

Not to put a downer on things but you haven't found an apprenticeship yet, you've found an ad for an apprenticeship.
350 people applied for my apprenticeship, 100 sat aptitude tests and 10 were interviewed. I have good gcse grades, 3 A levels and i'm fortunate to be fairly articulate and calm under interview. Also I was a jammy sod.

I really hope you get it but don't apply for it then stop looking because you think it's a sure thing. It isn't.
You're trying to get into an over subscribed profession, there's going to be loads of competition.

 

[Badcompany]

Thanks everyone i realise i probably wont get it but i may aswel apply its better than sitting on my arse all day doing nothing.

 

[GQuigley67]

lets hope you have a chance then and its not one of those companys who dont even open the CVs and just take on someones son instead for your sake, as alot of people do this, this is how i got my job haha through my uncle.

 

[Badcompany]

Any idea it how long it takes to become fully qualified ?
I want to do it properly not some 2 week courses ive been seeing online surely they are a scam ?

 

[GQuigley67]

well in scotland its 4 years but we do the level 3 NVQ as that is the minimum here, I think it may be 3 years in england but i'm not sure

 

[Badcompany]

well in scotland its 4 years but we do the level 3 NVQ as that is the minimum here, I think it may be 3 years in england but i'm not sure

Thanks

 

[GQuigley67]

but if you compare 3-4 years working on site and at college to a training course for 3 weeks with no on site experience, then you can see the obvious differences. It took me around a year just to get used to all the different pipes, fittings, tools etc there is so much to learn.

 

[Badcompany]

but if you compare 3-4 years working on site and at college to a training course for 3 weeks with no on site experience, then you can see the obvious differences. It took me around a year just to get used to all the different pipes, fittings, tools etc there is so much to learn.

Im looking forward to it just need to find an aprenticeship now.