Looking for advice, currently performing badly in apprenticeship.

[JD89]

Hey people just wanted to ask if there's anything I can do to improve with regards to my performance on the tools. I'm currently doing my NVQ level 2.

Been having a bad spell lately it seems that when I'm doing tasks I seem to :nono: them up and it's really testing my bosses patience. Only thing I can think of is that I'm trying to be to fast in doing these jobs but if I go any slower the boys are on to me telling me to speed up and I sort of panic then get things wrong.

I love the job and really want to do well and get on.

My boss and I had a chat about it yesterday and he said 'you know a lot more than what you can do and it's weird. You seem as if you don't take a step back to think'.

I try to think about it but then I get pressurized and it all goes to :nono:.

Suppose I'm asking how did you boys come about to not only doing everything correctly but at speed? Also any advice for me that would help me with my performance on site.

Sorry for the long post lol.

Thanks.

 

[rpm]

Speed comes with confidence and experiance and it sounds like your boss has faith in you and the other boys with you have forgotten what it is like when you are an apprentice. You don`t say what things are going pearshaped but is it things like leaking joints or pipe bends which you can practise at home away from pressure?
Have faith in yourself mate.

 

[Dotty]

Work at the pace you're comfortable with. Speed only comes with experience.

Oh, and please don't swear in open forum.

 

[A1P]

Your boss seems to have summed things up.His comment 'you know a lot more than you can do' is a compliment of sorts.He believes you have the knowledge,your problem is in applying it.So look at it this way ,you are part of the way there.Without knowledge you are stuffed.So it is down to how you work.Plan and focus.Plan-look at the task carefully,take your time in deciding what the problem is and exactly how you are going to tackle it.This is time well spent.There are no prizes for being quick.Speed comes with time and there are some of us who just like to be 'steady eddys'.You say you love the job,once again that is very important.If you ever went self employed you are working for yourself and you can work in a way to suit yourself.Even for an employer ,in the end he and the customer want a good job first and foremost.When I worked for Orange bikes I was the slowest to assemble bikes but none came back under warranty,the quick guys kept the warranty guy busy.When they wanted a special order and it had to be right it was usually me that was asked to do it.Put the blinkers on and plan and focus.Good luck.

 

[acecharly]

Just sounds like you need experience and theres no short cuts there. You also seem to be putting yourself under a lot of pressure. That's where your mistakes are coming from.

Look at the job you have been given to do and take a moment to think it through i.e. the materials you need to get from the stores save you making several trips and wasting time then the process of ho you will complete the task youve been given. This is where I think I improved greatly when I could foresee obsticles rather than hitting them as I came to them.

As for the other boys, that's why there boys and not the boss youre boss sounds like hes behind you so just stay calm and collected and time will help everything fall into place

Good Luck

 

[gasmanrob]

Is there anything in particular your struggling with? And it's no use saying everything there must be some bits you can do with confidence and some speed.

As everyone else has said speed comes with time.

try to work clever, be methodical in how you under take tasks. What sort of work do you do with people your with and what tasks are you being asked to do?

we have all made mistakes and still do when we rush or don't think about things properly.

there is another side to things though. Some of us can do both sides of the industry some can only do one. There are plenty of boiler service engineers that can't instal bathrooms and there are plenty of heating installers that couldn't service a boiler they have fitted 100's of.

then there's those that have it all upstairs but not in their hands and some that can do it with their hands but not on pen and paper

 

[Ermintrude]

Chill out. Speed comes with practice. Tell other lads to do one.

 

[Killy Bing]

Calm down, ask to talk with your boss about these things and how to improve, he will be accommodating as you are an inventment to him!

chat to your boss weekly about what you're doing and what he would like from you aswell if you can

he obviously have faith in you!

as for the others tell them to poke it!


i recently finished my apprentiship and i still havent developed speed BUT

what i am good at is generally getting things right, talking to customers and dealing with issues.

go at your pace and get things right, the more you do it right the faster you'll get in time!

Stick around on this forum, thats what i did and i can happily say from reading up, asking questions and helping out i'll knock 80% my age/experiance on their backside knowledge base wise!

chin up, keep at it

 

[plumber0808]

Do it right first time and forget how long it takes. If its right there can be no complaints.

Some people like having a go at others, it makes them feel more superior.
Biggest willy syndrome.

 

[dfefferkay]

When I worked for Orange bikes...

You left???

JD89 just focus on youre NVQ, take confidence from youre knoweldge on the faith the boss has in you and learn as much as you can from tjose around you. Most old boys were an apprentice one day and you wont be forever. Experiance takes time just dont try to rush it

 

[JD89]

Thanks for the massive response people, really appreciate views from other guys outside the company I work in.

I also believe that my boss has a lot of faith in me, I've said to him from day one that I will put a 100% effort into things and I have shown that.

He did also say to me 'If you can't do things at speed then your not ready, you'll just have to labour' I told him straight though and I said it in front of the lads, I said 'Well that's it then I won't be pressurized by you lot anymore and I will do things at my own pace and do it correctly' that comment I mentioned he said was his response.

I guess I need to just take care with each job I'm given.

It's mainly small things I mess up with, like for example I hung and piped up a rad but one of the pipes was too short for it to go in the trunking clip, also another one was where I had to alter some waste for a condensate pipe to go into and I had the 'T' the wrong way round.

Things like that wreck em because I know better. If I didn't know then it wouldn't bother me as I am learning.

Just need to get a grip on how I act when I'm doing the job.

I can solder, bend pipe, use push fittings, put together waste fittings, fit appliances, 1st fix pipe work. I can do all that but some times I screw things up and I'm not sure if it's out f pressure or trying to impress on speed.

This is one thing I am not willing to fail on.

P.s sorry for swearing, won't happen again.

 

[Dotty]

Good lad.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Don't beat yourself up about it, a plumber who says he's never had a leak is Not a plumber! Mistakes happen it's how you resolve the problem that stops people hammering you.

Good luck though and chin up.....it's worth it in the end.

 

[Ermintrude]

OMG, your actually rubbish! T wrong way round and a pipe to short , that's nothing! It sounds like Monday morning stuff or even pre coffee jitters ! Only thing I was concerned with is that in your last post you identified "using push fittings" as a skill. Wash your keyboard and slap yourself . That is not nor will it ever be a skill, every one does it...... NO ONE talks about it. Chin up. Think before u act... Measure twice .. Cut as much tube as you like.

 

[jonnyswamp]

Its more important to do it once and right, than do it quick and twice
Though, I do agree, don't mention pushfit as a skill

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Its more important to do it once and right, than do it quick and twice
Though, I do agree, don't mention pushfit as a skill

So I shouldn't tell anyone i'm a highly trained pushfit specialist?? .
To the OP, you've had some fantastic advice above so stick at it and stay strong.
Our apprentice has done the drainage tee thing twice now....
.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Speed isn't the be all and end all. I've worked with a lot of fast guys in my time who regularly took longer than me to complete jobs. It's about working at your own pace but working efficiently.

 

[Deleted member 32524]

TBH I like you. You are concerned about your performance and want to learn. What more could a boss want in an apprentice?
Forget the other lads, not all are out to help you and some even try to demotivate new guys.

Just keep working hard and keep your phone in pocket. It will come.

 

[JD89]

Haha noted, using push fit is not a skill.

I was thinking of how I should approach work from now on and maybe I should just carry on do what I can at my own pace and if time is against us then let the plumber take over if he has to?

I can't allow myself to be pressurized so much that I screw the job up. Hate it when I make mistakes and it does knock my confidence when it happens.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Haha noted, using push fit is not a skill.

I was thinking of how I should approach work from now on and maybe I should just carry on do what I can at my own pace and if time is against us then let the plumber take over if he has to?
.

let him take over? What's he doing, Letting you do all the work while he watches?!

 

[JD89]

let him take over? What's he doing, Letting you do all the work while he watches?!

No, normally he gives me a job to do and then carries on with something else then as I'm doing my job he or another plumber tries to hurry me and say something along the lines of 'hurry up, we haven't got time to take all day' which is odd really because it's not as if I'm struggling, I just go at a pace where I don't mess up.

 

[WaterTight]

doesn't sound related to skill or speed. sounds more like you're a sensitive chap who can suffer from a nervous disposition. i am too. if i get stressed i'm useless. polite customers making polite conversation while i work is enough to screw me up sometimes. so if i had other lads being critical it'd ruin me. it's why i have to work on my own. the other day i got so stressed i tried to open my van with a screwdriver as it happened to be in my hand.

you may be able to overcome that or you may just have to try your best, be seen to try your best and go solo the second you get a chance.

 

[A1P]

It is early days to decide where your career will go.Take on board the advice offered,much was on the same lines.Mine was plan and focus.What you are doing now is developing practical skills using your knowledge.You will eventually have the confidence to work in your own way.Most of us prefer to be without an audience when working.At some stage you will be trusted to work on your own by an employer,you will also feel more comfortable with others or you may at some stage choose self employment.That's a while off.The other thing is to continue to learn.I did 4 years at college but learnt easily as much by reading threads on here.It is still my first 'go to' if I get stuck.

 

[voivod]

When I worked on sites....used to snigger at the speed merchants. Yup fast as....
But had to spend loads of there time fixing leaks n problems.
Ended up us 'slower' guys earned more... wonder why
Take it easy ...plan plan again..learn learn learn.
I always watch how someone else does something . I try it ...if it works good..will copy ..if it doesnt stay with what yoi know works
Stay calm at all times helps ( only throw wobbly when noone around too )

 

[Chris F]

When I was learning we were just thrown onto jobs with little supervision, we had to install Y plans when the only thing we had done at college was fix a bog pan to the floor, I used to go to work with a knot in my stomach worrying and then go home with the same knot. I woke up one day and the knot had gone and a lot of it was reading instructions and phoning people, taking my time and trying to keep cool. This job is a constant learning curve, I still feel i'm learning now and I have my nvq3 and am GSR.

 

[MOSSEP]

Just like bbc radio 5, each thread should have some balance opinion, Maybe your just not cut out for being a plumber!

only joking of course :44:

 

[wetdrip]

When I was learning we were just thrown onto jobs with little supervision, we had to install Y plans when the only thing we had done at college was fix a bog pan to the floor, I used to go to work with a knot in my stomach worrying and then go home with the same knot. I woke up one day and the knot had gone and a lot of it was reading instructions and phoning people, taking my time and trying to keep cool. This job is a constant learning curve, I still feel i'm learning now and I have my nvq3 and am GSR.

Like Chris says.You learn nowt at college, that's coming from my nipper.
ASK QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME AND DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED ABOUT DOING SO.
It shows your capacity and willingness to learn.
My nipper still cannot find an employer to take him on, so you've actually achieved something most young lads would give their favourite finger for...employment.
When my kid was working with a company, no-one on here, who were only interested in my website, the journeyman he was working with admitted to Matthew, that he often went home worrying about the current job he was on.So, it's not just you.
There's so much you can learn on here, and there are differences of opinion on just how a job should be done.
That's what what makes this site so interesting: It's a great place to learn, and keep learning.
So stay on here and visit every chance you can get.

 

[techguru]

You need to take your time man, and your boss needs to understand that!

 

[Millsy 82]

let him take over? What's he doing, Letting you do all the work while he watches?!

I used to do that with my apprentices if we had a quiet day let them do the work and I would labour for them as it gave them good practice.

 

[Millsy 82]

Just keep plodding away at your own pace so you know you get it right if the others say anything then just tell them it takes longer to right mistakes.

People learn at different rates I've had apprentices that by the end of the 1st year are decent and are left to pipe up airing cupboards and heating circuits whilst I pipe the boiler etc. I've had others that I have to keep a real close eye on but most come good in the end.

I was a very slow starter but I was great at knocking holes out for flues lol.

 

[JD89]

After reading all these posts I definitely will be taking my time when I'm given jobs.

I told one of the plumbers today 'I'm doing it right and not rushing so .... off' and that's what I will keep doing.

Appreciate the massive response I've had from you people, it's great to have opinions off people who actually know what it's like.

Can't wait now to keep on improving and hopefully go on to do my NVQ 3 after I've finished my NVQ 2

 

[Killy Bing]

Stick on this forum instead of playing on the xbox!

you'll learn a ton of theory and also, we quite like a drink

especially "dry sailor" john

Have a look through at various threads in the forums, alot of it will puzzle you, you'll ask questions and learn

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

I used to do that with my apprentices if we had a quiet day let them do the work and I would labour for them as it gave them good practice.

I get that when it's a slow day just not when it's mad busy and then it's rush rush panic stations to finish the job, I had an impression of the guy standing over him *** on and tea in hand shouting orders....