Plumber To Be hints and tips (help)

[Liamsmith]

Hi my names liam
new to this forum iam 17 from bolton north west

ive nearly finished my level 2 in plumbing and have been looking for an apprenticeship
for just under a year and a half but still had no look

is there anything i can do to get plumbers to give me a second look
or just hints on tips on how what to do in the future
or recommendations on how might take me on

Thank you
Liam

 

[WHPES]

Does your college not give you help and support for this?

 

[albatross]

Some drip rang me yesterday asking for an apprenticeship, he sounded lazy and unprofessional on the phone so had no chance.

You need to be keen and proactive. Offer to do free trials for guys. Ask local merchants if they know of anyone looking or if they will let you put a sign up.

Write a professional letter to local plumbers asking for a trial, follow it up with a phone call a few days later.

 

[SimonG]

Tbh a lot of it will you being in the right place at the right time. Some good advice from Albatross. I get letters all the time, badly written, poor handwriting etc etc. Gives a poor impression. You need to stand out from the crowd and have a back up plan.

 

[Ermintrude]

Put a voucher in letter for mcdonalds ! I'll give you a fulltime job and a van!

 

[wetdrip]

Type an introduction up, print off as many copies as you think are necessary;then purchase zip lock bags.
Place the intro inside the zip lock bags: go to all your local plumbing merchants and leave zip lock bag, with intro inside, under the window wipers on all visiting plumbers vans.

Do this on a daily basis keeping note of the plumbers business details as and when you do so, just so you're not doubling up.
Ask the merchants if you can place your intro on their outlet desk, much easier for plumbers to find as they may not necessarily peruse the wholesalers notice board.
My nipper will be doing much the same.
Best of British to you.

P.S. Stay on the forum.
As there's so much you can learn from the way different forum members approach a problem and its solution.

 

[wetdrip]

Some drip rang me yesterday asking for an apprenticeship, he sounded lazy and unprofessional on the phone so had no chance.

You need to be keen and proactive. Offer to do free trials for guys. Ask local merchants if they know of anyone looking or if they will let you put a sign up.

Write a professional letter to local plumbers asking for a trial, follow it up with a phone call a few days later.

Alba, the drip was most probably as nervous as hell, adrenalin up, and brain freeze.
They're just kids, which we all were once, looking for work, and desperate too.
A heart rate of two hundred plus don't help you hear or think straight

 

[dazsl]

Try your local council or the company that has the contract for their housing most have it in there contract to take on apprentices if you don't get an answer first time keep at them to show you are keen

 

[kay-jay]

Like I said on the other thread. Try forest on dodd lane Westhoughton they have bolton at home contracts for next few years

 

[wetdrip]

Liam your thread title is:Plumber To Be hints and tips

So here's a tip: If a pretty looking female customer asks you "If you'd like extra cream with your coffee?"
She might mean just that, " extra cream".
So don't go waxing your moustache.

 

[Chalked]

Brush your hair, have a wash and go and knock on the door of some local plumbers houses/ office.

Politely ask if you could work there for free for a week.

thats what I did 34 years ago!

 

[SimonG]

Somebody knocking on my door wanting a job would get very short shrift. As would somebody wanting me to do a job.

 

[Chalked]

Somebody knocking on my door wanting a job would get very short shrift. As would somebody wanting me to do a job.

Bah humbug :wink_smile:

 

[SimonG]

Not really. I would see anybody at home by appointment. Other than that i can be a real grumpy head.

 

[dom brennan]

I just rang every single company out of the yellow pages and 97 plumbers down one said to go on a 2 week trail and I'm still there now. but it just think i was at the right place at the right time.

 

[jam1979]

Same rang round local firms sent letters and kept on at them then it finally paid off I went with Kay jay for a while aswell

 

[Dotty]

Same rang round local firms sent letters and kept on at them then it finally paid off I went with Kay jay for a while aswell

You have to take the rough with the smooth.....

 

[WHPES]

Make sure your boots are polished!

If I come across a letter which has a spelling mistake or bad grammar it just goes in the bin. If people can't even be bothered to get someone else to read it before they send it out then forget it.

If someone gives you advice or offers to help, thank them. If they hear of anything elsewhere they may pass on your details, however if you don't thank people it looks ungrateful and rude. If I do something for someone and get no thanks, I have nothing further to do with them, and that goes for anything in life, not just business.

 

[Ray Stafford]

I just rang every single company out of the yellow pages and 97 plumbers down one said to go on a 2 week trail and I'm still there now. but it just think i was at the right place at the right time.

^^^This.

Stick at it. Lots of people try something, and if it doesn't turn to gold after 24hrs, they say it "doesnt work". But persistance works.

 

[wetdrip]

Make sure your boots are polished!

If I come across a letter which has a spelling mistake or bad grammar it just goes in the bin.

If we applied those rules on this forum. We'd have no forum.

 

[Masood]

If we applied those rules on this forum. We'd have no forum.

Apples and oranges mate. I wouldn't talk to customers or prospective employers the way I'd talk to my mates down the pub. First impressions count for a lot. If someone can't be bothered checking spelling and grammar will they be bothered making sure pipes are straight? Do a proper gas test? I find attitudes in one area of life carry across other areas too. Precision and accuracy should be a habit, not an occasional thing.

 

[Masood]

Just because someone has a degree in spelling and grammar does not make them a good plumber

Having a good mentor makes a good plumber

You're only partially right. A good mentor can teach good skills but if the trainee has the wrong attitude or no desire to learn well, he won't learn. Look at how many posts there are on here complaining about lazy, unmotivated trainees. Are you saying ask those guys posting are bad teachers? Of course not!

In any case, you don't need a "degree in spelling and grammar" to write an effective application letter. Colleges offer help with literacy. Friends, relatives, even the local library and job centre will offer help with applications, including proofreading.

If someone can't be bothered presenting themselves in the best light when applying for a job, especially when help is freely available then more fool them. The job market is seriously competitive, someone else will come along who will make the effort.

 

[JCplumb]

''Last edited by Masood; 3 Hours Ago at 10:51 AM. Reason: Spelling. The irony!''

That made me LOL

 

[SimonG]

How the hell is he up his own arse. I can see where you are coming from, but no need for that.

 

[Masood]

Don't be so up your own arse. How did you get on the ladder?

I strive for excellence in all I do, and will use whatever tools are available to do that. Whether it's a spell-checker or asking someone to proof-read a letter. That attitude carries over into my work. Be it reading MIs or asking for help from more experienced colleagues.

If someone wants a job with me, I want to know that they want it badly enough to put some effort in. If they can't be bothered making an effort on their very first impression, then how lazy and sloppy will they become with time? That person will carry my firm's reputation, and I want to keep that intact. If that means I'm up my own arse, so be it!

 

[Masood]

I don't think a cv will get anyone a job in our game.

Unless you want to work for BG, Pimlico, AA, Homeserve...

 

[kay-jay]

I strive for excellence in all I do, and will use whatever tools are available to do that. Whether it's a spell-checker !

I agree.
Sincerely, your friend kebab!!!

 

[zzzjim]

If we applied those rules on this forum. We'd have no forum.

Practice being polite , ( then come home and - Kick the Dog -- or vent a little ont the forum "Without Swearing " )A problem shared is -one Halved ( Who can afford the pub these days ! )

 

[SimonG]

Right place @ right time. But at that time you need to give a good impression.

Spending time on a cv or introduction letter and actually spending the time to make sure that the spelling and grammar is correct goes a long way.

Might be the best worker in the world but if you cant be ahead of everybody else what chance have you got.

 

[wetdrip]

Practice being polite , ( then come home and - Kick the Dog -- or vent a little ont the forum "Without Swearing " )A problem shared is -one Halved ( Who can afford the pub these days ! )

You think the pub is expensive.
I'm not one for motorway service cafes, however, travelling from Coventry to Scotland, tis a long journey.My bladder holds about 1 1/2 pints tops.
Thereafter, I start to get an expanding bladder induced erection which is very uncomfortable whilst driving, I'm not boasting.

Anyway, we pulled into said service station and done the business.
I then decided to purchase a coffee from the nice lady at Costa's : ordered a large one and gave her a pound.
The look on her face, who'd have thought I'd just got off the slabber bus, or was newly release from prison after doing a twenty stretch.
I'll stick to beer. Far cheaper.