Learn the trade or do something else?

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cooper.s

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Hey all,
Im 20, got a tech cert in plumbing at level 2 and its as good as impossible gettin in with a plumber around my town (Clacton on sea, Essex), Everyone is a 1 man band and cant afford to take on a plumbers mate, so im thinking about going all out doing a plastering course with able skills and going off on my own as a plasterer. Im good with my hands and im a really quick learner but with plumbing the money is in the faultfinding + gas and to learn the faultfinding and get the gas certs, you need experiance which I cant get, and as theres no faultfinding in plastering (as far as im aware).

Im not sure wether this is a good idea or not, its just only thing I can think I might enjoy doing other than plumbing. Its the same for 90% of the blokes that were in my plumbing class at college, no plumbers will take you on unless you have an NVQ but you cant get the NVQ unless they take you on its catch 22.

Ive also done sales and customer service jobs but I love gettin messy and gettin stuck in, the day goes quicker and its a different scenary everyday.

So basically im asking everyone on here as they know what they are talking about.... is it worth me forking out the £2K for the plastering course and setting up on my own or not? ive got a van etc so it will literally just be gettin my name about and gettin the work in?

Thanks
Sean
 
barryed said:
Yeah mate its that simple. Go for it!
Thanks for the reply, my only worry is gettin the work in... theres only a handfull of plasterers around here and that can mean 1 of 2 things, theres no money in it around here or no1s thought to do it...
what sort of money can i be expecting to earn... obviously ill be new to the trade so wont be earning half as much as experianced plasterers untill i get up 2 speed...
To be fair I dont really care about money aslong as i can meet ends meet, im sick of working where i work atm.
 
hollybank said:
You would be better offering to help some one for free.
Cant afford the time off work.... got a flat etc to pay for and im working 6 days a week 9 hours a day but if i do the course i can get a Professional Career Development Loan and i can borrow the money ill need for rent bils food etc during the 6 weeks and money for the course and dont have to start paying it back untill i finished the course.
+ as much as my boss is a c**t hes pretty good and will give me the 6 weeks off to do the course.
 
Bruce Willis said:
have you ever had a go at plastering mate? Try it first before you part with any cash........you may hate it :eek:
I plan on doing a bit before I jump in the deep end but im a perfectionist so i can see it being something im gna enjoy doing... my cousins a plasterer but he lives a few hours away but im gna speak to him n see if i can tag along with him for a couple of days or something.
 
save youre money and sit it out till you can get with a plumber YOU WILL NOT MAKE IT AS A PLASTERER BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT HAVE A F.U.C.K.I.N.G CLUE WHAT YOU ARE DOING
 
flynnyman said:
Set up as a plumber doin hot and cold and sub the gas out.
No money in plumbing without the gas anymore, there was such a push for plumbers a few years back that now theres too many and not enough work.

and as for not having a clue, thats what the course etc is for. I might not come out of it with the knowledge of a time served plasterer but ill have enough to do the job and ill make sure i do it well as thats me "if a jobs worth doing, its worth doing properly" and if I get stuck I have friends/family that are in the trade and are just a phonecall away and if im still unsure ill have to turn the job down.

Im more worried wether its a trade worth gettin into or not? Im fine with starting from the bottom and working my way up.
 
mate you cant do a 6 week course and go off by urself in ppls homes..what you on??why do people think it so easy????????????stick at ur plumbing
 
a time served plasterer is a plasterer ...........thats his job............youre someone whos going on a 6 week course therefore you are ..........someone who has been on a short course on plastering and has no experience ...........theres alot of difference
 
cooper.s said:
No money in plumbing without the gas anymore, there was such a push for plumbers a few years back that now theres too many and not enough work.

what other trade does that remind me of.... ::) ::)

theres a mixed review of plastering courses on this forum. i for one think they are pointless unless you work alongside plasterers. i know people like danny did this and its more of a stepping stone rather than a shortcut. i hate the thought of someone learning for 6 weeks and then going straight into peoples houses. mainly for 2 reasons, 1 because theres so many things that can occur on a real job that you dont learn about in your 6ft square cubicle on an industrial estate somewhere. and 2 it took me and many others years of hardwork, s**t wages and being the one to take all the s**t, to learn the trade.
 
as long as the ceiling needs boarding, 1 wall needs dabbing, 1 wall needs hardwall and 1 wall needs s/c. there is 1 pillar, 2 windows, one being a round window. then he will be fine
 
A 6 week course would get you on the basics of boarding skimming and a bit of render that never gooes off. Think you would be ok with small jobs that run alongside your plumbing. As for doin it full time no chance. I have been doin it part time for 4 yrs and still come on her asking daft questions and i have just passed an NVQ???

Problem with inexperience is tha you wont be experienced enough to know wat jobs to turn down at first.
 
an early job for me was to take on a massive victorian hsl over distemper for a friend on me tod balancing off the bannister and generally having a coronary throughout. All blew and fell out big time over it but ultimately was a case of inexperience. didn have a clue really bout how much not to bite off more than anything and suspect backings playing their part which arent covered on the courses. after six weeks you have an overview compared to the layperson but you are at the start of the road not half way through.
 
hi mate

I am currently doing city and guilds at able skills, its the bollox mate

rendering, skimming, bonding, columns the lot.....I paid 2295..
my exam is next month and it was money well spent.

Before this I only did labouring for a plasterer, and I never imagined one day, I would
be doing the plastering. I am currently in Sales at a builders merchants, I do the odd private
job for customers and I have my first rendering job saturday in which I am fully confident because
of Able Skills.......

good luck
 
go for it mate....if it works out then you will indeed discover how much you don't know...if not then you never got there.
 
Other thing is mate, if u do the course

get a hold of the DVD's from Goldtrowel on plastering... watching them over and over and
attending a C&G course alongside..... unstopable

My only thing is speed now, learning plastering is very hard, but somthing kinda
clicks in place... the course will show u the exact and professional method how
everything is done...not the chancer or cowboy way.. then its up to you to get
regular work to build your speed

p.s the typewriter method in skimming...u cant go wrong no matter what size the lid is!!
 
What about doing a part time course. 1 day a week over a year. Works out a lot cheaper.
There's a lot of money in bathroom fitting, which you should be able to do after completing your 5 day assesment. Sub out the tileing till you pick it up. Plastering will come in handy for this.
A lot more money in plumbing. Do the jobs no one else can be bothered to do like taps etc.
£2000 is a lot to invest in something you may not actualy enjoy.
Good luck though
 
spark2010 said:
hi mate

I am currently doing city and guilds at able skills, its the bo - locks mate

rendering, skimming, bonding, columns the lot.....I paid 2295..
my exam is next month and it was money well spent.

Before this I only did labouring for a plasterer, and I never imagined one day, I would
be doing the plastering. I am currently in Sales at a builders merchants, I do the odd private
job for customers and I have my first rendering job saturday in which I am fully confident because
of Able Skills.......

good luck

Is it an exam and skills test?
 
thats a scratch coat ;D...........i was going to say timing something you cant learn in college because theres no cement in it
 
Bit of a mixed reaction from every1, I never said i was going to do it, I was simply asking if its worth doing, if ill get enough from the course to be able to go out on my own.

Im pissed off with working for a c**t and no1 seems to want to take any1 on around here and i know thats every1s excuse but ive genuwinely rang every plumber, gas fitter and kitchen and bathroom installer in clacton and the surrounding areas and they all give u the same great news "sorry were not taking on"
57 different plumbers in clacton on sea... thats a hell of a lot considering the size of the town... and thats 57 listed in the yellow pages, let alone the companies that dont advertise in the yellow pages.

So doing the plastering course and going out on my own was just an idea as ive run out of ideas to get in with a plumber.

But thanks every1 for the replies, all of them are being taken into consideration and if i go ahead with it im sure you will see a few posts from me.
 
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