New To The Trade!!

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leon_h

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Hi,

I am really wanting to start a career as a plasterer and really dont know which course to begin, I live in Manchester and am willing to travel but really do need to know which qualifications people feel neccesarry to start with.

If anybody can help your comments are much appreciated.

Thanks

Leon
 
you need at least 4-8 years experience on site to be a plasterer if you think it's any less youre living the american dream baby
 
when i started plastering which was about 5 months ago, i bought a set of gold trowel dvds watched them about 8 times then had ago down my nans house, then got a job with a mate plastered his bungalow for £600 (BARGIN) it took me 3 weeks, he was well chuffed with the job, and started to get work through word and mouth, now i earn £150 a day

so theres still hope for you yet
 
i recommend a week or two course just to learn basics, using hawk and trowel, how to apply, how to mix, different types of plaster etc etc, just so u can start and not look a total mug who dont know jack.

but dont buy into the crap about become a plasterer in a month.

your dreaming if you think you can go on ya own or do site work so quick.

i done a two week course then got taken on as a plasteres mate/labourer where i get to do a bit and assist a experienced plaster in all types of differnt of situations and all types of repairs and all the tricks of the trade, and just the whole way they work, down to bucket systems :), i can ask all the questions i like and he always explains y he doing this and y this is this etc etc. i witnessing things on the job that u will never see on a course (on domestic work). plastering is not all about the glamour of skimming :-/

people on the course i done reckoned they were gonna go on site after 2/3 weeks which is so unrealistic, you have to do 50sq meter at least, where all we done was a wall about 4 sq m. :'(

i know i could plaster a room on my own and the final look would be good but i know i need to be 10 times faster where ya on ya own, it wont happen overnight.

my gaff said people do these courses and get a private job but the phone soon stops ringing when they get a bad rep, cause they dont know jack.

courses r good for learning basic, but nothing more ;D like any job on the job experience counts :)

start at the bottom and work up mate its the only way :) cause unless u can wait for private jobs that will all be skimming a box room, u wont get anywhere :'(
 
Do the three week nvq course with Gold trowel and register for your on site assessment. You'll be amazed how good you will be in such a short time, could get nvq in as little as 6 weeks. Then start doing jobs for mates, family and your local ;). If you practice you could work domestic side in as little as a year, I did. Don't listen to all these 'you need to be in the trade for ten years' Bullshiners!! >:( they just don't like the competition. Speed dosn't matter on domestic side just quality.

Facta Non Verba
 
Do the three week nvq course with Gold trowel and register for your on site assessment. You'll be amazed how good you will be in such a short time, could get nvq in as little as 6 weeks. Then start doing jobs for mates, family and your local ;). If you practice you could work domestic side in as little as a year, I did. Don't listen to all these 'you need to be in the trade for ten years' Bullshiners!! >:(  they just don't like the competition. Speed dosn't matter on domestic side just quality.

Facta Non Verba

yeah i agree with the site and domestic point u make, yeah all that 4 year stuff is shite i agree.

but best to go with experienced plasterer for a while jus to cver ya back!
 
if you do domestic you can call yourself a plasterer after two hours because noone will no any different, if you want to go on site and mix it with other spreads who are hardwall and setting, s/c rendering, monocouche rendering, floor screeding, dot and dabbing, tacking, oh and skimming ;D all to a professional standard this will take a minimum 4 years
 
Do the three week nvq course with Gold trowel and register for your on site assessment. You'll be amazed how good you will be in such a short time, could get nvq in as little as 6 weeks. Then start doing jobs for mates, family and your local ;). If you practice you could work domestic side in as little as a year, I did. Don't listen to all these 'you need to be in the trade for ten years' Bullshiners!! >:(  they just don't like the competition. Speed dosn't matter on domestic side just quality.

Facta Non Verba
it's not about the competition at all mate, the truth is the lads that come out of courses that still haven't a clue turn up on site work for fook all and do a shite job, they then get chucked off site and another lad gets took on
this affects me in that prices can stay lower and a crap job will help the tape jointing arguement, im not against courses you lads do what you want and we ALL have to start somewhere but show the game a bit of respect and learn it properly and get paid in the process
 
you can start domestical side and make good money while your building speed and confidence. If you get enough work to do it full time you could be site platering after a year imo.

;)
 
Do the three week nvq course with Gold trowel and register for your on site assessment. You'll be amazed how good you will be in such a short time, could get nvq in as little as 6 weeks. Then start doing jobs for mates, family and your local ;). If you practice you could work domestic side in as little as a year, I did. Don't listen to all these 'you need to be in the trade for ten years' Bullshiners!! >:(  they just don't like the competition. Speed dosn't matter on domestic side just quality.

Facta Non Verba
it's not about the competition at all mate, the truth is the lads that come out of courses that still haven't a clue turn up on site work for fook all and do a shite job, they then get chucked off site and another lad gets took on
this affects me in that prices can stay lower and a crap job will help the tape jointing arguement, im not against courses you lads do what you want and we ALL have to start somewhere but show the game a bit of respect and learn it properly and get paid in the process


I agree, but if the lads go about it the right way and spend a year getting lots of experience and variety of work, get NVQ's and cscs cards they can be plastering to a good level. Obviously not to your standard but to a standard where the finish is good.
 
you can start domestical side and make good money while your building speed and confidence. If you get enough work to do it full time you could be site platering after a year imo.

;)

yeah domestic u can set ya own time limits :)

i dont wanna do site work i only going to do domestic to start ;D

gonna keep with the pro im with for a good while yet though :-*
 
you need to be taught the ropes mate by someone who knows what there doing i couldnt teach myself plumbing or electrics, if youre a young lad who wants to be a spread and have time on your hands still live at home and dont need alot of money .............................go with a spread work hard and youll get taught a wide range of skills, lets say youre seventeen you coud be earning upto a grand a week by the time youre 22
i wish everyone the best mate and im probably speaking out of turn as alot of lads do do domestic , if you want to get into sites learn with a lad and hopefully youll gain a wide armoury of skills that will allow you to work on a variety of sites and keep a flow of work coming in
 
The problem we have here is we all come from different backgrounds, some site work, sub contractors and some private/domestic work. Personally I,m not interested in setting foot on any site ever. I just do private domestic work, dont get involved in spread-rate-wars or fattest back pockets.
I,ve done work for about 8 years in spare-time, decided to jack my full time factory work last year and go self employed. Saying all this because Im virtually SELF TAUGHT :o. Sometimes you can actually find something you have a natural tendancy to be good at.
Only advertised once in 9 months, had quiet times, but at the moment have got plenty of work, which has all come from referals.

Give it time and you will know if its for you or not. ;)
 
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