Taking the Plunge

[learner]

Hi all

I finally built up the guts to hand my notice in at work and make the first step into my new career in plumbing which starts end of feb. I have also been given the chance to be involved in a first and second fix (forgive me if I have said that wrong), not sure if anything will come out of it after we have finished on the site, but it all adds to the no practical experience I have and therefore am very grateful to be given a chance. Anyway the real reason i started this thread was to get some opinions.

As I mentioned earlier I have no experience therefore I do not know what is going to be expected of me. by this I mean what kind of tasks I will be doing and if any of them will require tools of any kind. Would it be a good idea for me to go out buy a set of tools of my own as I know that I will need them eventually. If I should could anyone point me in the right direction of where to buy them from i.e is it best to order over the internet or would B+Q be just as good as I don't want to sacrifice quality over price

Thanks for taking the time to read/reply

Nick

[sasha]

Not to sure if this is a wind up!!!

But here goes;

If you are serious ask yourself why you want to
become a plumber, if its for money, glammor then
become a pop star. I cannot see the point in
giving up a job to do something you seem to have
little experience about. Talk to other people in
the trade, merchants etc and see if it is for you
- with self employment you don't get PAYE
benefits, and it isn't a 9-5 job.

If it is a wind-up I suggest a book from the
library "Janet and John go plumbing".

[MAB]

Dear learner,

You are very lucky. You have been able to give up your job in ???? industry and have been given a chance to participate in the art of plumbing.

Without experience, tools or knowledge you will be able to pick up first fixing. And maybe go straight into second fix. Maybe you would like to publish the name of your prospective employer.

My advice to you is buy all your tools from the FOCUS value range. They are a major chain and obviously offer the best quality at the price. Get your fittings from Wickes, another major player and TOTALLY unrelated to FOCUS in anyway!!!

After you have got a life come back and share another joke with us.
_________________
Mike.

[learner]

Quite why you see this thread as a joke I am not sure maybe it was worded wrong?

However I am very serious about my career. I have been doing a self study course for the last 5 months and have found what i have learnt about plumbing very interesting. after
doing the course , research and deciding this this is a career i want and decided nows the time to take the plunge and try to get the practical experience. The reason I want to get into plumbing is not because of press about the huge salarys etc. it is because i want to build a myself a career so i can provide for my family. I realise its not a 9 to 5 job and didnt wake up one morning and say I know today I am going to become a plumber.

not got much to say about your comment about getting a life Mike except dont quite know what happend to you, Since last time you commented in one of my threads you were quite helpful and not so bloody rude.

[thescruff]

What Mike means is don't give up the day job unless you have a large stash to fall back on.

I think your incredibly brave or bloody mad, but good luck anyway.

scruff

[MAB]

Sorry Learner but re-read your first post. If that does not set alarm bells ringing then nothing will.

No experience - fair enough. Read the book - OK. And now I am going to give up paid employment - ?
Without knowing what I am going to be asked to do.
Presumably there was some sort of interview? But you didn't discuss work? Hours? Money? How to get there?

And you might not even like it? A few days holiday and a bit of pre-work experience, possibly with pay might have helped. You could have made excuses for no tools and seen what was needed.

I have an extensive engineering background but even so when I decided to change I got an evening job lined up first, in case things went wrong. As it happened things took off and I was knackered from doing two jobs - but I was able to give one up.

If it works for you, great. But at the moment I fear the odds are against you.

Good luck.

Mike.
_________________
Mike.

[learner]

ok i can see y u think i am stupid. however in my defence there r other circumstances surrounding the decision, but thought you could do with out the story.

Anyway my company recently relocated and i moved with them and now its not working out up here due to being away from family and friends. Mainly girlfriend as i am working all day she dont enjoy being stuck at home with 2 kids on her own. so we are moving back to essex, but I will still be doing some part time work for my current employer, i also have some money from the sale of my flat which will be providing the income whilst out of full time employment.

As i am still young(22) and am able to be out of full time paid employment figured now would be the time to go out and get the practical experience I need.

the job i mentioned in my first post is the job where i see if i like it or not as it is through a friend of a friend hence the uncertanty of whether or not anything will come of it as it is a favour.

Hope this makes me seem abit less stupid and a little less irresponsible

Nick

[Chris]

If you have the aptitude you will be able to get going. I say that having taken a similar route , and from "employing" a few other lads from time to time. You will be slow on the job and you'll need to learn fast. The first weeks /months will be frustrating for your employer; you and he will need patience. There's a lot of basic stuff you won't know, like how to get decent fixings on dodgy walls, and dealing with floorboards.

Yes you'll need to turn up with tools - spanners, pipe cutters and bender etc, and you'll be expected to be able to use them!

[FOV]

hi learner

dont take too much notice of some of the rudeness on this forum.i dont know why there is so much and its not a very good advert for plumbers or even a good representation of the workforce.

unfortunately all the talk in the papers has made people tetchy and they think plumbing is the new pop idol.they forget people just want to get a hopefully stable job that will support them ant their family.the quick buck merchants dont last long anyway so there shouldnt be a problem.

my advice is practice soldering.when i got new guys working for me i dont mind them being slow at first but it really gets me annoyed if i then have to go round checking their joints!also a leak in the wrong place can be costly.

[Ticket]

Why oh why does everyone want to retrain as a Plumber? Why not go and do capentry or bricklaying. Plumbing is not a easy money game. Its getting ridiculous so called plumbers in my area are undercutting big time, they dont have insurance to pay for, they work out of the back of their cars, its bull****!

I was asked to go round to this customers house due to his toilet cistern overflowing all over his bathroom floor, there was no service valve to isolate, no internal siphon fitted. After a while it realy ****es me OFF!! Especialy when you tell the customer how much you will charge to put it right, and they say "how much?"

Maybe i'll be able to get a job in IT.

[MAB]

I wouldn't, bit unstable at the moment.

Unless of course you are taking the ex-pat route and relocating to India.



Mike.
_________________
Mike.

[FOV]

i dont think everyone does want to retrain as a plumber.there are millions who are looking to change career.of course as this is a plumbing site, any who choose plumbing will find their way here.its not a mystery.if they were looking to be an electrician and they were on here it would be pretty stupid.

i know that my local college electricians courses are the same. well oversubscribed.

the point is with so many going to universities there arent enough good jobs to go round.if you dont get sorted young enough all you can really change to is trades.then the newspapers try to batter the government over top up fees and use the excuse of vocational training.this hurts genuine newcomers by throwing them in with wannabes.

[learner]

Obviuosly I have poured salt into an open wound. But I think judging all trainees as though they are a waist of space and bodgers is out of order. You yourselves were trainees once as well, and at some point you made the decision to go into plumbing (maybe not from another career). I can understand that going around fixing bodged jobs all day would be annoying. However I take my career very seriously be it in my current industry or the next. I don't believe I said anywhere in this thread I want to be a Plumber because its easy work or an easy money game. There are genuine people like myself who do not believe in undercutting everyone else and doing things as quickly as possible just to get a job done. I have taken my study very seriously and will take the practical training experience I get just as seriously. I would not go to someone else’s house to do a job if I thought I was not capable of doing it properly just for the money and believe people’s property should be treated in the way I wish my property to be treated.

It does hurt when you have been tarred with the same brush as wannabes before you have even started. Buts thats life I suppose

Thanks to guys who gave some helpful advice

Nick

[Agile]

I do have to think about the customer here.

A traditional plumber did a five year apprenticeship with a fully experienced person and learnt the practical aspects pretty well in most cases during this time.

Five months of self study may be fine but where have you gained all the practical experience you will need? Why not get a job with an existing firm?

Poor customer!

The sooner there is a compulsory registration the better.

Tony Glazier

[learner]

i think things have got slightly confused. I am going to get years of practical experience before i venture out on my own. I dont think for one minute 5 months of self study sets me up to go it alone. YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY THICK which I AM NOT