8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4myself??

[lisbon67]

Hi ime thinking of doing a 8 week intensive plumbing course with ocli at the end ive got nvq level 2 also going to do tileing course and was wondering if anyone can advise if they think i will be able to go and work for myself after this and be capable ?? Cheers

 

[Resolute]

Are you sure that the 8 week course will give you the full NVQ and not just the technical cert?

 

[armourer]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

Run to the hills on some of the replys you will get to this, mate.

Will you be able to work for yourself............Yes
Will you be capable..................................Probable not

 

[lisbon67]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

soz its the city and guilds 6129

 

[Resolute]

Do you have any experience plumbing?

You'd be better off trying to get an apprenticeship and learning that way. Why have you chosen plumbing?

I'm not trying to be negative but the more info you give the better advice you'll get.

 

[GQuigley67]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

where abouts are you from ?? if your from scotland then SVQ3 is the minimum u want to get for any chance of employment

to be honest if you were working in my house and I knew that u only had done an 8 week "intensive" course I would kick you out the door

 

[kirkgas]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

after 8 weeks i had just about learned the difference between a pair of pliars and a pair of 9" footprints (after getting a few dunts on the back of the head) i got rebuked (quite rightly i suppose) for sneaking a free advert on here for our gas course the other week, so with that in mind perhaps i shouldnt slag off a competitor BUT........... you aint gonna learn an awful lot in 8 weeks, but depending on course content you can get through a lot of theory in 8 weeks but no practical, there are training providers who give you 6 weeks gas theory training on specific modules in their place and then expect you to learn the rest in the house (with email technical support from lecturers, which i imagine you will only use if you think you dont know something, but if you are mistaken and think you do understand you will never know until the brown goo hits the fan) then when you have completed your portfolio you can exams,

 

[Andyc321]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

All I would say is don't let the marketing of the training company draw you in, the sales person telling you how much you are going to earn has probably never worked a day in the industry.

If you want a long lasting career then try your hardest to get an apprenticeship, by the end of that you will feel much more confident about doing the work and probably get off to a much better start as well

 

[rsr]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

The NVQ is almost certainly the technical certificate only and not the full NVQ which involves workplace assessment visits.
There are loads of threads on this site which go in to the merits and shortcomings of these courses and you need to understand that it will be a massive struggle on your own. My advice is to get experience ideally as plumber's mate and then think about getting qualifiactions.

 

[AWheating]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

most people i would recommend min 2 years on site training but 4 years is better to be able to have gained enough experience and knowledge, you could take a punt tho after 8 weeks.

as mentioned above do not get fooled by training center advertising, its designed to make you think you will be making a fortune straight away but the truth is very different. How much do you think you public liability insurance would be when you tell them you have 8 weeks college training? they probably wont insure you.

if you are sure you want to get into the trade then find a qualified engineer/company to train you up. Im not saying this to put you off but in a few years time you will make more money and have returning customers because you have experience and know what your doing.

 

[stevetheplumber]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

you can work for your self now bu ll you be any good no after 8 weeks i doubt there will be much improvement

 

[GQuigley67]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

thinking back when i started my apprenticeship, if 8 weeks into it I was let loose on the tools I would imagine there would be alot of leaks lol

 

[WaterTight]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

Yeah but you wouldn't have had an intensive 8 week start to you apprenticeship would you? Not saying he'll be any good after 8 weeks but natrually since they've only got 8 weeks you can bet the pace goes quite fast.

My course was 20 weeks, 5 months - and it still felt rushed and still took me a couple of years working with experienced guys after before I felt up to even small jobs on my own.

 

[GQuigley67]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

out of those 8 weeks 6 of those would have been on site and not in a classroom so you'd still be learning more practical i'd say

 

[gaspastemania]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

I know plumbers that have over 10 years experience and if you never knew them you would have thought they had done a 8 week crash course !!!!
Whats worse that can happen ,,,,turn house into an aquarium????

 

[dboi78]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

i have done a intensive course over 20 weeks w/ends only to gain my 6129 and i learned a great deal with regards to theory and regs because of the intensive nature of the course, u are living and breathing plumbing every day,
but i have to say i would not have been confident or able to work alone on completion of the course even though i had passed all 12 exams and practical exams at the first time of asking, after working with a plumber with 18 years experience i was awakened to how much i had to learn, u need to know what to do when things go wrong, when to walk away, how to fault find, tricks of the trade u dont get taught in college, how to identify systems in the real world (looks a little different to the nice pics in the book) and much more, and then there is gas wich is a whole different ball game, im not quite there yet but i know im in it for the long haul and will keep learning untill i feel confident to go it alone, if u have time (2-3 years) and can support yourself financially while learning then go for it if not then choose another career !!

 

[WaterTight]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

that might as well be the final word. that's it in a nutshell.

if you can support yourself with little to no income for a good few years after the course, if you can get in with someone to show you the ropes - then why not. it's a stressful, tough job but can be a lucrative one when you're up and running if you manage to hold your own against the competition and do well at your marketing.

but as far as going it alone after 8 weeks - there's only person i've met who did that and got away with it and he'd been doing plumbing for years as part of general maintenance and just wanted to stop saying no to some of the tricky aspects.

 

[dontknowitall]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

I toddled off on my own after a 6 week course and still going after 4 years (still with repeat business off a few of my early customers).

Can be done, but it is NOT easy and, I must admit, it does help to have savings to fall back on in the lean times.

 

[aaronsmith]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

i would vere away from that cource 8 weeks isnt a long time for experience

 

[Phil]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

I toddled off on my own after a 6 week course and still going after 4 years (still with repeat business off a few of my early customers).

Can be done, but it is NOT easy and, I must admit, it does help to have savings to fall back on in the lean times.

Same here DKIA, I'm nearly 4 years in after a Micky Mouse crash course which I know now was a waste of time apart from the lead work,I still do jobs for a lot of my first customers.
I was a good diy plumber before the course though, just wish I could go back to 1995 and do an apprenticeship when I was 16 and I would have far more knowledge than I do now, but I like to think I do alright.

 

[aaronsmith]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

out of those 8 weeks 6 of those would have been on site and not in a classroom so you'd still be learning more practical i'd say

how can you be confident after 8 weeks to go into someones house and basicly "bluff" your way through a job? i didnt even know how basic plumbing worked good luck mate

 

[dontknowitall]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

how can you be confident after 8 weeks to go into someones house and basicly "bluff" your way through a job? i didnt even know how basic plumbing worked good luck mate

By taking the jobs you're happy with (saves bluffing), having the odd lucky break, and learning by your mistakes, being truthful and honest with customers (even saying you don't know the answer!) and being fair to your customers and yourself.

 

[aaronsmith]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

fair point but do you genuinly hv a knowlegde of plumbing systems after 8 weeks?

 

[dontknowitall]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

fair point but do you genuinly hv a knowlegde of plumbing systems after 8 weeks?

Nope!!!!

One of my lucky breaks was to meet someone who had 2-3 years' more experience than me and who'd worked with more experienced plumbers.

 

[GQuigley67]

Re: 8 week intensive plumbing couse to get nvq level 2 ,will i be able to work 4mysel

Aaron I know that 8 weeks is no were near long enough, I was only suggesting that if 8 weeks into my apprenticeship I was let loose on the tools there would be havoc !! I've served my time, and I still struggle to get work, just got some subby work to start next week though so at least that'll keep me a float for the near future!