Am i qualified enough?

[benp6]

Hi, i am starting to plan out my own business, due to be up and running this year. However i do not have an NVQ. I only have the tech cert level 2 and 3. I know the technical side to plumbing like the back of my hand, and i belive i have the business acumen to make a success. However, I am worried that my lack of on the job experiance may let me down....
Has anyone else started from my position? Did it go okay? Was it a disaster?
any help would be appreciated?!

Thanks.

 

[Bartdude]

Good luck,you'll need it.

This should be interesting!

 

[franky]

maybe work for a company for a year its less of a risk for you. Theres a lot to be learnt out on field that can't be taught in class.

 

[benp6]

It's getting employed that's the problem though isn't it?
Nobody will take on an apprentice at the moment.

 

[Blake]

As above, you need some practical experience I'm afraid. It may sound harsh, but look at it this way, If I said to you I had read every book going on brain surgery, would you let me operate on you? I think not.

If you took your pride and joy to a garage for a service and the mechanic said I've never actually worked on a car before but I've read all about it, would you be happy to leave your car with him? Again I think not.

So if you go and damage a customers home through lack of experience or trial and error then you are gonna find yourself in a difficult situation.

 

[joe brown]

he hasnt just read books he has done all task's related to plumbing but in a college/theory room, The only difference is he has used new fresh materials and hasnt actually come across anything that is all rusted and siezed up or hard to get at, You can easily go for it mate and i wouldnt let anybody talk you out of it, You learn from your mistakes , its amazing how much you remember when you make a cock up, Anyway you obviously have the knowledge and you have obviously done the task's related to the 6129c&g so your half way there, You can easily do it mate its just a little harder but in the long run it will pay off, it would be a good ide to have another plumber you could call upon, An ex tutor incase you ever get stuck... but before you go to do a job read up on it refresh your memory read any problems relted to the job that you may come accross.... but seriously you can do it, All the best hope it works out...and just for the record i know a very lot of plumbers who have just studied tech cert 2 and not bothered to do level 3 that are doing very well straight out of college with no help.... so it can easily be achieved...n Good luck

 

[Blake]

It's getting employed that's the problem though isn't it?
Nobody will take on an apprentice at the moment.

I know, this is why you need to work for free if need be in order to gain practical experience. I worked for over a year to gain such experience for nothing mainly, or if I was lucky I got paid £40 a day.

 

[Blake]

he hasnt just read books he has done all task's related to plumbing but in a college/theory room, The only difference is he has used new fresh materials and hasnt actually come across anything that is all rusted and siezed up or hard to get at, You can easily go for it mate and i wouldnt let anybody talk you out of it, You learn from your mistakes , its amazing how much you remember when you make a cock up, Anyway you obviously have the knowledge and you have obviously done the task's related to the 6129c&g so your half way there, You can easily do it mate its just a little harder but in the long run it will pay off, it would be a good ide to have another plumber you could call upon, An ex tutor incase you ever get stuck... but before you go to do a job read up on it refresh your memory read any problems relted to the job that you may come accross.... but seriously you can do it, All the best hope it works out...and just for the record i know a very lot of plumbers who have just studied tech cert 2 and not bothered to do level 3 that are doing very well straight out of college with no help.... so it can easily be achieved...n Good luck

Half way there.... learn from mistakes and cock ups????? I would not want someone working for me that was half way there and making mistakes and cock ups. I'm all for folks achieving there goals but you need to be realistic or you are going to upset customers and get a bad reputation before your business has even began to grow.

Find another plumber to help out, or a plumber that will come along with you on your jobs. You will not make much as you will be paying him/her but at least you have the backup and will gain experience.

 

[joe brown]

No you missunderstood me, What task's as a plumber do you think he couldnt do by himself, He has already covered everything he just hasnt been on the road. As for the have a plumber to hand, i meant for advice not to come out and do the job for him, someone who he could ring for advice, (this actually happens a lot,other plumbers ringing each other) . I also never meant for him to cock up and leave the job, i meant if he did cock up obviously he would correct the job and he would learn from it that way, How was you when you first started i bet you didnt need that much help, At the end of the day plumbing is a lot easier these days and i am 100% sure with his tech certs 2&3 he is more than capale of doing it alone. A lot of people think that the tech cert is just reading books and sitting exams well your far from wrong, You have to cover every aspect of plumbing and do every task, the only difference you are in a workshop and not somebodys house.

 

[JonM]

I did a 4 year apprentiship. 2 of those years were going to college 1 day a week to get my nvq2 and 9 months 1 day a week to do my gas. For the first few years I had someone watching over me....shouting if I got something wrong and told to do it again. I can honestly say I didn't learn a lot in college. The plumbing side anyway. Majority of my knowledge has come from being in peoples house/building sites. Before I joined this forum I never realised there were people out there working with little supervised experience. Not saying it's bad, cus i'm sure there are some good plumbers out there with this sort of background. I can't say it's something I would want to do tho!

 

[fuzzy]

easily achieved? very misleading, a tradtional apprenticeship in any trade is 4 years,thats how long it takes to become competent in all aspects of the trade.

 

[quality]

it all depends on what work you do and where you do it
domestic work is fairly easy but appreciating you are working in someones home / palace is hard for some folk

commercial is easier and more profitable but the work can be more complicated and need more man power etc

that my take on things I only employ 4 but we cover all area`s thats , gas , electrical , refrigeration , air conditioning , oil.

its no good knowing your stuff if you can not do it

 

[KingDoey]

I did a 4 year apprentiship. 2 of those years were going to college 1 day a week to get my nvq2 and 9 months 1 day a week to do my gas. For the first few years I had someone watching over me....shouting if I got something wrong and told to do it again. I can honestly say I didn't learn a lot in college. The plumbing side anyway. Majority of my knowledge has come from being in peoples house/building sites. Before I joined this forum I never realised there were people out there working with little supervised experience. Not saying it's bad, cus i'm sure there are some good plumbers out there with this sort of background. I can't say it's something I would want to do tho!

Yeah i am just finishing my apprenticeship and agree with you mate. College doesn't give you much in the way of experience. College is good for learning the layouts and types of heating systems etc and your regs but I found that every practical skill was learned on the road.

Its all very well knowing the theory but you develop your own tips and tricks when you are on site working. If I hadnt been working at the same time I would crap myself being thrown in at the deep end now having just done the course!!!

All the best to the OP though really hope it is a success for you mate!

 

[Blake]

What I will say is that by asking the question is shows that you are obviously keen to do a good job and that you are aware of your possible short comings which is a good foundation to build upon.

At the end of the day, only you know if you are competent to carry out particular plumbing work. There are tons of folks that go on fast track plumbing courses and then buy a van and away they go. Some don't even bother with the course and believe there DIY skills will be sufficient to qualify as a plumber.

Attempt to work alongside another plumber, like I said, you may not earn much but experience is priceless.

I learn every day and still need to ring other plumbers on occasions when I'm stuck.

 

[northstar]

op what area are you based in ?

 

[Paul Cockhill]

Hi benp6

I was in a similar position to you 18 months ago and I bit the bullet because I could not find another plumber to help. Take it easy to begin with as you can always turn down jobs you do not feel qualified to handle. Approach letting agencies, they are always looking for people wanting to fix taps fix a loo, do some general plumbing. Also get some flyers done and drop them into your local area , newagents and shops. I have got many jobs this way.

I agree try and find your ex college tutor who might give you a contact number if you really get stuck.

Also I went and did a weeks tiling course and have found this really complements the plumbing.

One other idea, approach local buildings they are always looking for someone reliable to do small jobs they may not handle themselves.

Join a plumbing organisation like CIPHE, they have quarterly professional development classes free and you can get plenty of contacts through them.

Be brave and I wish you the best of luck

Paul

 

[Puddle]

Well basically if you are based near me, I would say no you are not qualified or experienced enough to start out on your own and should spend maybe another 10 years or so practicing and training, till I am ready to retire, so you do not nick any of me work

If you are based no where near me, I would say, go for it, fill your boots, you have the knowledge ,which is a lot more than many and you only get experience from getting out there and getting your hypo-allergenic disposable Polyethylene gloves dirty .

As said by your posts you have shown you want to do a good job,( something I hope to achieve one day) and you have the community here at the forums to bounce any problems off

It is not easy starting up and takes time to get established, the guild is 5 years for a business to be able to say it is so, there is no denying it will be hard to start with and long hours, if you are lucky but if you can do it in this current climate, you will be OK in future years

After saying all that, at the moment ,the economic climate many think is bad, in fact it is worse than that, people will still need plumbers I know but more will be chasing less work, therefore if you are employed at the moment, not matter were you are based, I would stay with that employer for the next year or so

 

[quality]

Its ok knowing how to do stuff but if you have never done it you not got a hope hell

not in this game

 

[Bartdude]

A note of caution.

We're still in a recession,unemployment is fast approaching 3 million,the highest levels since 1988,when the government cuts start to bite and more people start losing their jobs work will be hard to find if you don't already have a customer base. I agree with puddle,if you're in employment it's not wise to jump ship now.

There won't be enough bathrooms to go round,I don't think I'll bother pricing any for a while!

 

[Rodreguez]

i done a 4 year apprenticeship got nvq L3, got domestic ACS and recently just got all my commercial. I'm still learning everyday and about 4months ago started my own business after 8 years in the trade. I work full time for the NHS and run my business on the side line. I could not just give up my Full time job because i aint got the balls and due to commitments (mortgage etc). If your finicially good to go on your own i say go for it, what you got to lose?

Its a hard time to start a business but i must admit i've done better than expected (alot of docs, nurses, cleaners etc from hospital who see me working always ask if i do 'outside work), so just shows the works out there!

 

[pauls]

anything can be achived if you have the right mind set and determination. i started in the trade from knowing nothing at all, i done a fast track course and then went it alone. and it was hard, there is so many complicated old systems out there. i have got to know a lot of people now and helped a few out on jobs and they help me when i need it.

in 2 years ive gone from knowing nothing to now being gas safe, its been hard work and a very large learning curve but i have achived a lot i much prefere working on heating systems than bathrooms and im just starting to get into boiler breakdowns. so if you have the determination and mind set anything is achivable but i will say you will need help along the way and if you can get in with people all the better.

good luck

 

[BLOD]

Hi benp6,
To do the level 3 course I thought you had to be employed in the industry.
If thats the case then you've probably got more knowledge & experience than a lot of people starting out as "plumbers".

If you can make it through the first year or so on your own then you should be ok - it's a great job!


good luck
blod

 

[Blake]

He said he is worried about his lack of on the job experience so therefore I doubt he is employed in the industry.

 

[dantheman]

in my experience you are better qualified than a lot of the plumbers i know who are earning £400 PLUS a week who work for the local council, only having level 2 c&g.You are only lacking work experience when coming across problems ect ,as long as you have someone to call to guide you, you will do well you go for it .a lot of plumbers dont like doing leaking taps ect small jobs and start off doing those and build your experience ,hope you do well

 

[dontknowitall]

About 3 years ago I started after a 2 month course and don't have any NVQs and didn't have much DIY knowledge. After nearly a year of working I qualified for OFTEC (my only decent qualification).

I had a lucky start, walking into job after job then after 6 months or so it went really quiet. I had some rough and tumble to begin with - had to call a plumber out to start a boiler, had to refuse a few jobs because I didn't know enough. Had to charge much less than I wanted because the job had taken too long.

Now I've had my second really busy winter and have around 10 jobs of varying sizes lined up for the next month or so. I've kept just about all my customers and won most of my quotes.

I spent all my working life in office based type jobs (some self employed) and now I'm in my late 40's so have life experience on my side (not so good when you're only around 22) and I'm really honest with my customers. So if or when something goes wrong I own up straight away, apologise if necessary and treat them like I'd like to be treated.

I've done more taps and fixed more WCs than I'd care to think about but I keep being called back by these customers to do larger jobs. Biggest help has been meeting a plumber around 18 months ago. To be honest, I think all it's done is given me much more experience much more quickly. I'd have learned just as much in around 5 years of bumbling around but I value his experience very highly and am always asking questions and sometimes getting him to help me with jobs (and sometimes he asks me to help him).

Advertising? I've spent around £1,500 in total in the 3 years: about £900 on my vans (old one and new one) and £200 each on one or two others and then my website and bits and pieces. Most jobs come from recommendation and repeat business.

IT IS NOT easy but the OP was asking if anyone had succeeded - I did ... just!