getting into the gas game with no plumber experience

[sterry_12]

Hi all, ive just left the forces, an decided to retain in gas engineering. ive payed for the course and started my workplacement. been talking to the guy who's training me and he said he's never heard of anyone doing it this way. normally he said people start with plumbing then progress on to gas.

have i made a mistake by starting with gas? should i get on a plumbing course as soon as money will allow?

 

[archiedale]

i think your mates right, get on a plumbing course asap

 

[unguided1]

I would say you definately need to do a heating course because when you are called out to a suspected boiler fault, half the time its not the boiler but the wiring or a system fault and understanding the systems is 70% of the job

 

[Blackcatgas]

Not that long ago there were gas fitters and there were plumbers. Some old school gas fitters get insulted when you refer to them as plumbers.

 

[splinterdream]

I'm a gas man, not a plumber. I have no knowledge of how to fit a bathroom suite, taps, toilets, waste's or unblock drains. I can though fit, commision and maintain gas fires, cookers, warm air, chb's and such like. In my opinion the gas industry is dying unless you want to go work for a manafacturer like worcester who are making their engineers work 6 days a week every other week in the winter and 1 in 4 in the summer. If you want my advice become a tiler or plasterer. They're on more money and there is less risk

 

[paulnwales]

check your inbox mate.

 

[plumber0808]

I'm a gas man, not a plumber. I have no knowledge of how to fit a bathroom suite, taps, toilets, waste's or unblock drains. I can though fit, commision and maintain gas fires, cookers, warm air, chb's and such like. In my opinion the gas industry is dying unless you want to go work for a manafacturer like worcester who are making their engineers work 6 days a week every other week in the winter and 1 in 4 in the summer. If you want my advice become a tiler or plasterer. They're on more money and there is less risk

tiler or plasterer, there boring as hell jobs

tile after tile every day, plaster a ceiling or wall day in day out. no thanks.

doing this is different everyday, i love my job

bit sad really.........but i dont care

 

[plumber0808]

agree with the other posts, if you're going to do something you need to start at the bottom.

being a engineers pig for a few years

 

[paulnwales]

tiler or plasterer, there boring as hell jobs

tile after tile every day, plaster a ceiling or wall day in day out. no thanks.

doing this is different everyday, i love my job

bit sad really.........but i dont care

i agree, but there is truth in what was said, i done a quote for a poxy bathroom suite last week.. 5 quotes she got from plumbers, but could only get 1 tiler and it works out that he is making a shed full more than me on the job if you look at the amount of hours worked. Thats life tho. hope the tiles fall off the wall lol

 

[leelister6]

Been plumbing & pipefitting for 23 years and just got my A.C.S. and gas safe a few months ago. On my course there were 2 taxi drivers and a bloke who worked in a warehouse for 10 years previously and they seemed to think they would be fitting full central heating systems straight after the course even though it took the trainer 20 mins to explain to one bloke what 'soot' is! You need some experience in the industry or at least a practical trade or you gonna come a cropper sooner or later!

 

[splinterdream]

i dont get why people want to come into this industry when all the people i know in it want to get out. I did an apprentiship with BG. It took me 5 years before i could honestly say i could walk into a job without being nervous about what i was going to come across. I work for a company on 25k a year and i see people in the council houses i work in better off, yet i have to take exams every 5 years and keep up to date with regulations off my own back. You also face the daily scenario that one mistake and you could end up in prison.

 

[sterry_12]

thanks for all your replies, im gona phone the training centre tomorrow about their bad advice which has left me in a pickle.

 

[gaspastemania]

Been plumbing & pipefitting for 23 years and just got my A.C.S. and gas safe a few months ago. On my course there were 2 taxi drivers and a bloke who worked in a warehouse for 10 years previously and they seemed to think they would be fitting full central heating systems straight after the course even though it took the trainer 20 mins to explain to one bloke what 'soot' is! You need some experience in the industry or at least a practical trade or you gonna come a cropper sooner or later!

Haha funny as i cover plumbing /pipefitting/gas works and i had a bloke come to me saying he was a plumber and never even had any tools

 

[Eddie Charlton]

well now i'm going to be devils advocate i think,I am ex services, but did do six years in an apprenticeship there which covered pritty much everything under the sun. When i left i kept up my electrical expertise, and am current with all the qualifications and regs. I did continue doing some pipework and sanitary ware, but not much. I too also decided that i wanted to get into gas, mainly due to the variety in the work and recognition that it can still be classified as a good job. I went back to college to do an appreticeship alligned route via NVQ in gas, and was the oldest one in the class. I paid for the course myself and found that there was a great deal of difference in experience in the classroom. The NVQ practical evidence and experience (which you definately must have) can only be achieved by working with a time served gas engineer. All the other forms of training will still need this, even though they tend to gloss over that on some occasions.My advice would be- If you have no experience in electrical or plumbing services as a time served tradsman, (either in the forces or outside) then do not take on any short courses which promise you qualifications in gas at the end of it. You will need to do the traditional route of NVQ apprenticeship in college, with the rest of the week working with a gas engineer. If you do it any other way you will fail.I was lucky enought to find an experienced engineer, who likes passing on his knowledge, but i do not ask for any wages during the time i am with him.You will be told a wide range of advice when deciding to start in this industry, but i spent some time talking to Corgi (as was), who gave me this wise advice. Going back to school was not planned but the only way. If you are a young chap then starting off with plumbing is the best route. Then while doing that you will be exposed to renewable energies, so you might change direction in due course anyway.As for the comments above, well, nearly all of them are correct in some form or another. The gas industry is going through a considerable change, and the sole trader (who shores up the industry) is sometimes treated quite badyI hope this helps..

 

[anz]

Would I recommend someone to choose gas fitting as a career choice? No, after having got into it I can see there won't be much of a future in this, well I mean not one that pays well.

Like one of the guys said before, everyone seems to be doing ACS these day, working happily part time for a low wage, driving prices down for all of us.

I think there is a future in renewables though, if you can get into it.

 

[unguided1]

well now i'm going to be devils advocate i think,I am ex services, but did do six years in an apprenticeship there which covered pritty much everything under the sun. When i left i kept up my electrical expertise, and am current with all the qualifications and regs. I did continue doing some pipework and sanitary ware, but not much. I too also decided that i wanted to get into gas, mainly due to the variety in the work and recognition that it can still be classified as a good job. I went back to college to do an appreticeship alligned route via NVQ in gas, and was the oldest one in the class. I paid for the course myself and found that there was a great deal of difference in experience in the classroom. The NVQ practical evidence and experience (which you definately must have) can only be achieved by working with a time served gas engineer. All the other forms of training will still need this, even though they tend to gloss over that on some occasions.My advice would be- If you have no experience in electrical or plumbing services as a time served tradsman, (either in the forces or outside) then do not take on any short courses which promise you qualifications in gas at the end of it. You will need to do the traditional route of NVQ apprenticeship in college, with the rest of the week working with a gas engineer. If you do it any other way you will fail.I was lucky enought to find an experienced engineer, who likes passing on his knowledge, but i do not ask for any wages during the time i am with him.You will be told a wide range of advice when deciding to start in this industry, but i spent some time talking to Corgi (as was), who gave me this wise advice. Going back to school was not planned but the only way. If you are a young chap then starting off with plumbing is the best route. Then while doing that you will be exposed to renewable energies, so you might change direction in due course anyway.As for the comments above, well, nearly all of them are correct in some form or another. The gas industry is going through a considerable change, and the sole trader (who shores up the industry) is sometimes treated quite badyI hope this helps..

Or you two being ex military types might appreciate this analogy, when you joined the army they taught you square bashing, they sure as hell wouldnt send you into battle with out weapons training, mind you having said that and the new round of government cuts who knows!!!!!!!!!

 

[REDSAW]

i know a tiler, a good one, who is that busy he doubles his quotes and still gets the jobs..
if i was a full 17th edition sparky, i know of at least 6 people who will give me contract work.

sad bit is, i havnt earnt much this year so far!!!!!!!

 

[Puddle]

Did not someone once say once........the grass is always greener ........................

Think you will find is the case

imho

 

[capitanpugwash]

i know a tiler, a good one, who is that busy he doubles his quotes and still gets the jobs..
if i was a full 17th edition sparky, i know of at least 6 people who will give me contract work.

sad bit is, i havnt earnt much this year so far!!!!!!!

I think Puddle is right.

My stepfather is a plasterer and complains that while the money used to be good, now he has to travel much further and is competing with recently qualified and immigrant workers. He complains that most new build is now drylined and jointed which can be taught quickly and what is plastered is normally only a skim coat.

Also know a tiler retraining to become a gas engineer. I'm sure he'd laugh at the thought of doubling his prices at the moment.

Also know a sparky who has shrunk from 20 sparks to 5 and only just made it through the last 3 years.

Also know non trades who have had massive paycuts and lost their jobs accepting half the money they were on before.

I think all the trades are having a hard time with the drop in building work but there will always be some who have work coming out of their ears and don;t know what to do with it all! They are either very good or very lucky!!!!

 

[GQuigley67]

hope to god this recession just hurrys up n gets tae

 

[ballandco]

Its the same most places,I know people down the pub all night moaning about cuts and no work,Its hard for everyone at the moment but some people think the work is just going to knock of there door, I see it as time to get out there and start getting work,it is still there.good luck

 

[Dan oh!]

I left forces last year, decided to do electrician course for resettlement, 5 week course doesn't make you an electrician! Went to job interviews where i quickly realised experience counts. Decided

 

[Dan oh!]

I left forces last year, decided to do electrician course for resettlement, 5 week course doesn't make you an electrician! Went to job interviews where i quickly realised experience counts. Decided to start from the bottom, I'm now on British gas Apprenticeship, pay's crap to start but gets a lot better, if you can afford it do it!