Hello~~advice please

[justjulie]

Hello people...

I would like plumbers to give me there honest opinion about the trade....

Im considering training to be a plumber and have researched the training available.... been quoted 5000 for a learn from home course.

Currently im a nurse but for 1 reason or another after 17yrs in the job i fancy a total change... as my dad was a builder he passed on many skills to me and i have fitted the overflow in my bath and am planning to change the valves on my radiators. I no this sounds like child's play but what im trying to say is im very practical....

Any views on the above and any honest problems a woman may have in this industry will be really appreciated....

 

[johnmcginty]

Hi Julie, It can be done though it will cost around £20000 to get set up inc course van insurance and the rest. The only option for you realistically is self employment . Your first two to three years will be very hard and you will not earn much at all. You will make many mistakes that will cost you time and money and you will have to dedicate your life to it. I would never spend that on a home learning course , sounds like a rip off. What about your local college? If you have at least £10,000 saved up then it might not be too bad, and just bear in mind you will be limited to a degree with what you can do after you do a course then go self employed. Feel free to PM me whenever I can tell you many pitfalls. Good luck

 

[fogarty]

Hi Julie, I've just finished my C&G level 2&3 and I cant find a plumber who will take me on to gain experiance. I've even put an ad in local paper offering to work for free but had no takers. Think long and hard about spending lots of time and money on a plumbing course, there are no guarantees of a job. Even so, I've enjoyed every minute of the training and if your determined enough you will make it work. Good luck.

 

[REDSAW]

try an add offering to pay say £25 a day for experience.
know it sounds daftbut, after a coiuple of weeks they might start to pay you.

 

[moony]

justjulie - try and get with someone and get on an apprenticeship scheme, you can do this any age.... quick fix courses are going out of fashion as generally an nvq is required costing ££££'s - you will come out of it with no experience so getting taken on will be nigh on impossible.

as a women what problems you will come across - mainly male enviroment - i dont like to admit it but we can all be sexist and most will assume you wont like to be wearing the shoulder high gloves with your hands down a manhole blocked up with human poo, also boilers rads etc can be heavy, im not applying this to you as a nurse you probably seen your fair share of smelly stuff, and for all i know you could be a powerlifter, just the general things that are stereotyped.

Going in your favour is the fact that i dont know of any self employed female plumbers (could be a selling point for the old ladys who dont like us burly men trampsing around the house) so maybe advertising as a female plumber may or may not get you custom.

all in all, i think i would probably struggle as a nail technician but if i was determined and good at it i would succeed, same applies for you, would say it will be a struggle. And if i was a nurse (went to uni etc etc) then i would probably be glad i could offer such a service and a career change would be detrimental wage wise.

 

[oldplumber]

our local college has regular sessions to advertize for and get women into training schemes. talk to your local college, word to the wise dont mention all the previous training youve had it may affect your ability to get grants, play the system to your advantage and it wont cost anything like £20k/fee payments

 

[REDSAW]

justjulie - try and get with someone and get on an apprenticeship scheme, you can do this any age.... quick fix courses are going out of fashion as generally an nvq is required costing ££££'s - you will come out of it with no experience so getting taken on will be nigh on impossible.

as a women what problems you will come across - mainly male enviroment - i dont like to admit it but we can all be sexist and most will assume you wont like to be wearing the shoulder high gloves with your hands down a manhole blocked up with human poo, also boilers rads etc can be heavy, im not applying this to you as a nurse you probably seen your fair share of smelly stuff, and for all i know you could be a powerlifter, just the general things that are stereotyped.

Going in your favour is the fact that i dont know of any self employed female plumbers (could be a selling point for the old ladys who dont like us burly men trampsing around the house) so maybe advertising as a female plumber may or may not get you custom.

all in all, i think i would probably struggle as a nail technician but if i was determined and good at it i would succeed, same applies for you, would say it will be a struggle. And if i was a nurse (went to uni etc etc) then i would probably be glad i could offer such a service and a career change would be detrimental wage wise.

hgv 1 still the easiest career change imho.
as for pay?. plumber earns same as nurse, as in my sister in laws £25k p.a
still, could always go to old dears house to fix taps and offer bed bath afterwards for xtra wonga

 

[moony]

hgv 1 still the easiest career change imho.
as for pay?. plumber earns same as nurse, as in my sister in laws £25k p.a
still, could always go to old dears house to fix taps and offer bed bath afterwards for xtra wonga

lol, this is what i was thinking red, she has already got her foot in the door ofan excellent career road, why change now for something she is obviously going to struggle in. HGV is another male dominated area, same as a beauticians wouldnt exactly welcome me open armed.... not being sexist just realistic we've all got our areas, i personally wouldnt be sexist but the minute someone who was being paid the same as me started to turn down jobs because too heavy or too dirty then i dont see where we would be equal... regardless of sex....

theres a girl in college in the full timers class that uses an automatic pipe bender as she cant bend 22mm was bought in for that reason, some of the lads struggle to be fair but i just dont see where the job is coming from at the end for her and she would of been more suited to lighter work. not being sexist again, i would be the same if a lad couldnt do it.

just imagine working on a job and he/she was asking you to bend there pipes or lift the cisterns out of attic or get boiler off the wall. smash a cast iron bath up or whatever, or god forbid you were given all the heavy work and they were given all the light jobs same money!!! wheres the equality in that ?

 

[Blackcatgas]

If I had the chance of a career change I wouldnt choose plumbing.
Try working with a plumber for a week to see if you like it before you spend any money on a course.

 

[GreenArmy]

We've got two women plumbers at our place, thats all im saying, someone might be reading this............read into that what you like.

 

[justjulie]

Thank-you all for your replies...

Firstly, i wouldn't pull the weak woman card and expect another worker to do all the heavy stuff.

I do appreciate ure honesty and will take it all on board

I keep imagining a broad burly hairy fella being a nail technician....

 

[fuzzy]

We've got two women plumbers at our place, thats all im saying, someone might be reading this............read into that what you like.

out of how many?

i knew a female plumber who was really good. she and a friend staretd a business and within 18 months was doing really well. then they took on a bigish job of about 25 unventeds new and struggled. they lost all they had built up. they dropped out of plumbing and went back to their original jobs.
thats a lesson for everyone, not just females

 

[GreenArmy]

out of how many?

i knew a female plumber who was really good. she and a friend staretd a business and within 18 months was doing really well. then they took on a bigish job of about 25 unventeds new and struggled. they lost all they had built up. they dropped out of plumbing and went back to their original jobs.
thats a lesson for everyone, not just females

If you mean out of how many plumbers?, then off the top of my head there are about 16 plumbers.

 

[fuzzy]

If you mean out of how many plumbers?, then off the top of my head there are about 16 plumbers.

i have heard of alot of employers liking female plumbers when working in or for old people? is this your experience?

 

[GreenArmy]

This might be a better conversation for the Plumbers Arms. But i would say we used to be local government but now housing association, so there were all sorts of politically correct things that were done. Although it would also be fair to point out that certain 'vulnerable' tenants would prefer not to have a man in the house (or so we are lead to believe).

 

[oldplumber]

forget pc, when i was 18 and working on a farm, the bosses daughter worked with all the lads/old boys. she was good looking, if not a stunner and she fitted in perfectly, even p*ssing up against a barn wall one day standing next to the old boy tractor driver, whilst he relieved himself after a tea break! She couldnt have been more pc!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the subject of females and strength, we had one lass who hooked a large plough onto a tractor by pushing it around after 3 blokes had failed miserably to even budge it, some lasses are better suited to the job than half the lads on courses at present

 

[fuzzy]

forget pc, when i was 18 and working on a farm, the bosses daughter worked with all the lads/old boys. she was good looking, if not a stunner and she fitted in perfectly, even p*ssing up against a barn wall one day standing next to the old boy tractor driver, whilst he relieved himself after a tea break! She couldnt have been more pc!!!!!!!!!!!!

you are from devon though

 

[oldplumber]

I moved to devon originally from the posh part of the uk (west sussex), i didnt need to count fingers or check to see if she bought the sheep skin coat or was born with it!

 

[GreenArmy]

Think you got us mixed up with the Cornish.

 

[fuzzy]

your all the same to me from up ere