is it true

[stopcockkev]

hi i am intrested in becomeing a plumber as i've heard that it's very good money and easy to get quilifided ?

 

[Blake]

I assume you are taking the mick

 

[stopcockkev]

no not at all why would you think that

 

[Blake]

Well we are in a recession, plumbers are being laid off, there are too many plumbers and not enough work. Customers don't want to pay much as money is tight.

Fast track courses are popping up everywhere hence another reason the market is flooded with plumbers.

Easy to get into? Well that depends on whether you want to do an apprecticeship (if you are lucky enough to find one) which takes years or whether you want to pay 3k and do a 6 week training course, buy a van and call yourself a plumber.

 

[franky]

getting quilifided is impossible as this word doesn't exist

 

[stopcockkev]

i did'nt realise my spelling would be an factor in wonting to become a plumber

 

[dontknowitall]

At present it is very difficult. With the right attitude and very hard work and depending on your local competition and jobs situation you can succeed.

The jobs market for plumbing is only after experience. No one really wants to take on trainees of any age.

As far as self employment goes, the plumbing world is over crowded at the moment though and I'm guessing that many new people are picking up around 2-3 small jobs a month. It takes a while to get going. In truth it takes around 2-3 years before you start to earn anything like a wage. There are experienced plumbers around me (not much competition) and even they seem to be working 3-4 day weeks.

As far as the maths goes you're looking at around £6,000 for a plumbing course. Then say £2,000 for a 10 year old van. Then around £1,000 for the bare minimum of tools (most more experienced plumbers have £2,000+ worth of tools). Then about £500+ of stock. Public liability insurance of £350+. Then van insurance, tax and servicing and petrol (around £2,000 a year). So your first year will cost about £11,000.

You have to beat competition to get going and this usually means under cutting them on prices so a call out will be £25-£30 and around £15 an hour. 2-3 jobs a month (say a tap washer, WC inlet valve and move a radiator) will give you £25 + £25 + £100 so average £50 a job.

£11,000 divided by £50 = 220 jobs. At 4 jobs a month this is 55 months or 4.5 years.

These figures don't look promising but as you get known this time scale will drop. Also with these figures you can see why the more experienced plumbers aren't taking on trainees. I've been going for over three years and am doing around 100 jobs a year and have still not picked up a total house re-plumbing and design project. This is partly the poor area where I live but also to do with the recession.

So, in answer to your original question it's easy to get PART qualified but the money is not good at all. At best for 80% plumbers (my guess again) it's only average earnings once you've been going for about 3-4 years.

There are much better opportunities elsewhere but if you want to ignore what I've said and want to give it a go, best of luck!!

 

[desrob]

what background have you got,why plumbing,have you considered other trades.

 

[fuzzy]

depends what you consider good money and what you consider easy

if 4 years hard work and exams is easy to you then yes. if 15k salary is good the yes again

 

[johnmcginty]

Where did you hear it was easy to get into?

 

[Barry98]

hi i am intrested in becomeing a plumber as i've heard that it's very good money and easy to get quilifided ?

PMSL BEST laugh ive had in weeks , think i even weed a little too

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i recon it's someone on here having a laugh. what do you think? it's not me by the way.

 

[Bartdude]

hi i am intrested in becomeing a plumber as i've heard that it's very good money and easy to get quilifided ?

Congratulations! You've hit the jackpot.It's easy to become a plumber,you'll sail through the training and you should be earning 80K a year no problem. I don't know why more people don't take it up

 

[desrob]

Congratulations! You've hit the jackpot.It's easy to become a plumber,you'll sail through the training and you should be earning 80K a year no problem. I don't know why more people don't take it up

it's true the sales man from learn a trade told me

 

[jase158]

it's true the sales man from learn a trade told me

was that before or after you signed up to a monthly payment scheme

Of course they will tell you that, they are sales men. Would a car dealer say, "this car has never been serviced, been owned by a boy racer and been taken by the police 6 times, This car has been in an accident and the insurance is sky high.?

 

[fuzzy]

think he was jokin mate

by all means all newbies believe the tales of gold, go for it

 

[Barry98]

im with steveb on this one , someone is yanking our chain , pulling our plug

 

[secret squirrel]

If you are serious and this is a serious post and not done in jest.

I have posted a few threads about plumbing and what its like to get started etc.

I don't know if you can search my threads but you may find some of them interesting or a little insightful. One is 'so you want to be a plumber'

 

[jase158]

think he was jokin mate

by all means all newbies believe the tales of gold, go for it

Now i find it hard to say that no Plumber has "made it big time" there is the british gas owner, he probably started as a one man band, there is pimlico plumbers, he is probably racking in it. Also there are some people who know the right people and work in the right places who are mega rich. But for 90% of plumbers the living is standard and pays the bills, maybe a holiday once a year.

Now the plumber i trained with says, " you will never be rich being a plumber, but you will have a nice life style"

Now for the majority of the people who are earning in the region of £40,000 to £50,000 a year, they are 1. Single / divorced. 2. working 60-70 hours per week, 3. Trained Properly and Work Hard.


Being a plumber is not easy, especially when you have customers who are never happy and water/ gas leaking from every joint, even though you have fitted them properly.

There are days when i am earning nothing and working 10 hours for it and other days where a job comes in and you can earn £300 for an hours work.

 

[pauls]

it can be hard work at times ive been installing a combi today in the loft must have lost 3 stone in sweat it was redders up there today on my knees all day, they dont tell you that bit lol.

 

[easyt]

Hope you had your pads on.

 

[obseen16]

i have been wearing my knee pads since day 1 in the trade, my knees click and crack every time i kneel down and stand up. this is what happened to my mate who was a tree surgeon, after a year of bad cracking in his knees he had an operation on both knees. he now has a desk job that he despises and cannot walk more than a mile without being in agony. still wanna be a plumber???? lol

 

[Guest123]

Yes pal, its so easy being a plumber and you'll easily earn 80 grand a year plus.
The catch? Go and live in Canada!

 

[dontknowitall]

Not just my knees. My stomach (from heights), my back (lifting), my hands (scraping edges of wood, sinks, etc), my fingers (smashed when the nut finally gives way), my feet (walking to the van), my legs (running to the van and upstairs), my eyes (reading my old tape measure and reading my writing), my ears (overly chatty customers) and finally my wallet (from not charging enough).

 

[turnpin]

At present it is very difficult. With the right attitude and very hard work and depending on your local competition and jobs situation you can succeed.

The jobs market for plumbing is only after experience. No one really wants to take on trainees of any age.

As far as self employment goes, the plumbing world is over crowded at the moment though and I'm guessing that many new people are picking up around 2-3 small jobs a month. It takes a while to get going. In truth it takes around 2-3 years before you start to earn anything like a wage. There are experienced plumbers around me (not much competition) and even they seem to be working 3-4 day weeks.

As far as the maths goes you're looking at around £6,000 for a plumbing course. Then say £2,000 for a 10 year old van. Then around £1,000 for the bare minimum of tools (most more experienced plumbers have £2,000+ worth of tools). Then about £500+ of stock. Public liability insurance of £350+. Then van insurance, tax and servicing and petrol (around £2,000 a year). So your first year will cost about £11,000.

You have to beat competition to get going and this usually means under cutting them on prices so a call out will be £25-£30 and around £15 an hour. 2-3 jobs a month (say a tap washer, WC inlet valve and move a radiator) will give you £25 + £25 + £100 so average £50 a job.

£11,000 divided by £50 = 220 jobs. At 4 jobs a month this is 55 months or 4.5 years.

These figures don't look promising but as you get known this time scale will drop. Also with these figures you can see why the more experienced plumbers aren't taking on trainees. I've been going for over three years and am doing around 100 jobs a year and have still not picked up a total house re-plumbing and design project. This is partly the poor area where I live but also to do with the recession.

So, in answer to your original question it's easy to get PART qualified but the money is not good at all. At best for 80% plumbers (my guess again) it's only average earnings once you've been going for about 3-4 years.

There are much better opportunities elsewhere but if you want to ignore what I've said and want to give it a go, best of luck!!

Dontknowitall you are not cut out to be a plumber as you are obviously a well informed statastition regards a poor old turnpin