Looking at a career change!!!!

[Gar73]

Hello Everyone first post but I have been lurking for a while.

Served my time in the late 80's early 90's as a Service and breakdown engineer with the so called biggest and best UK Installation and service breakdown company in the country, you know who I mean blue vans and great sellers of co detectors.

Moved on in 2001/2002 to a boiler manufacturer stayed there until I went to another company to move into commercial, they went bust and I went to a Government run install programme for those without heating and Dhw fitting boilers under grants as a team manager. Left there as they were ripping the system off and I went back to a company as a breakdown engineer, spent 2 years there and we all got laid off due to loss of contracts.

I have always had my own Gas safe so with no job to go to I bought a van etc started doing work for myself last October. It was better than signing on and I have still been looking for work.

At the moment there is very little work around, and I am just making ends meet and locally my friends in the same line of work are telling me the same thing.

I keep hearing of people wanting to join the gas industry, but I think it might be the time to move onto pastures new. the change in the last 20 years have been for the worse. Has anyone else felt like this and considered other avenues. All the hassle but its not like I am making a killing.

Thanks
Gary

 

[SimonG]

Welcome along, Gary.

What direction are you looking at?

 

[fuzzy]

good insight mate, i think people are considering other options all the time gets difficult to change as you get older though, how do you feel about changing career?

 

[moony]

I think you have to offer the full picture these days, I can be flat out with bathrooms for weeks, then a few heating jobs, most are goin to bigger firms though! Then I'll do the breakdowns at night. Even kitchens I'll throw into the hat sometimes. I would love to go into teaching or management only once I hit 40 that's my aim anyway!

 

[Hybrid]

Though about going into systems design? It'll take a couple of years of college at evenings but you have the experience which will probably put you a step ahead of everyone else.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

going commercial gas

 

[gaspastemania]

Dont do heating instalsl in occupied dwellings now if i can help it , cant be bothered with moving carpets /furniture and customer relations which it takes . Empty houses only now or small works as in boiler change or straight swap bathrooms. Would love to get out of the industry all together and when i chat to other trades the y feel the same . It has changed for the worse over the last twenty years rules /regs money making not to mention the idiots i come across who come out of the forces with the forces attitude (not refering to everyone whos served) .
I am trying to get into gas servicing and breakdowns as its easier on the body less labour intensive. Was thinking about trying to get a job with stelrad or at the merchants last year untill i found out how rubbish the money was .

 

[Gar73]

To be honest I feel its time to move on. I have a decent education and at nearly 40 and roughly 22 years in the gas industry it seems as the job is moving backwards in terms of its ability to support you. What you can charge is down, running a van, gas safe, public liability, tools, training, up keep of tools (calibration etc) covering holidays, sick time, bank holidays. Lots of 6-8 week wonders out there, and to be honest there well off the pace in general there is the odd one with ability but on the whole they can blag the written tests but actual tool time is lacking. For instance I worked for a company that employed engineers as simple service engineers, the phone calls I had from them saying they can service the boiler but could not repair it after servicing them for 3-4 years and passing the job back for me to go repair, shocking they could not even change a dhw plate without assistance or without flooding the place.

Then you have BG, the AA and all the other service providers offering £10-£15 monthly contracts. I cant see any postive change over the last 10 years the big acops to acs change my wages never went up. The training establishments claiming unrealistic wages/profits to potential new comers to the industry, there simply on the bandwagon putting bums on seats taking cash and theres nothing generally at the end of it for the trainee.

It makes me sad to see what has happened to our industry. I used to gain real satisfaction from a job well done with quality materials but people generally dont understand, they look at 3 quotes pick the cheapest and suffer the consequences down the line.

I recently spoke to a sevice manager for a boiler manufacturer who was clueless about pipe sizing and required working pressures at the appliance and did not undersdtand the difference between the 2. If these are the leaders what chance do the newly qualified followers have. Then we have the upcoming " Green deal" trust me it will go the same way as warmfront the work will be skimmed off to make the chosen few rich and the system will be played and the tax payers ripped off.

Anyway rant over LOL. I have made some good friends but its time to move on and start making a proper living again somehow.

Just to add I have full domestic ACS and Gas safe Reg and had commercial quals until March 2011 but could not afford to renew them or justify them. To many late payers wanting 15k jobs and cheques constantly lost in the post or unsigned.

 

[gaspastemania]

Oh and another reason i want to do something different is this example ,
I recently ripped out and old system for a builder and had some guy there telling me his son is a plumber has his own business and is the best plumber around . I aM lucky to be doing this rip out because if he gives the word then his son will be doing it but he is to busy because he has such a good name . Unbeknown to him i know his son and he is average at best as i have worked with him ,defo not on your list for a helping hand so to speak .Seem to come across this weekly .
ANNOYING!!!!!!!

 

[Gar73]

I tell you what is funny, you speak to another engineer in plumbs and you tell him your dead quiet, he says he is flat out and never has a spare minute. The following week his vans for sale and there accounts on stop.

I find its best to " Keep it real ".

I do have a boiler swap on Tuesday BF myson apollo out and Worcester 15ri in. After that a couple of rads and a fire service after that who knows.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

yes they always busy , and the bg boys walk in to the merchants just like the good old cowboys walking in the bar in wild wild west film

 

[Gar73]

I listened to a pair of BG engineers talking about a Ferroli modena 102 with no dhw, all comes to all they ordered a pump. I simply stayed quiet and walked away with a smile on my face.

Anyway!!! career

How about a teaching assistant ?. Lots of girly teachers, sometimes its about the perks and not the pay :thinking:.

 

[REDSAW]

Just to add I have full domestic ACS and Gas safe Reg and had commercial quals until March 2011 but could not afford to renew them or justify them. To many late payers wanting 15k jobs and cheques constantly lost in the post or unsigned.

i do hope i got this wrong?

I do have a boiler swap on Tuesday BF myson apollo out and Worcester 15ri in. After that a couple of rads and a fire service after that who knows.

 

[Gar73]

i do hope i got this wrong?

Hello Redsaw

Sorry you have lost me.

 

[Dotty]

It reads as though your gas ticket's run out but you're still doing a boiler swap.

 

[anz]

Hello Redsaw

Sorry you have lost me.

You say your Gas Safe registration or ACS expired in March, but then you've also said you've got gas jobs on next week. Does this mean your working illegally?

 

[FD Powerflow]

I didnt read it that way, it sounds to me like Gary meant he hasnt renewed his Commercial quals

 

[Gar73]

I didnt read it that way, it sounds to me like Gary meant he hasnt renewed his Commercial quals

Spot on, domestic acs valid until 2015 and gas safe paid up until April 2012, Commercial acs expired March 2011. I did not renew them, and as I am sure everyone is aware a 15ri is well within the scope of my domestic tickets.

 

[Gar73]

You say your Gas Safe registration or ACS expired in March, but then you've also said you've got gas jobs on next week. Does this mean your working illegally?

Here is what I said, just to clear it up.

Just to add I have full domestic ACS and Gas safe Reg and had commercial quals until March 2011 but could not afford to renew them or justify them.

 

[Blackcatgas]

I feel exactly the same as you Gar73.

 

[Gar73]

I feel exactly the same as you Gar73.

I am sorry to hear you feel the same, it just seems to have really nose dived over the last 10yrs. I dont know where its going next.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I feel exactly the same as you Gar73.

i doubt he feels the same as you bcg you have strange sexual fantasy's,which are quite funny to read in your posts

 

[kirkgas]

I think you have to offer the full picture these days, I can be flat out with bathrooms for weeks, then a few heating jobs, most are goin to bigger firms though! Then I'll do the breakdowns at night. Even kitchens I'll throw into the hat sometimes. I would love to go into teaching or management only once I hit 40 that's my aim anyway!

if you mean teaching in gas then i would suggest you make headway before you want to do it full time, start by working part time as a trainer ant night and weekends, it gives you a feel for whether you will like it or not, once you have done a few training sessions it gets easier, then you need to work towards your A1 (assessor) and V1 (Internal Verifier) qualifications, so that as well as teach you can assess and check completed paperwork, if you do it ad hoc for any centre or college you have a much better chance of getting into it full time, if you are lucky enough to get a job in a college the salary is between £34-36k for about 32.5hrs a week and all the school holidays, and you will get loads of training and possibly do your TQFE (teaching qual in further education) which gets you more dosh