Should i train to be a plumber with OLCI?

[PlumbersMate]

Hah! Good old Roy! And Darren and Toby. Good lads, all of them!

Roy is a Chap, love him

 

[djob]

Where do you live? The company I work for have taken on 8 apprentices January 2013 & taken on 12 more last month.

 

[PlumbersMate]

Where do you live? The company I work for have taken on 8 apprentices January 2013 & taken on 12 more last month.

Where you live more like?

 

[djob]

Where you live more like?

I live in the southwest, my company take on people as guttering guy for a year to see if they're hard workers or not the. After a year they become a plumbing apprentice

 

[Info Seeker]

Where do you live? The company I work for have taken on 8 apprentices January 2013 & taken on 12 more last month.

Just moved to Widnes in Cheshire. Where is the company based?

 

[Info Seeker]

I live in the southwest, my company take on people as guttering guy for a year to see if they're hard workers or not the. After a year they become a plumbing apprentice

Ah southwest.....bit out the way for me then.

Thanks anyway.

 

[Info Seeker]

To be honest when I get guys who come from this background they tend not to last very long sadly, mainly due to lack of experience and knowledge. An apprenticeship is really the best thing although I do understand they are nigh on impossible to get.

The problem I tend to have with the fast tracked guys is that they all expect the same wages as those who have got the experience, however they have to be nursed through jobs, and often can not be left to get on with it. Even things like reading drawings can throw them.

I have had a one older apprentice who started with me in his 40's but worked his bum off for very little money really, and was hungry to study as much as he could. He really had the right attitude though, which really helped. If I could give you advice I would suggest to look into more traditional methods of learning and try and get in with someone who can help you get the experience.

Good luck though whatever you decide.

I suppose in continuing with the training would be an expensive gamble with the only hope of getting a plumbers mate job at the end for less pay then? I suppose it may work out and it may not.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Roy is a Chap, love him

Gay ..........

 

[acecharly]

Something i noticed when i did my fast track gas course was the impression that you were there to get a qualification and that how you got it realy didnt matter. Im sure so of these fast track places have good intentions but the fact is simple you cant properly learn any course like this or plumbing so quickly. Id had 10+ years of experience of working as a pipefiiter and a plumber and on the gas course i struggled even with this background. Some people on the course had never seen a copper tube in there life and in the 8 week theory side of the course we did 2 practical lessons which lasted 20-30 minutes the resources were limited and quite a few people never got a turn at soldering or basic pipe bender work and yet these people were given certification to work on gas in your home. Aswell as this even if by some miracle you do the course and become proficient, being a plumber and running a plumbing business or essentially drumming up work is another education in itself.

 

[Hybrid]

There's easier ways to make a living. Don't part with all that money to become a blinking plumber!

 

[Info Seeker]

There's easier ways to make a living. Don't part with all that money to become a blinking plumber!

Feel free to share if you have any suggestions.

I need to get something under my belt that improves my employability. According to the builder i spoke to who recommended i learn to become a plumber, he said people are always crying out for them (in his experience) and work is often a plenty. And not just in this country either.

I would like to get into the solar thermal/renewables game as well and i need a plumbing background/qualification to start with.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Work is plenty for
builders with £120 wages .......

When you have done all the training + another £10k for van and £5k for tools you would not want to earn that , DO YOU ????????

 

[Info Seeker]

Work is plenty for
builders with £120 wages .......

When you have done all the training + another £10k for van and £5k for tools you would not want to earn that , DO YOU ????????

£120 a day is a lot more than zero which i'm getting now for starters!

Also one would only get a van and tools if they were going self employed which i would not do to begin with.

 

[julesverne]

I was talking to my Area gas safe inspector on wednesday last week. He was telling me there are GSR's in my area (Bradford) doing cp12's(boiler and cooker) for a £10.00 he was as gob smacked as i was but he swears it's true as he's been inspecting them . he was saying they are doing 6 - 8 day to get £300-£400 a week. he was saying most of his inspections now are new registrations and a lot of them are struggling to find work as they just dont have the experience to get gainful employment.

 

[julesverne]

forgot to add to the above that was self employed aswell.

absolutely laughable you can stack shelves in a supermarket and earn more

 

[Cainan]

£10? Can't be true. I charge £60. I wouldn't bother being self employed for that kind of money

 

[village idiot]

£10? Can't be true. I charge £60. I wouldn't bother being self employed for that kind of money

A regular customer asked me to provide her with a Landlord Gas Safety Cert. I told her £60. She rang me the following day. ''I need two done on same day. How much will you charge for each?''

How far apart are they, I inquired? ''Two doors from mine'', says her.
£50 each was my response. Two hours later, she sent me a txt message. ''My neighbours plumbah says he will do it for £40 each. If you can match that, the jobs are yours''.

I sent her a reply saying it makes economic sense to get the neighbours plumber to provide the Certs. I would rather stay at home watching TV than play this matching games landlords and other customers are embarking on

 

[cr0ft]

To the op. I actually trained with OLCI to get my C&G 6129 Level 2 Domestic Plumbing Course. Realistically at my age it was the only way I could get into the plumbing industry.

Boy did I have a very, very steep learning curve when I left. Unable to get a job due to not being able to work for free (I had a mortgage like many do my age) I was forced into self employment basically before I was ready.

It took me around 5 years before I would say I was totally confident as a plumber and even then I (like all of us with a bit of experience) still get jobs that take much longer than expected.

The first year of self employment in this situation was probably the most stressful year of my life to date, and it affected my family and myself. I earnt £8,000 profit between wages and profit in year 1, which, with my lack of experience, I gather was actually pretty good.

Without a fantastic wife who supported me through it I would have packed it in to be honest.

Now, business is brilliant, I am earning a decent wage (which I work very hard to get).

It can be done but believe me when I say it is very, very hard to do through the fast track route.

 

[A1P]

I was talking to my Area gas safe inspector on wednesday last week. He was telling me there are GSR's in my area (Bradford) doing cp12's(boiler and cooker) for a £10.00 he was as gob smacked as i was but he swears it's true as he's been inspecting them . he was saying they are doing 6 - 8 day to get £300-£400 a week. he was saying most of his inspections now are new registrations and a lot of them are struggling to find work as they just dont have the experience to get gainful employment.

No wonder I am not getting any of this work round here.If this was their sole area of work each one would be doing 1500 to 2000 a year!!!! I know we all have to compete but do they not realise £40 a pop is competitive.I learnt very early on this forum about the 'busy fool'.I was aware when getting started a slightly lower rate might help me get work but this is ridiculous.
We are not giving the OP much to cheer him up.

 

[julesverne]

No wonder I am not getting any of this work round here.If this was their sole area of work each one would be doing 1500 to 2000 a year!!!! I know we all have to compete but do they not realise £40 a pop is competitive.I learnt very early on this forum about the 'busy fool'.I was aware when getting started a slightly lower rate might help me get work but this is ridiculous.
We are not giving the OP much to cheer him up.

i reckon i do 20 cp12's a year in bradford if im lucky because I charge £50 min if people want to work for peanut's they can it doesn't bother me. if you chase low end work that's all you will ever get.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Every year, when we run our labour rate survey, we get a few very low figures. But the vast majority of responses are in sensible territory, which suggests that the £10/hr blokes are not actually that numerous.

 

[Info Seeker]

We are not giving the OP much to cheer him up.

Lol. I'm swaying towards not doing the training and becoming a bank robber instead.

 

[A1P]

i reckon i do 20 cp12's a year in bradford if im lucky because I charge £50 min if people want to work for peanut's they can it doesn't bother me. if you chase low end work that's all you will ever get.

I agree.I tried to get landlord/estate agent work when searching for new work.Estate Agents especially are often a pain .They are price driven especially if they are adding their cut.Even working direct work for landlords comes down to price most of the time.They are often not interested in whether you do vital safety checks thoroughly.How much? or HOW MUCH! is usually a common phrase.These numpties just encourage this trend.Remember once you have taken your tax allowance amount from your profits,up to 40/50% disappears from the rest.
The OP will be ready to jump in the canal!!

 

[leek]

Sorry mate, really am trying hard not to come across negative, but I think these fast track courses are not great for the people do them, or the industry. Nice earners for the companies putting them on though.

I have done a lot of work for big firms in London, and if you can maybe even get a labouring job on a site helping a plumber, then do day release college, you may find those who are really willing to help you. I am always happy to teach those who put the effort in.

But when the agencies send out plumbers who have been 'fast tracked' they are often more hassle that they are worth. I have to watch every single move they make, teach them how do do things which a qualified plumber should be able to do no problem, and the amount of work that then has to be ripped out, costing more time and money is really frustrating. I am really wracking my brains to think if I have even met one fast track plumber who has been good enough even to keep for more than a few weeks, and just cant.

I suppose in continuing with the training would be an expensive gamble with the only hope of getting a plumbers mate job at the end for less pay then? I suppose it may work out and it may not.

 

[Worcester]

Hi Info Seeker,

Alana here from OLCI Construction Training.

I would like to offer you some reassurance that our plumbing and electrotechnical NVQ courses have been running for over 6 years now and we continue to train and support students who successfully achieve their full NVQ qualifications with us. If you have any questions or queries about our plumbing course then please don't hesitate to give us a call on 0800 316 8100. Alternatively, you can email me at [email protected] with a phone number and suitable time to call you back.

Best wishes,

Alana Fox

Alana, I know OLCI very well, and of course you guys sponsor this forum, so some honest answers please (and I know every student is different)

1) What percentage of your students complete the course?
2) What is THEIR starting weekly wage when they have finished?
3) Those that finish, how long is the average time to completion?