I’m thinking of learning a trade and I’ve always been attracted to plumbing. How do I go about becoming a plumber? What are the accredited or industry recognised qualifications? How long does it take, is it something which you can do whilst working full time? Thanks in advance!

Ed

First you need the right outfit….

Then you need a bad attitude, be unreliable and a sociopath.

oh and a transit with alloys and private plate.

[video]https://youtu.be/lzQ1H6Nsups[/video]

I’ve a £50 call out charge before I can properly consider your question.

You need an apprenticeship, start as a plumber’s mate. Do you have a large plunger?

I’ve a £50 call out charge before I can properly consider your question.

People like you give STW a bad name. It should be at least £500….

Are you making a cup of tea love? One sugar… some biscuits would be nice….

Glad i asked (rolling eyes emoji)

People like you give STW a bad name.

I can see the problem now but don’t have the answer in my van.

Need to pop over to Wikipedia to pick one up. I’m on the clock, you’re paying, and I’m definitely not stopping via the BBC website for an hour or two.

Have you any hands-on experience within a trade?

If not I would suggest talking to your local college, to begin with. Depending on your age the preferred route into the trade industry is via an apprensticeship.

Obviously, once you get to a certain age this isn’t really feasible. Don’t make the mistake of thinking a couple of qualifications will enable you to start on your own. I wouldn’t want an inexperienced professional fitting my boiler.

Kitchen fitting and bathroom fitting would be a good way in if you have a certain skill set.

I wouldn’t want an inexperienced professional fitting my boiler.

Said the vicar to the nurse…

Get a loan for £27k to go on multiple training courses, maybe an apprenticeship to get hands on experience and some contacts, buy a van and some signage / advertising and kit and you should make the start of a decent business.

Oh hang on, no bank will touch you with a barge pole, however if you want a degree in basket weaving they’ll gladly throw £50k at you to party on for 3 years.

You can’t really do it while working full time, you could do the NVQ training in the evenings, but you need to get real world experience with a qualified plumber to pass your NVQ assessments.

Best way is to talk to local training (NVQ) centres as they sometimes have plumbers who take on people for exactly that purpose.

It’s quite a physical job. I know a few who have to get out or limit their work as they get older. Not great once your knees or hands start to go.

You’ll need qualifications and to keep up to date if you do gas work, not so much for basic plumbing but you probably need to do gas to make good money.

Oh, and if the building trade happens to take a slight downturn, you will be competing for work with thousands of very experienced and newly self employed plumbers just released by every major building company in the country.
It may be good at the moment, but it could change fast, like it did in 20072008

Just identify as a plumber then you are a plumber.

Kitchen fitting and bathroom fitting would be a good way in if you have a certain skill set.

Learn Polish?

Most apprentice pay is rubbish – less than minimum wage which is probably the biggest issue if you’re having to pay the costs of your own training – that’s why most employers still take on school-leavers for apprenticeships.

I’m not a plumber, but have run training programmes for technical trades. Firstly, you’ll need to spend some time learning the basic hand / tool skills to be competent – either part or full time at college. This’ll get you a basic technical qualification – you’ll then need to accumulate sufficient ‘on the job’ experience to be assessed against the appropriate NVQ at which point you’ll be ‘qualified’ after about 3 years. To do gas-fitting you’ll need additional training / qualification.

Read the amateur porn thread before you start.

Mate was a manager at Tescos and fancied a change. Did one of those ‘pay us £2k and we’ll train you things’.

He’s done really well – even let him fit our new bathroom and he did a stellar job.

Ask any girl and they’ll tell you: the way to be whatever you want to be… WHATEVER you want to be – Photographer/Dentist/DJ/Plumber… is simply to set up a Facebook Page. ‘Edward2000 Plumbing Services’ for example. Congrats Edward2000, you are now a Plumber!

How ‘good’ you are at your chosen profession is dependent on the number of ‘likes’ your page gets. The more likes – the better you are at plumbing!

You start as a Plumbers Mate laboring and learn the ropes. Personally I would go straight from there to hiring a group and managing them, side stepping the said bad knees and hands. Or if want to go it alone tiling or plastering is a lot quicker to master I would imagine. Specialising in gas, where you basically turn up and give it the nod, is good money but you pay through the nose for regular courses and accreditation.

Was talking to a guy the other day who photographs houses for online estate agents freelance, seemed a good stress-free self employed earner.

it’s an apprenticed profession that requires grit, determination, and a love of seemingly simple jobs that only experience tells you will be complete nightmares. But LMGTFY

I always wanted to be an electrician but my old careers teacher/PE teacher told me in no uncertain terms that ‘boys who do Latin do not become electricians. They do electrical engineering’. Follow your dream!