Anyone done it? What are the chances of getting a job if you do not have a specific trade? What are the costs like, websites don’t seem to give costs.

Whit? Like Bondage and that?

I think he means rustling.

IRATA type stuff.

Window cleaning or circus skills?

Its a way of getting to the worksite – without a skill or trade to practice once you get there I think you might struggle to get work.

I know 2 people who do rope access work.

1 Does it in the summer in the Alps (varnishing all the big ugly chalets in the French Alps) and skis in the winter

2 Works on rigs in the North Sea. He has tried getting more local work (Yorkshire) but he found he spent more time in London, so he now thinks its just as easy to earn more money offshore.

If you’re looking for UK based, relatively unskilled rope access work then you want to be thinking about bird prevention measures – bird netting / pigeon spikes guano removal.

My thoughts were to use it for building repepare and.maintance. avoiding scaffolding for small jobs. I have no trade but have done roofing work (paid and diy).

I did IRATA through work quite a while ago now (never actually used it in anger).

Great fun, but yes, it’s not an activity in itself unless you want to clean windows or paint steelwork – it’s an extra string to your bow allowing you to ply your existing trade in awkward locations, just the same as an IPAF (cherry picker) ticket is.

Prematurely posted there.

And other such small works but not officially a pipefitting / welding / electrical trade.

I’m a Lvl 2 IRATA tech, I also manage our companies jobs so tend to do 70% rope work.
If you haven’t got a trade, you’ll be window cleaning, de vegging railway sidings, that sort of stuff.
That’s if you can get a job. The market is saturated at the moment. Loads of ex offshore guys not getting trips so working onshore & the training companies selling courses as a road to riches & sexy ladies.
If I wasn’t in the industry I can’t say I’d be going in now. £750 for your Lvl 1, another £7-800 for your basic rope kit, maybe a few other courses to get on the wind farms since that seems to be the only growth area atm & it’s not something to rush into…

Oooh plops. There goes that one!

I’m his Boss and I wouldn’t put my money into a company in this sector now. Not a chance.
Added to the OS guys are tons of ex-mil who get ripped off on resettlement, given up counting the number of eastern euro guys working for day rate wages from a flat, L3’s who’ve never worked who you wouldn’t trust to tie your shoelaces, etc.
If you’ve pipe fitting experience then either look at manufacturing or repair elsewhere.
The times of getting paid for your ropes PLUS skill set are long gone.

We used to have specific “dopes on ropes” contractors at work, but now Capes have trained some of their scaffolders to do the tasks.