| Any plumbers on here? 12:52 - May 13 with 1610 views | SmithersJones |
I'm thinking of a career change / retraining, and becoming a plumber has some appeal. Would be interested to hear experiences from anyone who's done it, especially about best ways to do the qualifications. Feel free to DM me if easier. |  | | |  |
| Any plumbers on here? on 15:25 - May 13 with 1466 views | textbackup |
Few years back I did seriously look into it. Spoke with a few local plumbers/mates, and majority have no qualifications at all. Just a decent level of DIY skills, and common sense. And have been doing the trade for many years.
Obviously if you wanted to work with gas etc you’d need that qualification to sign off works, however, if you had a mate/become pally with someone qualified, you could do all the work, then get them to check over your work, then sign it off for a small fee 😀.
The reason I didn’t make the jump was purely down to being worried I’d not have that employed safety that I had at the time, pensions etc.
But hand on heart, I do regret that decision most days.
Good luck if you do act on this |  |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 15:28 - May 13 with 1443 views | _clive_baker_ |
They're probably all too busy doing their proper jobs to post on here |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 16:27 - May 13 with 1359 views | ArnoldMoorhen |
| Any plumbers on here? on 15:28 - May 13 by _clive_baker_ |
They're probably all too busy doing their proper jobs to post on here |
Seeing as you posted that at 3:28pm, possibly.
Had you posted it three minutes later, they would almost certainly have knocked off for the day. | | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 16:59 - May 13 with 1311 views | stainless |
| Any plumbers on here? on 15:25 - May 13 by textbackup |
Few years back I did seriously look into it. Spoke with a few local plumbers/mates, and majority have no qualifications at all. Just a decent level of DIY skills, and common sense. And have been doing the trade for many years.
Obviously if you wanted to work with gas etc you’d need that qualification to sign off works, however, if you had a mate/become pally with someone qualified, you could do all the work, then get them to check over your work, then sign it off for a small fee 😀.
The reason I didn’t make the jump was purely down to being worried I’d not have that employed safety that I had at the time, pensions etc.
But hand on heart, I do regret that decision most days.
Good luck if you do act on this |
Absolutely rubbish. If you intend to do it seriously you need to get yourself a proper qualification. A gas safe registered engineer will not check over your work and sign it off for a small fee, years ago they would of, but Gas Safe are very strict nowadays and if they find out they would get a fine of up to £3000 and possibly struck off for 12 months.
If you want to do all aspects of plumbing, heating and bathrooms you should do a proper apprenticeship. If you only want to do heating, companies like Gasway (based in Norwich) who do mainly social housing all over Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex will put you through all your training.
It's a decent profession to be in and once you are qualified you can earn decent money. And there is a lack of qualified plumbers in most areas. |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 17:44 - May 13 with 1256 views | Blue_In_Boston |
| Any plumbers on here? on 15:25 - May 13 by textbackup |
Few years back I did seriously look into it. Spoke with a few local plumbers/mates, and majority have no qualifications at all. Just a decent level of DIY skills, and common sense. And have been doing the trade for many years.
Obviously if you wanted to work with gas etc you’d need that qualification to sign off works, however, if you had a mate/become pally with someone qualified, you could do all the work, then get them to check over your work, then sign it off for a small fee 😀.
The reason I didn’t make the jump was purely down to being worried I’d not have that employed safety that I had at the time, pensions etc.
But hand on heart, I do regret that decision most days.
Good luck if you do act on this |
Your local plumbers / mates would be in deep doodah if they sign off work done by someone without the correct certification. It's not there just to sign off work, it is there to ensure that the job has been done to a safe standard by a person who is qualified. No certificate means no gas work. | | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 18:04 - May 13 with 1219 views | MK1 |
Changed my sink, overflow and waste pipes in the kitchen over the weekend. It wasn't that difficult to be honest. Going to tackle the shower next weekend. Ordered a new cubical and I will have a go myself. Plumbing these days with the click and flexi piping make it so much easier. I might regret saying that come Sunday evening. |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 19:05 - May 13 with 1163 views | textbackup |
| Any plumbers on here? on 16:59 - May 13 by stainless |
Absolutely rubbish. If you intend to do it seriously you need to get yourself a proper qualification. A gas safe registered engineer will not check over your work and sign it off for a small fee, years ago they would of, but Gas Safe are very strict nowadays and if they find out they would get a fine of up to £3000 and possibly struck off for 12 months.
If you want to do all aspects of plumbing, heating and bathrooms you should do a proper apprenticeship. If you only want to do heating, companies like Gasway (based in Norwich) who do mainly social housing all over Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex will put you through all your training.
It's a decent profession to be in and once you are qualified you can earn decent money. And there is a lack of qualified plumbers in most areas. |
Oh I’m sorry Mr Plumber Police.
I must have been completely and utterly lied to be people in the trade, who have worked at multiple houses I’ve had work done in.
I must have been dreaming when paying plumber X in cash then plumber Y turning up to carry out all the necessary gas checks then paying him for his services, and getting all sign offs.
They all do it.
Hell I even carried out all the electrical work in my house, and a qualified electrician (i met at the dump) came round, fit a new board and signed off all my work!
You’d be a bit wet to not think these things go on | |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 19:06 - May 13 with 1158 views | textbackup |
| Any plumbers on here? on 17:44 - May 13 by Blue_In_Boston |
Your local plumbers / mates would be in deep doodah if they sign off work done by someone without the correct certification. It's not there just to sign off work, it is there to ensure that the job has been done to a safe standard by a person who is qualified. No certificate means no gas work. |
Many will have worked with these guys over the years, trained them etc… they trust one another’s work. | |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 19:25 - May 13 with 1109 views | brogansnose |
I haven't done it but work with people that have changed careers and moved into construction.
You could , in the first instance, apply to get an apprenticeship with an established company but, you need to keep in mind that the money won't be great while your're training. Or, you could apply to do a day release course local to you, some places do evening courses , which would after a year make you more 'desirable' to companies and you should also be then able to lever a bit more wages. Certainly the wages hit will now , you'll recoup down the line. Completing a year of training may mean that that you can go in as a plumbers mate which will mean a bit more wages. College courses are not exactly cheap anymore.
I would strongly recommend getting an NVQ qualification because increasingly the larger sites require a CSCS card stating your level of expertise and stating your trade.
A positive is that there are simply not enough people to do the work needed despite the current downturn so it is possible to to ' get an in ' whereas in the past once you were over 19 or 20 you wouldn't. Ability to drive and have your own transport is essential and make sure that whoever takes you on is not going to use you as cheap untrained labour but, also, expect to feel like a spare part unless you demonstrate willingness and an aptitude to learn and get involved.
Anyway, good luck. |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 21:04 - May 13 with 1000 views | Ryorry |
Just remember, before you make a decision, that you won't only be doing 'nice' jobs like showers & sinks, you'll also be unblocking peoples' loos - even the occasional blocked macerator for loos, which will necessitate you manually scooping out other folks' poo-ey water by the bucket ... |  |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 22:04 - May 13 with 907 views | factual_blue |
| Any plumbers on here? on 19:06 - May 13 by textbackup |
Many will have worked with these guys over the years, trained them etc… they trust one another’s work. |
Surely if they're signing it off, they're making themselves legally liable for it? |  |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 22:09 - May 13 with 892 views | fabian_illness |
I've been doing the job 30 odd years.
Happy to answer any questions here or via private message. |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 22:22 - May 13 with 852 views | mjw_1983 |
You should look a into heat pumps and qualifications needed, there is a massive shortage of qualified people, government will ban the sale of domestic gas boilers within 5 years, new builds are already at circa 60% heat pumps. They tried to add fines to manufacturers this year CHMM but manufacturers passed it on so defeated the purpose. |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 22:42 - May 13 with 818 views | Coastalblue |
Slightly different angle, but as somebody who is a qualified sparks (so all the plumbers will hate me) and worked doing that for years, I personally think the biggest challenge for somebody moving into these sorts of trades are not the qualifications you need but actually the practical experience that often has nothing to do with plumbing.
If you're handy at DIY and have always done your own you'll probably be fine, but there have been occasions when I've been on site with people who have retrained and things like lifting floorboards to cite one are something they really don't know where to start with. It's the practical side of the building work to get to things, or put them back together after that can often make people struggle.
Fault finding is also something that's going to come with experience, expect to spend a lot of time scratching your head in the first year or two while looking for problems or how to solve them, a friendly experienced plumber on the other end of the phone could be invaluable.
Finally don't underestimate how tough it can be working on your knees often, crawling around in lofts etc, physically it can be challenging as you get older. (I have no idea if you're 20 or 60) |  |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 06:38 - May 14 with 665 views | Leaky |
Well I've been a Plumbing & Heating engineer for 50 years. I did a 5 year apprenticeship, City & Guilds qualification (now NVQ) qualified Gas Safe engineer in Natural Gas & LPG. Qualified oil engineer & qualified on Airsource Heat Pumps. On top of that I am a qualified G3 Unvented hot water cylinders and have passed my Water Regulations. So after all that I can now whack some push fit plastic pipe |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 07:29 - May 14 with 624 views | textbackup |
| Any plumbers on here? on 22:04 - May 13 by factual_blue |
Surely if they're signing it off, they're making themselves legally liable for it? |
Of course they are.
But as mentioned, they know these guys, probably trained them up. Therefore trust them and their work. | |
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| Any plumbers on here? on 08:23 - May 14 with 574 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| Any plumbers on here? on 07:29 - May 14 by textbackup |
Of course they are.
But as mentioned, they know these guys, probably trained them up. Therefore trust them and their work. |
You have to wonder why people bother posting on here sometimes - what you describe goes on everywhere… it’s common practice as you say | | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 09:13 - May 14 with 522 views | BlueForYou |
I'm a qualified Plumber & Pipe Fitter. Been in the business for 45 years & seen it all. Fitter, supervisor, manager, etc. I'm away on hols at the moment but send me a PM & try to get back to you this evening. |  | | |
| Any plumbers on here? on 10:16 - May 14 with 476 views | textbackup |
| Any plumbers on here? on 08:23 - May 14 by PrideOfTheEast |
You have to wonder why people bother posting on here sometimes - what you describe goes on everywhere… it’s common practice as you say |
Old boy I know, massive town fan, retired about 15years ago. He’s continued to get his gas safe certificate yearly, or every 3 years whatever it is… His holiday/beer money these days is going round to gas check/sign off the work his 10/15 apprentices over the years, and takes £50 cash per job.
The younger guys don’t need to sit the tests, and can crack on working. Everyone is happy.
Only downside is when he comes round you can’t get rid of him because he’s got time on his hands so will talk town for hours 😂 | |
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