Opening your mind to explore new job prospects can be time-consuming
and fraught with bad information...
No matter what background you're from - if you're seeking to find an exciting new career path then it can be pretty hard. Have a wander round this site and you'll see some great starting reference material.
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Plumbers are always in demand throughout the UK whatever the time of year. Commercial work might be harder to find, but householders easily make up for the shortfall. How many times do you hear about the number of calls someone had to make to find a plumber who was free to stop their shower from leaking? Plus people change their bathrooms and kitchens more often than they used to, which provides a constant supply of work for certified plumbers. So if you're looking for adult retraining, a plumbing course could be just the thing for you.
Detailed E-Book - Yours for FREE!Whether you're already quite handy, or it's all completely new to you, once you're trained and certified there's work to be had. But to avoid any confusion about what you need or don't need to know, we recommend you go through our detailed FREE Plumbing Research Booklet. You'll find it helpful when trying to differentiate between the various courses that training companies offer.
Get your copy of the report first, and familiarise yourself with the details. Then get back onto this website and go to any of the retraining sites that appear on this page. If you enter Ctrl d this page will automatically save in your Favourites file.
Many people train as plumbers so that they can join the ranks of the self- employed and have more control over their lives. Generally speaking most newly trained plumbers over thirty go for domestic work that they can take care of by themselves. This is hardly surprising when you realise how much work is out there, and the kind of money that decent plumbers can make.
As with all the trades, good plumbers pick up a lot of their business via recommendations from satisfied customers. Your training will give you the technical know-how, but it's also important to use good people skills whenever you're around others. Business can come in from anywhere and everywhere! It's amazing how much work is lost through sloppy attitudes and general discourtesy.
Plumbers working in the commercial environment usually work regular hours. However, plumbers working in the domestic market should expect to offer greater flexibility. If you're willing to work some evenings and weekends on emergency jobs and quotations, householders will soon get to know you can be trusted.
Skilled plumbers with the right certifications are set for life - people will always need your services. You'll find the work rewarding - people are always grateful when you fix their problems or make life easier for them. The fact that you're moving around working in different properties all the time makes the work really interesting as well.
Self-employed plumbers need to learn how to quote for jobs competitively and profitably. Which means covering all your overheads so you don't lose money. You might like to work out a system to account for all your fixed costs. Look for training companies that help out with this.
Look for industry recognised City & Guilds courses. These are available from both technical colleges and private training companies. Most young people entering the industry straight from school will opt for an apprenticeship style of training by blending on-the-job NVQ training with their FE studies. But adult career movers usually keep their old jobs whilst they study evenings and weekends on the new one. It's the private training companies that tend to attract mature entrants, because they service their needs better. Mature students then will generally pay more up front for commercial training courses, but fine-tune their training to suit the work they'll get into.
With a basic qualification you'll be able to work on a range of plumbing jobs. If, like many plumbers you bolt-on a few extra skills, you'll be able to complete projects yourself without having to bring in other trades. Some plumbers can also do tiling, plastering and some electrical work. You'll find it easier to build your reputation if you provide some extra bolt-ons. You can service more clients' needs, and make more money each month. If you can take on small electrical tasks or handle gas whilst you're on a job, you won't waste time working to someone else's calendar.
Ultimately, if you're an adult looking to retrain for a new plumbing career, your best route is probably via a multi-skill set of courses with a private training company.