Adult Career Plumbing NVQ and Technical Certificates
Begin A Profitable New Career As A Plumber
No matter what industries are declining or prospering, we can't do without plumbers. The building industry has clearly slowed down, but work in domestic properties is flourishing. How often do we hear about the trouble someone had finding a plumber to mend their heating system?
And then of course as people improve their homes, they need the services of a good plumber to fit the hot and cold water systems etc. So if it's time to make a change, a closer look at a plumbing career could offer everything you need.
Completely FREE Research Report!
No matter what skills you start off with, the right training and qualifications will quickly launch you into your new career. 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.
The information in it will help you to compare what's on offer from the different training colleges. Give yourself enough time to get up to date with all the facts in the book.
Then come back to this site and take a look at a number of the training colleges featured on the page. (By typing in 'Ctrl D' you can Bookmark this page for easy reference.)
Convert To Self-Employment
Something that appeals to many adult re-trainers is the concept of being their own boss. Most people training today will take on small domestic contracts in their local area. Obviously this makes sense when you think of the level of demand in just about every town in the country.
As with all the trades, good plumbers pick up a lot of their business via recommendations from satisfied customers. Working for yourself means getting on well with everyone around you. Business sometimes comes in from the most unlikely people. When you're in someone's home, try not to invade their privacy too much.
Employed commercial plumbers normally do an eight hour day, weekdays only. You'd be wise to open that up a little though if you plan to work for yourself in private housing. Working people will want to get to know you first before leaving you in their homes unaccompanied.
Rewarding Work For Years To Come...
The great thing about plumbing skills is they'll set you up for life. Whether a house is ten years old or a hundred years old, it still needs water and heating! There's a lot of job satisfaction - as it's always good to see the end result of a job well done. Every day brings new experiences and challenges, so you never need to be bored, and you're not restricted to working in one place all the time.
Self-employed plumbers need to learn how to quote for jobs competitively and profitably. This means allowing for your expenses as well as your time. You might like to work out a system to account for all your fixed costs. Private training companies sometimes feature a course on working for yourself.
What's The Next Step?
City & Guilds certification courses can be studied in both private colleges and state ones. Youngsters generally try to find a company to work with so they can complete NVQ qualifications alongside their C&G's. It's more common though for re-trainers to learn their trade part-time so they can still afford to pay their bills!
This is where the private training companies score best, as they offer flexible programmes with courses that will cover the needs of the domestic plumbing market. Private colleges will cost more initially, but the student looking for domestic self-employed work will gain relevant skill-sets much faster, and start generating income within months, not years.
Useful Add-Ons
Whichever course you decide on, you should emerge with at least basic plumbing skills in sanitation systems, hot and cold water systems and more.
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. If you take Part P for example you'll comply with the regulations for domestic electrical work.
If you have a broad ranging skill-set you'll be more in demand. You can service more clients' needs, and make more money each month. Customers will be happier if they only have you to deal with - it's much more straightforward than trying to juggle several trades.
In conclusion, broad-based commercial plumbing courses are the quickest and most efficient route into the self-employed domestic market.
