is pluming a good career to go into

[budder]

I will soon be leaving school and i would like to go to colleg to trainto be a plumer is this a well paid career and dose this invole lots of work

[Buenchico]

(Posted in 2 parts):

I've got a friend who left school at 16 to work part-time at Tesco while attending a plumbing course for two days per week. He seemed to have a problem at the end of the first year when he was told that he could continue on the college course (for one day per week), if he wanted to, but he couldn't be given his final certificate unless he'd been gaining practical experience working for a plumbing company for the rest of each week. I helped him to write to 46 companies asking if they'd be prepared to take him on. 42 didn't reply. 3 said that they couldn't help but just one firm offered him a job. He worked for them for just one year (until he'd got his qualification) then left to find a better. He worked for the new company for 2 years but, at 20 years old, he's now left to work self-employed. I'd be surprised if he isn't running a sizeable company in just a few years time.

[Buenchico]

(2nd Part):

Plumbing is very much an 'in demand' trade at the minute and the earnings can be very good, especially if you work for yourself. The training isn't academically demanding but remember that you'll have to spend quite a bit of time crawling into small, dirty recesses to get at the pipework or digging outside in the rain to expose pipes.

Just a small hint: When you fill in the application forms for college or for employment, please get someone to help you. There are at least eight grammatical or spelling errors in the three lines of your question. (No, I'm not trying to 'take a dig'. It's just that, if written English isn't one of your strengths, it's best to admit it and seek some help rather than fail to get the college place or employment which you're seeking).

Chris

[curiosity]

If you're like most people about to leave school and are using MSN regularly then I'm assuming that your typing speed is pretty good and you don't look up to see what's on the screen! They are right though, when lots of applications come in, the stakes are high, and the first to go are the badly written or presented. With regard to plumbing, in my opinion it is a fantastic career path if you can stand the work, the money is excellent for self employed. A skill very much in demand. Go for it & good luck. Oh and when you've qualified, any chance of fitting a bathroom suite?

[Tim B]

Plumbing, a very worthwhile and rewarding (financially too) trade. Like all knowledge it has to be worked at and does involve a lot of work and your time.

BUT I have contact with lost of youngsters who have considered taking it up. Unfortunately they can't find anybody to take them on as an apprentice. It costs their prospective employers too much in terms of time and money.

If you can get a placement on work experience and prove to an employer that you have what it takes then you will stand a better chance (no matter who good/poor your English) of getting an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are still the stumbling block ,'though.

Opportunities in this field are very, very rare.

Good luck.

[Jay70]

I think the market is being flooded at the moment with newly qulified plumbers. A large number of people from other trades even IT have retrained to become plumbers there was quite a shortage esp in the London area and alot of people have jumped onto this bandwagon.

[joko]

It took me a moment to realise this post wasn't about feathers (!) LOL! - I had visions of a taxidermist or something!

[Coobeastie]

Not flooded as yet. An article in yesterdays paper (or may have been fridays) stating that there are still shortages and that the colleges are finding problems retaining the tutors as so much work about that they are going back to plumbing rather than continuing teaching.

Budder....you don't get something for nothing so yes will involve lots of work but also lots of tea and biscuits.