Fast track to self employed

[John Cotton]

Has anyone on this forum learned the fast track way, set up as a self employed and been successful - or is it just nonsense ?

 

[Kings]

I kicked off my career with a 4 week mostly practical course which was from the Armed Forces resettlement. I soon learned that this may have been a good starting point but was certainly not all I needed to know.
It was good enough for me to do small jobs alongside another job until I fell into something else. I have recently started this sideline again with the view to changing over at some point in the future but there is still tons I need to know.

Unfortunately not everyone can do years in a college to learn their method of earning a living or go back in time. There is no quick fix way to become a Plumber and as was said it depends on what you call successful, to me being this would be earning enough money, have a full order book, have people call you back, having their friends/family call you in and not having to return to fix it! Aslo to reach the stage where you wouldn't need to advertise too much.

 

[Rupster]

what do you class as successful ?
you can be a successful cowboy plumber. charging £200 a callout.
you can have nvq's up to your eyeballs and doing cash in hand jobs.

which none are right but some will class it as successful.

9/10 fast trackers wouldn't get any decent jobs if they where truthful and told customers they are not timeserved and sat a 6 week course.

plus they have failed the first step of being successful by do a rip of couse.
any time served plumber will tell you success starts at being timeserved.

Still spouting your dinosaur stylee crap then.

 

[uug197h]

come on guys don't start this again PLEASE

 

[eclecticnut]

im doing one of these courses at the minute and i do agree with some things your saying but some of us didnt know what they wanted to do when leaving school. You must have well in my case i joined the Royal Marines and im a qualified chef but that is want i wanted to do when leaving school when leaving my service i worked in engineering were im also qualified and i was working with high pressure water pipes (plumbing and installing machines as well as repairing them) im now 37 and because i enjoyed doing pipework in my employment as well as some diy it became apparent that doing a plumbing course and learning all aspects was for me.Yes im paying thousands of pounds for the course but thats my comittment and im prepared to pay that. Some of your negative feed back about people doing thse training courses is unreal mate.Its just shows that they have decided to do plumbing and there prepared to pay for that.

 

[CharterGAS]

plus they have failed the first step of being successful by do a rip of course.
any time served plumber will tell you success starts at being time served.


well said AJ!!

the words "fast track " and "plumbing" do not go together!!!!!
There is just no way of learning all you need to know fast!!!!!

Fast would be 5 yrs

 

[Rupster]

Yeah...long wave

 

[Rupster]

But this is a 'plumbing forum' for plumbers and plumbing related questions/problems.
Why do you insist on making it your personal vendetta against so called 'fast trackers' and people wanting to better themselves? For Gods sake man,you should be advising 'newbies' and trying to point them in the right direction not slating and moaning at every person that comes on here with their story to tell just because they're doing what you consider to be 'cheating'

If we were all like you,we'd still be watching black and white telly and talking to customers using the two cups and string method!!

Remove the chip from your shoulder and chill AJ

 

[CharterGAS]

unless yo have done an apprenticeship you will never quite get the point!!
it is a pointless conversation - the be all and end all is :

there should be 5 yr apprenticeships only whether your young and starting out or mature age re-training to better your self or what ever you motive might be

 

[John Cotton]

Rupster - whats your own view / experience on the fast track way ? I assume that it must be possible to compress 5 yrs to something shorter, depending on the amount/type of work done and guess that there are plumbers who have neither done a course or an apprenticeship but still make a living. My plan would be to do the Met-UK course and then have the offer to help a semi-retired I know 1 day / week for a year before he retires. After that need to make £500/wk to pay the mortgage etc etc

 

[John Cotton]

Self employed - got wife with MS and kids to sort

...and ex wife who still gets 33% of my net earnings !

 

[John Cotton]

see link for info

Gas Engineer training course including ACS Assessment

 

[Rupster]

AJ...Glad to see you're being helpful and nice to people now,isn't life so much happier when everyone is friendly

Don't overdo it though,just wouldn't be the same

 

[obseen16]

ok your right in saying you cant get good at plumbing in 6 weeks and you most definately cant learn it all in that amount of time either, but you do have to start somewhere.

 

[Kings]

I also think it depends on the quality of the course and the amount of effort you put in during and after the course, some people seem to think they can just do a course then be a qualified Plumber (Electrician/tiler/plasterer etc) and be good at all the other aspects of running a business.
I would say "go for it" to anyone which ever route you choose, not everyone can wind back the clock and spend years at a college or afford to work for peanuts as a trainee.
My position at the moment is running 2 jobs whilst still learning and earning, at the same time I'm building up a business - I don't intend to sit still and be made redundant without a trade to fall back on, I also won't be detered just because I can't do 5 years in college first.
Good luck to everyone.