Hi from Sutton, Surrey

[FunkyOstrich]

Hi all. I've registered to ask your advise on a few things. I'm looking at a career change at 33 and I'm looking at the City and Guilds Diploma in Plumbing Level 2 (the 6035 I think). I contacted a few colleges and they all told me the same thing. And that is that after completing the Level 2 course you can work as a self-employed plumber and you can sign off your own work. Is this true?

I installed domestic gas lines in South Africa so I know my way around copper pipes, soldering, pressure testing and so on. I wouldn't dream about fiddling with gas lines in the UK until I'm qualified. I'm comfortable with building a name/brand as that is what I did previously. I'm thinking of starting off in the evenings and weekends wherever I can find work and keeping my day job in the beginning.

The colleges I contacted are as follows and I will outline the time to complete and so on:

Able Skills in Dartford - 2 weekend off, 2 weekends on for 30 weeks - £2999
Alpha Building Services and Engineering in Stratford - 2 evenings per week plus every Saturday for 16 weeks - £2930
Career Studies College of Building Services in Edgware - Every Saturday for 27 weeks - around £3000(I think)

Do any of you know these colleges and are they any good? I have to do the course part time because of my full time job. I've been warned about intensive 6 week courses so I've tried to stay clear of them.

Can anyone give me some advise?

 

[Kay101]

Hi mate I'm a newbie too

 

[kris]

Not sure about the colleges but welcome to the both of you and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from you .

 

[newcastle phill]

Ayreeee

 

[Elbow74]

Hi I've just started myself I've had a lot of advice myself and decide to go to a proper college £1500 for the year a lot of the fast track learning providers! Not colleges! Charge a lot more. I myself didn't want to take the risk and heard a bit of good and a lot of bad about most of the learning providers. It's not a trade you can learn overnight take your time and learn it properly and you shouldn't go wrong good luck & welcome!

 

[FunkyOstrich]

Hi I've just started myself I've had a lot of advice myself and decide to go to a proper college £1500 for the year a lot of the fast track learning providers! Not colleges! Charge a lot more. I myself didn't want to take the risk and heard a bit of good and a lot of bad about most of the learning providers. It's not a trade you can learn overnight take your time and learn it properly and you shouldn't go wrong good luck & welcome!

Is the course that you're taking over weekends or full time in the week? One of my local colleges offers the C&G Level 2 over 40 or so Saturdays(Starting in September). It also costs around £1500 but if you work out, the hours you would do is roughly the same as with the colleges mentioned above. The local colleges also take school holidays off and so on. Mmm, what to do, what to do.... :-/

 

[Elbow74]

Hi I do 2days a week at barnet college , the names you mentioned above are not colleges they are learning providers , I've heard to many bad stories in my time I'd rather spend an extra 20 weeks on my nvq and do it without worrying about the business I'm spending a large amount of money with going under and losing all my portfolio and hard earned dosh! Have a look at east Surrey college . Good luck

 

[FunkyOstrich]

Hi. You say you are going your NVQ at a college. How does that work? Do you not have to be employed to do your NVQs?