Retraining as a Gas Safe Engineer

[Bradwell]

Hi Everyone,

I am considering retraining as a gas safe engineer through enrolling on a course that includes 5 weeks of classroom learning, arranged work placement to complete an onsite portfolio and ACS assessments. The course will cost £6k.

I'm 34, currently employed full time as a mechanical engineer but would enjoy the shift away from working in an office. I'm fairly handy with tools, active and enjoy DIY. I would be able to fit the course / portfolio work around my existing job through a combination of using up holiday allowance and working evenings & weekends. I'm anticipating it would take around a year to become a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Would welcome any reality checks on whether this is a good career move and questions to make sure I don't have any unrealistic expectations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[cjg]

trust me 5 weeks of class room will only get you basic knowledge, you pick up more when working with some one on the job, its not all that simple, ask others they will tell you the same, BUT, good luck to you and i hope you make a go of it.

 

[Bradwell]

trust me 5 weeks of class room will only get you basic knowledge, you pick up more when working with some one on the job, its not all that simple, ask others they will tell you the same, BUT, good luck to you and i hope you make a go of it.

I can appreciate that, I will be looking to get experience both through the portfolio work but also trying to make contacts and offer to work with tradesmen where there is an opportunity to do so.

There's homework to do outside the classes to catch up on the paperwork side of things so the coursework would be more extensive. I'm accustomed to reading codes and standards, dealing with engineering drawings etc. so the academic side would be less of a concern.

Experience has already shown me that you can't learn everything from a computer screen.

 

[Ben-gee]

As many as 5 weeks, wow that’s I bit insulting to the gas guys.

 

[Scott_D]

Make sure you have organised work with someone for your portfolio / experience before you start the course.

 

[Bradwell]

Make sure you have organised work with someone for your portfolio / experience before you start the course.

That would be organised through the training centre, it's included as part of the cost and I don't currently have the sort of contacts who could arrange for me to do portfolio work as part of their business.

 

[Bradwell]

As many as 5 weeks, wow that’s I bit insulting to the gas guys.

I think the courses are structured so that people like myself fitting the studies around a full time job are expected to do the reading work between sessions in the training centre. It would be equivalent to around 8 weeks in the classroom on a full time study course.

 

[Chuck]

That would be organised through the training centre, it's included as part of the cost and I don't currently have the sort of contacts who could arrange for me to do portfolio work as part of their business.

To me, this seems almost too good to be true. Read the small print of what the training centre is offering very carefully.

 

[Bradwell]

To me, this seems almost too good to be true. Read the small print of what the training centre is offering very carefully.

I've done as much research as I can online, had a shortlist of 4 training centres within a reasonable distance, prices were similar for the 3 that could provide portfolio work as part of the service and it should come to around 100 hours work in this part of the training. Maybe a little more or less depending on how the speed I work. Presumably they will have a list of jobs that are expected to be done to satisfy the requirements for this.

I will be reading the small print carefully.

 

[Scott_D]

That would be organised through the training centre, it's included as part of the cost and I don't currently have the sort of contacts who could arrange for me to do portfolio work as part of their business.

I would want to speak to the person or company you will be placed with before paying the money.
Will it be one on one with you being walked through the process or will 10 guys be stood in a room watching someone service a boiler.
You also have to think about how you will get a job doing gas work once you have qualified by the fast track route.