Advice for my son please?

[Sam D]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum, but hopefully wont be a pain! I have searched the forum, and know that there are a lot of helpful and smart folk on here! I havent found the answer to my question, but i apologise if it has been asked before!
My son, is currently a teacher, but is desperate to get out of this profession. He has expressed an interest in becoming a gas engineer, and has found a course which would fit around his current job. He would need to continue his full time job whilst studying to become a gas engineer.
He would like to work for a larger company such as British Gas, but the course he is considering will give him an ACS qualification. My understanding is that this is a core qualification, and he would then need to qualify in different aspects of gas installation/fitting etc to be able to work for a company....is this correct?
This is the requirements stated by British Gas on their website, to be a Gas Engineer with them.:
We are looking for you to hold CCN1, CEN1 or CENWAT, CPA1, CKR1 and HTR1. Ideally you will also possess OFTEC and HETAS qualification however this is not essential.

Q) Does this mean then that you need a: a CCN1 or... a CEN1 or.... a CENWAT, CPA1, CKR1 and HTR1 as well as the ACS qualification?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me/ us!

 

[Last Plumber]

Can he not do these qualifications with the Gas board?
One major issue is the viscous circle!
He will need experience to get work and need work to gain experience.

I don’t know much about the current situation where access to our profession is concerned but there are a few folk on here who work in that field. (I’m fairly sure about that), they will be able to tell you more, or people who have just been through it themselves.

 

[snowhead]

He'll be better off trying to get on B.G's Apprenticeship / Traineeship

 

[Sam D]

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately he can't do a BG apprenticeship as it would mean too much of a drop in salary. The course puts him with an engineer for a number of weeks to build up experience and his portfolio- he is also planning to contact some gas engineers locally and see if he can labour for them free of charge to gain insight and advice.

 

[SimonG]

Why does he want to get out of teaching?

Why does he think gas engineer is the way forward?

 

[Sam D]

He is becoming frustrated with the amount of work and the sheer political nature of it in all honesty.

He wants to do something more hands on, with a possible view to becoming self employed in a number of years? Obviously he doesn't want to go straight in to Self employment, and feels a company environment would be beneficial.

 

[Chalked]

As in all jobs. It's hard work. Long hours and political.
But this one gets your hands dirty, very cold in winter and hurts your body.
And for at least 5 years will be on at best 1/3 wages of a teacher.

 

[Sam D]

For 5 years he will be on 1/3rd of a teachers salary? How much will this be as he is in approx 30k at present? Thank you.

 

[Scott_D]

How old is he?

 

[Sam D]

26.

 

[Old Account]

Being an apprentice that way you won't earn much at all but you could have a chance to learn a lot if you are willing to listen, to look and to adopt.

 

[Scott_1979]

It's tough. So much competition driving prices down. He'd be lucky to get employed at all never mind getting 30k a year after a short course. not impossible but being realistic if he's not willing for a massive drop in wages for a number of years it ain't gonna happen. This trade takes years and years to gain confidence and competance.

 

[Sam D]

He is aware of that, and prepared to take a drop in salary but he has a mortgage and bills to pay so he has to consider this.

Thanks for your replies- I will pass this out not him.

He isn't afraid of hard work, and is prepared for it to take as long as it takes but he just wanted to know the difference between ACS and the other bits.

 

[jtsplumbing]

I think he is under the impression that we earn as much as teachers, someone has been telling him fairy tails, What is the lowest wage he could live on ? BG like most other Co only take on guys with experience , Please don't just jump into this game thinking its big money ! or there is plenty of jobs available, all that ended in the 80s and it still hasn't caught up, a lot will depend on location for jobs and earnings, Has he any experience at all in the plumbing industry ?because with-out any plumbing experience he will find it very hard to be a gas engineer, you need to know how systems and controls work , What does he think a Gas engineers job entails ? He could be in for a big shock.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

put i this way for a few years he will be sub 15k as he will be on mates rates as hes got no experience

 

[SimonG]

I love these posts.

I want to give up my crappy job and become a heating engineer.
But..........
I don't want paying peanuts.
It has to fit around my current job.
I'm available to help when a professional has finished their working week.
Etc, etc.

Well buckle up buttercup. If he is truly serious about it then he is going to have to make a lot of sacrifices. Time and financially.

Why heating?
I would question somebody's resolve who is wanting to dip out of teaching because it's a bit tough.

Not saying people can't change careers just trying to say how I see the nasty real world.

 

[Best]

Wish I had been a teacher. 🙂 Everyone of them I have known (and that is a lot!) have been quite wealthy and with plenty of free time and holiday time. Although most teachers will say they are overworked, stressed and underpaid. I think it can be one of those professions where they live in a bubble - usually a lifetime job, so easy for teachers to not understand the reality of other professions real life hard work.
I would stay with a job that you know and provides a high wage, but I can understand a person wanting to leave a profession that they have lost interest in.

 

[Sam D]

Right.

He is not a fool, nor is he naive. To address the whole 'teachers are wealthy and have plenty of free time'....quite frankly that's complete and utter balls. He works 6-7 days per week, leaves the house at 7, returns at 6pm then does at least 3 hours work. He goes in on school holidays too. He gets verbally and physically abused by the kids he teaches and the parents are often no better.

He doesn't live in cloud cuckoo land- he KNOWS he will be on a lower wage but he needs to have a rough idea of what this would be.

He KNOWS he will need to work hard, build up confidence and experience until he feels comfortable. He does not expect to walk into a GE job and earn tons of money. He doesn't expect it to be a cakewalk either.

All he wanted was an answer to a question.
Thanks for the productive replies.

 

[Vee]

Please do not forget that in order to gain ACS you should consider an NVQ first as it will lay the foundations for getting ACS and a better understanding of the "nature of the beast". A gas safe engineer without an NVQ or C&G is as good as a headless chicken on acid.

 

[SimonG]

If the truth is not pallatable he's gonna struggle.

 

[oz-plumber]

Doesn't the UK Government offer subsidies for the employer taking on a mature aged apprentice?

Are there no Government schemes that would benefit your son financially by doing an apprenticeship.

Maybe you should look into that avenue - it can do no harm.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Right.

He is not a fool, nor is he naive. To address the whole 'teachers are wealthy and have plenty of free time'..quite frankly that's complete and utter balls. He works 6-7 days per week, leaves the house at 7, returns at 6pm then does at least 3 hours work. He goes in on school holidays too. He gets verbally and physically abused by the kids he teaches and the parents are often no better.

He doesn't live in cloud cuckoo land- he KNOWS he will be on a lower wage but he needs to have a rough idea of what this would be.

He KNOWS he will need to work hard, build up confidence and experience until he feels comfortable. He does not expect to walk into a GE job and earn tons of money. He doesn't expect it to be a cakewalk either.

All he wanted was an answer to a question.
Thanks for the productive replies.

Believe me a lot of the guys on here do 6/7 days a week putting in even more hours, and earning a lot less than your son is getting, we also get abused, conned out of money, have to work not in warm and dry classrooms but outside in all weathers day & night, Its no fun being called out to problem on Dartmoor in the middle of winter at 11pm, But he needs to ask himself What is the absolute minimum income he can live on ?? and remember we don't get regular pay increases or meny holiday brakes, unlike schools we don't close several times a year, Guaranteed to be in regular employment is almost impossible and he can expect times when he wont be employed (More often than you think) So can you answer the question how much can he afford to lose from his income ? what does he need to earn just to pay the bills ? can he get by on 15K a year or less for the next few years ??

 

[SimonG]

Wish I had been a teacher. 🙂 Everyone of them I have known (and that is a lot!) have been quite wealthy and with plenty of free time and holiday time. Although most teachers will say they are overworked, stressed and underpaid. I think it can be one of those professions where they live in a bubble - usually a lifetime job, so easy for teachers to not understand the reality of other professions real life hard work.
I would stay with a job that you know and provides a high wage, but I can understand a person wanting to leave a profession that they have lost interest in.

Very true about the bubble. When construction dived in 90's I was laid off and worked in a factory. Full of people who had been there straight from school. All they did was moan and complain about the place. It was the easiest place I had ever worked in. I told them if they didnt like it then get a proper job in the real world.

Sometimes the bucket just seems shinier.

 

[gmartine]

I suspect mummy steered him into education which is why he doesn't like it anymore so time to tell your son to grow some and stick it out, enjoy the numerous holidays and or find another school where the conditions are better. The fact that you are here instead of him stipulating all the preconditions he requires demonstrates to me he really doesn't have the gumption or determination to change careers. Assuming he doesn't have a family he could rent the house, rent a room, live cheap, save some money for a year or three to get qualified but we really know that ain't going to happen because he's been coddled all his natural life.

 

[Last Plumber]

Right.

He is not a fool, nor is he naive.

I don't think anyone was trying to upset or offend you.

I think the thing here is that teachers do (and i'm sure you'll accept this), in general go through the system and never leave the same environment.
i.e. :-
Infants School - Junior School - Senior School - College - University - Teacher training College - Job (in School).
They may look at other jobs and think they seem appealing because they (not all but some) have never lived in the World outside an educational environment?
I personally (and I can only speak from my own experience and talk of teachers I know), think they have a good life. They do get long holidays, pensions, decent pay etc.

If he thinks that by leaving teaching and going into this trade, it will take him away from long hours, hard graft, paperwork, politics, regulations, responsibility, accountability etc, he will be sadly mistaken and will only be wasting more time in my opinion.
It is not a quick course at college - out into the van - off repairing Heating breakdowns. It will take a very long time to get to that stage.

If he wants hands on work with less responsibility, has he not thought of Labouring for example. That is not to put down Labourers as I know a few and they are worth their weight in gold. I just mean it is more a turn up, work hard, go home job! A lot get paid very well.

Out of interest, can I ask why he is not on here asking the questions?