Career change ... or is it just a midlife crisis!?

[H12ST D]

Hi all, thought I would take a second to introduce myself. My name is Dave and I am currently employed in the public sector having joined from college and worked 13 years since 19 for the same sector. With all of the current changes and reforms to the industry, fuelled by a fairly sizeable dose of mid life crisis and desire to start my own business I have started to follow up a long term interest of kitchen and bathroom fitting. My experience is based mostly around domestic work and retrofits of sanitary ware and associated tiling etc. I am looking to try and transition what I consider a bit of flair for design and decoration along with some fairly competent yet basic plumbing and electric skills into a full time career and train to get the relevant NVQ's along side this. I look forward to speaking to some of you and benefitting from some of the excellent experience and advice from the forum. All the best, Dave :vanish:

 

[jefaz]

Hello mate,welcome and good luck 🙂

 

[Ray Stafford]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your mid-life crisis!

 

[Barry98]

welcome to the forums enjoy your stay

 

[H12ST D]

Hi gents, thanks for the replies and warm welcome. I know this is a question that has been asked a thousand times but seeing as some of the great and the good have already replied to this .... looking at forum searches it is apparent that the kind of work I am looking to specialise in I do not need a full qualification i.e. NVQ to start trading within bathroom fitting. Do we think it is worth the expense of intensive courses unless I plan to expand to full blown central heating and boiler installations. I have no intention of entering the world of site or commercial work?

 

[Ray Stafford]

I'll leave it to others to answer in more detail, but one thing you absolutely have to understand is how the various types of hot water system work.

People choosing and installing bathroom fittings without understanding about the hot water system supplying it causes lots of grief, particularly with mixer taps and showers.

 

[A1P]

I echo what Ray has said.Vitally important.You are right ,qualifications are not essential for bathroom fitting/kitchens.However it is what you learn on the way to gaining them.There are a lot of regulations involved in plumbing work.I would avoid 'fast tracking' on cost grounds.You need to find out from a local college what practical requirements are needed for the qualifications.Do you need a portfolio of work and how would this be achieved.I put myself through college 1 day a week while starting my business during the financial crash.I am only now beginning to feel established.I have added Gas Safe to my Plumbing NVQ 2 and 3 and am doing kitchens now.One area which it would be worth developing skills in is tiling.Good tiling makes a bathroom and to a possibly lesser degree, kitchens.I believe there are some good courses and of course the Tilers Forum.Very competitive work wise.Referrals are the most reliable source of future business but this is a slow process. Most forms of advertising are very expensive.I have never been able to afford them.Make sure you like your own company,being cooped in someone's bathroom for 10-12 days can get very wearing.

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Totally agree with Ray. Most bathrooms will need feeds and wastes moving and you need to understand what can go where. What feeds to send to a shower whether it should be pumped etc etc. You have to be 'competent' in the trade you are doing. Whether that means you need a NVQ or not is anyone's guess.

 

[nicro3]

Welcome and all the best.

 

[Deleted member 32524]

Do the training. It will give you a good start in understanding what you are looking at. It will save you headaches in the future.

 

[Dannypipe]

Good luck in your new career. Get some formal training and experience with an experienced tradesmen before you embark on bathroom fitting alone. Dodgy plumbing in a bathroom can be devastating to a client, even if it isn't as dangerous as dodgy gas.

 

[lame plumber]

question you have to ask yourself is, would you hand over £10k for a bathroom refurb if you knew the person doing it had no training or quals?

 

[Dannypipe]

In a word no. Still a lot of people won't hand over £10K for a bathroom refurb when it's an experienced, trained, qualified, insured and established bloke doing the work. <--------- LOL.

 

[tamz]

A mid life crisis is where you loose the wife, the house, the cars, and a big wad of cash but keep your pension because some young thing catches your attention:smile:
Getting into plumbing atm might get you the same treatment without the sex :lol:

 

[solutions]

I'll leave it to others to answer in more detail, but one thing you absolutely have to understand is how the various types of hot water system work.

People choosing and installing bathroom fittings without understanding about the hot water system supplying it causes lots of grief, particularly with mixer taps and showers.

I agree with Ray but would add that getting your water regs qualification or at least a fundamental understanding of what the regs require and why is essential. Plumbing and or heating at least running pipe is not necessarily complicated but if you dont have the knowledge to comply with the regs then you will end up with installations that don't work don't last or are just plain dangerous. The reason plumbing is done a certain way is because the regs stipulate how it should be done. The regs insure plumbing systems work, remain safe or in some waste less water.