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Job Help and Avice

View the thread, titled "Job Help and Avice" which is posted in General Plumbing Jobs Discussion on UK Plumbers Forums.

N

newcas734

hi,

I'm currently In full time employment with a plumbing and heating company covering most aspects of the industry

I've been with my current employer for just over 13 years I've served a full 4 year apprenticeship, I have my gas safe and oftec qualification's, un-vented cylinder ticket, rayburn guild trained ,health and safety trained with a large variety of work covered.

unfortunately I've picked up a serious sports injury to my knee after 3 operations I have been told that I can no longer continue in the industry "hands on"

does any one know of any companies in need of trained plumbers needing technical help or sales?

as I am used to being on the road and moving from job to job I couldn't handle siting in an office every day

I have added my cv to the standard job websites but they aren't much help , either offering hands on plumbing roles or in most cases jobs that are completely irrelevant to my qualification's

I don't want to give up on an industry I know and enjoy

any help would be great

thanks
 
Gas safe inspector,
Water regs inspector?
Boiler manufacter technical helpline,
Can't think of many that wouldn't be office based tbh, maybe use it as an opportunity to learn some more advanced theory? Pipe design?
 
Can`t offer you any ideas mate but can offer you a warm welcome to the forum.
One member who may be able to advise is Mike Jackson (Think I`ve got the right man, apologises if I haven`t).
You done your knee in?
 
Man, that would burst me. Tons in the industry mate, boiler reps/training, possibly other manufacturers reps travelling about.
 
P.s wasn't 5 a side footie was it? Know tons of guys that bust things playing that, made me thankfully I was too crap and fat to play :lol:
 
Look at vacancys for facility managers within mod or similar big scale stuff, either that or get sssts or smsts and get on a new build site as supervisor.

However if you have lots of experience and knowledge then I'd say many manufacturers would have a place for someone like that as a rep. Get in your local merchants (the one your most friendly with) ask who's on the move or who's figures are low and is possibly getting bounced. Trust me they will know as no one ever heard from a rep till figures start to slide or they have moved manufacturer don't just think boilers though, pumps, filters chemicals, equipment all need promoting.

Better still get yourself down to Eco build speak with renewables companys I know they are only reps themselves but they'll know if the company is expanding or enhancing its current portfolio and you might get yourself onto a real winner.

failing that legionella testing maybe although that still means lofts..


or surveying for the likes of dyson energy/local HA you never know maybe you might publish the worlds first accurate pre instal survey.

even better college lecturer or gas training assessor
 
What about breakdowns and servicing? Fairly low stress on the body? Good money to be made if your good at breakdowns
 
not being an bum here but, you state you've been told you can not continue hands on due to a sports injury! So your looking elsewhere, if your injury is as bad as its made out, how will you drive as a rep or stand all day as a lecturer? What you need to ask yourself is am I happy in myself to continue in the trade, and is it my employer who says I cant or docs or both? So looking at it from my point of view as someone who spent several months getting over 3 prolapsed discs and is continuing to work on old solid fuel converted Agas now with gas or oil feeds, its not an issue. Instead of leaning over and just heaving out the hot spot with my mitts, I use a hoist made especially for the job. Also I suffer from having no cartiladge left in my right knee, bit of a bugger, but life is like that, it occasionally locks when lumps get stuck in the joint, so you hobble around for a week or so, lie down on the job, get loads of sympathy from customers and work locally for the period or worse case, get the Missus to drive you. Lifting boilers, just means you carry a sack truck and work mate and lift in stages, as we are supposed to but never bother.

It would seem that you have loads of knowledge and should be out there on your own working your own hours to the limits you can, why give up because someone has told you too, sorry but in your case your throwing away a chance to do it on your own, get out there man theres loads on this forum wobbling around on steel knees etc, its not the end of the world.

Finally, it may seem bad at present, but you are probably no where near a mate of mine who is a self employed builder and on the lifeboat with me. His problem, he has been blown up on three different occasions, each time in a vehicle in Afghanistan where he was an engineer, as such did the ied disposal,
it would seem that someone really didnt like him, various bits of him still dont function that well, doesnt stop him doing a manual trade, as he often says, he still has arms n legs, just they dont always work in the way he orders them too. 🙂 Personally, i dont ever understand how he passes a medical to go to sea!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Talk to that nyce bloke: Ray Stafford. He is opening branches and expanding. Someone like you who knows a lot about the trade can be made a branch manager. As the manager, you need not just sit behind the desk. Move around, make coffee for the other staff, source materials and scream at Ray over the phone if he doesn't give you what you want. I think he will be happy to have you on board. Don't let the boat sail without you.
 
village idiot said:
Someone like you who knows a lot about the trade can be made a branch manager.
Click to expand...

I know that you are talking tongue in cheek VI, but this one always makes me laugh. Every time we advertise a managers job, we get tradesman with dodgy knees or a bad back who think that using a merchant every week for 20 years qualifies them to run a merchant.

Which is roughly the same as me thinking that because I like cooking and go into Tesco's most nights qualifies me to manage a branch of a national supermarket.

They come to interview, and I ask them how to calculate the return on investment on a specific product line, or what the margin differential ought to be on a branded vs unbranded line of products, or what their average transport costs should be per £1000 of sales, and they suddenly realise that its a completely different profession.

Which is why I don't hang boilers.
 
Quite true Ray, but not so long ago you asked us to 'send people' your way for a Manger's position. I'm just trying to help, that's all🙂🙂

On another note Ray, I'm thinking of taking on one of my not so favourate jobs (shower installation - I hate tiling). Thinking of sourcing materials from my Croydon branch but one or two of the staff there have had enough of me? Whenever I walk in, you can see their faces drop and they gradually disapear round the corner. I really shouldn't have been mentioning you each time I went in there. Plus the opening times mix-up at Xmas didn't help. I was made to understand that they had spoken to you? Well, I already knew that as you had informed me of it. I am a bit weary going in there now. Wish I had never ever mentioned you to them. What on earth do they think is my role? Keeping an eye on them on your behalf? Fttttttt.
 
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village idiot said:
On another note Ray, I'm thinking of taking on one of my not so favourate jobs (shower installation - I hate tiling). Thinking of sourcing materials from my Croydon branch but one or two of the staff there have had enough of me? Whenever I walk in, you can see their faces drop and they gradually disapear round the corner. I really shouldn't have been mentioning you each time I went in there. Plus the opening times mix-up at Xmas didn't help. I was made to understand that they had spoken to you? Well, I already knew that as you had informed me of it. I am a bit weary going in there now. Wish I had never ever mentioned you to them. What on earth do they think is my role? Keeping an eye on them on your behalf? Fttttttt.
Click to expand...

Can't think why that might be happening VI!

To be honest, I leave each branch manager to run his own operation, so long as he stays within our golden rules and makes a profit, I don't trouble them from day to day. With a successful branch like Croydon, Alan could expect to see me 4 times a year tops.
 
If you really can't work hands on. I.e service + breakdown. Then I would say a foreman/supervisor type job for large projects might be good for you. At least your on site just not doing the labour intensive side.
 
lame plumber said:
not being an bum here but, you state you've been told you can not continue hands on due to a sports injury! So your looking elsewhere, if your injury is as bad as its made out, how will you drive as a rep or stand all day as a lecturer? What you need to ask yourself is am I happy in myself to continue in the trade, and is it my employer who says I cant or docs or both? So looking at it from my point of view as someone who spent several months getting over 3 prolapsed discs and is continuing to work on old solid fuel converted Agas now with gas or oil feeds, its not an issue. Instead of leaning over and just heaving out the hot spot with my mitts, I use a hoist made especially for the job. Also I suffer from having no cartiladge left in my right knee, bit of a bugger, but life is like that, it occasionally locks when lumps get stuck in the joint, so you hobble around for a week or so, lie down on the job, get loads of sympathy from customers and work locally for the period or worse case, get the Missus to drive you. Lifting boilers, just means you carry a sack truck and work mate and lift in stages, as we are supposed to but never bother.

It would seem that you have loads of knowledge and should be out there on your own working your own hours to the limits you can, why give up because someone has told you too, sorry but in your case your throwing away a chance to do it on your own, get out there man theres loads on this forum wobbling around on steel knees etc, its not the end of the world.

Finally, it may seem bad at present, but you are probably no where near a mate of mine who is a self employed builder and on the lifeboat with me. His problem, he has been blown up on three different occasions, each time in a vehicle in Afghanistan where he was an engineer, as such did the ied disposal,
it would seem that someone really didnt like him, various bits of him still dont function that well, doesnt stop him doing a manual trade, as he often says, he still has arms n legs, just they dont always work in the way he orders them too. 🙂 Personally, i dont ever understand how he passes a medical to go to sea!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same position, back problems from an industrial injury [building site] put up with it for years, last 2/3 years knees getting worse, got a job to stand up some days, but you learn to adapt & just get on with things
 
lame plumber said:
you make a sensible comment and some Devon bumkin pops out the woodwork again 🙂 shouldnt you be informing "Devonplumber" he isnt the only one in town? 🙂
Click to expand...

Devon is the 4th largest county in the UK so there's plenty of space for us all, plus we're not as territorial as you North Devon farmer boys up there!
 
Anyway, it started off sensible then turned into the usual your not doing it right, I do it better plus my mates worse off then you so man up type of post we have all learnt to ignore :wazzzup:
 

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