New Career - Gas Safe

[Flangemaster]

Hi, need your honest views if you would be so kind. I’m 48 and work for the NHS (office based) and earn 44k a year. Ive been do fustrated and fed up in my work for so long that I’ve enrolled to do my gas safe and become an engineer. I know it’s hard work but I’m really excited and I’d love to work for myself and possibly work for someone beforehand to get more experience. I’m ready to commit everything but am becoming a little nervous about the decision as obviously I will be out of work for months and months to do my training. My question is, do you think it’s worth it?….is the job good?….is there plenty of work?……is the work really complex and hard?……will I earn more money?.

I would really appreciate your honest views, do I go for it and take the massive jump, or stay as I am?.

 

[gmartine]

Are you ready really? You should be nervous, it's a bonkers idea unless you have the means to support yourself for a couple of years and even then IF and when you qualify you'll be lucky to be earning half your existing salary with next to no experience.

Take your GS course money, go on a nice holiday and come back and look for a different role in the organisation you are in.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

The career I’ve been told can be lucrative, but requires a lot of hard work and possibly discipline. To work for yourself might sound ideal but would be long hours, not sure your hours are now. I personally struggle still with aspects of the job and I’ve been doing plumbing and held my gas (didn’t do it for several years after due to my employer) for 19 years this year. Some people can turn their hand to anything and are fast learners - ask yourself if you can do the same.

 

[Chuck]

The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence.

Use the search box at top right of the page and search for the word 'career'. Similar career-change ideas are discussed in several recent threads.

Think through the financial implications carefully. For example, the NHS will be contributing (ca 20% IIRC) of your pensionable salary to the NHS pension scheme. You also get valuable 'sick pay' benefits, which you'd have to cover yourself as self-employed person. In practice, your £44k salary is probably worth 50% more than that if you want to compare it with the profits from self-employment.

 

[SimonG]

Straight in with gas won't work, you're going to need plumbing skills and experience. Many a faulty boiler isn't actually the boiler can be external controls and other factors.

Long road ahead earning a fraction of your current salary.

Plus you'll need to be physically fit. Heavy game for an aging body.

Don't listen to all these training adverts that spout you'll be earning 100k in 12 months.

Even if, and it's a big if, somebody takes you on you'll be on minimum wage as you're costing that company to train.


As said above, get yourself into the search function of the forum. Plenty of reading material.

 

[Brian Woo66]

Don’t want to appear negative, but you may be jumping from one frying pan of frustration to another.
Doing a Gas Safe ACS is one thing, earning knowledge and experience is another altogether.
I’ve been in engineering all my working life, 16-52; started early retirement then partially due to the frustration of working for a large company everyone probably knows and hates, previously working for Vaillant and Glow-worm.
Gas industry has plentiful work, but of more recent years, certainly more cut throat businesses trying to undercut others; but not always offering the best of quality or service to their customers.
Old motto, pay cheap get cheap; problem is nowadays getting a good name for yourself built up, without knowledge this can be much harder than you can think.
Plenty of the local engineers (younger than me), have all started their own businesses having gained many years of experience which can’t be bought or speeded up.
Try and offer your time and labour to a local business, to gain some experience and knowledge, whilst completing the ACS; but in my personal opinion, there’s good days and bad days in any profession, but when the bad days outweigh the good and your health starts to suffer, time to look at the bigger picture.

 

[Scott_D]

What is it about being gas safe that makes you want to do it?

 

[oz-plumber]

If you can afford to lose 1/2 or more of your current pay for the next 5 years & wipe out your holiday pay & your pension scheme for the rest of your life, then go for it.