Non-plum newbie: Is my idea realistic?

[robinwatson]

Hi guys,

I'm a (non-plum) newbie but hope to be here for a long time. I really REALLy need your advice, though:

I'm a 35-yr old graphic designer wanting to retrain. I was hoping you could tell me whether you think my proposition for getting trained up is realistic:

While training for 6029 TC (1-yr evening course, Guildford College - NOT a fast-track course), I need an NVQ3 plumber who will allow me to work with him for 1 day a week, for 2 years. I propose to pay him £1000 p/a cash (£2000 over 2 years), work without pay, and could also create branding/marketing/website/leaflets etc. In exchange I want to help and learn as much as possible, and complete my NVQ2 portfolio for external assessment. So, in summary:

Plumber gets:

* Unpaid worker, 1 day a week for 2 years
* £1000 a year (£2K total)
* Free website, business card, leaflet, branding, marketing services
* Assurance that I'll take courses to support my plumbing training throughout the 2 years
* Assurance that I'll not set up as a plumber in his area on completion of NVQ2

I get:

* On-the-job training
* The chance to increasingly do actual plumbing work
* Help building up and signing off my NVQ2 portfolio of work

Please - any thoughts you have at all on how realistic this is would help. My 6029 TC course begins Sep 2011.

I live in Hampshire, but am moving to Cornwall on completion of NVQ2.

Thanks for reading this, and hope to speak to you all again.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

see if some ones prepared to take you on as a free worker before you start offering cash,a extra pair of hands is often needed in this trade

 

[Blake]

Train me up on how to be a graphic designer so that I can work from home and save my knees and in return I'll give you my business 🙂

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Train me up on how to be a graphic designer so that I can work from home and save my knees and in return I'll give you my business 🙂

sounds a fair swap,not to mention your back

 

[quality]

Give me your job any day I would probably still have all digits on. Each hand if I did not do this job !!!

 

[robinwatson]

see if some ones prepared to take you on as a free worker before you start offering cash,a extra pair of hands is often needed in this trade

Thanks, gasman. So I guess you think my idea is basically sound - that's encouraging. I figure a cash payment is needed since I'm looking not just to help out, but also for some explanation of procedure, and some practical training etc. Have you ever taken on an apprentice or 'mate'?

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

yes we currently have the brother in law

 

[metaldust9]

i think one of your main problems is .to do this for you ,the person you work with, will have to put you on his insurance and also i dont think you can take someone on without paying them cos of minimum wage and tax etc unless your self employed then you have to prove youve earned nothing cos if you already have a job its diffrent tax rules and if someone does it on the quiet and owt goes wrong ie you get injured he,s in the stum

 

[robinwatson]

Train me up on how to be a graphic designer so that I can work from home and save my knees and in return I'll give you my business 🙂

Thanks, bronzino. If we lived closer together, I'd take you up on it, so be careful what you wish for!

The design industry suffers from ageism (I've never met a graphic designer over age 40), there are SO many GD graduates, progression is non-existant, and the web, 'apps' and specialisation means you're constantly in the process of becoming irrelevant. Also, if you've ever worked in an office, you'll know how monotonous every day can be (same desk, same screen, same drawer full of mushroom cup-a-soups...). I know the grass is always greener, but I really need to make a change, or I'll go slightly mad.

Seriously, though, that's a cracking idea. If any budding designers in the Hampshire area are reading this...

 

[robinwatson]

i think one of your main problems is .to do this for you ,the person you work with, will have to put you on his insurance and also i dont think you can take someone on without paying them cos of minimum wage and tax etc unless your self employed then you have to prove youve earned nothing cos if you already have a job its diffrent tax rules and if someone does it on the quiet and owt goes wrong ie you get injured he,s in the stum

Hmm...tricksy...I could pay for the insurance hike, and my status would be 'work experience placement', which means I wouldn't need paying. What do you think?

 

[Avatar]

And exactly how much do you get paid as a grahpic designer?

Are you sure you want to move into a trade for which is already oversubsribed, and there is not enough jobs for the thousands of retrained plumbers as it is?

You do realise that there is not a shortage of plumbers, don't you?

Why would you want to give up a nice secure job like you have got, and come into plumbing?

The amount of work is so bad in plumbing at the moment I have been comnsidering getting another job, AND i retrained to become a plumber in the first place . . .

Think long and hard about it, as the problems you face as a graphgic designer may be nothing comapared to trying to work self employed as a plumber!

 

[Bartdude]

You've probably seen this already but..........

http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/plumbing-forum/16347-am-i-qualified-enough.html

 

[robinwatson]

And exactly how much do you get paid as a grahpic designer?

Are you sure you want to move into a trade for which is already oversubsribed, and there is not enough jobs for the thousands of retrained plumbers as it is?

You do realise that there is not a shortage of plumbers, don't you?

Why would you want to give up a nice secure job like you have got, and come into plumbing?

The amount of work is so bad in plumbing at the moment I have been comnsidering getting another job, AND i retrained to become a plumber in the first place . . .

Think long and hard about it, as the problems you face as a graphgic designer may be nothing comapared to trying to work self employed as a plumber!

Thanks, Av - I appreciate your help. I get paid £15 p/h, and I'm on a rolling 3-month contract, so my contract expires every 3 months. I'm one of the lucky ones. Working from home as a graphic designer is hard: getting and keeping regular work that pays enough to sustain you is virtually impossible for the vast majority, and there's a MASS of people coming in who probably think it'll be easy to set up as freelancers. Bit like plumbing in that respect, I guess!
One thing about plumbing: It's a skillset I can take with me when we move - whether that's to Cornwall, Tasmania or somewhere else altogether (long story). And the thing I keep reminding myself of is this: Who will employ me as a GD in 4 years time when I'm 40? Or in 14 years time when I'm 50? No bugger.

 

[Blake]

I guess ultimately only you know what is best mate and I hear what you are saying about GD. I have friends who did it at Uni years ago and most are no longer in the game. Those that are do find it rather cut throat, but I guess it's all about finding a niche and getting some lucky breaks along the way.

My wife is an account manager for a marketing company serving the NHS so she deals with GD's all day 🙂

 

[Avatar]

I considered taking my business out to india or a similair developing countrie, as they are spending loads putting up western style high rise buildings, and western styles plumbing is very desirable out there.

Having said that the skill isn't directly transferable to the different cultures as there differences with all of them.

I will be honest mate - I love plumbing, but I am having to consdier looking elsewhere to earn enough from it. And I am properly skilled as well!

You will have on heck of a learning curve, if you do take it on . . .

 

[fuzzy]

good idea but not disimilar to others, you have put it across better granted but your in the same boat as all the others.

plus, there is NO 6129 from April this year

 

[SafeGasInstall]

can you do a web said for me ,if so can you e mail me pls !

[email protected]

 

[robinwatson]

I considered taking my business out to india or a similair developing countrie, as they are spending loads putting up western style high rise buildings, and western styles plumbing is very desirable out there.

Having said that the skill isn't directly transferable to the different cultures as there differences with all of them.

I will be honest mate - I love plumbing, but I am having to consdier looking elsewhere to earn enough from it. And I am properly skilled as well!

You will have on heck of a learning curve, if you do take it on . . .

Thanks for the advice, Avatar - you're a leg end. My options are still open as to what I retrain in, and it's sad to think that plumbing has become such a hard trade. I may look elsewhere - radiography is a good career...

 

[robinwatson]

can you do a web said for me ,if so can you e mail me pls !

[email protected]

Certainly can. I'll email you tonight...

 

[HoodedClaw]

I gave up 20+ years of I.T. to do something different 18 months ago, Property developing (done a few and love it) and part time plumbing to fill in the quiet times, can take months to buy/sell so need 2nd job.

finished my C&G 6129 and started smaller jobs, love it. So nice to use my hands and brain - away from the desk - it was killing me.

Pay wise, well I'm not materialistic anymore, I don't go out more than once month for drinks, and budget is the new spend, and its worth every thousand I now dont earn (untll I flog a house).

One of my tutors will take me on for the gas pre-req hours as I'm 'not as stupid as most the trainees' and having seen some - well they wont work near my houses!

So your best bet will to just offer your services for free, don't pay - you will only attract someone after the money. just make sure your able to get to have a go at all the different tasks needed for the NVQ, some people will only do bathroom installs, boiler replacements etc. and one day a week might not get you variation. Offer to demonstrate for a few days - see if you get on and hes happy with your input (not just in the way) and your happy with their style of guidance - I know I couldn't work with a lot of plumbers I've seen out there, all mouth and storys.. and I'm sure many wouldn't work with me either 😉

GL, when you do go out on your own, expect it to be slow - it takes a while to get your name used.

 

[robinwatson]

Thanks, Hoody. It's really reassuring to know that there are some career change success stories out there - and I don't mean in terms of getting rich quick and easy, either. You sound like you have similar motivations as I do: Office life is just a bit too much like being dead. Nice website, by the way.

 

[HoodedClaw]

lol.. now I know your taking the micky, the website is terrible, but it will do till I have the right frame of mind redoing it 😉

Yep - if your motivated by money, plumbing is not the answer, I like helping people, fixing stuff and feeling like what I do makes a difference. If I plumbed full time I am pretty sure I could make a living from it and build it up to a good business model, but it will take 2 years i think to get my name about as a good/honest/affordable plumber to fill a weeks working hours. till then, every job you take you will be because your cheaper/available/just got your leaflet.. Now I like recommended/local/independent. i walked the local streets a few months back and got some work from it - now I'm being recomnemded in the community, doing small jobs has turned into future big jobs where I've been the only plumber to actually turn up to look at the shower problem/tap drip/leaking loo etc.

Hard work, if/when you do start - do it in spare time, people like evening/weekend work and see how it goes with cashflow still coming in.

 

[fuzzy]

remember robin the 6129 does not exsist after april

 

[robinwatson]

remember robin the 6129 does not exsist after april

Thanks, fuzz - actually, I knew that but don't know what will replace it. Anyone got a frying pan I can jump out of?

 

[GQuigley67]

shame you don't live near me as I'm looking for a graphics designer and I'm getting quoted at about £600 the now for what I want !! 🙂

 

[KingDoey]

Thanks, fuzz - actually, I knew that but don't know what will replace it. Anyone got a frying pan I can jump out of?

After April you can only do an NVQ and you HAVE to be employed.

 

[fanlynne]

Hello everyone,glad to meet you here,hope to know more about you...........