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TFGplumbing

Plumbers Arms member
Plumber
Gas Engineer
Oct 8, 2011
997
326
63
Carmarthenshire, West Wales
Member Type
Heating Engineer (Has GSR)
About 7 years ago I decided to be a plumber, my Dad got me into it, even though hes not a plumber by trade he knows alot and has taught me a vast amount, I think he got me to help him install some new radiators on a job he was doing. I really enjoyed it and decided to go to college. I spent four years in college and couldnt find an apprenticeship so I took a years break from plumbing. Iam a qualified butcher aswell so i did that for my "break" i was getting desperatly frustrated that i couldnt finish off qualifications so i sent out roughly 60-70 cvs to plumbing companies. I got one job offer and frankly took a large pay cut to follow my ''plumbers dream'' (lol) I was with that company for about 18 months.. they went bust earlier this year. But in those 18 months i managed to get my nvq 2 and all relevant gas experience to become gas safe. Iam 26 and I have just started out on my own as a sole trader. It was always my dream to be self employed, and now Iam hear doing what I want to do and its great!! Ok at the moment buisness is slow and patchy, but iam trying to build a name for myself and its going pretty well, I not under any illusions that its going to be easy but I like a challenge!!
 
You can train to be a doctor in 6!

Good work though. Good things really do come to those who wait. They also come to those who don't but not quite as often.

Best of luck. If you can show as much determination (and willingness to earn peanuts) in slowly building business in these troublesome times you'll do just fine.
 
All wanna be plumbers should read this to get an idea what it takes to get this far

Well done mate
 
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Well done ! :clap:
Just shows it's not a closed trade, you just need to be prepared to plug away at it & not expect huge amounts of money within a few months like some training courses will have you believe.
 
You'll do just fine. 7 years of ups & downs and you've stuck with it & achieved your aims and if you like a challenge, this business will give you bundles. Well done 😀
 
well done mate from joints of beef to joints on pipes in 5 years an example to all the whinging wannabees we see here
good luck with your future
 
so you gave butchering the 'chop' to become a plumber :beatnik:

Well done to get this far and remember you will always be learning

getting a customer base is what you need now so get advertising and leaflet dropping etc
 
bet you still get a discount on this years turkey, fair play mate, plug away and dont give up
 
dont forget to put the meat cleaver in the box for those customers who complain about the bill, works every time.
 
i like to hear of people with the enthusiasm to succeed, if you keep working you will get there
 
Thanks for the response guys, Ive read alot of posts on here from people who have just started college, want to do a fast track course or looking are for apprenticeships. And fair play to them for wanting to take up the trade but it can be a very hard path to take at times and you really have to stick at it. It made me feel a bit nostalgic, thinking what I have strived for.
Even after 7 years of experience (2 years full time) I Still have questions to ask at times; I literally learn something new every day and by no means do I know everything; just hopefully enough to make informed choices and keep customers happy.
 
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Makes a change to read a positive post. Well done. I'm still chasing the elusive dream and feeling pretty uninspired with all the negative posts from know it alls and NIMBY's, of which some I can really understand but it's still not helpful. I've offered to work for nothing 7 days a week for 50 plumbers in the last week and got nowhere. Welcome to the world of plumbing ey! Keep it going fellow Welshy, the boy done good!
 

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