Want To Learn a Trade Skill? Why Not Get Plumbing Qualifications?

People will always need the services of qualified plumbers, in good times and bad. Commercial work might be harder to find, but householders easily make up for the shortfall. We constantly hear how difficult it is to get someone to fix a leaking tap or sort out a bathroom toilet. And with bargain kitchen units and bathroom suites from the likes of B&Q, householders are always on the lookout for decent trades-people to fit them. All in all then, enrolling on a plumbing course can be a very smart career move.

Free In-Depth Information

You can quickly get into profit once you've mastered the skills and passed your exams. But to avoid any confusion about what you need or don't need to know, we recommend you go through our detailed FREE Plumbing Research Booklet. It will make sense of all the course features offered by the various plumbing trainers.

Download the e-book first, and go through it when you've got some time to spare. And then return to this page to refer to any of the training companies offering plumbing courses. You could put it in your Favourites file to make it easier to find again.

Convert To Self-Employment

Something that appeals to many adult re-trainers is the concept of being their own boss. Generally speaking most newly trained plumbers over thirty go for domestic work that they can take care of by themselves. This is hardly surprising when you realise how much work is out there, and the kind of money that decent plumbers can make.

Try to build a good rapport with your clients - they're more likely to speak well of you to others if you do. Your training will give you the technical know-how, but it's also important to use good people skills whenever you're around others. (After all you never know who's considering your services!) When you're in someone's home, try not to invade their privacy too much.

As a rule, those working for commercial plumbers will put in around 37-40 hours, Mon-Fri only. Domestic plumbers are best not to restrict themselves too rigidly though. Many working people can't afford to take time off work, so plumbers who will visit outside working hours can often get much better business.

Rewarding Work For Years To Come...

Skilled plumbers with the right certifications are set for life - people will always need your services. Emergency work makes you a hero, and everybody loves a new bathroom or kitchen so each job can be really satisfying.

You won't be bored with repetitive work that just becomes the same old thing. Each day will present you with new and interesting challenges.

If you're planning to run your own business, you'll need to get a feel for how to do good quotes. Naturally this means budgeting in all your own costs as well as labour and materials.

It sounds complicated, but it's quite straightforward really. Some of the commercial training centres will give guidance on this.

How Can I Get Started?

You can take City & Guilds training for various plumbing courses in both further education colleges and commercial colleges. Young trainee plumbers in their teens tend to go for work experience as well as college to get practical NVQ certifications as well.

But adult career movers usually keep their old jobs whilst they study evenings and weekends on the new one. That's why so many private colleges have emerged, which cater for career changers who sometimes only need domestic training. Their fees will be higher, but in the long run they're more cost effective for the person looking to work for themselves in a predominantly domestic environment.

Supplementary Skills

When you do your training course, you'll learn all about common plumbing processes and the key principles you need to know. It's also worth thinking about taking some extra courses so you can do more of a job yourself. You could get qualified to work on unvented hot water storage systems or water regulations or gas.

It's a big positive to have several strings to your bow. Each job will be more cost effective, and leave more money in your pocket. You won't have to work around plasterers or electricians timetables if you can do small jobs yourself.

If you're looking to change careers and want reliable, well-paid on-going work, this could well be the right choice for you.