Must Have Plumbing Books

Whether you are interested in simply doing your own home plumbing or learning the plumbing trade you wont get very far without the humble book. I hate to admit it but plumbing books are better than websites when it comes to learning, even these new kindle devices don’t float my boat and I am a big gadget lover. Nothing will ever compare to picking up a hunk of paper and flicking to the page you need.

About Plumbing Technical Certificates

The Technical Certificate is for anyone who has not been a plumber for approx 5+ years, they simply won’t just let you do an NVQ straight off. The tech cert gives you your core training as a Plumber, there is stuff in there that will take ages to digest if you truly want to be a good Plumber. I recommend the day release, it will be cheaper to take a day off a week that spend £6,000 on one of these courses

Step By Step List of Plumbing Qualifications

Welcome to the maze that is ‘Plumbing Related Qualifications’ lets dive straight in and look at some of the most popular recognised courses. They are in the order that they need to be completed in. Most are available from local colleges or through fast track or privately funded organisations. I will also be bringing you some free plumbing courses in a later blog, so call back soon or check the Courses page.

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Becoming a Plumber (Part 2) Fast Tracks

Filed under Becoming a Plumber, Fast Track Courses by admin on 22/11/2009 at 1:25 pm {8 comments

Becoming a Plumber

Welcome to part 2 of the guide, if you missed part 1where we covered Apprenticeships and Adult Trainees [click here]

Those Working as Unqualified Plumbers

If you are already some way into your plumbing career but want to get qualified you can skip the certificates mentioned in the previous post and get straight on the City and Guilds Plumbing (6089) NVQ Level 2 and 3. These courses can usually be completed part time or fast track plumbing courses. Its definitely worth thinking about as from 2010 any tradesman working on a building site will have to have a CSCS card to prove they have an NVQ (or SNVQ for scotland) in their trade, valuable info for those wanting to become a plumber.

Fast Track Plumbing Courses

Fast track courses offer you the option to get qualified quickly and some even offer home study. The qualification won’t be industry recognised unless it is City and Guilds accredited; it must also lead to Technical cert 6129 or the NVQ 6089, more on these soon. You can achieve this in 6 months.

The thing the worries me about fast track courses is their fast track nature, is seems almost gimmicky to me. Learning to be a good plumber will take time, would you want an airline pilot flying you across the Atlantic when he has only a fraction of the real world experience of other pilots? I feel that people may be cheating themselves by taking these courses; it’s all very well getting the qualification but is it a recognised qualification? Have you really learned what the claim to teach? Can you absorb information that quickly? Are they worth the hefty price tag? You should ask yourself all these questions.

It is worth noting that opinions are quite polarised on this subject. Some people swear by fast track courses for becoming a plumber, I have heard people say they are ideal for people looking to go the self employed route. They give you the skills you need to get out there earning money as quickly as possible. The availability of this type of course is also much greater that college placements.

None of these courses are very affordable, if you can only afford cheap plumbing courses you will need to compete to enrol at a local college.

I guess my advice would be do your own research and make up your own mind! Personally I am undecided on fast track plumbing courses.

Plumbing Sponsorship and Grants

At the time of writing there seems to be little about in the way of plumbing grants. It’s worth checking with local companies in your area as well as some larger companies. Certain banks may offer start-up loans for plumbers but deals change all the time so it would be pointless to list any. Depending on where you live there may be government grants that cover a percentage of the course fees. Some courses allow you to pay by instalments but watch out for obscene interest charges, banks are always looking to scam people, especially those wanting to become a plumber.

Google and the yellow pages are your best friends for this task. Good luck!

Becoming a Plumber

How to Become a Plumber

There are a few different ways to become a plumber depending on your age and experience. It normally takes years to become qualified but there are fast track courses. You don’t necessarily need qualifications to do some plumbing jobs but if you want to work for a company you will definitely need some formal qualifications. From 2010 anyone working on a building site will need an NVQ in their trade. There are also a number of useful plumbing books out there but I will cover them in a later post. The best way to gain skills and experience is through training and working with an experienced plumber.

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Working Abroad

Work as a Plumber in Australia or Abroad

For qualified plumbers working abroad is an option. NVQ/SVQ levels 2 and 3 with a technical certificate are recognised in most European Countries, Australia, Canada and the America. Immigration issues aside (which could fit plumbers-Australia-jobs into a whole other blog) If you wanted to work as a plumber in Australia you would normally need to secure work before you go to the country which can be very difficult. Another option would be to get a 1 year working holiday visa then travel to the country with savings to support you until you find work. This makes it easier to gain citizenship. Working in Europe is easier as you can work anywhere without gaining visas but on the flip side there is a big language barrier.

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Plumbing Lifestyle

Plummer’s Working Conditions and Lifestyle

If you work for someone like British gas, apart from being called a ‘Technical engineer’ (a very vague title if you ask me) you will reap many benefits such as steady work, security, earning over 30k, new van bought for you, paid leave, sick pay, tools, pension, a support team (the list goes on) …Pretty sweet, right? This type of work is suited to most people but as you can imagine there is a lot of competition to work for larger companies. As a fully qualified employee most of your time will be spent in the field fixing, fitting and maintaining domestic heating systems. You will usually need more qualifications to be an employee, especially if working with gas. Working for smaller businesses may be more achievable but there are less perks the further down you go…

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Female Plumbers

Female Plumbers

Plumbing is a male dominated trade but more women are working as or training to become plumbers. Women in plumbing a required to have all the same qualities as male counterparts, dedication, hard work, determination to learn and improve.
Often people will be surprised to see a female plumber knocking at their door but on the whole people are positive about it.

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Plumbers Earnings

Plumbers Wages

Before I go into figures I will say that there is a LOT of variation in pay and the figures stated are only approximations based on research. What plumbers get paid depends on experience, education and where you live. Ask yourself: Is there a demand in your area? Or are plumbers adverts all over the classifieds page begging for work?

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Job Requirements

Requirements to Become a Plumber

To train to be a plumber you don’t normally need any experience or qualifications. Some courses plumbing require school leavers to have 4 GCSEs or above as do some plumbing apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are normally only for the under 25’s but sometimes older people do take this route. Mature people who want to learn plumbing may require experience to get on certain courses. There are specific City and Guilds qualifications that can be taken by those with no experience. You can expect a lot of competition to get on courses and you will probably face an aptitude test.

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