There are going to be two main options which have a big bearing on your plumbing career and hence your lifestyle. Self employed or employee… that is the question!

Employee Plumber

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…

Self-Employed Plumbers

…And when you get to the bottom of the list for perks you get to the self employed! No sick pay, no pension, no van, no paid holidays, no guaranteed wages to pay the bills, sorting your own tax out… Basically you are out in the mean old world with nothing but your body and your brain.  Not an easy way to start your plumbing career, but if you work hard you can build a successful business that pays you enough to get by ok… and unlike your contemporaries working for British gas and the like, you decide when you work.  As a self-employed person the bulk of your work is likely to be repairing leaks, blockages, fitting bathrooms and changing taps. Fitting bathrooms requires tiling and joinery skills but it is widely recommended that you employ another tradesman for these tasks until you become more skilled in those areas. This also allows you to get to know your fellow trades-people and it may even bring more work by way of recommendation. Fewer qualifications are required for the likes of fitting bathrooms or kitchens but if you intend to work with gas you will need the same education and registration as a British Gas employee would.

General Working Conditions for Plumbers

In either scenario you will sometimes need to work in confined spaces in awkward positions for long periods of time. Physical fitness and strength are good bonuses. The plumbing career choice can be lonely at times and stressfully busy and frantic at others. I have heard people say it is not a job for big people but I know some rather portly plumbers who dispel that myth.

What’s plumbing got to do with plumbs?

The word Plumber comes from as far back as Roman times; back in the day, a lot of roofs where made of lead which translates to plumbum in Latin. This lead was later used to make pipe work for Roman baths and those who had the most experience working with lead where the roofers of the day. Someone skilled in the field of lead work was called a Plumbarius, eventually it was shortened to plumber (presumably because it was less of a mouthful). That’s enough of the history lesson; now let’s look at what it means to be a plumber.

The Plumbers Job Description and Prerequisites

It is what work a Plumber does that makes him a Plumber and what work he/she does varies slightly from country to country in order to meet the demands of a particular society. As the UK has the most stringent requirements in place and its where I live, I will focus this blog on the world of British plumbing.

In the UK the term Plumber encompasses a wide variety of different roles, skill levels and levels of formal qualification; essentially they are skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen who maintains and install pipe based systems that provide people and businesses with drinking water, sewage facilities, drainage and gas for gas-fired heating and. You don’t have to be a gas fitter to be a plumber and if you are a gas fitter you may not fit bathrooms or fix leaks, most people will focus on one particular area and then gain the necessary qualifications. The plumbers I know do tend to do a little bit of everything but a lot of one type of work. Unlike some other countries British plumbers do not normally work with Air conditioning systems. You only need to go outside and look up at the British sky to find out why this is. That doesn’t have to stop you getting an NVQ in air conditioning tho!

Whist no formal qualifications are required for you to work in most areas of plumbing; you will definitely need a lot of skill and knowledge. Some plumbers do everything but gas; these are called ‘wet only plumbers’ and make up the majority. The best way to get this knowledge is by gaining a qualification and working with an experienced plumber. Central heating engineers are required by law to have a certain standard of education and competence they must also be on ‘The Gas Safe Register’ weather they are self employed or an employee. You are also very unlikely to get work in any area of plumbing as an employee unless you have, or are undertaking formal training. You will need to be fairly fit and willing to work in dark, cramped and dirty conditions.

Let’s look at some of the main roles of the mighty Plumbarius! – Common Jobs.

• Gas Fitting and Maintenance (Requires qualification and registration)
• Pipe fitting
• Bathroom Fitting
• Installing domestic appliances like washing machines
• Fixing Leaks
• Clearing Blockages
• Fitting of weather proof materials, joints and flashings to roofs, chimneys and walls etc.