Standards For Intensive Plumbing Courses
To begin with newspapers appear to love discussing what can be earned in Plumbing. It is this need for trained Plumbers that has led to salaries of 30-70k p.a. being advertised. The question now is - are we being lied to, or is this the truth? To be fair, this wage level is reasonable for the correctly qualified and experienced Plumber. So whilst those working in the self-employed role can get incomes of 70-100k p.a., those working in more conventional employment routes often find it hard to achieve this salary.
To be fair being with a regular employer often results in working from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm as standard. Approximately wages of 15k and 30k p.a. are reasonable within the UK, along with standard benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance. The self-employed person can generally achieve higher incomes than those available from the traditional approach, but would need to consider working ‘out of hours’ - and probably longer than the typical 9am-6pm Mon-Fri model. Without a doubt in the domestic market many clients require evening and weekend visits and self employed plumbers have to meet that need.
On a personal level remains the issue self-employment, something that does not become everybody. This can involve factors such as getting the basics sorted out and the need to use good ‘business sense’ overall. Equally, most self-employed people will need to pay additional costs to cover their materials and transport, alongside legal and accountancy fees etc. Whilst it is expected that the benefits will be high, the costs can mount up though they should always remain a small part of the income overall. Added to that, the positives virtually always outstrip the negatives!
Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. Equally the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of qualifications within a reasonable time frame. That noted the main drive of self-employed workers is towards the ‘domestic’ market and not that of the commercial sector. (Well the majority do at least)
Furthermore, each route into Plumbing has a necessity on the certification process overall. It is when the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is considered that a considerable discrepancy becomes clear.
To begin with, the Student Entrant appears to rely more heavily on the NVQ structure than the Self Employed Entrant. Therefore many Self Employed Entrants will meet their clients’ needs through the use of a wider range of certifications. In order to be able to meet the needs of the typical household, self-employed persons will need to rapidly gain key domestic-centred qualifications. The Student Entrant will often carry on their studies in the workplace under an apprenticeship where the NVQ element can be assessed. Considering that it is a cheaper way to study then the Student can make practical savings from the start. It is often by gaining certifications faster, by being motivated by a more commercial standpoint that the Self Employed Entrant will achieve considerable financial benefits before a Student Entrant.
Clearly this illustrates the need for a careers discussion that covers certifications and study alongside those of financial returns. It is extremely difficult for adults with a family to look after and needing 20kp.a. to consider going back to college and spending 3 years on low paid-apprenticeship work. Equally, many self-employed students fund the courses themselves whereas the Student Entrants often have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships. The level of certification sought by the student drives the course structure and can result in costs of between 3k through to 10k+.
Self Employed Entrants can consider a wide range of private technical colleges as opposed to the reliance on further-education colleges and that differentiates them from Student Entrants. It is the lead into familiar skill-sets and qualifications that commercially fixed plumbing course companies offer as part of their training paths. One of the main advantages of this method is the opportunity for evening, part-time, and self-study classes - allowing Self Employed Entrants to train whilst continuing with their existing job, thus maintaining their financial situation. Using the range of sources, it makes sense to gather as much detail as possible and through this be able to work out the training college that suits you best. We’ve provided links and a book mark to this page (CTRL-D) so you can come back whenever you wish and review the adverts and options available to you.
To increase their ‘marketability’ many plumbing students will go on to utilise extra courses. Courses in areas such as Gas, Electrical and Green Energy can provide added certifications. A typically popular route for Plumbers is Gas training, especially as this forms part of the usual commercial and domestic heating system.
Without a doubt, NVQ’s that follow on core subjects lead into the careful and precise program that is Gas Training. The opportunity for on-going training is for those who trained first as a plumber and are now seeking to add some extra skills to their repertoire. It is from this position that many believe the mix of Plumbing/Gas Training is more apt to the mature student. By reducing the NVQ parts the Mature Student appears to be able to allow the focus on the core subjects.
The self-employed professional appears to benefit from this distinct training mixture. There is a great empathy for earning money whilst learning a wider range of work skill sets. It is by removing the reliability on third party sub-contraction that results in the increase of the industrial package. Sub-contraction needs to be handled carefully as the erosion of customer satisfaction by having to wait for key work to be completed by third parties can result in a serious reduction in potential earnings. To be fair the more talent a Plumber has in their own job then the more they have to offer their client base.
In conclusion, the Self Employed Entrant can enjoy a much higher (and more quickly achieved) income than a Student Entrant, but they would have to work at developing a broader range of certifications (and consider the business side of things too.) Note: This information refers to the UK industry requirement and their policies alone.
(C) 2009 Scott Edwards. Pop over to www.RetrainingCourses.co.uk/nrecourse.html or Plumbing Training Courses.
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