Uncovering Plumbing Certificates - StraightForward Advice
We often read in the press of the salaries that the Plumbing trade is achieving. The lack of Plumbers in the UK has led to salaries of 30-70k p.a. being exhibited. So, are we being told a story or is this the genuine picture? For an experienced Plumber, this amount of salary is both realistic and feasible. In fact, earnings in excess of 70 - 100k p.a. are achievable - but that is solely for those who work within the self-employed market-place, rather than those who work within established employment routes.
If you enter the traditional work environment, primarily working for an established employer, then working hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are standard. Indeed salaries of between 15k and 30k p.a. form part of what is expected from employed status in this area, along with the added reward of holiday pay and sickness allowance. However, if the self employed person is willing to work longer than the normal working hours then more money can be earned. For example in the domestic sector where clients are often at work during the working day, self employed plumbers are regularly required to work during evening and weekend visits.
Around which is the question of self employment which appears to fit some people. By using ‘good business sense’, including getting your own cost per hour correct, items such as advertising and marketing can also be worked out. Similarly, to cover additional elements such as legal and accountancy fees and materials and transport, will require the planning of most self-employed people. Although it is expected that these can be relatively small in relation to the earnings overall they can mount up, but then so can the benefits. And the benefits nearly always far outweigh the downsides!
Student Entrants are generally looking for regular employment with a particular employer who can cover most of their working needs and teach them from experience. Alternatively, the Self Employed Entrant needs to quickly establish those certificates that they will rely on in industry. Having said that, the majority of self-employed workers do not join the business sector but focus on the ‘domestic’ market. (The majority do at the very 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.
To be sure the financial returns required is the result of clear careers discussions covering certification and the overall study requirements. It is often the issue of spending time at college and then having to go back to an apprenticeship for up to 3 years that proves difficult to many adults especially those that have a family to look after. Furthermore, many Student Entrants have their studies paid for them whereas the self-employed students fund the variety of course themselves. These courses can run between 3k through to 10k+, depending upon the course and level of certification required and that is something that people need to consider.
For the most part the private colleges are the domain of the Self Employed Entrant whereas the Student Entrant is required to study at recognised further-education colleges. Plumbing training companies can offer commercial routes in to reputable training paths that cover the necessary qualifications and skill-sets. The ability to train in evenings, part-time or in self study classes allowing people to continue with their existing job and maintaining their current financial situation remains one of the key advantages to Self Employed Entrants. With so many colleges at hand, the key is to secure as many with technical data sources and gather them. We’ve provided links and adverts from several, so why not book-mark this page (CTRL-D) so you can come back later to review your options.
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.
With core subjects followed by NVQ’s, Gas Training is a thorough and exact training program. For those who trained as a plumber these schemes offer many options for further development and can clearly seen to add additional skills to the table. It could be said, from that viewpoint, that a hybrid of Plumbing/Gas training would be more suited to the mature student. Indeed, the path for the Mature Student seems to be to drop the NVQ elements and to focus on the core subjects.
From this, the self-employed professional appears to suit the variable training schemes. The opportunity to learn a wider range of perceived skill-sets (whilst earning money from them) becomes the attraction. This further enhances their commercial offering, instead of sub-contracting key skills to a third party. Whilst sub-contracting can reduce the earning of a particular job perhaps more important is the deterioration of the value in a customer’s eye as they have to wait for jobs to be handled by others before completion of the overall task. The higher the skill level of a Plumber the more that they can offer their client base.
Whilst the Student Entrant has the chance to develop through an established employer a Self Employed Entrant can utilise their skill levels through business skills and develop a broader range of certifications to achieve a higher income stream. Note: This information reflects the needs and requirements for the industry and policies of the UK market alone.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Pop to Plumbing Training Courses or City & Guilds Plumbing Courses.
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