Ok, I'm hearing a lot these days how good and lucrative retraining as a plumber is.

But is it really?

I've been looking at some of the courses (full-time, part-time, long distance stuff) available these days and they're all saying "in a few months we can teach you up to NVQ level", and "this leads on to city and guilds qualification" etc, but are any of them actually any good?

Does anyone know, or has anyone on here actually gone through this and retrained as a plumber, and is the end result as good as everyone makes out?
Are people earning those great wages and getting lots out of it?

I'm a fed up with what I'm doing now, fancy something better, and it just sounds too good to be true

I suspect like most things it is a misrepresentation. You will need to invest quite a bit of training up front, probably followed by working as an aprentice / assistant to get the hands on experience. Then you can go it alone and if you do predominately emergeny call work, you may do quite well out of it.

Plumbers are earning good money at the minute but what must also be taken into consideration is that there are a lot of people currently thinking of/training to be plumbers.

So when you are successfully qualified, so are 10,000+ extra others, meaning the wage will go down again and the money is no longer 'all that'.

Still, the country will always need plumbers so you will always earn a decent wage no matter what.

and to earn decent money you need to either specialise or work long hours - its no easy ride

One of the big problems leading to a lack of plumbers is that the Plumbers union rejected the government funding assistance training scheme which means any apprentice is 100% paid by the business. I've given retraining as a plumber some some thought as well - I'm a trained mech tech working as an accountant just now

Yeah I had thought about the fact there'll soon be loads of plumbers about

Depending on the area they work in some plumbers are on good money. Some are probably on 20-25k though. Plasterers are also very much in demand in some areas. There is no guarantee of the money, much in the same way as there are lots of accountants on 30k and some on 80k.

The market is becoming flooded. I am a qualified heating enginner and i am looking at changing my career.

christ didn't think i was on the same as an accountant!

I'd be bloody happy with 30k a year

So the markets gonna be flooded (no pun intended) soon then, not worth doing?

I tried to get on a course over a year ago but the lady at the college just laughed and said it was booked up for the next 3 years! The only available spaces were for apprentices being sponsored by plumbing firms.

RR, why would a heating engineer want to change career? Quotes to install a new combi range from £1500 to £3000 in London. Two days work. A new combi will cost between £400 - £700.
I've yet to hear of a heating engineer/plumber that doesn't walk away with at least £80-£100 for the smallest fix. It's not hard to work out the maths.

There is plenty of money in plumbing. Only plumbers will tell you otherwise.

I earn £300-350 per week after tax bonus depending. My wife earns £500 a week as a teacher after tax.

http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/cms.asp?Page=/Home

Do a search in your area for a heating eng/plumber and see how many jobs there are which say they are paying 30k a year. Plumbers earn less than Heating Engs as well.

She's on £500 per week after tax? That's good going for a teacher, equating to £40k per annum, if my sums are right.

I remember PSLewis being shouted down when he dared suggest teachers are paid a lot of money

His problem is that amongst all the crap he posts the truth sometimes gets overlooked or ignored.

That's the price you pay for being a troll 95% of the time

How about a sparky, how much do they earn?

A far better way of saying what I meant

i thought sparkys n plumbers etc all earn about the same ?

Remember that all the rubbish about 60k a year sent alot of people to plumber school. Combined with the influx of Polish trades then the wages won't stay high for long. Plus trades get learn't on the job not at School. Sparky is a better bet but to get work as a self employed sparky you need a network of friends and other people in the trade you trust you and will reccomend you to other people. If you can do this you can charge up to £20.00 an hour but you only learn these these jobs properly through experience. City and guild means sweet FA in the real world.

I'm sorry but you are talking utter crap, qualifications mean everything otherwise you will be ONLY earning £20ph and putting peoples lives at risk.
A fully qualified plumber/heating engineer can easily achieve £60k.....

Mog

Utter Bollocks. Not in my post code. Maybe a rougue trader in London.

I'm presuming you're not self employed, RR.

British gas are clearing up the private market except on installation work. I have always worked for companys and in 15 years have only worked for one good one.

I have to admit a highly qualified teacher. But she is capable of increasing her wages still futher. Thats why when we decide its time for kids i will become a stay at home dad. I earn at best £25k with 28 days holiday she prob gets 10-15weeks a year holiday, sick pay etc. Trust me there are worse jobs than what i do but its not like its made out to be in the media look at what an average British Gas engineer earns a year shift work etc. My hourly rate is £10.40 just to give you an idea of my earning. If £60k is achievable then i want to do it and would without a second thought.

You would need to be self employed, I charge £45+vat ph, the hourly rate in the Bucks area varies between £25 and £90 making me average, this is actual real world rates as I recently rang round local plumbers. If you want to work for a company why don't you work for one of the boiler manufacturers as they are offering min £30k + benefits.

Mog

Worcester are paying £27k. BG £25k. I need to move South by the looks of things.

Don't tell me I am talking crap. DO you really think that a 26 year old who has left IT and done a one year course in plumbing is going to earn an instant good wage while knowing sweet FA and having no corgi or experience to fall back on. My point MOG is that a year in a city and guilds does not give you instant ability to go and earn 60k you have to work and learn what you are doing. The plumber/gas engineers I use have first class reputations have been in the industry for 20 plus years form the age of fifteen and know their stuff. Know one in their right mind would hire some numptie who has just skipped from IT to plumbing to fit a gas fire.

Well I read all the replies yes plumbing is a well payed job if your s/e and know your job I am plumber/heating engineer and I have met some 2min wonders who could'nt join hands far less water pipes and going to school for
a year thats a joke any one who hires cowboy plumbers get taken to the cleaners as it costs double to sort it out time served men are the best and all ways will be getting the right training with a tradesman on the job is the only way and it takes years and if the truth was known being a plumber is crap all these women ticking all the time and feeding you coffee still it fills the day

My old man retired 4 years ago and started up on his own in his previous career as plumber / gas fitter. He had to take the Corgi exams which he didn't when he used to work but after that he was laughing. I'm actually pretty jealous because he is his own boss, only works part time and can afford to pick and choose his work - its more of a hobby to him. Keeps him out from under my Mums feet

I've often thought of jacking it in in the city and becoming his apprentice! Admittedly he is very good and has an excellent reputation but he has found a niche market with estate agents / letting agencies. We live in a University town with lots of rented accomodation and half his work is performing safety tests on boilers. Only takes about an hour to fully certify a boiler system and he charges £65 per system (which is less than most companies charge).

He only does a few jobs a day, turns down loads of work and seems very happy. I'm chuffed for him

I left a very good job a number of years ago and re-trained as a plumber & Gas Fitter not for any other reason than to learn a skilled trade and to get job satisfaction before I got to old and comfortable.

I currently work for a small company based in London and the money is good but it isn't brilliant, certainly not what has been banded around in the press. The only way to make money is to go into business for yourself which is something I will be doing in a couple of years.

If you're going to do it, do it for the right reasons not under any illusion that you'll make a mint and retire in your forties.

This sounds about right. I am sick of hearing about 40-50-60k a year. The average heating engineer working for a decent company will earn 24k-35k on average area dependent. Just my thoughts.