Ant

If I went back to college full time to do a plumbers course would it be free?

Anyone done it? And done it with the responsiblity of a family?

Hysteria1983

I think it depends on how the government fund courses in your area, and with individual colleges.
I think it is worked out on household earnings, as it's expected only certain people require the course to be free.

Don't hold me to that though, I'm just going on the info I was given regarding the same issue, different course... Of course

syko89

from 16-19 years old its free, after that i think it comes down to household earnings as said above.

Ant

Hmmm, it's either going down the plumbing route or thinking about going the whole hog and doing uni

Leslie

You have to do it the way you think suits you best.

Best of luck anyway.

Les

bigsinky

you wouldnt survive uni you pipe bender

Ant

haha i would, it's easy they only go couple of days.


and all the young whipper snappers will think the old guy is cool with his mac

need4speeduk

iTrader: (26)

I went back to college and then uni at the age of 30.

Wasn't easy and I had to work two part time jobs to get by but it was worth the 4 years of struggle becuase I now love what I do.

If you do it I'd say do it properly. 100%, not half ars*d. And make sure you're doing it because at the end of it you'll be doing something you really want to do.

And if its full time like mine was then its a full 5 day week 9-5 most days. Courses will vary obviously but dont go into it thinking its a two day week holiday camp cos its not.

Even harder with a family to support I'd imagine but if its what you really want then I'd say go for it.

mart360

I went back at 30 to do a 4 year course ..

2 courses over 10 hours a week ( 2 evenings )

Originally when i started, my employer gave me the day off to study before going to college...

When i changed Jobs half way through the course, (redundancy lol) my new employers, paid for the rest of the course, but no time off.

Bloody hard work, but as the others say, well worth it.

lot of work from your own side to do with only you to motivate you

Mine was a 1500 word dissertation every module, & a three hour exam for each module

Then the last one is a 10,000 word dissertation


In total i did 8 modules for my course, one i managed to do twice, getting a distinction both times


Mart

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

I'm assuming you're a bit old to do an apprenticeship like me? AFAIK they're for 16-24 year olds but would gladly be corrected?

Ant

Im 25

Ant

Had a good think about it. I'm going for the big one.

I'm going to do a access to he in law September , then off to uni hopefully

need4speeduk

iTrader: (26)

Plumbing to Law? Quite a change.

No offense mate but maybe take some time to consider what it is that really floats your boat career wise.

At 25 you are in no rush.

Ant

yeah I know. But didn't know they did a access to he in law.

JTaylor

I went back at 26. Did Business Studies BA (hons) first-time around and hated it, so went back and did Politics with Sociology which I absolutely loved. Worked thirty hours a week as trainer with the sales side of Royal Mail in the evenings, had my own flat, car and so on and managed. It was exhausting but also the best of times.

mamoon2

And what do you do now?

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

My (unemployed) better half went to college to do a BTec dog grooming course 10 weeks long. Because I have a job I had to pay for it...

Shaun

JTaylor

Still in sales, but my second course was always about learning, it wasn't vocational. If I ever summon-up the courage to take the pay-cut, I'd like to go in to teaching.

paulwrxboro

Most plumbers are sat on there ***** at the moment as are most trades
Good job on changeing your mind

bigsinky

you aren't smart enough to do law. just continue playing with your erections.

Ant

Haha that's what you think I did a year of a level maths and physics but cut it short to join the forces

Looking back what a mistake is was

Saint AAI

I went back to college when I was 23, did a slightly different route though. Signed up for an HNC in Electrical and electronic engineering which was two days a week, then hounded loads of local companies until I got a job. Didn't bother looking in any papers just wrote to the companies anyway. First job I hated, but managed to get another company to take me on as a maintenance engineer in a factory and never looked back. Once I had my HNC I landed a better job as an electrical engineer, still work for the same company, but now I'm chargehand electrical engineer and do mainly PLC and HMI programming. Wanted to carry on with my studies, but where I am now won't give me the time off and I do too many hours to fit it in after work at the moment. I will do my BSC eventually though.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

I remember in my first apprentice year doing an appreciation module on PLC's within pneumatics/hydraulics. It bored the living daylights out of me But I'm more mechanically minded and hate electrics so probably explains it. Quite lucky in that Tata Steel offer their apprentices the chance to study HNDs and upwards from the first year. There was/are 17 year olds on the apprenticeship going to uni at 17

Having a family now alongside my djing and commission artwork mean I simply don't have the time... And I'm probably too thick to study beyond A-level standard, ie HND & uni.

Saint AAI

We buy from Tata, I work for Ardagh formally Impress. I like PLC programming, but the HMI's I find boring.

bigsinky

i went back to college/university at 25. it was a major PITA. i was working 7 days a week at that stage. then out 2 nights a weeks from 5pm - 9pm. i was fooked. glad i did now.

bugeyejohn

iTrader: (11)

My son finished his level 2 in plumbing last year and it was free as he was 18, i think it would have cost around 3.5k a year otherwise depending on income. I paid for 2k for a plastering course for my other son as he was over 19 now there both working in engineering.