Fishing Poles, Waders And Supplies

We often read in the press of the salaries that the Plumbing trade is achieving. 30-70k p.a. is often talked about because of the lack of Plumbers. So, is this the truth of the matter, or are we being lied to? For an experienced Plumber, this amount of salary is both realistic and feasible. To be fair, the higher earnings of 70-100k p.a. are generally for those working within the self-employed field.

If you are working for a traditional company within the UK, then the hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are normal. Approximately wages of 15k and 30k p.a. are reasonable within the UK, along with standard benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance. A self-employed person can earn more money than this traditional approach, but will often need to work outside of the Mon- Fri, 9am to 6pm example. Without a doubt in the domestic market many clients require evening and weekend visits and self employed plumbers have to meet that need.

Also there is the factor of self-employment and whether it goes with some people more than others. Finally there is good 'business sense', such as getting the hourly rate correct, advertising and marketing budgets spot on which are all important. Equally, most self-employed people will need to pay additional costs to cover their materials and transport, alongside legal and accountancy fees etc. 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. Plus the profits nearly always beat the odds!

Firstly, it is the ordinary employer who covers most of the needs and teaching prospects that Student Entrants are interested in. Alternatively, the Self Employed Entrant needs to quickly establish those certificates that they will rely on in industry. In fairness it is the 'domestic' market rather than the commercial sector that attracts the majority of the self-employed workers in the UK. (Whilst not everyone does the majority do!)

There does appear to be some union between certification relating to each path of Plumbing education and hence the industry. It is when the issue of NVQ's (SVQ's in Scotland) is considered that a considerable discrepancy becomes clear.

To begin with the NVQ structure appears to be much more important to the Student Entrant than to the Self Employed Entrant. The Self Employed Entrant will often call upon a wider range of certifications right from the outset; in order to satisfy their perceived client's requirements. The self employed person needs to consider the wishes of their household clients and use the relative domestic-centred qualifications to satisfy them. The Student Entrant, once they have covered the key fundamentals, will carry on their study in a way similar to an apprenticeship (within the workplace - where the NVQ element can be assessed.) By using this cheaper form of study the Student Entrant can make sound financial savings from the outset. 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.

It is by covering the study needs along with those of a clear careers discussion that meet the financial rewards. For adults with demands of say a 20kp.a and a family to look after, the prospect of going back to college and spending a further 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work can be very daunting. It should also be remembered that many younger Student Entrants are entering an apprenticeship and thereby have their courses paid for them whereas the mature self-employed students do not. Depending on the level of certification sought and the course itself the costs for people can run into 3k 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. Often through the use of established training schemes many commercially oriented plumbing courses are now able to deliver the necessary skill-sets and qualifications. This method offers key advantages to Self Employed Students, allowing them to train evenings, part-time or on self-study classes thereby continuing with their existing jobs and maintaining their financial situation. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. To review your options why not book mark this page (CTRL-D) and you can come back and review the links and adverts we have provided for you.

By going on added training programs many plumbing students seek to increase their 'marketability'. These courses can provide a range of additional certifications in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical. Forming part of the common domestic and commercial heating system, Plumbers have often opted for Gas Training.

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. From this idea the mature student works better with a fusion offered by Gas/Plumbing training. By reducing the NVQ parts the Mature Student appears to be able to allow the focus on the core subjects.

It is from this mix of training methods that the self-employed professional appears to benefit. The opportunity to learn a wider range of perceived skill-sets (whilst earning money from them) becomes the attraction. Instead of having to rely upon third parties to complete certain skill-sets, this adds to their commercial viability. Sub-contracting can not only reduce the earning potential of a job, but also erode the value in the customer's eye, as they may have to wait for key stages to be handled by someone else before the final completion of the job. The higher the skill level of a Plumber the more that they can offer their client base.

Finally, whilst the Student Entrant breaks into the industry more quickly the Self Employed Entrant has the opportunity for higher potential earnings, but to do so they need to develop a broader range of certifications and a higher level of business skill sets. Note: This relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Navigate to CLICK HERE or Plumbing NVQ.

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