We often read in the press of the salaries that the Plumbing trade is achieving. Figures of 30-70k p.a. are touted, alongside much talk of the profound shortage in the number of Plumbers within the UK. So, is this the truth of the matter, or are we being lied to? Certainly this level of payment is both possible and achievable for the correctly qualified Plumber. Whilst salaries of 70-100k p.a. are possible, it remains chiefly for self employed people, rather than those working in the customary routes.
However, working for regular employers often results in the typical hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Normal remuneration such as holiday pay and sickness allowance, along with wages of between 15k and 30K p.a., are usual from UK companies in this area. 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. This is more common in the domestic market where self employed plumbers often have to work evenings and weekends to suit those clients that work during the week.
There is also the issue of self-employment itself - which definitely suits some people more than it suits others. By using ‘good business sense’, including getting your own cost per hour correct, items such as advertising and marketing can also be worked out. Equally, most self-employed people will need to pay additional costs to cover their materials and transport, alongside legal and accountancy fees etc. These charges should always remain a small proportion of the overall income so that any profits created always outweigh them. Added to that, the positives virtually always outstrip the negatives!
Without a doubt Student Entrants are looking for companies who can offer them regular employment and thereby teach them from experience. As quickly as possible the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of accreditations that they will rely upon. Having said that, we should bear in mind that the majority of self-employed workers tend to migrate towards the narrower ‘domestic’ market, rather than the commercial sector. (The majority do at the very least)
In terms of plumbing education, there appears to be some similarity between the certification modules required by each path into the industry. It is when the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is considered that a considerable discrepancy becomes clear.
From the outset, it is clear that the Self Employed Entrant does not depend as much upon the NVQ’s as the Student 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. To satisfy their typical household-based client base many self-employed persons will need to quickly focus on the relative domestic skill sets. In a similar way to an apprenticeship the Student Entrant will, once the core learning tools have been learned, enter the workplace and be able to carry on the NVQ element of their study. As it is cheaper form of study overall then the Student Entrant can make financial savings from the beginning. It is fair to say that long before the Student Entrant the Self Employed Entrant can gain financial benefits through establishing certifications faster and by being more commercially motivated.
Clearly this illustrates the need for a careers discussion that covers certifications and study alongside those of financial returns. 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. 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. These costs (for self-employed status) can often end up around 3k-10k+, dependent upon the course structure and the level of certification sought.
Whilst the Self Employed Entrant can consider a wider range of education forms including private colleges the Student Entrant is limited to known further-education colleges. Often through the use of established training schemes many commercially oriented plumbing courses are now able to deliver the necessary skill-sets and qualifications. In the current climate the ability of Self Employed Entrants to maintain their current financial situation and job, whilst at the same time as training in the evening, part-time or on self study classes remains one of the advantages of this system. With the high number of colleges it makes sense to gather as much technical data as you can. 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.
It is through the use of bonus courses that many plumbing students want to increase their ‘marketability’. Areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical training can offer additional qualifications to Plumbers. As part of the commercial and domestic heating procedures, Gas training continues to be popular with Plumbers.
Gas Training is considered a dedicated training program with key subjects followed by important NVQ’s. It is the ability to add extra skills to the fore, along with the features that on-going training offers that continue to be attractive to those who trained as a plumber. From this stance, the mature student is often more suited to a cross of Plumbing/Gas training. Indeed, the path for the Mature Student seems to be to drop the NVQ elements and to focus on the core subjects.
It is this blend of training that would appear to satisfy the needs of the self-employed professional. The opportunity to earn money whilst at the same time gain a wider range of skills is certainly part of the attraction. It is by removing the reliability on third party sub-contraction that results in the increase of the industrial package. Having to wait for critical phases to be completed by sub-contractors can not only reduce the earning potential of each job but can also negatively affect a customer’s perception of a job value overall. In order to offer more value to their relative clients Plumbers need to be more skilled in their job role.
In consideration therefore the Self Employed Entrant has the chance to earn considerably more and at a realistically higher pace than the Student Entrants, to do so they do have to develop both the range of certifications that they hold and consider the business elements as well. Note: This relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.
(C) 2009 - S. Edwards. Pop over to Plumbing Certificates or Intensive Plumbing Courses.
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