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The salaries of Plumbers are often talked about in the national press. Salaries of 30-70k p.a. are often discussed, along with the lack of plumbers within the UK. Is this really a fib – or is this in fact accurate? For the competent and correctly skilled person, this level of salary is realistic. So whilst those working in the self-employed role can get incomes of 70-100k p.a., those working in more conventional employment routes often find it hard to achieve this salary.

It is fairly usual to expect working hours of 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday with a reputable employer. 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. 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.

Then there is the matter of working for yourself, which agrees 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. Furthermore, additional costs such as materials and transport, along with legal and accountancy fees will need to be paid. While these can mount up, (although they should always be a very small proportion of your earnings,) so can the benefits received. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!

Firstly, it is the ordinary employer who covers most of the needs and teaching prospects that Student Entrants are interested in. Equally the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of qualifications within a reasonable time frame. That said the vast majority of self-employed plumbers appear to favour the ‘domestic’ instead of the commercial market. (Not all of them, but the main do!)

Furthermore, each route into Plumbing has a necessity on the certification process overall. There is considerable divergence though when the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) comes into play.

Without a doubt, it is the greater dependence on the NVQ element that separates the Student Entrant from 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. Once they have covered the core parts the Student Entrant will often carry on their study not dissimilar to an apprenticeship in the workplace (where the NVQ element can be appraised.) By using this cheaper form of study the Student Entrant can make sound financial savings from the outset. Nevertheless by taking a more commercial viewpoint and gaining qualifications faster than the Student Entrant, many Self Employed Entrants gain greater financial rewards and within a shorter space of time.

It is by covering the study needs along with those of a clear careers discussion that meet the financial rewards. It would prove extremely difficult for an adult – requiring 20kp.a and having to look after their family – to go back to college and then spend 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work. Equally, many self-employed students fund the courses themselves whereas the Student Entrants often have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships. For self-employed people these costs are set by the course structure and the level of certification sought and can end up between 3k-10k+.

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. One of the main advantages of this method is the opportunity for evening, part-time, and self-study classes – allowing Self Employed Entrants to train whilst continuing with their existing job, thus maintaining their financial situation. From this it makes sense to gather as much detail as you can especially with so many training options available. We have provided adverts and links from several to allow you to come back and review your options, so why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

Many plumbing students will increase their ‘marketability’ through the use of further courses. Indeed it is through the added training provided that certification in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical can be gained. As part of the commercial and domestic heating procedures, Gas training continues to be popular with Plumbers.

Gas training in itself is a specific and rigorous training regime, with core subjects followed by an emphasis on NVQ’s. For those who trained as a plumber first and are now looking at extra skills this also offers many options for their on-going development. It is from this position that many believe the mix of Plumbing/Gas Training is more apt to the mature student. The path of focussing on the core subjects and at the same time dropping the NVQ’s seems to favour the Mature Student.

From this, the self-employed professional appears to suit the variable training schemes. The attraction is certainly the chance to gain a wider range of skill sets and earn money from them. Instead of having to rely upon third parties to complete certain skill-sets, this adds to their commercial viability. Sub-contraction needs to be handled carefully as the erosion of customer satisfaction by having to wait for key work to be completed by third parties can result in a serious reduction in potential earnings. 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 relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.

(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Try Plumber Training Courses or CareerChangeCourses.co.uk/mcachco.html.

The salaries of Plumbers are often highlighted in the national press. It is this need for trained Plumbers that has led to salaries of 30-70k p.a. being advertised. So, is this the truth of the matter, or are we being lied to? To be certain, for the correctly qualified and experienced plumber, this level of salary is achievable and indeed attainable. 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. From UK companies comes the standard reward such as holiday pay and sickness allowance and a potential wage of between 15k and 30k p.a. That said it is by working longer than typically 9am to 6pm, Mon to Fri that self employed people achieve higher incomes than those adopting a traditional approach. This is especially the case where self-employed plumbers have opted to work in the domestic market, where their clients are at work during the day – requiring evening and weekend visits.

Around which is the question of self employment which appears to fit some people. This can include getting to grips with advertising & marketing, getting your own cost-per-hour correct and the need to learn and use good ‘business’ sense. To be fair most self-employed people will have to prepare for additional costs including those relating to legal and accountancy fees as well as those of transport and material usage. 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!

Initially, by searching for standard work a Student Entrant can get the majority of training especially with working knowledge and experience. As quickly as possible the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of accreditations that they will rely upon. In fairness it is the ‘domestic’ market rather than the commercial sector that attracts the majority of the self-employed workers in the UK. (The majority do at the very least)

The certification units, needed by each part of the industry keeps a similarity in terms of Plumbing education. There does remain considerable question when the factor of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is realised.

To begin with, the Student Entrant appears to rely more heavily on the NVQ structure than the Self Employed Entrant. In order to meet their client’s expectations the Self Employed Entrant will often need to use a greater range of certifications. Certainly, the self-employed person needs to rapidly gain the key domestic-centred qualifications that will satisfy their typical household-based clients. Having covered off the key elements of training within the college, the Student Entrant usually then enters the apprenticeship stage within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be assessed. The Student Entrant can also make financial savings at the start, as it is a cheaper form of study overall. However, in relation to the Student Entrant the Self Employed Entrant will gain certifications faster and therefore achieve substantial financial gains in the long term.

This clearly demonstrates the need for talk about careers, covering the certification and study required along with the expected financial rewards. It is extremely difficult for adults with a family to look after and needing 20kp.a. to consider going back to college and spending 3 years on low paid-apprenticeship work. 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. It is often the course structure and the level of certification that can run into costs of around 3k-10k+.

For the most part, Student Entrants will study at recognised further-education colleges, whereas the Self Employed Entrant has the option to consider the wider range of private commercial schools. Commercially oriented plumbing course companies will provide an established path of training which ultimately leads into recognised skill-sets and qualifications. 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. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. Having provided an option for you to come back and review the links and adverts from several sites, why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

Plumbers ‘marketability’ is often increased through the use of additional courses. It is by training in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical that Plumbers can gain extra certifications. A typically popular route for Plumbers is Gas training, especially as this forms part of the usual commercial and domestic heating system.

Without a doubt, NVQ’s that follow on core subjects lead into the careful and precise program that is Gas Training. The opportunity for on-going training is for those who trained first as a plumber and are now seeking to add some extra skills to their repertoire. From this stance, the mature student is often more suited to a cross of Plumbing/Gas training. Indeed, for the Mature Student, the path appears to be centred on adopting the core subjects and completely dropping the NVQ elements.

The self-employed professional appears to benefit from this distinct training mixture. To earn money whilst at the same time as gaining a wider range of perceived skills becomes a desirable prospect. This further enhances their commercial offering, instead of sub-contracting key skills to a third party. 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 more professional a Plumber is within their field the more that they have to offer their relative 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 information deals with industry requirements and policies for the UK market alone.

Written by Scott Edwards. Visit Plumbing Qualifications or www.CareerProgression.co.uk/jcaprog.html.

Lots of people choose a career within the electrical industry because it both appeals and motivates them. Within this document we will not use the full term of Electro-Mechanical Engineering but use the term Electrical Industry instead. Equally we’ll focus on those credentials that fit the UK domestic and commercial sector rather than those from around the world. By starting on the main subjects and checking the ‘add-ons’ later on we can review the centre of the electrical industry.

Basically there are two clear ways to gain admission into the electrical market. The primary route is the apprenticeship which is considered the more traditional and then we have the second phase for those who are joining at a later stage. For the sake of clarity throughout, the first will be known as ‘Junior Entrants’ and the second simply known as ‘Mature Entrants.’

Mature students, or entrants, often train so that they can become self-employed and work on their own projects without having to pay wages to external electricians. Alternatively, ‘Junior Entrants’ will pick up lots of their work place skills by working with an already reputable electrical company. Upon leaving school many apprenticeships provide a fast learning curve for young adults looking to boost their auxiliary skills.

The different ways into electrical work have two distinct types of training: Junior Entrants are heavily linked with NVQ’s (or the Scottish equivalent – SVQ’s.) As part of the training program an NVQ would be a requirement to attain. As a result students often have to find their own work programmes to give them the relevant testing and course work covered by most apprenticeships.

Many mature students gain entry into the market without the NVQ element, and simply choose the most commercially practical route to self employed work. Such as obtaining documentation that gives them the best chance to gain from their training endeavours and thereby the best financial rewards. Whilst this may seem to reduce the overall qualification set, this meets the trade requirements for the areas involved, and thus provides a quicker and more direct commercial route to the market.

In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes – those relating to employment and those for self-employment. For the sake of this document we will assume that everyone involved in electrical employment is working full-time. The aptitude and talent for getting things done can affect the levels of salary as well as any experience or knowledge gained.

With the right level of experience, ‘Junior Entrants’ salaries can rise considerably from twelve to thirty thousand pounds per annum. On the other hand experienced self-employed electricians have been known to earn around 70 thousand or more within the UK. Irrespective of this salary level many self-employed people also need to manage extra business costs such as tools, clothes and vans. Earmarked within this is the need to cover additional expenses such as accountancy or insurance. Whilst there is lots of available work, a severe skills shortage means electricians are very much in demand. If a student wanted to work every day of the week this would be possible in some areas. To be fair, high salaries bounded about by the press do require long working hours or help to achieve them.

In light of the above, it is often understood that there is wild variance between the working expectations of Junior and Mature Entrants. Electricians who are ‘Junior Entrants’ would work a simple 40 hour working week. The Mature market is however often reliant as to when their client base is available, especially in the domestic sector. There are however lots of opportunities for self-employed electricians to do work on small business systems during normal office hours.

A Junior Entrant that has chosen to adopt a career within the electrical trade is more than likely to gain follow up expertise within the particular field they fall into, often dictated by the main business activities of their employer. Then again, the mature entrant can even go outside of the electrical field to gas work or plumbing work for example. Certainly if they are employed within the domestic sector this makes it easier to take on work without having to rely upon other people.

An area that is relatively new to the industry overall, yet requires new expertise is that of ‘Green Engineering’. With expected growth through new employment contracts and business options, this new entity is extremely attractive to many Junior and Mature Electricians, especially when considering the UK and EEC support overall.

Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Hop over to CLICK HERE or Electrical Colleges.