Gas engineer career (2 Viewers)

jon92 · May 27, 2015

Hello,

Wondering if anyone in the forum worked in the plumbing / gas industry.

I have been looking at getting into this industry but struggling to find the best route. City college in Coventry only offer plumbing courses and not a gas specific one which I was more interested in.

There are a lot of private companies offering training but how do you know who to trust as the courses are not cheap.

Anyone with any tips or advice?

Jonney

skybluetom · May 27, 2015

Just don't do any of these crash bang wallop courses; 3 months intensive and you're qualified bla bla. They're expensive and a lot of potential employers are put off by it.

I obviously haven't a clue at your financial situation but find a college if you can then phone around local engineers and see if they'll take you on a couple of days a week to gain experiance. It's virtually impossible to get a job by just being qualified nowadays, you need work experiance. Trust me; I'm a fully qualified auto-tech who can't find work for love nor money as I had to support myself working through college rather than gain work experiance out in the field.

Make sure the qualification you're working towards is City & Guilds too, it's by far the best one.

jon92 · May 27, 2015

Thanks for the reply.

Well I'm willing to pay my own course fee if I can find a employer to take me on so its like a apprenticeship, as I feel would learn more on the job.

jon92 · May 27, 2015

I got a degree in computing but wanting a change in career. I had a interview at British Gas passed all the tests but failed interview as not very good at them anyway

blueflint · May 27, 2015

do the college course i did city and guilds on heating and ventilation lot of years ago
fell back onto it every time i needed extra cash i'm retired now.get a gas safe course
and qualifications well worth it

jon92 · May 28, 2015

I don't believe they do that course anymore heating and ventilation

Covstu · May 28, 2015

Best route i can think of is an apprenticeship with a construction company. All of them have to have an intake as part of their social value element so i would write an 'expression of interest' to the major constractors looking for placements. They will then pay you (low apprenticeship wage of course) but also put you through college with the added benefit that you will learn on the job.

jon92 · May 28, 2015

Having a degree it's very hard to find a apprenticeship as they see you as over qualified and employer would have to pay whole course fee. That's why I would be willing to pay my own just to be given a chance

Covstu · May 28, 2015

May want to look at shared apprenticeship schemes also but take the point of the degree

Nick · May 28, 2015

Would you not want to work in IT with an IT degree?

jon92 · May 29, 2015

Good point Nick, but sitting in front of a computer ain't for me I prefer being out and about or more hands on job

Nick · May 29, 2015

jon92 said:
Good point Nick, but sitting in front of a computer ain't for me I prefer being out and about or more hands on job

Why would you waste years doing an it degree?

What about being an electrician?

Houchens Head · May 29, 2015

Nick, I took a teaching degree many years ago when I was in my 40's. It was a long and strenuous thing to do, but the reason I did it was to fulfil an ambition I had from when I was a school kid. I always wanted to go into teaching but through personal circumstances not of my doing (very difficult to explain), I never seen it through. When I eventually took the degree, I took it for my personal gratification, just so that I could say to myself, "You bloody well did it!". I never did go into teaching, apart from some private adult tuition, and although I was offered work at Tile Hill College, I didn't take it up. I still have the photo on my wall of me in cap & gown on Graduation day, but that's it. So, sometimes, as maybe is the case with Jon, people do things because they know they can, but not because they want to. Just my two pence worth.

Nick · May 29, 2015

Houchens Head said:
Nick, I took a teaching degree many years ago when I was in my 40's. It was a long and strenuous thing to do, but the reason I did it was to fulfil an ambition I had from when I was a school kid. I always wanted to go into teaching but through personal circumstances not of my doing (very difficult to explain), I never seen it through. When I eventually took the degree, I took it for my personal gratification, just so that I could say to myself, "You bloody well did it!". I never did go into teaching, apart from some private adult tuition, and although I was offered work at Tile Hill College, I didn't take it up. I still have the photo on my wall of me in cap & gown on Graduation day, but that's it. So, sometimes, as maybe is the case with Jon, people do things because they know they can, but not because they want to. Just my two pence worth.

I understand that, but if say somebody wanted to be a gas plumber or electrician they could have done it at 16 from school and would be fully qualified on decent money with a lot less debt than spending years at Uni.

Especially in IT, things change so fast. If you were to come and try and go to a job in 10 years based off the degree everything would be so different.

Deleted member 5849 · May 29, 2015

Nick said:
I understand that, but if say somebody wanted to be a gas plumber or electrician they could have done it at 16 from school and would be fully qualified on decent money with a lot less debt than spending years at Uni.

Especially in IT, things change so fast. If you were to come and try and go to a job in 10 years based off the degree everything would be so different.

We all take paths in life and sometimes... they're the wrong ones.

Bad career advice at school, an expectation University's the only way to get ahead... thinking that was actually what you wanted to do, but then realising it wasn't. More and more people are pushed through a system for league tables rather than what's best for them.

Better to recognise it if a career's not for him and, if the chance is there, do something he wants to do then keep going and make himself unhappy. If he's lucky enough he can, then take the chance.

jimmyhillsfanclub · May 29, 2015

Nick said:
I understand that, but if say somebody wanted to be a gas plumber or electrician they could have done it at 16 from school and would be fully qualified on decent money with a lot less debt than spending years at Uni.

Especially in IT, things change so fast. If you were to come and try and go to a job in 10 years based off the degree everything would be so different.

Bloody hell Nick....who knows what they want to do when they are 16.....All I wanted to do was get pissed, stoned & get into Sasha Rice knickers....

I'm still not 100% sure I want to continue doing what I do now....and I'm 43 & have my own business.....

jon92 · May 30, 2015

I went university because I thought it would be better in long run but everyone has a degree these days. My area of interest was web design and development and this can be done in my spare time as a added extra.

Before I went university I wanted to learn a trade

clerkin61 · May 30, 2015

I read in one of the papers that most apprenticeships are going to older people and not school leavers, and some of the wages are not bad. Look up apprenticeships on a search engine, and there are a few, including the government one.

Terry Gibson's perm · May 30, 2015

jimmyhillsfanclub said:
Bloody hell Nick....who knows what they want to do when they are 16.....All I wanted to do was get pissed, stoned & get into Sasha Rice knickers....

I'm still not 100% sure I want to continue doing what I do now....and I'm 43 & have my own business.....

Did you achieve all three of you targets Jimmy

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