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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. Is this really a fib – or is this in fact accurate? For an experienced Plumber, this amount of salary is both realistic and feasible. Whilst salaries of 70-100k p.a. are possible, it remains chiefly for self employed people, rather than those working in the customary routes.

It is fairly usual to expect working hours of 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday with a reputable employer. 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. By working \’out of hours\’ – typically longer than 9am to 6pm Mon- Fri the self employed person can often achieve a higher wage. This is more noticeable when the self employed plumber chooses to work in the domestic market, as result often requiring many evening and weekend visits to suit their clients.

On a personal level remains the issue self-employment, something that does not become everybody. This can involve factors such as getting the basics sorted out and the need to use good \’business sense\’ overall. There are additional charges levied to people who work for themselves including legal and accountancy fees as well as those relating to materials and transport. While these costs can mount up, so too do the benefits, however the costs should always remain a smaller part of the income generated. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!

Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. The Self Employed Entrant on the other hand will need to widen their list of plumbing accreditations and certifications as quickly as possible. 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!)

In terms of plumbing education, there appears to be some similarity between the certification modules required by each path into the industry. There is considerable divergence though when the issue of NVQ\’s (SVQ\’s in Scotland) comes into play.

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. 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.) Considerable savings potential exists to the Student Entrant by taking on this cheaper form of study. 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.

It is by covering the study needs along with those of a clear careers discussion that meet the financial rewards. 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 is by having their courses paid for them that many Student Entrants can submit to the courses, simply put the more mature self-employed students have to pay for their education themselves. 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. It is through well known educational paths that many commercial training companies can offer routes into correct qualifications and skill-set requirements. Of a key opportunity is the ability to train out of hours – evening, part time and self study classes that allows Self Employed Entrants to continue training whilst continuing with their job and maintaining their financial situation. Using the range of sources, it makes sense to gather as much detail as possible and through this be able to work out the training college that suits you best. 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 go on to consider additional courses to increase their \’marketability\’. Indeed it is through the added training provided that certification in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical can be gained. Forming part of the common domestic and commercial heating system, Plumbers have often opted for Gas Training.

Gas Training is considered a dedicated training program with key subjects followed by important NVQ\’s. This considers ongoing development, especially for those who trained first as a plumber and are seeking extra skills. From this idea the mature student works better with a fusion offered by Gas/Plumbing 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. The opportunity to learn a wider range of perceived skill-sets (whilst earning money from them) becomes the attraction. The removal of any reliance of sub-contracting key skills of third parties definitely enhances the commercial package. Of concern is the reduction in customer\’s value as they have to wait for jobs to be completed by others that in turn can lead to a reduction of the earning potential of a job. The higher the skill level of a Plumber the more that they can offer their client base.

In retrospect, the Self Employed Entrant has the potential to achieve a much higher and more readily available income stream than Student Entrant, but to do so they need to develop both their business skills and achieve a broader range of certifications. Note: This information reflects the needs and requirements for the industry and policies of the UK market alone.

Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Navigate to Part Time Plumbing Courses or www.Change-My-Career.co.uk/KCMC.html.