Chris's Blog

The salaries of Plumbers are often talked about 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 fair, this wage level is reasonable for the correctly qualified and experienced Plumber. Those taking the more conventional ways to work will find it hard to reach the incomes of 70-100k p.a. that are sometimes achieved by the self-employed.

The normal working week is pretty standard for those who join an established company. 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. 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. For example in the domestic sector where clients are often at work during the working day, self employed plumbers are regularly required to work during evening and weekend visits.

Then there is the matter of working for yourself, which agrees with some people more than others. The inclusion of key elements such as utilising good ‘business sense’, covering areas such as advertising and marketing and getting your own cost-per-hour correct is integral to the picture. 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. Whilst it is expected that the benefits will be high, the costs can mount up though they should always remain a small part of the income overall. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!

Without a doubt Student Entrants are looking for companies who can offer them regular employment and thereby teach them from experience. Equally the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of qualifications within a reasonable time frame. Having said that, the majority of self-employed workers do not join the business sector but focus on the ‘domestic’ 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. A key debate however comes into play when considering the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland.)

At first, the Student Entrant does appear to depend much more on the NVQ structure than the Self Employed Entrant. Therefore many Self Employed Entrants will meet their clients’ needs through the use of a wider range of certifications. Certainly, it is the qualifications aimed at meeting the needs of the typical household-based client base that self-employed persons need to focus upon. It is within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be appraised that many Student Entrants carry on with their apprenticeship after having covered the key fundamentals through a college scheme. 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 borne in mind that many young Student Entrants have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships, whereas the self-employed student generally funds the course 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+.

The study process is often split with Student Entrants studying at recognised further-education colleges whereas the mature Self Employed Entrants going for a wider range of private run technical schools. Plumbing training companies can offer commercial routes in to reputable training paths that cover the necessary qualifications and skill-sets. 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. 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).

Many plumbing students will increase their ‘marketability’ through the use of further courses. Areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical training can offer additional qualifications to Plumbers. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. To have a higher value within their client base a Plumber needs to consider their relative skill sets that they offer.

In conclusion, the Self Employed Entrant can enjoy a much higher (and more quickly achieved) income than a Student Entrant, but they would have to work at developing a broader range of certifications (and consider the business side of things too.) Note: This information deals with industry requirements and policies for the UK market alone.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Check out Plumbing Training Courses or Plumbing NVQ.

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 enter the traditional work environment, primarily working for an established employer, then working hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are standard. Furthermore from a UK employer, the usual perks are holiday pay and sickness allowance, as well as salaries of between 15k and 30k p.a. The self-employed person can generally achieve higher incomes than those available from the traditional approach, but would need to consider working ‘out of hours’ – and probably longer than the typical 9am-6pm Mon-Fri model. This is clear when self employed plumbers have to work evenings and weekends, where their domestic clients are working during the day.

Around which is the question of self employment which appears to fit some people. This can involve factors such as getting the basics sorted out and the need to use good ‘business sense’ overall. Likewise self-employed people need to consider the implications of costs relating to materials and transport as well as 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!

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!)

Considering the education in Plumbing, each path into the industry needs some match in the certification modules. 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. By calling upon a wider range of qualifications Self Employed Entrants will be able to meet their clients’ needs from the start. 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. 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. But the Self Employed Entrant will gain certifications faster (motivated by a more commercial viewpoint) and will therefore be achieving considerable financial reward long before the 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+.

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. 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. With so many colleges at hand, the key is to secure as many with technical data sources and gather them. 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.

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 popular route for Plumbers involves that of the normal domestic and commercial heating system training program of Gas Training.

Gas training in itself is a specific and rigorous training regime, with core subjects followed by an emphasis on NVQ’s. This considers ongoing development, especially for those who trained first as a plumber and are seeking extra skills. It could be said that the blend of training covering Plumbing/Gas training is better matched to the mature student. It is by centring on these core elements and dropping the NVQ elements that the Mature Student appears to settle.

It is this distinct training hybrid that appears to suit 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. This alone can add to their industrial viewpoint, as opposed to relying on sub-contracting core elements to third parties. Whilst sub-contracting can reduce the earning of a particular job perhaps more important is the deterioration of the value in a customer’s eye as they have to wait for jobs to be handled by others before completion of the overall task. In order to offer more value to their relative clients Plumbers need to be more skilled in their job role.

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 refers to the UK industry requirement and their policies alone.

Author: Scott Edwards. Check out CLICK HERE or Plumbing Careers.