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.

On a personal level remains the issue self-employment, something that does not become everybody. 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. Furthermore, additional costs such as materials and transport, along with legal and accountancy fees will need to be paid. Generally the payback outstrip those of the costs, to the extent that these charges should always be a small part of the earnings overall. And the positives virtually always beat the downsides!

From the outset it’s the double offer of teaching them from experience and covering most of their working needs that Student Entrants are looking for in employment. The need to increase their certifications and accreditations regularly affect the Self Employed Entrant. That noted the main drive of self-employed workers is towards the ‘domestic’ market and not that of the commercial sector. (Well the majority do at least)

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.

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 shows the necessity of a clear careers discussion, covering the overall study and certification requirements alongside the required financial return. It is often the issue of 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work, alongside going back to college that many adults having to look after their family and with say 20kp.a requirements find difficult. Furthermore, many Student Entrants have their studies paid for them whereas the self-employed students fund the variety of course themselves. It is often the course structure and the level of certification that can run into costs of around 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).

It is through the use of bonus courses that many plumbing students want 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. One of the most popular routes for Plumbers has always been Gas training, as this forms part of the typical domestic and commercial 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.

It is from this particular training program that the self-employed professional gains ground. The attraction is certainly the chance to gain a wider range of skill sets and earn money from them. The removal of any reliance of sub-contracting key skills of third parties definitely enhances the commercial package. 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. To be fair the more talent a Plumber has in their own job then the more they have to offer their client base.

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 information relates to the UK market, policies and industry requirements alone.

Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Check out Click HERE or Plumbing NVQ.

For many people, an interesting and varied choice often means a career within the electrical industry. For simplicity’s sake we will use the phrase Electrical Industry to cover off the more accurate term of “Electro-Mechanical Engineering”. Equally we’ll focus on those credentials that fit the UK domestic and commercial sector rather than those from around the world. Since there is such a wide list of choices in the electrical industry, we’ll start by looking at the main themes first and then come back to any ‘add-ons’ later.

Essentially, we see two distinct forms of entry into the electrical market. To being with we have the older apprentice course and then secondly we have the option for those who wish to make a career change to join the industry. Throughout this document we will simply refer to two types of people the ‘Junior’ and the ‘Mature’ entrants.

People who do not want to pay any extra salaries, but want to enter the industry with the focus of being self employed are who we refer to as Mature Entrants. By contrast, Junior entrants would seek to work with an established electrical firm and build their skill-sets as they train. Often a young apprentice will be in their first job since leaving school, and will therefore have a host of ancillary skills to learn during their first few years as a working adult.

The different ways into electrical work have two distinct types of training: In essence, the Junior Entrants follow an NVQ syllabus, or SVQ syllabus in Scotland. Whilst the core syllabus is relatively similar to non-NVQ commercial training, there is a particular requirement to attain the actual NVQ qualifications as part of the overall training program. ‘Junior Entrants’ will have to be in an apprenticeship of some sort in order to achieve the testing and course work required.

Mature Entrants, with the possible aim of entering the market from a self-employed perspective, seem to focus on attaining the most commercially viable qualifications (without the need for the NVQ element.) Having said that, the mature student does aim to gain the necessary skills to do the job, whilst at the same time reducing their training costs at all times. This system does meet the purposes set out and therefore often provides a faster and more direct route into a trading position.

In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes – those relating to employment and those for self-employment. Whilst we will focus on full time employment, there exists the issue as to whether self-employed people are doing this full time or part time. Skill and knowledge levels can often determine salary levels, although this is equally via a proven ability or certification scheme.

With the right level of experience, ‘Junior Entrants’ salaries can rise considerably from twelve to thirty thousand pounds per annum. ‘Mature Entrants’ salaries though are often more difficult to work out, but can rise to 70.000 and above as reported in UK newspapers. However, it should be borne in mind that a self-employed person must meet their own costs for tools, clothes and vehicles (including insurance and petrol.) They will also have to make allocations for personal or professional insurance and accountancy. Aside from that, the current skills shortage within the UK still means that there’s lots of high value work out there. In light of the above, a full seven day week is available to most people should they want it. To achieve the high salaries of 70+ thousand then you will need to put in very long hours and commit yourself fully.

It should be noted that the working week for most electricians differs between the Junior and Mature Entrant markets. For a ‘Junior Entrant’, most work is on a simple working week basis. The Mature market is however often reliant as to when their client base is available, especially in the domestic sector. Although by testing and installing various business systems, many self-employed electricians manage to work during a normal working week.

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. If they are working mostly in the domestic market, this makes it easier for them to take on larger jobs across a range of disciplines (without having to sub-contract.)

‘Green Engineering’ is another area to consider. This requires new skills and working knowledge and is one of the fastest growing areas today. Looking together to the UK and the EEC this activity could be of benefit to both Junior and Mature Entrants, providing new growth and opportunities to both disciplines.

(C) Scott Edwards 2009. Pop to Electrical NVQs or Electrical Training.

As you’re considering studying for the MCSE certificate, it’s likely you’ll come into one of two categories. You could be about to enter the computer sector, and you’ve found the industry has many opportunities for qualified people. Or you could be already a professional attempting to consolidate your skill-set with a qualification such as MCSE.

As you try to find out more, you’ll come across training companies that short-change you by not upgrading their courses to the current Microsoft version. Avoid these companies as you’ll have problems with the present exams. If you are studying the wrong version, it is going to be hugely difficult to get qualified.

Training companies must be dedicated to discovering the ultimate program for their students. Educational direction is equally concerned with guiding people on establishing where to go, as it is giving them help to reach their destination.

Most trainers only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover.

Be wary of any training providers which use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – where you’ll get called back during the next ‘working’ day. This is no use if you’re stuck and need an answer now.

World-class organisations tend to use an online 24 hours-a-day system pulling in several support offices across the globe. You will have an interface which switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres any time of the day or night: Support when you need it.

Never make do with anything less. Direct-access round-the-clock support is really your only option when it comes to computer-based training. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; usually though, we’re out at work while the support is live.

We can guess that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – the ‘hands-on’ person. If you’re anything like us, the world of book-reading and classrooms is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don’t do it for you.

If we’re able to utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

The latest home-based training features easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM’s. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you’ll absorb the modules, one by one, via the demonstrations and explanations. Then it’s time to test your knowledge by interacting with the software and practicing yourself.

You’ll definitely want a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. You should ask for demo’s from instructors, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

It doesn’t make sense to go for purely on-line training. Because of the variable quality and reliability of the ISP (internet service provider) market, ensure that you have access to CD or DVD ROM based materials.

A proficient and specialised advisor (as opposed to a salesman) will cover in some detail your current level of ability and experience. This is useful for working out your starting point for training.

Occasionally, the starting point of study for someone with experience will be massively dissimilar to the student with none.

Working through a foundation module first will sometimes be the most effective way to commence your computer studies, depending on your skill level at the moment.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and avoid focusing on why you’re doing this – getting yourself a new job or career. Always start with the end goal – don’t make the journey more important than where you want to get to.

It’s possible, in many cases, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study and then find yourself trapped for decades in something completely unrewarding, entirely because you stumbled into it without the correct research when you should’ve – at the outset.

You’ll want to understand the expectations of your industry. What particular exams they’ll want you to gain and how to gain experience. It’s definitely worth spending time assessing how far you’d like to progress your career as it will present a very specific set of accreditations.

Take guidance from a skilled advisor, irrespective of whether you have to pay – it’s usually much cheaper and safer to discover early on if you’ve chosen correctly, rather than find out following two years of study that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and now need to go back to square one.

Written by Scott Edwards. Pop over to MCDST Course or www.NewCareersInformation.co.uk/unci.html.