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The salaries of Plumbers are often talked about in the national press. Within the UK, the figures of 30-70k p.a. are typical of Plumbers, mainly down to their low numbers. 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. 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.

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. Whilst the ability to earn more than through normal means exists, the self-employed plumber usually has to consider working longer hours. This is clear when self employed plumbers have to work evenings and weekends, where their domestic clients are working during the day.

Also there is the factor of self-employment and whether it goes with some people more than others. Equally there is a need to manage good ‘business sense’, with items such as advertising & marketing factors as well as correctly assessing your own hourly rate. Similarly, to cover additional elements such as legal and accountancy fees and materials and transport, will require the planning of most self-employed people. 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!

Initially, by searching for standard work a Student Entrant can get the majority of training especially with working knowledge and experience. 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. The issue of NVQ’s (or SVQ’s in Scotland) nevertheless appears to cause some difference.

From the beginning the Student Entrant instead of the Self Employed Entrant is much more reliant upon the NVQ requirements. In order to meet their client’s expectations the Self Employed Entrant will often need to use a greater 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. 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. By using this cheaper form of study the Student Entrant can make sound financial savings from the outset. It is often by gaining certifications faster, by being motivated by a more commercial standpoint that the Self Employed Entrant will achieve considerable financial benefits before a Student Entrant.

It is the required financial rewards that drive the urgency of clear careers discussions, whether they are overall study or certification requirements. 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. Normally, self-employed students to pay for their courses themselves whereas the younger Student Entrants have the majority of their courses paid for them as part of their apprenticeships. Depending on the level of certification sought and the course itself the costs for people can run into 3k to 10k+.

Student Entrants will in the main study at further-education colleges, the Self Employed student however has the option to consider the increased scope of private commercial colleges. Commercially oriented plumbing course companies will provide an established path of training which ultimately leads into recognised skill-sets and qualifications. 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. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. 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. 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.

With core subjects followed by NVQ’s, Gas Training is a thorough and exact training program. 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 could be said that the blend of training covering Plumbing/Gas training is better matched to the mature student. For the Mature Student the emphasis appears to be reducing the NVQ elements and focussing on the core subjects.

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. Of equal concern is the lowering of customer value as they have to wait for essentials to be handled by others and the reduction of the overall earning potential that ensues from sub-contraction. To have a higher value within their client base a Plumber needs to consider their relative skill sets that they offer.

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: The above information is solely relative to the UK market, industry requirements and policies.

Copyright Scott Edwards. Go to Plumbing and Heating Courses or CLICK HERE.

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In these days of super efficiency, support workers who have the ability to mend PC’s and networks, plus give ongoing help to users, are vital in all sections of industry. Our requirement for more technically qualified people multiplies, as society becomes significantly more beholden to computers in today’s environment.

There is no way of over emphasising this: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock instructor and mentor support. Later, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t.

You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is often to a call-centre which will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team – who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it suits them. This is not a lot of use if you’re stuck with a particular problem and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.

The most successful trainers utilise several support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, help is just seconds away, without any contact issues or hassle.

Look for a company that goes the extra mile. Only true round-the-clock 24×7 support provides the necessary backup.

It’s important to understand: the training program or a certification is not what you’re looking for; the particular job you’re training for is. Far too many training organisations put too much weight in the piece of paper.

Avoid becoming part of the group who choose a training program that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – and end up with a certification for a career they’ll never really get any satisfaction from.

It’s well worth a long chat to see what industry will expect from you. Which precise exams they’ll want you to gain and in what way you can gain some industry experience. It’s also worth spending time thinking about how far you think you’ll want to progress your career as often it can force you to choose a particular set of exams.

Talk to an experienced industry professional who knows about the sector you’re looking at, and could provide a detailed run-down of what you actually do in that role. Contemplating this long before commencement of any retraining course will prevent a lot of wasted time and effort.

Let’s face it: There really is pretty much no individual job security anywhere now; there’s only industry or business security – companies can just drop any single member of staff if it suits their business interests.

We can however hit upon security at market-level, by digging for high demand areas, tied with work-skill shortages.

The IT skills-gap in the United Kingdom is standing at approximately twenty six percent, according to the most recent e-Skills survey. That means for each four job positions existing across computing, we have only 3 certified professionals to fulfil that role.

This single reality on its own underpins why the United Kingdom urgently requires considerably more people to get into the industry.

Because the IT sector is evolving at such a rate, there really isn’t any other sector worth investigating as a retraining vehicle.

Sometimes men and women assume that the state educational system is still the most effective. So why are commercially accredited qualifications beginning to overtake it?

With university education costs spiralling out of control, along with the industry’s growing opinion that vendor-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there has been a great increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA accredited training programmes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.

Academic courses, for example, become confusing because of a great deal of loosely associated study – with much too broad a syllabus. Students are then held back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Employers simply need to know where they have gaps, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Browse around www.Careers-Advisor.co.uk/caradvk.html or Web Design Training.

Nice One! Hitting upon this feature suggests you’re thinking about your future, and if you’re considering retraining you’ve even now progressed more than most others. Did you know that surprisingly few of us are contented at work – yet the vast majority of us won’t do a thing about it. We encourage you to liberate yourself and make a start – those who do hardly ever regret it.

Prior to considering individual training courses, find an expert who can talk you through the right type of training for you. A person who will get to know your personality, and discover what job role you’ll be most comfortable with:

* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Would you prefer to work with a small team or with a lot of new people? Maybe working on your own in a task-based situation may be your preference?

* Have you given much thought to which sector you choose to work in? (With the economic downturn, it’s even more crucial to be selective.)

* Having completed your retraining, would you like your skills to take you through to retirement?

* Do you want your retraining to be in a market sector where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high until retirement?

A predominant industry in this country to tick all of the above boxes is the IT sector. There’s a demand for more qualified workers in IT, – take a look at any jobsite and you’ll discover what we mean. Don’t let people tell you it’s all nerdy people staring at theirscreens the whole time – there are many more roles than that. Large numbers of staff in IT are people of average intelligence, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.

Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where learning is video-based.

Long-term memory is enhanced when multiple senses are involved – experts have been clear on this for years now.

Locate a program where you’ll receive a selection of CD and DVD based materials – you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, and then have the opportunity to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills.

Any company that you’re considering must be pushed to demo some simple examples of the type of training materials they provide. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and many interactive sections.

Avoid training that is purely online. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where obtainable, enabling them to be used at your convenience – you don’t want to be reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

The way a programme is physically sent to you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many parts is the training broken down into? And in what order and what control do you have at what pace it arrives?

Many think it logical (when study may take one to three years to pass all the required exams,) for a training company to release the courseware in stages, as you achieve each exam pass. Although:

What if you don’t finish every section? And what if the order provided doesn’t meet your requirements? Due to no fault of yours, you may go a little slower and consequently not get all your materials.

For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s not unusual for students to insist that all study materials are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. It’s then up to you how fast or slow and in what order you want to go.

Commencing with the idea that we have to choose the employment that excites us first and foremost, before we can consider which educational program fulfils our needs, how can we choose the way that suits us?

Flicking through a list of IT job-titles is a complete waste of time. The majority of us don’t really appreciate what the neighbours do for a living – so we’re in the dark as to the intricacies of a particular IT career.

The key to answering this dilemma correctly stems from an in-depth conversation around several areas:

* Your hobbies and interests – these often define what things will give you the most reward.

* What length of time can you allocate for retraining?

* How important is salary to you – is it the most important thing, or is job satisfaction a little higher on your list of priorities?

* Many students don’t properly consider the amount of work needed to achieve their goals.

* The level of commitment and effort you’ll have available to set aside for getting qualified.

For the average person, considering all these ideas requires a good chat with a professional that has direct industry experience. And we don’t just mean the certifications – but the commercial requirements and expectations of the market as well.

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as many people do, on the accreditation program. Your training isn’t about getting a plaque on your wall; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

It’s quite usual, in many cases, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study only to end up putting 20 long years into something completely unrewarding, as a consequence of not performing the correct level of soul-searching at the beginning.

Stay focused on what it is you’re trying to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that – don’t do it back-to-front. Keep on track and begin studying for a job you’ll still be enjoying many years from now.

Seek advice from an experienced industry advisor, even if you have to pay a small fee – it’s considerably cheaper and safer to find out at the beginning if your choices are appropriate, rather than find out following two years of study that you’re doing entirely the wrong thing and have to start from the beginning again.

Written by Scott Edwards. Pop over to Ecommerce Web Site Design or www.AdultCareerChange.co.uk/ACCK.html.