Calling all Plumbers ! I need your Wisdom

no scope

Okay mods i didnt know where to post this ,

Ive recently dropped out of the catering buisness , and i am looking to become a plumber , im 19 years old , failed maths in my leaving cert , and got a C in my junior cert

Am i too old to get an apprentiship ?

where are the best places to start a plumbing career , ive looked at some courses with chevron training which are 4 days long and i become registered which seems to easy ,

Any help would be much appreciated

thanks for your time

No Scope

SadieSue

FAS would be your best bet. I know they had a decent sized plumming course when I went there.

DubMedic

Try HERE (click 'here'), OP.

dr.bollocko

Moved from AH.

Micky Dolenz

You will not become a plumber in 4 days.

Chevron offer courses in solar and oil etc, but you need a trade qualification first. Going on one of these course without experience is a waste of time and a lot of money. You won't have any idea what they are going on about without other training.

The modern apprenticeship takes four years and/or seven phases to complete. Age is not an issue, a lot of employers rather a more mature apprentice as they learn quicker and have more responsibility in other areas of there lives.

You will need an employer to hire you and start the ball rolling, expect poor money to start.

no scope

So my best bet is to go through FAS as an a apprentice ?

One of my relatives is setting up his own buisness doing centeral heating services at the end of the year , would it be good to start off with him having very little knowledge

Thanks for the help

Micky Dolenz

no scope wrote: »

So my best bet is to go through FAS as an a apprentice ?

One of my relatives is setting up his own buisness doing centeral heating services at the end of the year , would it be good to start off with him having very little knowledge

Thanks for the help

What qualifications does your relative have?

Only someone with a national trade certificate can sponsor an apprentice with FAS. You can register with FAS but until a fully qualified firm/person hires you, your apprenticeship will not start.

no scope

hes a boiler maker by trade which he did years back and has been doing central heating for a good few years now

and has recently passed the oftec 101 & 105e course

Micky Dolenz

no scope wrote: »

hes a boiler maker by trade which he did years back and has been doing central heating for a good few years now

and has recently passed the oftec 101 & 105e course

Don't think he can offer you an apprentice though. There is no trade certificate granted for heating/servicing alone. Although a lot of qualified plumbers do branch out and specialise in that area.

It really depends on what you want, you can go into servicing only and not get an apprenticeship in Plumbing, but it may go against you in time. You best bet is to talk to FAS and see what they say on options.

macroman

To get an apprenticeship you first have to find a certified plumber or contractor, provided they agree to take you on, FÁS must approve them before you can commence an apprenticeship. Start off by doing up a few CV's and cover notes stating your interesting in plumbing and submit them to a few local companies, that's how I got a start.

I'm serving my time as an apprentice plumber at the moment, working for a large contractor in the industrial/commercial sector.

• The pay is crap (€190 a week as a 1st year) - except when on country money. But the construction industry still has the highest paid apprenticeships (rates here)
• The conditions are crap, your job for the first few months will be a dogs body - carrying equipment & materials around, cleaning up after plumbers, given the small jobs nobody else will do, lots of lifting! It does get better as you progress!
• The work is hard, but interesting. I've worked on a number of diverse and interesting jobs due to the nature of the company I work for.
• Your future is uncertain - temporary lay-off and redundancy is quite common when things get quiet.
• Employers can be picky with who they employ. My crowd insist on Leaving Cert with Maths & English passed. Manual handling & abrasive wheel training would be an advantage, as would first aid and your own transport.
• Tools are expensive. For the first few weeks, most of my wages went on tools, and I'm still adding to them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd never tell anyone not to pursue an apprenticeship, I'm just telling you the lows of one. There are great highs too like admiring a job you completed on your own for the first time etc. The pay isn't great starting off but progressively improves.

a new story

if you do have an apprenticeship lined up dont worry about the maths nd ur junior cert because i got through it and i was the biggest messer in school.its handy enough commen sense takes about 5years to be qualified

lovetheway

a new story wrote: »

takes about 5years to be qualified

Should take 4 years provided you dont fail any exams or you dont get let go.

a new story

lovetheway wrote: »

Should take 4 years provided you dont fail any exams or you dont get let go.

im saying 5years because i had to do a 6month pre-trial with my company and then there can be back logs with the phases in college <abusive comment removed>