The salaries of Plumbers are often highlighted in the national press. Within the UK, the figures of 30-70k p.a. are typical of Plumbers, mainly down to their low numbers. The question now is – are we being lied to, or is this the truth? To be certain, for the correctly qualified and experienced plumber, this level of salary is achievable and indeed attainable. Salaries of 70-100k p.a. are achievable, but these appear to be the area of the self-employed Plumbers rather than those who take the more familiar working methods.

If you are working for a traditional company within the UK, then the hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are normal. Approximately wages of 15k and 30k p.a. are reasonable within the UK, along with standard benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance. A self-employed person can earn more money than this traditional approach, but will often need to work outside of the Mon- Fri, 9am to 6pm example. Without a doubt in the domestic market many clients require evening and weekend visits and self employed plumbers have to meet that need.

Also there is the factor of self-employment and whether it goes with some people more than others. Finally there is good ‘business sense’, such as getting the hourly rate correct, advertising and marketing budgets spot on which are all important. Equally, most self-employed people will need to pay additional costs to cover their materials and transport, alongside legal and accountancy fees etc. Although it is expected that these can be relatively small in relation to the earnings overall they can mount up, but then so can the benefits. Plus the profits nearly always beat the odds!

Student Entrants are generally looking for regular employment with a particular employer who can cover most of their working needs and teach them from 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, just the majority!)

There does appear to be some union between certification relating to each path of Plumbing education and hence the industry. It is when the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is considered that a considerable discrepancy becomes clear.

To begin with the NVQ structure appears to be much more important to the Student Entrant than to the Self Employed Entrant. The Self Employed Entrant will often call upon a wider range of certifications right from the outset; in order to satisfy their perceived client’s requirements. The self employed person needs to consider the wishes of their household clients and use the relative domestic-centred qualifications to satisfy them. 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.) 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.

To be sure the financial returns required is the result of clear careers discussions covering certification and the overall study requirements. 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. 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. The level of certification sought by the student drives the course structure and can result in costs of between 3k through to 10k+.

Self Employed Entrants can consider a wide range of private technical colleges as opposed to the reliance on further-education colleges and that differentiates them from Student Entrants. Often through the use of established training schemes many commercially oriented plumbing courses are now able to deliver the necessary skill-sets and qualifications. This method offers key advantages to Self Employed Students, allowing them to train evenings, part-time or on self-study classes thereby continuing with their existing jobs and maintaining their financial situation. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. To review your options why not book mark this page (CTRL-D) and you can come back and review the links and adverts we have provided for you.

To increase their ‘marketability’ many plumbing students will go on to utilise extra courses. Courses in areas such as Gas, Electrical and Green Energy can provide added certifications. Gas training has always been a route for Plumbers to consider, as this forms part of the common domestic and commercial heating system.

Gas Training is considered a dedicated training program with key subjects followed by important NVQ’s. It also features many options for on-going training, especially for those who trained as a plumber first and are now looking at some extra skills to add to their stable. In review it is often felt that the mature student responds well to the blend of Gas/Plumbing training. For the Mature Student the emphasis appears to be reducing the NVQ elements and focussing on the core subjects.

It is from this mix of training methods that the self-employed professional appears to benefit. The opportunity to learn a wider range of perceived skill-sets (whilst earning money from them) becomes the attraction. Instead of having to rely upon third parties to complete certain skill-sets, this adds to their commercial viability. Sub-contracting can not only reduce the earning potential of a job, but also erode the value in the customer’s eye, as they may have to wait for key stages to be handled by someone else before the final completion of the job. The higher the skill level of a Plumber the more that they can offer their client base.

It is by working at their broader range of certifications alongside business skills that Self Employed Entrants can achieve much higher income streams that their Student Entrant counterparts. Note: This information reflects the needs and requirements for the industry and policies of the UK market alone.

Author: Scott Edwards. Browse around Plumbing Careers or INeedANewCareer.co.uk/FINANC.html.

Related posts:

1. Degrees Online Reviews & Guide School was commonly thought of as a physical developing, that...
2. Mixed Martial Arts Training Gear Everybody knows that you have to practice to learn how...
3. Everything About Working As A Dental Assistant The most recent economic crisis that has affected so many...
4. More Information For You When It Comes To Losing Weight With Strength Training For anyone who is like me, you've probably realized that...
5. Mathematical World Help! Which straw is it that lastly breaks the camel's back,...

Tags: advice, career, computer, education, games, hobbies, home, money, self improvement, shop, software, technology, Uncategorized, web, work

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.