by Jason Kendall
We often read in the press of the salaries that the Plumbing trade is achieving. Figures of 30-70k p.a. are touted, alongside much talk of the profound shortage in the number of Plumbers within the UK. 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. To be fair, the higher earnings of 70-100k p.a. are generally for those working within the self-employed field.
However, working for regular employers often results in the typical hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Approximately wages of 15k and 30k p.a. are reasonable within the UK, along with standard benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance. 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. 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. 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. To be fair most self-employed people will have to prepare for additional costs including those relating to legal and accountancy fees as well as those of transport and material usage. 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!
Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. The need to increase their certifications and accreditations regularly affect the Self Employed Entrant. Having said that, the majority of self-employed workers do not join the business sector but focus on the 'domestic' market. (Well the majority do at least)
Furthermore, each route into Plumbing has a necessity on the certification process overall. 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. By calling upon a wider range of qualifications Self Employed Entrants will be able to meet their clients' needs from the start. Certainly, the self-employed person needs to rapidly gain the key domestic-centred qualifications that will satisfy their typical household-based clients. 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. As it is cheaper form of study overall then the Student Entrant can make financial savings from the beginning. Nevertheless by taking a more commercial viewpoint and gaining qualifications faster than the Student Entrant, many Self Employed Entrants gain greater financial rewards and within a shorter space of time.
Clearly this illustrates the need for a careers discussion that covers certifications and study alongside those of financial returns. 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. 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. 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. Certain plumbing training companies deliver the accepted skill-sets and qualifications providing the basis for education. In the current climate the ability of Self Employed Entrants to maintain their current financial situation and job, whilst at the same time as training in the evening, part-time or on self study classes remains one of the advantages of this system. From this it makes sense to gather as much detail as you can especially with so many training options available. 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.
It is through the use of bonus courses that many plumbing students want to increase their 'marketability'. Areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical training can offer additional qualifications to Plumbers. Gas training has always been a route for Plumbers to consider, as this forms part of the common 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. This considers ongoing development, especially for those who trained first as a plumber and are seeking extra skills. It could be said, from that viewpoint, that a hybrid of Plumbing/Gas training would be more suited to the mature student. Indeed, the path for the Mature Student seems to be to drop the NVQ elements and to focus on the core subjects.
It is from this particular training program that the self-employed professional gains ground. Without a doubt the appeal is to learn a greater range of skill-sets and at the same time earn money from them. 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.
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 relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.