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We often read in the press of the salaries that the Plumbing trade is achieving. 30-70k p.a. is often talked about because of the lack of Plumbers. The question now is – are we being lied to, or is this the truth? For an experienced Plumber, this amount of salary is both realistic and feasible. Whilst salaries of 70-100k p.a. are possible, it remains chiefly for self employed people, rather than those working in the customary routes.

However, working for regular employers often results in the typical hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. 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. By working ‘out of hours’ – typically longer than 9am to 6pm Mon- Fri the self employed person can often achieve a higher wage. Without a doubt in the domestic market many clients require evening and weekend visits and self employed plumbers have to meet that need.

There is the also the fact which fits some people more than others and that is self employment. This can involve factors such as getting the basics sorted out and the need to use good ‘business sense’ overall. 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 costs can mount up, so too do the benefits, however the costs should always remain a smaller part of the income generated. And the positives virtually always beat the downsides!

Without a doubt Student Entrants are looking for companies who can offer them regular employment and thereby teach them from experience. Alternatively, the Self Employed Entrant needs to quickly establish those certificates that they will rely on in industry. That noted the main drive of self-employed workers is towards the ‘domestic’ market and not that of the commercial sector. (Whilst not everyone does the majority do!)

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.

Without a doubt, it is the greater dependence on the NVQ element that separates the Student Entrant from the Self Employed Entrant. Therefore many Self Employed Entrants will meet their clients’ needs through the use of a wider range of certifications. In order to be able to meet the needs of the typical household, self-employed persons will need to rapidly gain key domestic-centred qualifications. Once they have covered the core parts the Student Entrant will often carry on their study not dissimilar to an apprenticeship in the workplace (where the NVQ element can be appraised.) By using this cheaper form of study the Student Entrant can make sound financial savings from the outset. 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.

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 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. Furthermore, many Student Entrants have their studies paid for them whereas the self-employed students fund the variety of course themselves. These courses can run between 3k through to 10k+, depending upon the course and level of certification required and that is something that people need to consider.

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. Plumbing training companies can offer commercial routes in to reputable training paths that cover the necessary qualifications and skill-sets. 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. With so many colleges at hand, the key is to secure as many with technical data sources and gather them. 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. These courses can provide a range of additional certifications in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical. A popular route for Plumbers involves that of the normal domestic and commercial heating system training program of Gas Training.

It is with its main subjects, alongside added NVQ’s, that result in Gas Training being viewed as a technical program. 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. It could be said, from that viewpoint, that a hybrid of Plumbing/Gas training would be more suited to the mature student. By reducing the NVQ parts the Mature Student appears to be able to allow the focus on the core subjects.

It is from this mix of training methods that the self-employed professional appears to benefit. Without a doubt the appeal is to learn a greater range of skill-sets and at the same time earn money from them. The removal of any reliance of sub-contracting key skills of third parties definitely enhances the commercial package. 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 be fair the more talent a Plumber has in their own job then the more they have to offer their client base.

Whilst the Student Entrant has the chance to develop through an established employer a Self Employed Entrant can utilise their skill levels through business skills and develop a broader range of certifications to achieve a higher income stream. Note: This relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Visit Plumbing Careers or Plumber Training Courses.