30 years old and looking to get into a trade

My advice would be to speak to some local trades, try a range of work until you find a trade that suits you. I took on a lad a few years ago who wanted to get into a trade, spent two months with me doing various jobs, he took to plumbing in the end, and is now gas trained and gets a fair bit of work from me.
I'm multitrade, doing mostly access control, CCTV, carpentry and plumbing. It suits me, I like the range of work rather than same old, same old. It really comes down to what you prefer.

Your attitude will take you far, if you're willing to get up and work hard all day then you'll be fine.

 

That's a good shout, you'll be able to learn a lot too. Being maintenance it'll likely be the smaller jobs, so you'll get a good range over a shorter time.

Plastering is a slowly dying trade unfortunately, when I started out plastering was the norm, but new builds often use the 'tape and fill' method. I will say though, I still think plastering is a bloody good trade and a highly skilled one, although I'm hopeless at it. Yes CGN, I know your grinning!

Money will be your biggest help with starting out, buying your own tools, you'll need insurance, along with a van or decent sized car to get set up. I started with Bosch Green tools, then after I started earning decent money I brought Makita gear, and then recently I've upped some more to Festool.

There are a lot of short courses and collage courses that IMO are a waste of time, you're much better following someone who does it day in, day out. Experience tops qualifications in my books.
Another thing to consider is do you want to do 'site' work or domestic?

 

Maintenance company would be the 1 to do some time with, soon find what you like and can do well, as opposed to work you struggle with.

There will always be a demand and need for electrics, plumbing/gas, carpentry etc. But you need to start small and find your niche and custoner base.

But generally the demand for now, and the near future that I see, is a handyman type approach. Lots of demand for landlords and 1st time owners who want odd jobs and stuff doing in 1 visit, rather than calling specialists in.

Somebody who can fit a new tap, hang a door, fit door handles, paint a room, build an ikea type wardrobe, mend the garden fence, put up a child swing, make the garden into a garden etc, rather than 5 or 6 different people to do it all.

Probably not as much money (per hour) maybe, but lots more hours available certainly to begin with.

Downside is more tools needed than a specialist, need to be more organised on spares and fittings you carry with you, and can't really buy anything in bulk, but it is certainly a good way to get going, a good way of finding what you like doing, and easier (not easy) to earn a living.

 

Well certainly wouldn't suggest he works for people like you whom place SPAM adverts .....

 

What area of the UK you In. Different areas demand different trades. I'm an electrician but I'm currently having to travel nation wide for work as electricians rant in demand like other trades.

 

Really?, never known a surplus of electricians