Other superyachts are available

£5000??!! The training scheme provider needs a Molotov cocktail straight through their front window. Disgraceful thieving pikeys.

Look mate, site work is the pits, I know as I'm currently on one and have more than paid my dues over the last 12 years on various national housebuilders sites. If I were you I'd be telling all and sundry in your area that you're looking for private work with a small to medium building firm that works mainly on extensions, renovations etc, as you will get eaten alive on a new build site at your working level at the moment unfortunately. This would give you a decent all round start at improving yourself and ease you in somewhat gentler than being dropped in shxt creek without a paddle. Look to do as many doors for average Joe in your area and try to earn a few quid to tide you over in the meantime.

If you're adamant about going on site then I'd ask to go on day work to start with, then slowly graduate onto price when you feel comfortable to do so. Depending where you are in the country, but if your offered £90 a day and rising (self employed basis) I'd take it at your current stage if I were you.

I don't mean to come across as condescending but how many tools have you accumulated so far? As you NEED absolutely thousands of pounds worth to even just keep up on pricework, never mind actually making money. You will not get ANYWHERE on any newbuild site today without some form of cordless nail or pin gun, depending on your preferences for rough or smooth work. Add to the list of definites an impact driver, cordless circular saw, cordless sds drill, cordless drill/driver, power planer, mitre saw, router, transformers, 50m reel, generator to provide power, estate car or small van to carry everything and your roughly £4000 down on your bog standard power tools alone, before a vehicle, £2000 of hand tools and £1000 of various insurance comes into it.

Of course you may be extremely lucky and fall in with someone that'll let you build studding with a handsaw, hammer and a level, but in my experience these are rarer than rocking horse shxt and you won't last before you get bummed off.

My other option I put to you as you really don't need many tools to get by, and they make good money throwing them up is to look to work with a timber framing gang of chippies, as your tool expenditure will be about an 1/10th of what a good all rounder carpenter needs, and you'll learn on the job faster with a small gang than you would struggling on your own for a while. And they do earn good money for the relatively simple task they perform (hint of sour grapes there.)

I know EXACTLY the position you're in, as when I started 12 years ago I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights, afraid to make a mistake, didn't know the names of any carpentry components, (what's a kite winder?) was on poor money for over three years, then one day something clicked and I started on price for a new firm, on my own with no one to hold my hand. On average I jumped from earning roughly £300 a week to £500+ a week at the start of the recession, still cra.p money but lucky to find work at that stage and I put the hours in and worked 7 days a week, as even if I wasn't the fastest at the time I made sure I earned as much as I possibly could. I've ALWAYS had lots of tools though, as I figured even if I was rubbish, at least I wasn't a sponger as well (can I borrow an sds drill mate? No sorry, actually screwfix have so many sds drills they're selling them, best get your own!)

If you've read this far you deserve a medal, but you CAN make money on price at your current stage, but it probably means you'll be fitting window boards and boxing soil pipes in for the next six months without learning anything else. I've advised you not to so you don't make the same mistakes I did, but ultimately it's up to you. Best of luck.

 

Alex, take notice of what Jord has said, he speaks a deal of sense.

 

Don't, you'll make me blush! bloody "training providers" though, parasitic leeches that profit off the uneducated.....

 

I nearly spilt my flask when I read, "If you've read this far you deserve a medal." Seriously though you can't beat a well intentioned, skilled man's advice. Bring back proper apprenticeships.

 

I would like the UK to implement the American system where all residential and commercial construction trades people have to be registered with permits for their specific skills. The permits have to be renewed periodically and some states require you to update training each year as the regs change.

That would clear out all the cowboys and people working illegally in the UK to make way for people whom are properly trained and experienced.

 

I never had a decent teacher showing me how wood worked when I started you see, decent blokes yes, but poor teachers and the way the building trade has gone in what I can see perhaps the last 20 years no-one seems to have any time to show anyone anything anymore. "No time for that, just get it in!" sort of business you know. I'm a firm believer in showing people WHY they're doing something, not just how to do it, as once you realize the reason behind putting a leading edge on a door, or dropping the hip rafter to plane in with the rest of the roof it sticks in your mind and makes you a better tradesman. As I've had to figure out quite a lot by my own trial and error I try to advise people not to drop the same bollocs that I have, cheaper and less stress when someone else has messed up

 

Absolutely. And it would restore some pride and breed conscientious trades.

 

In the US contractors get the licences revoked if their work if of poor quality / non compliant and if they work without a permit it can be £12,000 fine and a prison sentence.

The same for homeowners whom must get the contractor to get building permits for the work. If they don't get permits then they are liable for penalties, back tax and prohibition notices on their property.

When you go through the posts on this forum - "is it safe to knock down this wall?", "what size RSJ do I need?", "What size cable do I need for ...." and the complaints about dodgy trades then the sooner the better. It may cause an upheaval in the business for a few years but will improve it considerably

 

Agreed, but I wouldn't want to add to the red tape brigade over here though, or contribute to the scheme by having to pay large fees which then have to be passed on to the customer so you don't lose out. Small current example is the CSCS cards, total waste of time, money and inclination judging by some of the behaviour that exists on sites.

It would have to be properly implemented and efficiency made a priority, as it doesn't take much to drown in paperwork and all the cra.p that goes with it. But it would make a big difference to all concerned, though you'll always have Joe Soap homeowner who wants to save a few quid by rewiring their own home or removing a load bearing wall as you say.

 

No prob, don't be put off if at first you come up against obstacles such as pig ignorant site management, useless foremen, other trades with bad attitude, etc as unfortunately it's rife on site work, and if you mess up it doesn't matter, no one's died, just get another piece and learn from your mistake. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS check the handing of a housetype before you drive a single nail into anything, as it can be a costly mistake to rectify if you've built something back to front or opposite sided.

 

Jords experience is accurate as I found the same, particularly with the big building sites.
However you can find some smaller sites managed by medium sized firms, that may have a family ownership. They can be more promising.
I found that the foreman simply liked me and I was able to get about and do some nice little jobs whilst I was there. There are many incidental works like temporary doors, basic shuttering, frames, boxing in and such.
But in general the smart work goes to the contractor not the temporary/improver hirelings. So your expected lifespan as casual staff is on average a week.
Night shifts could be an option, but its hellish on your well being.

 

I can't really imagine a clearer sign of wealth then super yachts. That's why every successful person likes it so much and also why there are always people trying to rip them off. For example look at this gallery of pictures taken from not so super super yacht. I just really hope that this thing isn't a norm there...

 

I can only agree!! I was an engineer and served a real apprenticeship with the MoD. Some of the "graduate engineers" that I have worked with, hadn't got a f...ing clue about work ethics or practicalities of the job, never mind trainees!