Experienced plumber needs qualifications?

  • Thread starter Thread starter toekneer4
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toekneer4

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yeah working back to front I know but looking at jobs for british gas and they need nvq level 2 or c&g equivilant.
Im expereinced in all kinds of wet plumbing, been self employed for around 7 years but have no formal qualifications, anyone any advice.
Obviously i dont want to spend 2 years getting nvq level 2
 
yea mate I got that problem too, No short cut I'm afraid,Them bits o paper is what you need,Most on here are bengal lancers, don't listen to um :)
 
inquire if they do recognition of prior learning, for the certs

Jacen
 
????Not meaning to be a pain but how can you be an experienced plumber without a formal qualification???
what you mean is you are a good handyman and want to be a plumber!!!!
 
Not meaning to be a pain but how can you be an experienced plumber without a formal qualification???

Experience is gained by "doing" and does not require ink on a piece of paper to allow one to be a member the of the "doer" camp.
The thing is Bill are you a "doer" or just someone with a piece of paper with some ink on it that says you can "do" but in reality you haven't really proved it and are in the "no can do" camp.
:)
 
Anyone can call themselves a plumber - thats the law!

I build houses for a living - and other than the last metre to the boiler i do all the plumbing - does that make me an experienced plumber? I have a lot of experience plumbing! I have no plumbing related qualifications whatsoever.
 
Why would anyone in their right minds want to work for BG?
You must be barmy mate!
 
i was just pointing out that in reality you are not a plumber. Just someone who practicing the trade but cannot aquire a job with british gas as he really isnt qualified to do the job. Experiece is everything in our trade but as you will find out, to be qualified academically helps somewhat!!!!
 
Anyone can call themselves a plumber - thats the law!..................Oh no they can't, a Plumber must do an apprenticeship to call themselves a Plumber!!
Anyone else is a CC/CCC!!

I like many on here are fully qualified time-served Plumbers, in fact I like others on here are Master Plumbers, these terms go back to the days of the Guilds.
 
i was just pointing out that in reality you are not a
plumber. Just someone who practicing the trade but
cannot aquire a job with british gas as he really
isnt qualified to do the job. Experiece is everything
in our trade but as you will find out, to be
qualified academically helps somewhat!!!!

I totally agree and on the same basis John Lennon wasn't a song writer because he had no formal musical training. He was merely practising the trade, some would say rather better than most.
 
First of all get yourself a few bolt on qualifications. You can do the Logic Unvented and the Logic Solar at a centre like this :-

http://www.globalenergydirect.co.uk/information/global-training.html

For a few days and less than £500, Thats gets you into the system ,known to the registration bodies and some certificates, once you are known to Logic and Bpec adding a few extra courses/certificates like Part P , heat pumps, underfloor heating , solar pv etc etc and so on is childs play.

Phone Nhadia on 0800 652 0058
 
toally agree oliver but you can be a songwriter without going to college But you cannot be a qualified plumber without the recognised Qualifications. Which at present is a 3 yr apprenticeship.No matter how you dummy it up and try to say otherwise.
 
to say otherwise.

No I agree, obviously you can't be a qualified plumber without qualifications, but you said you can't be a plumber without qualifications which is nonsense.

Anybody who does plumbing is a plumber in the same way that anyone who writes songs is a songwriter.

It is also widely recognised that a man can be qualified by experience, many people throughout the 60s,70s and 80s served apprentiships in many trades but were not always given day release to go to college. They may not have formal qualifications but they are probably far better plumbers than a six week wonder with a bit of paper.
 
Anyone can call themselves a plumber - thats the law!..................Oh no they can't, a Plumber must do an apprenticeship to call themselves a Plumber!!
Anyone else is a CC/CCC!!

Afraid that you are quite wrong. The word "plumber" is not a protected word. There are in fact very few protected words - architect, physio and vet are amongst them. Plumber, electrictian, builder, painter, doctor, teacher and lawyer are examples of non protected words - that anyone can legally apply to themselves.

So you can see that there is absolutely no need to have done an apprenticeship in order to call yourself a plumber.

Any doubts then have a look at this page from the Companies House website

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gbf3.shtml
 
As i said six week wonders are not plumbers either .neither are the six month wonders.And i understand what you mean going back to the 60s and 70s but the person in question has been trading as a plumber for the past 7 yrs now back then if im not mistaken the modern apprentiship had started.So for him to be a plumber for the past 7 yrs he should already hold the recognised qualifications
 
Its probobaly a hard subject to talk about but what i mean is when i left school i became a mechanical and electrical engineer and have been doing electrics now for more than 10 yrs but "IM NOT AN ELECTRICIAN" and cant claim to be because of my experience.I sat a plumbing apprenticeship for 4 yrs under a Master plumber
 
Well as far as I'm concerned if you charge people for doing electrics and charge them for doing plumbing you are an electrician and a plumber. I agree that there are qualifications that are widely recognised in both industries but they simply prove that you have achieved a certain standard. The fact that you haven't proved yourself makes you no less a tradesman, it just makes it harder to demonstrate.

Most of the best tradesmen are self employed anyway and I have never once (in 30 years since I left school) been asked to show a qualification which is probably just as well.
 
Same as me mate, school of life and hard knocks. My C&G was 1969. Been pipe bashing ever since. If you've worked for yourself it's very hard to go cards in but we all have to eat, so respect to anyone who goes that route.
Master Plumbers and Master Baters have a lot in common.
 
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