aprentice tiler

[charlie1]

Ok - you want to expand your business and take on an apprentice, what 3 questions would you ask them?

Only 3 mind... but nothing daft!



1: Where have you seen examples of good and bad tiling
2: ....?

 

[pete f]

2 once they know what they are doing theyre off

 

[Diggy]

3. Wheres my Tea?

 

[charlie1]

2 once they know what they are doing theyre off

Interesting point you make but keep to the subject, what would you ask them?, or i take it in your case you wouldnt go there again?

 

[Peter]

Would just take them out on a trial for the day. You'll know by lunchtime if they're cut out for it.

 

[White Room]

Question 1 seems irrelevant, as an apprentice may not have the experiance to know the difference between good or bad tiling....

Question 1 maybe better put as..Why do you want to go into tiling as a career....

 

[charlie1]

Question 1 seems irrelevant, as an apprentice may not have the experiance to know the difference between good or bad tiling....

Question 1 maybe better put as..Why do you want to go into tiling as a career....

no the reason i worded like that is because i'm trying to find out if they have an appreciation for good tiling work. i think this is important.

 

[beanz]

I wouldn't bother with interview questions. Better off trialing them for a day or two. Most important thing is their work ethic. You want to know that they aren't lazy, and you want to know they take pride in their work.. They don't have to pick it up instantly, but they have to want to do the job well. If the words "that'll do" pass their lips, get rid!

 

[Diggy]

I wouldn't bother with interview questions. Better off trialing them for a day or two. Most important thing is their work ethic. You want to know that they aren't lazy, and you want to know they take pride in their work.. They don't have to pick it up instantly, but they have to want to do the job well. If the words "that'll do" pass their lips, get rid!

On the money.

Diggy

 

[Peter]

If a wee lad has a spare minute, if he's asking what you need then he's a keeper, if he's on his phone he's not.

 

[beanz]

If a wee lad has a spare minute, if he's asking what you need then he's a keeper, if he's on his phone he's not.

nowadays you cant get em off the damn phone! :mad2:

 

[widler]

2 once they know what they are doing theyre off

One of mine has been with me for 8 years, 4y apprenticship(plastering) he is a pretty decent tiler as well although he would rather plaster
I dont ask em owt, ive always rang collage asked them for a lad who has been on a coarse for a year or 2, take them for a week if they are useless i sack em off if they are ok i start em at the beginning, they teach them absolutely nowt on the full time coases

 

[Rookery]

Question. Who do you support?
Answer. Man Utd

Close the door on your way out :smilewinkgrin:

 

[afright]

Had a young lad straight from school once showed him how to knock up sand & cement 3 buckets of sand 1 bucket cement mix left him to do it he was gone ages went out to see what he was doing,he said he has only got one bucket and he was looking for more buckets,I think he went back to school.I know we need up and coming tilers but just have not got the time to teach.

 

[Andy Allen]

when we did site work we took on many young lads to try and train them up, because good tilers were in such short supplie...

just getting them out of bed in the mornings was a joke, i even had one of the mothers come out to the van asking us to take it easy on him today as his backs a bit sore from yesterday...:mad2:

out of all the lads we took on only 2 cut the mustered, ones working in germany and i catch up with him now and then on face book, and the other i see in the tile shops, and hes still doing well for himself working on the sites..

 

[widler]

when we did site work we took on many young lads to try and train them up, because good tilers were in such short supplie...

just getting them out of bed in the mornings was a joke, i even had one of the mothers come out to the van asking us to take it easy on him today as his backs a bit sore from yesterday...:mad2:

out of all the lads we took on only 2 cut the mustered, ones working in germany and i catch up with him now and then on face book, and the other i see in the tile shops, and hes still doing well for himself working on the sites..

i once went to pick one up,he came to the door with a brew,said 'i won't be a minute just having me brew' i drove off never to see him again

another one i had, i was skimming a ceiling i shouted for the lad for some clean trowel water,no answer,went to get it myself he was fast asleep on some rolls of insulation :lol:
didnt bother picking him up again,ive had about 10 or 12 and only 2 have been worth there weight in gold,one still works for me the other is on his own but we meet up every couple of months for a few beers(well loads,usually end up toy fighting :lol

 

[AMtek]

A good indicator is the questions they ask you rather than the answers to the question they ask. If their first question is how much will they get paid, they don't get a start

 

[beanz]

A good indicator is the questions they ask you rather than the answers to the question they ask. If their first question is how much will they get paid, they don't get a start

To be fair, that is something that needs to be ironed out before they start. Would you start tiling a job without knowing how much money's in it!?! Let's face it, we all go to work for the money.. I know if I didn't need the money, I'd never lift a tile again! I'd be off travelling round the world lol!

 

[DHTiling]

They are a nightmare with bloody mobiles... So say straight off , if caught on the moby during grafting time then he is gone...

my lad is always on his phone , flipping GF...

 

[merit]

problem is we tar them all with the same brush , give em a days work, you will know if they are worth your time

 

[charlie1]

I think anyone who is ever going to be a good tiler needs to have an appreciation for good tiling... It would be too much hard work if you did not really care what you where creating. I had someone out for weeks, he was a plasterer but hated it, just didn't want to do it anymore, i had him tiling on day one but i could tell he liked and cared about it, pulling tiles back up because 'he' was not satisfied with it, i think that is a very good sign. Offcourse they must have a good work ethic but that applies if you want to be good at anything in life

 

[Time's Ran Out]

They are a nightmare with bloody mobiles... So say straight off , if caught on the moby during grafting time then he is gone...

my lad is always on his phone , flipping GF...

He must really take after his Dad - 58,000 posts and half on his phone!:lol:

 

[widler]

He must really take after his Dad - 58,000 posts and half on his phone!:lol:

Ha ha brill, i bet its dave son telling dave off "dddaaaadddd will u put that bloody phone down and get sumut done, or we gonna be here all day FFS "

 

[Andy Tiler]

Ha ha brill, i bet its dave son telling dave off "dddaaaadddd will u put that bloody phone down and get sumut done, or we gonna be here all day FFS "

That sounds about rite !! Lmao..

 

[AMtek]

To be fair, that is something that needs to be ironed out before they start. Would you start tiling a job without knowing how much money's in it!?! Let's face it, we all go to work for the money.. I know if I didn't need the money, I'd never lift a tile again! I'd be off travelling round the world lol!

I think for anyone learning a trade any money they are given should be a bonus, I did my first months training with no pay at all. I always sit down with a possible apprentice for a chat about the job before offering them a trial and if they only want to talk about money then its not a trade their after its just the cash. We could all go out and dot and dab with tubbed gear on plasterboard in a wet area and get the job done quicker but we take pride in our work and enjoy it, anyone who is only interested in getting paid is not going to take as much care with their work.

That is my view anyway