self employment.....

[Mr T]

Mr T well well well. Fair play for sticking up for yourself. I learnt tje trade by being a dogs body for 6 months and I learnt so much but probably learnt just as much on here. When I felt I was ready to go self employed it was tough. I was lucky to get 3 jobs a month but as you grow it does get better. Ive been tiling on my own for 2 years and still unfortunately tiling floors with £5 bnq tiles lol. Which to be honest is bloody hard work as they ain't the same size or flat. I would to have tje opportunity to tile some that Pro tiler does but i know 1 day it will happen. My advice is learn what you can from thosr site do as many jobs for family as you can (for free) and build a reputation before deciding to go for it. Good luck with what u decide to do

Hello matey... Yes so it is possible lol... and I can officially say I know what you mean with the b&q tiles lol. Seen smaller bows in a semi circle. I may be jumping the gun a little but I am deffinately capable of being paid for the work that I can actually do. That why I want to start looking into self employment. And im sorry some people see it as such a bad thing. But as long as I have my pride it doesnt matter what others think of my skills before theyve seen my workmanship. I am a tiler and I will be a very successful one in the end whichever route I decide to take that I am certain of.

 

[Diggy]

Not wishing to ( it's too hot ) to go through the whole thread , I'll just refer to OP.

Essentially all you have to do is:

1. Register as self-employed with HMRC.
2. Keep a simple record of your expenses. ( Expenses )
3. Keep a simple record of your invoices. ( Income )
4. Keep a simple record of any tax deducted at source ( If you work for a builder he should stop your tax and send you details of this either each month or at the end of the tax year for each month )
5. At the year end fill the Self Assesment online .

Step 5 is a doddle , given that you probably won't turnover more than £73k ( '11-'12 figure ) you'll just need to do a 3 line account.

IE:

Income - Expenses = profit


Good luck

Diggy

 

[Marksmithtiling]

Mr T why dont you put up some pictures of your work,and let people decide if you can do a decent job.It's hard breaking into this game without some input from somewhere,be it a course or working with an established tiler. As for doing a few jobs for friends and family and thinking you are good enough to start charging the public for your efforts I really do think you need to think again.

 

[Mr T]

im beginning to think that myself mate... my other halfs aunt is having a summer house installed the end of the month and she wants me to tile the floor... why don't I take step by step pics of my work and explain every step in detail then you pros can decide if my workmanship is up to scratch? i think that would calm things down a bit lol

- - - Updated - - -

and thanks diggy

 

[Marksmithtiling]

A summer house, could be a challenge depending on substrate,wooden, screed,etc good luck, look forward to the pictures.

 

[Mr T]

i know mate and it may result in it not even being tiled.... but it cost a lot of money and i said i would have a look at it for her and see what can be done. cheers

 

[AMtek]

Mr T why dont you put up some pictures of your work,and let people decide if you can do a decent job.It's hard breaking into this game without some input from somewhere,be it a course or working with an established tiler. As for doing a few jobs for friends and family and thinking you are good enough to start charging the public for your efforts I really do think you need to think again.

By far the best way for us to decide if your work is up to the job is to put pictures up of the jobs you've done. I know you're saying that you will only do the work that you are happy that you are capable of but what if you agree to a job but when you turn up to do it and the spec of the job has changed? they have bought tiles you are not capable of laying because they changed their mind without telling you? because customers changing their mind happens a lot! would you turn round and tell them that you are not experienced enough to fit them? what happens if they ask how long you have been a tiler or where you served your time? what happens if they ask you if they can see a few jobs that you have done or ask for references? you say that you have been unemployed for a while so how have you afforded to buy all the equipment to do the job to a professional standard? You've done a few jobs for family but doing a job for a paying customer is nothing like working for people you know, most paying customers can't wait for you to finish the job so they can have their house back to themselves and put pressure on you from day one to get the job finished, would you take the time to do the job properly if they were leaning on you to get finished? what happens if you took a job on and the customers were going on holiday while you were doing it then they arrive back and they say the job is not up to standard and refuse to pay you until you have replaced all the tiles and done the job again out of your own pocket?

Their are a lot more factors to consider than just what the customer tells you the job is going to be when you price it up, believe me what looks to be a simple straightforward job at the outset can turn into a can of worms and require more skill than it looked as thought it would take.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

At the end of the day it's not morally right to charge someone for work that is not of the highest standard! Whether it be by a novice or a 'tiler' our trade will continue to be devalued if forums like this continue to encourage wannabe 'tilers'!
Its a different scenario to help a DIY to produce the best possible outcome for their effort, but it makes a mockery of this trade when inexperienced people think that they are good enough to con the paying public into believing they are having a professional job done.
There are certain aspects of this thread ( and I've read it all) that I find disturbing, and some posts that are informative and the interest is high. But I'am with the experienced tilers in my opinion that our trade has no place for chancers and anyone who comes on here to read how to become a tiler is deluded and a reality check is in order.

 

[Mr T]

Cheers for the feedback... I will start to post my jobs on here but will not only post finnished work will make threads and explain the whole job in detail step by step... But if its going to be like some of the comments made in this thread theres just no point im sure by now people know im tryin my best to do thing rite and im passionate about this trade and that counts as much as someone whos been in the trade for year. Cheers guys.

 

[Mr T]

As for my tools mate I have been working the last few months and have only recently signed back on... Labouring in the day... Tiling on the nites and weekends. All the work I have done for free I havnt cut any corners on so there would be no chance of me conning anyone out of there hard earned. Also I walk away from these jobs and I cant sleep wishing I was still there tiling lol. i dont feel like getting into previous posts as it ended up getting petty and pretty immature. The last couple of days this thread has actually been playing on my mind and am doubting my abilities. But that wont be long until I get my hands on a trowel... For someone who is so enthusiastic about this trade and would put so much back into it some of you should be ashamed of yaselvs... I see myself as a hard worker.. Not a chancer or a conman. I would rather work 70.hours a week than sit at home smoking weed and drinkin my dhole money away.