Thanks again every one

[Minty913]

I posted on here about 5 months ago
not knowing if I should stay in the army or try become a tiler

I have 18 days left of my 6 month tour of Afghanistan and it has made my choice a lot easier :lol:
so signed off the other day and started to look for courses I can get the army to pay for

Im thinking of going with ableskills as there courses look good and think some bits will be challenging like the timed jobs etc

Are there any other ones you guys have used? I'm based in Wiltshire but don't mind traveling if I'm going to get the best out of a course

I was looking at the 10 week NVQ course it's about 3500 if I time it right I'll only have to pay 500 pound.

Oh yh anyone want some free laboure let me no ill bore you with my war stories :drool5:

 

[Tony73]

Hi, i would like your stories , as i spent 5 years in army

 

[Minty913]

Hi, i would like your stories , as i spent 5 years in army

Haha well pull up a sand bag!
I take it your doing ok a tiling? Was it hard to break into?
What where you in?

 

[The D]

Sorry if this is sounding negative but any one telling you that you will get an NVQ3 in 10 weeks is misleading you unless you have already been working as a tiler for five years. They can give you some training but all evidence must be worked based so after your 10 weeks training you will have to start gathering the evidence and for a level 2 or 3 this can take some time years even.

 

[Tony73]

Haha well pull up a sand bag!
I take it your doing ok a tiling? Was it hard to break into?
What where you in?

used to work in sergeant school as instructor 18 years ago. And tiling ..... Came to london 14 years ago, and was cutting tiles , mixing adhesive etc. for tiler. A year later started tiling my self slowly. Took me few years to understad what is tiling. It's ART.
I agree with Deano, it takes years..... And Deano is true Artist

 

[AliGage]

Alright Minty,

I think i posted in your threads. How's the tour going?
I did a similar thing to you when i signed off and spent my last 6 months in Banja Luka at the metal factory. Boared as hell, but cheap beer in the bar and managed to save a right wedge.
Agree with Deano mate. However, make the most of your resettlement. I'd get them to try and help you find work as well. Do your courses etc and get your CSCS card but then go work for someone as a junior or semi-skilled labour and get some experience.

Best of luck fella. To be honest, with these do it all course, in theory it is easy to get into tiling. Being a little wet behind the ears makes most just undercut the experience and buys the work. If this is a career move for you then, for it to be a lasting career you need a good name. Good name comes with good workmanships and hopefully the work ethic the Army has drummed into you. Please excuse the following two puns, but they are very very fitting:

Take your time to "be the best" and "climb the ranks".

 

[Minty913]

Sorry if this is sounding negative but any one telling you that you will get an NVQ3 in 10 weeks is misleading you unless you have already been working as a tiler for five years. They can give you some training but all evidence must be worked based so after your 10 weeks training you will have to start gathering the evidence and for a level 2 or 3 this can take some time years even.

Its cool should of gone in to a bit more detail
the course is 10 weeks after the first couple of weeks you get you city & guild assessment
after That you do a number of different projects some times wetrooms, kitchens etc planning jobs with the different me trials needed
on completion of the course they will register you with the NVQ body so you can start to build your portfolio and gain the evidence you need.

I have don't a NCQ 1 & 2 Mechanical Engineering and understand it can take years to complete the only problem with the qualifications I have I only know how to use them on Tanks :lol:

 

[Minty913]

used to work in sergeant school as instructor 18 years ago. And tiling ..... Came to london 14 years ago, and was cutting tiles , mixing adhesive etc. for tiler. A year later started tiling my self slowly. Took me few years to understad what is tiling. It's ART.
I agree with Deano, it takes years..... And Deano is true Artist

Bet things have changed from when you where in the army is all health and safety mad that anyone that has been in the tasks we have to do health and safety never came in to it :smilewinkgrin:

My next posting will be an instructor and not really in to it any more.
i used to be self employed years ago and loved the job satisfaction you got so think deep down I'm making the right choice.

 

[Tony73]

No health and safety, grab AK-74 run and shoot..... :lol:

 

[Minty913]

Alright Minty,

I think i posted in your threads. How's the tour going?
I did a similar thing to you when i signed off and spent my last 6 months in Banja Luka at the metal factory. Boared as hell, but cheap beer in the bar and managed to save a right wedge.
Agree with Deano mate. However, make the most of your resettlement. I'd get them to try and help you find work as well. Do your courses etc and get your CSCS card but then go work for someone as a junior or semi-skilled labour and get some experience.

Best of luck fella. To be honest, with these do it all course, in theory it is easy to get into tiling. Being a little wet behind the ears makes most just undercut the experience and buys the work. If this is a career move for you then, for it to be a lasting career you need a good name. Good name comes with good workmanships and hopefully the work ethic the Army has drummed into you. Please excuse the following two puns, but they are very very fitting:

Take your time to "be the best" and "climb the ranks".

Yeah it's going ok here it's a Summer tour so allways a bit more active, just wish some of the higher ranks remember that just because we are going though the Transition Phase dose not mean we can turn a blind eye and stop fighting.

Trust me I'm getting every thing I can from the army that's one of the reasons I'm in this site as want to make sure I'm getting the right things for the Career change last thing I want is to walk out them gates thinking dam I should of don't that course :lol:

I think the best thing the army teaches is hard work pays off & never do it half harted
im still looking for tilers in Wiltshire to work for free to gain a little bit more understanding wilest still in the army have not email any yet but I imagin there not to keen in the idear of another tiler learning fro. Them then going at it in there own...

 

[cam_low]

Stay in the army mate and retire in fifteen years or come out and work til ur 70

 

[Minty913]

Stay in the army mate and retire in fifteen years or come out and work til ur 70

Haha well under the new pension scheme you can not claim a pension till your 65 so all the GOOD things in the army are gone.

So most of us are jumping ship before the new designer part time army takes effect.