thinking of training to be a tiler:)

[paul666]

Hi everyone first time on the forum🙂 needing some advice from the seasoned pro"s out there. I am thinking of doing a four week intensive course at edinburgh (train fr trades) i think its called in order to work for myself. I dont expect to earn ludicrus ammounts as some people say you can earn but if I could earn say 250 to 300 per week id be very happy to work for myself doing something i enjoy:smilewinkgrin: anyway I want to do the 4 week intensive course and come back a few months later and do a two week plumbing course idea being i wil be able to do full bathroom installations has anyone else done these intensive courses and got themselves started up and how good are they??? Thanks in advance

 

[Andy Allen]

dont think any course plumbing or tiling will set you up in a career stright away, they may teach you the basics, but theres so much more to it, perhaps if you could spend sometime with other tradesmen then you can learn from them too, in the real world, instead of a prebuilt tiling bay..

 

[White Room]

Hi and welcome.....

 

[macten]

That's the route I went, some courses are good and some will be bad.
After the course I did my own bathroom plumbing and tiling, then my brothers', then my parents', my Grans' and then went on to my friends. Steep learning curve and after 12 months had the confidence to work for proper customers paying proper rates.
A lot depends on you as an individual and how competent a DIYer you are now.
Tough times out there at the moment so think before you jump.
Good luck

 

[kilty55]

hi paul,the course itself at edinburgh is well run and thourough as it can be for a short course imo

the instructors will give you after course advice also at no extra cost and i personally found this very helpful as it will be needed

personally if it was me i would do the tiling course to start and spend your first number of years buiding your business,knowledge and skills solely on tiling alone and only taking on tiling work
the reason being there is so much to learn and so many sitautions you will encounter that if you attempt to take on also plumbing which is a completely different trade it would be too much to attempt to learn ata once its hard enough learning the 1st one.

also full bathroom refits you will encounter allsorts of thngs during the rip outs and being able to dot dab,build boxwork that suits the rooms asthetically,rip out and re do whole floors right back to joists sometimes further and also plastering,tanking ,framinig ceilings etc etc the list goes on and on.....my own opinion would be do the tiling course.....learn that 1st till you are damn good then if you want to progress then do further courses

looking back on my start in this line of work there is no way on earth i could have done both courses ,bought all the tools which is vast btw,learned all the skills which therer are many and have been able to turn out a good quality bathroom on my own.

start with family jobs,jobs at home and small projects that dont pose potentially huge problems and give yourself time to do some serious homework at the same time till your confidence builds

there is a good career to be had if you succeed but the work is very hard and very challenging at times for a newcomer,wrk atm is also difficult to find

all the best

 

[Rookery]

At some point you will come across jobs beyond your knowledge/capabilities. Do not be afraid to turn down those as they're the ones that'll give you grief and cost you dear. Try and team up with a plumber so you can do bathrooms together.

 

[dave l and l]

you need to do more than a 4 week tiling and a 2 week plumbing course. i cant get my head round a course that teaches you a trade over a few weeks when people spend three years learning it, however you can learn the basics. the hardest thing at the mo is finding work so yeah you can earn ok money but it can be hard to get work in especially when you are just starting out.
has anyone done a four week in tiling plastering electrician ect ect and went straight out to work,???? would like to hear about it if they have

 

[Muse2k8]

I did my tiling with Edinburgh. Absolutely fantastic and I'm working and doing well. Saying that I did have a lot of prior trades experience due to the family business so real world problems etc were not really an issue.

If you want to do it then go for it, I really recommend the course in Edinburgh BUT you won't come out a pro. If you can accept this and start small then you will be fine 🙂

 

[paul666]

Thanks guys lots of really good advice there 🙂 I was planning to do both but after kilty"s advice I may start in tiling and come back to the plumbing side when im good at tiling. also i was not really expecting to become a seasoned pro in just four weeks lol would be doing all i can to my bathroom and kitchen then friends and family etc make sure i can do all aspects of tiling required then try get my own business up and running. any you guys that has done the training in edinburgh do the guys teach basic joinery like boxing in etc and also what about plastering ie skimming etc?? Thanks agin everyone🙂

 

[swanman]

I dont rate any 4 week tiling courses .They are alot of money and you only learn the very basics. When i first started over 10 years ago i phoned every tiler in my area and asked if i could work with them for free. This taught me such alot . One tiler i worked for only let me grout and that in its self requires skill .G et that wrong and the hole job looks bad.

Thats the way i would go .Very good luck to you .If you get trained right you can earn a good living

 

[prceramics]

I done a 8 week course at able skills finished in November and been self employed since paying the bills just 🙂

 

[neal.o]

I wish you the very best of luck im not a fan of these courses a few weeks to learn a trade is just not enoughbut i hope it works for you

 

[kilty55]

in regards to what you are happy earning paul 250 to 300 a week will not be enough to keep a business afloat and give you a wage,not sure of your financial circumstances but the cost of a van,constant renewal and upgrade of tools,fuel costs,work wear insurance,tax national ins advertising to get started etc etc etc adds up in reality you will have to double that cost weekly imo at the least

 

[White Room]

As kilty, your'll be amazed how much it costs just to keep things running and watch those credit cards, it dos'nt take long to run up any debt.

 

[Peter]

Wouldn't be a bad idea to work with another tiler/squad of tilers for a year or two as that way when you make your mistakes then there will be somebody with you to keep you right. You'll also be building contacts, getting to know suppliers and be able to do homers of your own as and when you get confidence, while getting a steady wage and an education. Don't see any way you could get several days a week work with no contacts and no experience, the only way to do so is to be on the circuit for a while before going it alone.

 

[afright]

I dont think 4 weeks training would make you a tiler it takes years there is no better training than to work with a pro you have got to start at the bottom, have been doing it for 42 years and I am still learning ,but hope it works out for you good luck.

 

[prceramics]

remember only take on work you feel comfortable doing