tiling and realities

[goingtobeatiler]

Hello to all,
Im new as of today to this forum and would like to say a big hello and look forward to hearing from many of you.
A bit about me;
working as a warehouse supervisor right now and have been toying for ages (lazy) about going on tiling courses and setting up a buisness. Well i have finally decided that i cant think about things and am actually going to do it. With a baby on the way i want to get going and start for a better future. I can tile very basic and enjoy it.

I have a few questions for you guy's......
Q1. honestly and in reality can i with the right training start this up like i want to?
Q2. I have decided to go with a 2 week course in the swindon based centre as advised in other threads and then after a month going to the north east as a recap, whilst hopefully doing friends and families houses as a portfolio build and experience......is this the right way forward?
Q3. are any of you in the same boat or done this route and been successful?
Q4. And finally is there any advice or opinions and just comments anyone wants to add?
Q5. is there apart from this site a good place where i can really get into tiling from a proffessionals point of view and read up and just get to know the industry.?

Im a firmly grounded person and realise the work needed and know it is not going to be a bed of roses, but its for the future i want to build. I have not booked the courses yet but will sort that in the coming months. my setup point is to properly get going full time by next spring with all the above under my belt.

many thanks,

Lee

 

[Dan]

Hello to all,
Im new as of today to this forum and would like to say a big hello and look forward to hearing from many of you.
A bit about me;
working as a warehouse supervisor right now and have been toying for ages (lazy) about going on tiling courses and setting up a buisness. Well i have finally decided that i cant think about things and am actually going to do it. With a baby on the way i want to get going and start for a better future. I can tile very basic and enjoy it.

I have a few questions for you guy's......

Welcome once again, our forums are a little slow at the moment but we sure do have lots of experience on here and I hope we can answer any questions you have.

Q1. honestly and in reality can i with the right training start this up like i want to?

It might seem a bit strange to just go on a short course and learn how to tile and then charge for it when there are so many long duration courses out there such as NVQ's and the likes. But yes, I used to teach many people every week who like you, had worked in a certain field not related to tiling at all and there were very few that didn't takke it up as a business. It is totally possible and with the right courses you can even have an edge on older tilers who are not so clued up on new products and tools available.

Q2. I have decided to go with a 2 week course in the swindon based centre as advised in other threads and then after a month going to the north east as a recap, whilst hopefully doing friends and families houses as a portfolio build and experience......is this the right way forward?

Most don't go on more than one course but I always advised people to join a recap course. I think you have made a wise decision to further your training once you have completed a few friends and families jobs. Well done.

Q3. are any of you in the same boat or done this route and been successful?

I'm sure many will tell you as you scout around that there are many great tilers that have been pushed out of these training centre's. Just make sure you go for a dedicated tiling courses training centre and not one of those training centre's that does a few types of training as they are usually just after your cash.

Many have been succesful.

Q4. And finally is there any advice or opinions and just comments anyone wants to add?

Good luck? - It's not hard to get out there and charge for the work, don't spend all your profits right away and invest in your business with good tools and more training in the future. Always ask three or more when youhave a question and listen to all replies and make your own mind up and the main thing, try to offer something different and push it when you quote.

Q5. is there apart from this site a good place where i can really get into tiling from a proffessionals point of view and read up and just get to know the industry.?

There's a few links at the bottom of this forum leading to a few decent resources around the net. I'd have a good look around and search for 'tiling' in Google or something. Best way to learn is to try though. Adhesive companies can give you litterature and tile shops and forums can give tile advice, other than that, practice makes perfect as they say.

Im a firmly grounded person and realise the work needed and know it is not going to be a bed of roses, but its for the future i want to build. I have not booked the courses yet but will sort that in the coming months. my setup point is to properly get going full time by next spring with all the above under my belt.

many thanks,

Lee

Once again, good luck, and make sure you ask anything at all asap.

Dan
Ex Tiling Teacher come Pro' Wall and Floor Tiler.