Time Served Tiler's V.s New Tilers

[kilty55]

this doesnt just apply to tilers,but anyone whos paid a large amount of cash to go on a condensed course to learn as much as they can and then simply plod about is there own worst enemy,,i would say as a tiler you have to be self motivated and if you need an instructor breathing down your neck pushing you constantly to learn more your not gonna make it very far once you get out that front door.

 

[grumpygrouter]

this doesnt just apply to tilers,but anyone whos paid a large amount of cash to go on a condensed course to learn as much as they can and then simply plod about is there own worst enemy,,i would say as a tiler you have to be self motivated and if you need an instructor breathing down your neck pushing you constantly to learn more your not gonna make it very far once you get out that front door.

I did a 4 week course and the instructors didn't "breath down my neck". They were however, available to offer guidance when needed. The 2nd 2 weeks of my course were pretty much all practical, not much classroom work unless the individual wished to go and recap a lecture perhaps they weren't sure of.

For me the extra 2 weeks of available "guidance" was invaluable and gave me the confidence to do what I do now. If I had just done the initial 2 weeks, chances are I would not have taken up tiling as a profession, even though I had made an expensive outlay because at that moment in time, I was not confident I had the skills required.

 

[kilty55]

i also done a short course and the instructors didnt breath down my neck either,i beleive its up to the individual how much they want to learn..the instructors are there for support,,guidance and information,,if the guys on the course are not motivated enough and simply plod around i dont beleive they are getting the most out there course.

 

[tiler burden]

kilty you have some valid points

they are there to learn the techniques not for motivational inspiration.

anybody who is prepared to pay upto 3k for training obviously is motivated.in the ideal world they would love to work with a dave, or mz30 or swe etc etc but its not always possible so you work with what you have got infront of you, not what you havent.

 

[kilty55]

i talk what? behave yourself.
firstly i didnt set out or mean to insult anyone
secondly im one of those decent hard working people who scraped the money together to do the course to better myself in life.
i think you have misenterpreted what i meant either that or i have worded it poorly.
i never once said a condednsed course wasnt the way forward what i meant was your only going to get out the course what you put in!! yes the instructors are there for lots of different reasons but if the individual doing the course isnt self motivated i dont beleive hes getting the best out the course.
i have no idea what you are talking about matey,i just done a course and thought it was gr8,,i never once said they were rubbish?????? all that was being said was if the guy paying the course doesnt learn to motivate himself hes not gonna learn much in his SHORT time on the course.

 

[tiler burden]

ok mate, you were right.

you worded it poorly ;0)

ed

 

[kilty55]

interesting.

 

[tkm18]

I honestly cant decide where i stand in this debate, its the same with all these fast-track courses.

Irrespective of how long/much people spend on these courses, some people just dont have the natural ability to do the job.

The same can be said for apprenticeships.

Who would your Mrs have cut their hair, a fast tracker or a certified apprentice?

I know of 2 guys who have tried to become tilers after a short course and failed. Looks good money for an 'easy' job.

Some older tradesmens noses are going to be put out of joint because of the influx of people from these course, others are going to take it on the chin and get on with it.

 

[tiler burden]

kilty55

i apologise for the way i worded my response. you dont talk sh7t, you have your opinion and thats important. i over reacted to what i read and thats my fault not yours. i am going to edit what i wrote because my action was over re-action and thats not the right way to behave,,

regards
ed

 

[kilty55]

okay ed,cheers for that,no hard feelings mate a simple misunderstanding

 

[malmac]

Here's my take on it - I believe that any training centre should have a syllabus to work to, in which tasks are set and expected to be achieved realistically by new tilers. Of course there has to be a degree of flexibility involved as some newcomers (like myself) may not have experience of manual dexterity type jobs, or they may not be able to work as quickly as others can due to their inability to think on their feet and think ahead, visualise the project etc.
So flexibility in the syllabus is needed for the slower, less able, less motivated and less skilled types of people who want to try their hand at tiling. I luckily have worked with my hands all my life starting as a fitter (mech-eng.) when I left school and when I started my tiling course a month ago I had left my £2k/mth job as a vacuum test technician for a firm that makes huge heat exchangers for Oil Rigs. I never took an apprenticeship and my last formal education was at school when I did GCSE's in 1990, but I have been motivated enough to have never been out of a job since leaving school (1990) and have been fortunate enough to have worked in a number of industries including Aerospace (aircraft re-fuelling) and Petroleum and Agriculture.
Whilst I'm not loaded I am content with £1500/mth and would just say that motivation, savvy, intelligence, your willingness to try anything once and to make it perfect every time you do a job helps in keeping you in work. I'm not a clever guy but I try and keep on trying til it's perfect and only then I'm happy, that keeps the customer happy and the rest is what you've got coming to you. You make your own path in life, so don't think it's up to tutors to push you to finish on time, you'll get there when you can, - it may be too late but at least you'll know your pace and ability and can decide whether to make a go of it as a career or to move on to something else. It's important to mention that although that you paid for a course and so expect to know and be able to competently tile after it, you took a gamble because say if I wanted to learn a new skill and was interested in...electrics for example, or anything really, I personally would not expect to get on with it or not. I would go in with an open mind and hope that it sparks an interest in actually doing it rather than hearing/reading about it etc. If you wanna know more about a subject then try it out on a course but don't always expect it to be what you hoped. Else go to college and learn your trade that way, or pick something else to try that interests you. Some people say "I wish I had made that move years ago" when they find what they are happiest doing.

Perhaps someone could start a new thread about competency in tiling and what exactly that means??

L8rz

 

[andy-p]

i know tilers of 30 yrs exp and they are dreadful, but i would love to know the success/ fail rate from these training courses, i wouldnt be surprised if it was a 90% fail .. anybody any clues ??

 

[hillhead]

Your right hillhead reputation is everything ,just to add to the "need i say more" have you finished the job and have you been paid?

I actually know a few tilers who have been doing it for years and are rough as a bears paw,but weighing up them with rough "new tilers" there is honestly no comparison.

Hi mz,you asked if i'v got paid?
well i have been working with the builder on quite a few jobs and when i ask for a cheque i always get it,i have been doing 1,2 and 3 day weeks in the hotel as its not all ready,my work is real tidy and they are delighted and i have lifted 3 cheques so far! i'm owed £800 after tax for monday! long day but well worth it,50 yds of 150x150 dorset stone from pilkingtons.

 

[doit4u]

Just a few thoughts on some of the comments in the posts:-

A very senior union officer once possed the the following question to a group of us. 'Does a man with 20 years on the job have twenty years experience or one years experience multiplied by twenty?'


I originally did a three year apprenticeship with the old Post Office Telephones. It was a well structured scheme. For the first two years you spent 2-3 months on working in different sections of the work, the first year concentrating on construction/installation and the second year on maintenace/repair. The third year you specialised in a specific area, all this was interspersed with college either C&G or nationals and in house training school courses. The amount you learnt on the practical placements varied with who you were placed with, some were were very good at passing on their skills and knowledge some weren't. I think I was lucky as ex school mates who went as apprentices in a range of industries had varying experiences from the very good to be treated as cheap labour goffers.


Some of the comments about offering a multi-skilled service suggest that you should describe yourself as a handyman as though this is some lower life form. Well I advertise as a handyman who also includes tiling, decorating, laminate flooring in his range of skills. I know my limitations and won't touch plumbing (though I have tried the odd small job at home), I understand how it should be done it always seems to dribble after, at least when I used to do small domestic electrical work {can't now as I don't have the relevant certificates} I knew that if I turned off at the mains it wouldn't leak.

Advertising as a handyman often gets me in and I charge the same rate what ever I am doing. I might go there to put up a shelf or curtain pole and when people ask what else I do it often leads on to the bigger jobs. I also find some people like to have be able to call on one person for a range of jobs.

I have also picked up remedial jobs after other "trademen" have been there. I don't know if they were time-served but if they were it was probably as part of the comedy team at Slade Prison

 

[bignose]

Im glad you all seem to be friends again chaps. I guess the blunt truth is that some will never manage to make a go of anything no matter what course they attend. By the way how easy or difficult have you found it to get work after the course ?