trade teacher wolverhampton help

[sam171989]

hi i am thinking of going on 2 week tiling course i know its city and guilds accredited but why is everyone saying these courses are a waste of time and money then other people say they been on a 2 week course and started up there own buisness and are doing ok what is the truth !!!! thanks

 

[DHTiling]

The truth is Sam... is that a short course is only an insight in the tiling world... it will NOT make you a tiler overnight...

The ones that have made it after said course are basically taking the small amount of skill learned on a short course and then self teaching themselves as the years go by..

You need to have your eyes wide open when deciding what is best for you...

 

[Time's Ran Out]

In a nutshell anyone who believes a 2 week course is sufficient training to allow you to become a professional tiler (one who charges for their services) is misleading you and the customer of your hard earned money! There are trained tilers without work in the present economic climate and these courses are selling the £££££.00 dream and unless you have a USP that makes you different I'am on the side of the fence that says - save your money and wait a few years for the recovery to begin.

 

[Gazzer]

My thoughts, The training centres seem to be the best that we have at the moment. years ago Tiling companies would take on apprentices and you would spend years alongside a pro tiler or maybe a gang of tilers. Sadly its not the case any more.
Take into account how many of these training centres are running at the moment and then think how many actually proceed into a successful business? Lets say every 2 weeks they train ! 5 people. Thats the the first 4 potential competitors you already have and these will probably be from your area too. Take in that there are lots of tilers out there already struggling to make a days pay or even with no work....how would you compete ?
Now apart from those 4 competitors on your course...the courses run all year so if they have 100 people a year on their course and the same for another 5 schools around the country thats 500 a year ( I am guessing at these numbers ) .
Dont fall for the promise or even the hint of what some of these schools claim you will earn either...its far off the mark.

 

[Del W]

How much tiling have you done so far ?

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

As above Sam, a two week course will not make you a tiler, far from it I'm afraid the old saying "a little knowledge can be dangerous" is very true. Sorry to be brutal but it is a fact.

 

[Ian]

As has already been said, these courses (the good ones) are a good introduction into the trade. It is now coming up to 6 years since I did mine and its only now really that I feel that I have the confidence and knowledge to tackle each and every aspect of the trade, having said that, there are still areas that I need to research and questions that I need to ask, there are always going to be scenarios that you haven't faced before. I wasn't a complete novice to tiling when I did my course, so had a bit of a head start on those who hadn't picked up a trowel before. It has been a long hard slog but I have persevered and got my business to a point now where I'm actually making a very comfortable living, don't be fooled into thinking that after the course you will be able to earn a grand a week straight away, building the business and getting contacts and a reputation to ensure you have a constant flow of work is just as hard as the tiling side. My biggest piece of advice for anyone just starting out is, use this forum, it is full of valuable information that will help you along the way, also keep up to date with materials and fixing methods, attend as many courses offered by manufacturers as you can. Never drop the ball, always strive to offer something that your competitors don't. In time all of these things will help you to become a better tiler and get you that all important reputation you will need to succeed.

I hope this gives you some idea of what can be achieved and how I have done it, I feel like I have done an apprenticeship but without the direct help of someone being with me everyday. I've made some mistakes, but learnt from them. I probably spend 2-3 hours a day on this forum reading and learning from existing posts and other members and will continue to do so for as long as this forum exists. It is a wonderful business tool and the more you put in the more you will get back, use your profile as a mini website, put pictures of your work on there and direct any potential customers to it. Never be afraid of a bit of self promotion, modesty will get you nowhere.

 

[sam171989]

Hi del I have done 1 tiling job so far for a family member why you ask that thanks

 

[Del W]

Theres good tilers out there that have been tiling for years,in all parts of the country,that are not working at the moment.Suggest you try & get a job as a labourer with a tiling company before you try & do it on your own.