would love some advice!!

[AliGage]

Excellent news. Good luck!

 

[prceramics]

thanks for the advice guys, i realize it is going to be hard and a course is just a start, but it can only be positive step to start with.

Iv just spoke with Able Skills and they seemed very professional and cover a lot of units in anything from 2 week to 8 week course City and Guilds, may go and check the training centre out this weekend.

Oh and bugs im in golf at the moment, i never get weekends off so im used to it!

Able skills is an excellent course i done the 8 weeks there at the end of last year a good tip would be to get your website up and running now just leave off your phone number because it takes ages to get ranked on google

 

[markyneeds]

i was thinking of doing the 4 week city and guilds course there to start, what sort of confidence level did you have after your 8 week course there..were you able to take on your own jobs straight away? How did you go about getting work after the course?

Sorry for all the questions..im just realy interested to hear from someone who has been there and done it by the sounds of it!!

many thanks

 

[prceramics]

was quite confident mate but you do learn twice as much on the job the 1st ones are daunting so try and do some for family and friends 1st , i booked in for the 8 weeks but changed the last week for a plumbing coarse, the tools you will need are quite expensive able can get you them at a decent price, work didn't really start coming in until my website had a good ranking.

 

[Martino]

In my opinion the best way to learn is basically be a labourer for a tiler for a good few years, more than one tiler too...i have worked with a few and you take a few things from each tiler and use ways that suit you best...you can get the piece of paper like someone said earlier but it really means nothing...customers want decent work at the end of the day they dont care if u have it or not....most go for price and quality....thats just my general opinion.....also you need to be a good sale's man too and be very friendly to your customers been working for me for 8 years now

 

[markyneeds]

Thanks for the advice mate, i know its just a piece of paper but i think i would be more confident doing the course to get a good understanding of the trade to start, once i have done the course i then plan to get a bit of labouring work (fortunatly i have a few contacts), whilst maybe taking on a few solo jobs, small to start, and hopefully build my knowledge from there.

How did you go about finding work with various tilers? I emailed a lot of tilers and as of yet had no replys at all, i just stated that i plan to do the course etc, and generally asked if they had any oportunitys for a trainee... dont realy know what else to do!!

cheers

 

[Burslems finest]

Sounds similar to me 8 years ago, i was 27 then and fed up, did a few little tiling jobs and really enjoyed it did a course and went on my own.
I found it very difficult and afraid to say i made a few bodges on my first jobs, and was ready chuck it in and go back to my old job (which i hated). I was very lucky whilst sitting in the pub one night explaining my woes to a mate , a bloke overheard me and after a few beers took me on as a labourer. I was paid a pittance for 3 years doing 10 -12 hour days and now i'm my own boss and love it!
My advice would be to go to as many tile shops as possible be as friendly as you can with the staff and maybe buy something ( some spacers from one shop a bit of grout the next don't go mad) The staff know the people you need to speak to!
Be aware though, however good this course is you cannot learn a trade that quick, it takes time. A good attitude will take you far!
Good luck

 

[markyneeds]

Hi guys, thanks for all the advice. Topps tiles really did come up trumps, the guy from Topps asked some tilers and one of the is happy to take me on and allow me to work alongside him, which i am well happy about! Just following on about a course with able skills, the general advice from guys on here is that the best way to learn is to work alongside a professional tiler and not bother with a course, some say it is a waste of time and money. Im just wondering if now that i have managed to find some work with a professional tiler would you recommend i do the course alongside working with the tiler or simply allow my self a good year with the tiler and not bother doing a course, i was looking at the six week Able skills course and planning on doing 1 week a month with 3 weeks work with the tiler?

Many thanks
Mark

 

[bugs183]

Good news eh!
It depends on how hands on you will be whilst working for the tiler, if he's a good sort and isn't under pressure then he may let you start by doing some wall tiling and pointing out along the way what to do, then later you'd floor tile.
As a tiler who's busy i myself wouldn't have the time or TBH the patience to show you how to do a job in a nice relaxed way. Me not working isn't getting the job done, harsh but true.
If you can i'd say do the course and work for the bloke, you'll be fixing tiles in a nice calm enviroment at the college, and then you would have the confidence to do some work for him.