The salaries of Plumbers are often talked about in the national press. Salaries of 30-70k p.a. are often discussed, along with the lack of plumbers within the UK. Is this really a fib – or is this in fact accurate? For the competent and correctly skilled person, this level of salary is realistic. So whilst those working in the self-employed role can get incomes of 70-100k p.a., those working in more conventional employment routes often find it hard to achieve this salary.
The normal working week is pretty standard for those who join an established company. Indeed salaries of between 15k and 30k p.a. form part of what is expected from employed status in this area, along with the added reward of holiday pay and sickness allowance. Whilst the ability to earn more than through normal means exists, the self-employed plumber usually has to consider working longer hours. For example in the domestic sector where clients are often at work during the working day, self employed plumbers are regularly required to work during evening and weekend visits.
Then there is the matter of working for yourself, which agrees with some people more than others. Finally there is good ‘business sense’, such as getting the hourly rate correct, advertising and marketing budgets spot on which are all important. Furthermore, additional costs such as materials and transport, along with legal and accountancy fees will need to be paid. While these can mount up, (although they should always be a very small proportion of your earnings,) so can the benefits received. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!
Without a doubt Student Entrants are looking for companies who can offer them regular employment and thereby teach them from experience. Alternatively, the Self Employed Entrant needs to quickly establish those certificates that they will rely on in industry. That noted the main drive of self-employed workers is towards the ‘domestic’ market and not that of the commercial sector. (Whilst not everyone does the majority do!)
In terms of plumbing education, there appears to be some similarity between the certification modules required by each path into the industry. A key debate however comes into play when considering the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland.)
From the beginning the Student Entrant instead of the Self Employed Entrant is much more reliant upon the NVQ requirements. The Self Employed Entrant will often call upon a wider range of certifications right from the outset; in order to satisfy their perceived client’s requirements. Without a doubt the self employed person needs to quickly gain the core domestic- centred qualifications to satisfy their typical household-based clients. It is within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be appraised that many Student Entrants carry on with their apprenticeship after having covered the key fundamentals through a college scheme. Considerable savings potential exists to the Student Entrant by taking on this cheaper form of study. It is fair to say that long before the Student Entrant the Self Employed Entrant can gain financial benefits through establishing certifications faster and by being more commercially motivated.
This shows the necessity of a clear careers discussion, covering the overall study and certification requirements alongside the required financial return. It is often the issue of spending time at college and then having to go back to an apprenticeship for up to 3 years that proves difficult to many adults especially those that have a family to look after. Furthermore, many Student Entrants have their studies paid for them whereas the self-employed students fund the variety of course themselves. These courses can run between 3k through to 10k+, depending upon the course and level of certification required and that is something that people need to consider.
The study process is often split with Student Entrants studying at recognised further-education colleges whereas the mature Self Employed Entrants going for a wider range of private run technical schools. It is the lead into familiar skill-sets and qualifications that commercially fixed plumbing course companies offer as part of their training paths. In the current climate the ability of Self Employed Entrants to maintain their current financial situation and job, whilst at the same time as training in the evening, part-time or on self study classes remains one of the advantages of this system. With the high number of colleges it makes sense to gather as much technical data as you can. We’ve provided links and a book mark to this page (CTRL-D) so you can come back whenever you wish and review the adverts and options available to you.
To increase their ‘marketability’ many plumbing students will go on to utilise extra courses. These courses can provide a range of additional certifications in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical. A popular route for Plumbers involves that of the normal domestic and commercial heating system training program of Gas Training.
It is with its main subjects, alongside added NVQ’s, that result in Gas Training being viewed as a technical program. It is the ability to add extra skills to the fore, along with the features that on-going training offers that continue to be attractive to those who trained as a plumber. It could be said, from that viewpoint, that a hybrid of Plumbing/Gas training would be more suited to the mature student. By reducing the NVQ parts the Mature Student appears to be able to allow the focus on the core subjects.
From this, the self-employed professional appears to suit the variable training schemes. The attraction is certainly the chance to gain a wider range of skill sets and earn money from them. Instead of having to rely upon third parties to complete certain skill-sets, this adds to their commercial viability. Sub-contraction needs to be handled carefully as the erosion of customer satisfaction by having to wait for key work to be completed by third parties can result in a serious reduction in potential earnings. The higher the skill level of a Plumber the more that they can offer their client base.
In conclusion, the Self Employed Entrant can enjoy a much higher (and more quickly achieved) income than a Student Entrant, but they would have to work at developing a broader range of certifications (and consider the business side of things too.) Note: This information relates to the UK market, policies and industry requirements alone.
Written by Scott Edwards. Check out Plumbing Careers or Plumber Training Courses.