Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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I'm looking to retrain, at the moment I have no qualifications other than GCSEs which I didn't do to well at because my dad was ill at the time so I've been stuck in crappy motor trade jobs since I left school.
I'm looking to do something more hands on, possibly training to be a plumber or electrician, maybe a gas engineer.
Has anyone on here got experience in doing something similar?
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ShEp
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 05
Location: Dingwall, Highland
User status: Offline
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In Scotland it's possible to do mature apprenticeships, With it being for older people the wages are usually higher to begin with than what a school leaver apprentice would get.
Other than that, night classes in college? Any skills centres around where you live? I did my welding codings at a skills centre, all stamped up and verified by Lloyds.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
User status: Offline
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I've been a sparky since I was 17. If I had my chance again, I wouldn't be doing any trade. Get a nice cushty office job.
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Ellis
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
I've been a sparky since I was 17. If I had my chance again, I wouldn't be doing any trade. Get a nice cushty office job.
It's not all it's cracked up to be. Pretty miserable existence office work. Most days I just want to shoot myself in the face.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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The birds in the offices in my work are  Tbey must look at me and think i'm a peasant, but we earn more than them anyway 
[Edited on 08-10-2015 by Ben G]
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Marc
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Registered: 11th Aug 02
Location: York
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
I've been a sparky since I was 17. If I had my chance again, I wouldn't be doing any trade. Get a nice cushty office job.
I was a welder, got a nice cushty office job now.
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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The issue is my office job is sales based so it's not nice and cushty
I've been doing it 5 years and really can't take any more if it 
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Nic Barnes
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Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
User status: Offline
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now I'm office based, I don't think I could go back to being a hands on worker.
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Nic Barnes
now I'm office based, I don't think I could go back to being a hands on worker.
This. I would rather do the hands on jobs, but I know in the long run i'll be better off in the office. Can do the hands on stuff as a hobby when I get back home/ weekends.
[Edited on 08-10-2015 by Chris x]
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djgritt
Premium Member
Registered: 1st Nov 07
Location: Dorset Drives: Focus ST / Hyundai i20N
User status: Offline
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I was hands on, moved to Office.
Office isn't al it is cracked up to be, should have stayed hands on.
Only benefit for me really is being home 99% of the time rather than being away all the time as I was before.
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Brett
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Dec 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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Grass is greener imo
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Tiger
Member
Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
User status: Offline
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If you want something that's moving in the right direction go to college and do project management and move into freelance site management.
Alternatively look at becoming an Energy Surveyor.
Health and Safety is always a good one as that's got a choke hold on all aspects of industry and our health and safety officers have got such easy lives with decent money too.
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Tiger
Member
Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
User status: Offline
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All trade jobs are gonna give you to look back on is an average house, fucked knees, bad breathing and arthritic wrists and hands unless you're in a small percentage that get lucky with very well paying clients and easy work.
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random dav
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: NSW
User status: Offline
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I think Gary did something.
I'd want bit of both, office and site.
WRLFC !
Project cars
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
All trade jobs are gonna give you to look back on is an average house, fucked knees, bad breathing and arthritic wrists and hands unless you're in a small percentage that get lucky with very well paying clients and easy work.
Whereas now I've got an average house, no chance of earning more money and very inflexible working hours
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Baskey
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Registered: 31st May 06
User status: Offline
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Can you not progress further in your company. You have 5 years experience so must know the business well. Are there no managment / head office oppertunities ?
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Dave
Member
Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
All trade jobs are gonna give you to look back on is an average house, fucked knees, bad breathing and arthritic wrists and hands unless you're in a small percentage that get lucky with very well paying clients and easy work.
Can't agree more with this, I've seen far too many guys still grafting into their 60's to know it's not for me. I took the opportunity to ditch the tools 2 years ago and go into management, fair bit more stressful but no way I'd go back.
The only way to make decent money in a trade is working for yourself, but then you could have the double whammy of still having to graft whilst also having the pressure of finding work, awkward clients,non payers, unreliable staff etc.
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DC90
Member
Registered: 14th Nov 07
Location: Bedfordshire
User status: Offline
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I've been extremely lucky in having a job that's a mixture of hands on and office work. Used to just be on the tools and eventually ended up hating it. At the same time, not sure I could hack it working in an office all day, every day.
Night classes are an option if you're looking to pick up a trade.
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deano87
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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Look to see if any of the major energy providers are recruiting.
I know someone in a similar position. Didn't do too well at school. Worked warehouse jobs. Progressed to warehouse manager but didn't like the responsibility so jacked it.
No is a British Gas Meter engineer. Does installs on new developments/estates as well as changes in domestic properties.
Doing something like that is a good way getting into the spark/plumbing trade with good packages, imho.
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Andrew
Member
Registered: 5th May 04
Location: Skoda Octavia Estate, Ford Puma
User status: Offline
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What ever you do, i wouldn't bother going into IT. Most days i want to punch either a colleague or customer in the face.
I'd be happy just paying my bills for an easy life.
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GB123
Premium Member
Registered: 21st Nov 11
Location: Kent
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Andrew
What ever you do, i wouldn't bother going into IT.
I don't think he was planning to?
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Generation
Member
Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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Become a bus driver, I started a month ago, and loving ir
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Nic Barnes
Member
Registered: 5th Apr 04
Location: nowhere near ginger people
User status: Offline
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I quite enjoy sales, do well with bonus and commissions so makes it worthwhile. Perhaps find a different sales job? Maybe just that environment you are in.
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VegasPhil
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Jan 05
Location: Fareham, Hants Drives: Octavia VRS
User status: Offline
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If you do sales why not try recruitment? Hard job but the pay is very good.
Other than that IOSH or a NEBOSH qualification would be decent.
If I was to do it all over again I would choose marine or automotive engineering I think.
Corsa 2.0 16v Vegas - Sold
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Tiger
Member
Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by VegasPhil
If you do sales why not try recruitment? Hard job but the pay is very good.
Other than that IOSH or a NEBOSH qualification would be decent.
If I was to do it all over again I would choose marine or automotive engineering I think.
I've done my IOSH course, Christ it was boring!!
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