As plumbing gets mentioned here quite a bit, I thought I'd give this a
shot....

I'm a 35 year old NVQ Level 2 year 2 heating and ventilation student trying
to do my NVQ 2.

In the next two months, they need us to find a Corgi registered plumber with
an unvented Certificate and Electrical Part P.
And under the supervision of that person, I need to install and test the
following items, 3 times each:
Heat Emitters, Pipework, Brackets and Supports, Boilers and Flues, Storage
Vessels, Mechanical & Electrical Controls, Sanitary Appliances and pressure
vessels. (More than one of these can be checked off on one job.)
Also, pre-commission three systems, and de-commission twice.

I'm well presented, can talk proper like, and communicate well with people,
but I'm not a city ponce.
I'm also strong and reliable.

What I've done so far is:

Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

Looked on Jobcentreplus, Reed, Jobsite, Fish4, Gumtree etc etc

Tried some of the agencies: The story is the same everywhere;
they either need a fully qualified person, or they make use of the plentiful
supply of cheap skilled Polish labour.

As for ringing round - it's already been done by everyone else, but not
believing the stories, I tried three: one was polite, the others were "****
off" and a hang-up! And that was after "Hello, I'm doing NVQ ....."! Do I
keep going on that track?

As for the college - unless you are in a wheelchair or claim minority
status, you have NO chance of getting any help from them at all.

So...any ideas? I know the theory, and what I've fitted for other people
works fine.
But finding that magical Corgi registered unvented certificate plumber who
needs a hand is proving to be a little trickier than I imagined...

David Wright wrote:
As plumbing gets mentioned here quite a bit, I thought I'd give this a
shot....

I'm a 35 year old NVQ Level 2 year 2 heating and ventilation student
trying to do my NVQ 2.

In the next two months, they need us to find a Corgi registered
plumber with an unvented Certificate and Electrical Part P.
And under the supervision of that person, I need to install and test
the following items, 3 times each:
Heat Emitters, Pipework, Brackets and Supports, Boilers and Flues,
Storage Vessels, Mechanical & Electrical Controls, Sanitary
Appliances and pressure vessels. (More than one of these can be
checked off on one job.)
Also, pre-commission three systems, and de-commission twice.

I'm well presented, can talk proper like, and communicate well with
people, but I'm not a city ponce.
I'm also strong and reliable.

What I've done so far is:

Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

Looked on Jobcentreplus, Reed, Jobsite, Fish4, Gumtree etc etc

Tried some of the agencies: The story is the same everywhere;
they either need a fully qualified person, or they make use of the
plentiful supply of cheap skilled Polish labour.

As for ringing round - it's already been done by everyone else, but
not believing the stories, I tried three: one was polite, the others
were "**** off" and a hang-up! And that was after "Hello, I'm doing
NVQ ....."! Do I keep going on that track?

As for the college - unless you are in a wheelchair or claim minority
status, you have NO chance of getting any help from them at all.

So...any ideas? I know the theory, and what I've fitted for other
people works fine.
But finding that magical Corgi registered unvented certificate
plumber who needs a hand is proving to be a little trickier than I
imagined...

Put a card in as many plumbers merchants as possible and even ask the PM
does he know of any plumbers who need a hand, here and there.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

"The3rd Earl Of Derby" wrote in message
. uk...
David Wright wrote:

Put a card in as many plumbers merchants as possible and even ask the PM
does he know of any plumbers who need a hand, here and there.

Been there, done it

What I've done so far is:
Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

OK, I used leaflets, others have tried cards. Net result is the same.

I appreciate your plight, and well remember similar looking for student
placements - er - 24 years ago.

Have you considered larger institutions/organisations rather than
domestic plumbing businesses?

e.g. hospitals, large industrial premises, council maintanence
departments and the like - all of which may have their own in-house
plumbing services. You might find qualified plumbers and qualified
electricians - rather than that being one person.

It may not exactly fit the formula - but your college isn't exactly
being helpful - and the examiners will have to be realistic about the
opportunities students can find (and speaking as a former lecturer -
quite a few of the staff probably need a rocket up the bum to realise
they should be out there building up those business networks that
students depend on).

BTW - whereabouts are you based?

"David Wright" wrote in message
...
"The3rd Earl Of Derby" wrote in message
. uk...
David Wright wrote:

Put a card in as many plumbers merchants as possible and even ask the PM
does he know of any plumbers who need a hand, here and there.

Been there, done it

What I've done so far is:
Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

OK, I used leaflets, others have tried cards. Net result is the same.


========================
Has your local Council (or any neighbouring Councils) got a Direct Works
department? If so ask your local councillor for an introduction. Wolverhampton
Council is planning a £400 million council house programme over the next few
years so there should be some scope for work there and in similar wealthy local
authorities.

Cic.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.
It has removed 1095 spam emails to date.
Paying users do not have this message in their emails.
Try SPAMfighter for free now!

David Wright wrote:

So...any ideas? I know the theory, and what I've fitted for other people
works fine.
But finding that magical Corgi registered unvented certificate plumber who
needs a hand is proving to be a little trickier than I imagined...

Are you expecting to get paid for this?

I've recently retired from the IT industry where "getting started" was
a problem for many of those who wanted to work in IT. The emphasis was
on experience, and the problem got much harder for those who were no
longer twenty-something.

I often wondered what I would do if I had been out of a job in my
latter years, and came to the conclusion that if all else failed I
would be willing to work for nothing for a few months just so that I
could prove my capabilities and be able to 'tick the boxes' in terms of
up-to-date experience.

Of course finances may dictate that this is not an option, but it might
be worth a shot if nothing else works. If you under-cut that cheap
Polish labour small businesses working on tight margins might then find
you irresistable :-)

Good luck.

Mike

wrote in message
oups.com...
I appreciate your plight, and well remember similar looking for student
placements - er - 24 years ago.

Have you considered larger institutions/organisations rather than
domestic plumbing businesses?

e.g. hospitals, large industrial premises, council maintanence
departments and the like - all of which may have their own in-house
plumbing services. You might find qualified plumbers and qualified
electricians - rather than that being one person.

It may not exactly fit the formula - but your college isn't exactly
being helpful - and the examiners will have to be realistic about the
opportunities students can find (and speaking as a former lecturer -
quite a few of the staff probably need a rocket up the bum to realise
they should be out there building up those business networks that
students depend on).

BTW - whereabouts are you based?


You are absoluteley right about colleges, we approached a large technical
college to tell them that we were doing a job with MI Cable and they said
they would place a couple of lads with us to get MI skills signed off but
never heard from them again.

Steve

In message , David Wright
writes
As plumbing gets mentioned here quite a bit, I thought I'd give this a
shot....

I'm a 35 year old NVQ Level 2 year 2 heating and ventilation student trying
to do my NVQ 2.

You could always ask in the plumbing section of

http://www.diynot.com/


--
geoff

"MikeH" wrote in message
ups.com...
I often wondered what I would do if I had been out of a job in my
latter years, and came to the conclusion that if all else failed I
would be willing to work for nothing for a few months

I've already factored that in - 50% of my leaflets mentioned this, and I
said that I'd work for free on "tick the box" jobs, but would expect at
least SOME pay if I got sent out to change a load of taps or pull a turd out
of a toilet....

wrote in message
oups.com...
Have you considered larger institutions/organisations rather than
domestic plumbing businesses?

Hmmm, I'd assumed they'd be closely tied with agencies

BTW - whereabouts are you based?

Reading.

"Cicero" wrote in message
.uk...

Has your local Council (or any neighbouring Councils) got a Direct Works
department?

Same thought as before, wrt agencies and insurance and general
jobs-worthiness.

Will give it a go in the morning!

Thanks for the suggestions and lateral thinking so far!

"David Wright" wrote in message
...
As plumbing gets mentioned here quite a bit, I thought I'd give this a
shot....

I'm a 35 year old NVQ Level 2 year 2 heating and ventilation student
trying to do my NVQ 2.

In the next two months, they need us to find a Corgi registered plumber
with an unvented Certificate and Electrical Part P.
And under the supervision of that person, I need to install and test the
following items, 3 times each:
Heat Emitters, Pipework, Brackets and Supports, Boilers and Flues, Storage
Vessels, Mechanical & Electrical Controls, Sanitary Appliances and
pressure vessels. (More than one of these can be checked off on one job.)
Also, pre-commission three systems, and de-commission twice.

I'm well presented, can talk proper like, and communicate well with
people, but I'm not a city ponce.
I'm also strong and reliable.

What I've done so far is:

Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

Looked on Jobcentreplus, Reed, Jobsite, Fish4, Gumtree etc etc

Tried some of the agencies: The story is the same everywhere;
they either need a fully qualified person, or they make use of the
plentiful supply of cheap skilled Polish labour.

As for ringing round - it's already been done by everyone else, but not
believing the stories, I tried three: one was polite, the others were
"**** off" and a hang-up! And that was after "Hello, I'm doing NVQ ....."!
Do I keep going on that track?

As for the college - unless you are in a wheelchair or claim minority
status, you have NO chance of getting any help from them at all.

So...any ideas? I know the theory, and what I've fitted for other people
works fine.
But finding that magical Corgi registered unvented certificate plumber who
needs a hand is proving to be a little trickier than I imagined...

Perhaps try people who do heating installation on new builds etc?

On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:03:26 +0200, David Wright wrote:

As plumbing gets mentioned here quite a bit, I thought I'd give this a
shot....

I'm a 35 year old NVQ Level 2 year 2 heating and ventilation student trying
to do my NVQ 2.

In the next two months, they need us to find a Corgi registered plumber with
an unvented Certificate and Electrical Part P.
And under the supervision of that person, I need to install and test the
following items, 3 times each:
Heat Emitters, Pipework, Brackets and Supports, Boilers and Flues, Storage
Vessels, Mechanical & Electrical Controls, Sanitary Appliances and pressure
vessels. (More than one of these can be checked off on one job.)
Also, pre-commission three systems, and de-commission twice.

I'm well presented, can talk proper like, and communicate well with people,
but I'm not a city ponce.
I'm also strong and reliable.

What I've done so far is:

Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

Looked on Jobcentreplus, Reed, Jobsite, Fish4, Gumtree etc etc

Tried some of the agencies: The story is the same everywhere;
they either need a fully qualified person, or they make use of the plentiful
supply of cheap skilled Polish labour.

As for ringing round - it's already been done by everyone else, but not
believing the stories, I tried three: one was polite, the others were "****
off" and a hang-up! And that was after "Hello, I'm doing NVQ ....."! Do I
keep going on that track?

As for the college - unless you are in a wheelchair or claim minority
status, you have NO chance of getting any help from them at all.

So...any ideas? I know the theory, and what I've fitted for other people
works fine.
But finding that magical Corgi registered unvented certificate plumber who
needs a hand is proving to be a little trickier than I imagined...


What are you planning on doing when you qualify? Would you be looking to
work for a local business? If so I'd suggest talking to them from that
POV. If I were running such a business and looking to take on someone new
in the near future then the chance to try out someone would be quite
attractive. Of course not all businesses will be looking to recruit
but some must be. Likewise some will be ungracious, unfriendly etc - but
you probably wouldn't want to work for them anyway, would you - you want
the nice ones! :-)

I'd be inclined to ring round all the likely local businesses, maybe
asking who to talk to about getting a job and/or help with work experience
for your NVQ and sussing out whether you could come along in person
to talk to someone about it or maybe they'd prefer you to write or email
them about it?

You might also ask the staff in some of the plumbers' merchants if they
know of any of their customers who might help. I'd go at a time when there
are other customers around but not when it's heaving - some of the other
customers might pick up on what you're asking and be helpful. Merchants
I'd try first Slough P+H (aka Renaissance Bathrooms) at the 3
Tuns Xroads, PTS in Elgar Rd, City Plumbing (was Jayhards) in Oxford Rd.

(I picked up from another part of this thread that you're Reading based.
BTW where are you doing your training?)

If your tutors are prepared to be flexible about the work experience you
get I could offer you some general P&H including gas work & boilers, but
not unvented or Part P. However I'm a one-man band so you'd get a wider
range of experience more quickly with a bigger outfit.

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes.

Up a plumber's crack?
--
Dave Baker
www.pumaracing.co.uk
"Why," said Ford squatting down beside him and shivering, "are you lying
face down in the dust?"
"It's a very effective way of being wretched," said Marvin.

The message
from "Dave Baker" contains these words:

Up a plumber's crack?

Usually in a plastic tub.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

On 2006-10-08 23:31:35 +0100, Guy King said:

The message
from "Dave Baker" contains these words:

Up a plumber's crack?

Usually in a plastic tub.

Every one a winner.

"John Stumbles" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:03:26 +0200, David Wright wrote:

What are you planning on doing when you qualify?

Honestly? Getting the hell out of this craphole of a country. To a place
where not only do you have to prove they need YOU, but once you're there,
they appreciate the givers more than the stealers and overall life tax isn't
70%.

Would you be looking to work for a local business? If so I'd suggest
talking to them from that
POV. If I were running such a business and looking to take on someone new
in the near future

Wouldn't qualify until next May/June (tbc).

Likewise some will be ungracious, unfriendly etc

Oh yes!

You might also ask the staff in some of the plumbers' merchants if they
know of any of their customers who might help.

What I've done so far is:
Drop round piles of leaflets to plumbers and builders merchants.

I'd go at a time when there
are other customers around but not when it's heaving

Ah, OK. It was mid-afternoon when I did the rounds!

(I picked up from another part of this thread that you're Reading based.
BTW where are you doing your training?)

Well, if I tell you that most of the others there make moo-ing sounds and
consistantly fail key skills level 1* and are mostly there because they've
been told they have to be, could you guess? Actually, that's a bit
disingenuous - year 1 is like that, year 2 is an entirely different barrel
of prawns.

*Sample question:
What usually belongs at the end of a sentence? A full stop or a llama?
(Everyone knows it's a llama - and still they fail).

If your tutors are prepared to be flexible about the work experience you
get I could offer you some general P&H including gas work & boilers, but
not unvented or Part P. However I'm a one-man band so you'd get a wider
range of experience more quickly with a bigger outfit.

That said, you're a one man band who can form a sentence, and in English
too. From my experience and others, this is fairly unique in this area.
Half my problem is that because I talk proper like and my knuckles don't
drag on the ground, a lot of plumbers think I'm one of these toff city
types, when in fact I'm a reliable hard worker. Bottom line is that I've
been offered experience from a large outfit, but they pay nadda. Zip. Zilch.
Which is fine for a couple of months, but I can't self-sustain on weekend
work alone much more than that, so ideally I'd have end up somewhere where I
could gain experience but also been of enough use to them to warrant at
least enough pay to live on.

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes.

Well, it's going! Thanks for your help and suggestions - I'll see how this
outfit works out and let you know.

"Dave Baker" wrote in message
...
Up a plumber's crack?

Oh no, stop, stop now before my sides split.
How do you do that? I mean, just come out with stuff straight off the top of
your head three days later?
That's really good - I'll have to remember that one...

(that reply was straight from "How to endear yourself to the plumbers in a
group you're trying to get help from", Volume II).