How to Go About Becoming a Plumber in Glasgow

Plumbers have an important role in maintaining water and waste management systems within residential and commercial facilities. You have to be able to contend with difficult work conditions, unreasonable hours, and major health hazards. In return, you can earn a lucrative salary going all the way up to £35,000 per annum, and sometimes more.

Glasgow is one of the UK’s major cities. There are always new construction projects around the city. This makes it an area where there is always a demand for people with the right skills. If you want to join this profession, read on to find out more.

Can You Work?

You need to understand the requirements of the job. Although you do not need a permit to begin your training as a UK national, you need to have the right attributes. Plumbing requires you to be physically fit. You have to be comfortable with staying on your feet for extended periods.

What Qualifications Do You Need?

The UK government requires you to hold the City and Guilds National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Mechanical Engineering Services – Plumbing (Domestic) at levels 2 and 3. In short, this is the primary plumbing training course in the UK. There are plenty of local colleges in Glasgow for a prospective plumber to get started with.

Take note, some colleges will require an entry test. This is a popular profession and spaces are often taken up quickly.

Some people, instead, train with a private company. These courses are an option, but they do cost up to £7,000.

Take an Apprenticeship

If you want to offer plumbing services in Glasgow, you can train as an apprentice under the UK government scheme. This scheme applies mainly to people up to the age of 24. On the other hand, there are also options for older workers who want to retrain and join this profession.

We discussed college training above, so by the time you think about taking an apprenticeship you should have passed your college course, or be well on the way to passing it. Most people do both at the same time. Plumbing requires you to have both a theoretical and practical knowledge of the job.

As an apprentice, you can earn up to £10,000-a-year.

Final Qualifications

Even after all this, you still have to have another qualification. This is the City and Guilds Technical Certificate. It is made up of Level 2 Plumbing Skills and Level 3 Plumbing Studies. You can take these at a local college in the city or through a private company. Experienced engineers and plumbers are able to skip the basic mechanical courses outlined above and move directly onto these.

Once you’ve passed these qualifications, what you do next is entirely up to you. You can register as self-employed and begin plying your trade, or you can apply for a job with an established company.

Take note, it is far better for novices to join a company to give them real experience of the job. Running a business at the same time only adds to the pressure on you to get things right.