Construction apprenticeship as a starting point

[Antz2015]

Hi All,

I am 28 years old and I have a physical disability which affects my legs which makes carrying heavy objects an issue and going up and down the stairs with heavy objects an issue also. I currently work in mental health at the moment. I enjoy it but I want a change in career preferably in the three trades of painting and decorating, plumbing or carpentry. I applied for an apprenticeship job and I had an interview. I passed and got thru to the second stage of the process despite stating to the interviewers about my condition and them seeing me walk.
I would like advice from people as to whether the construction trade is a wise choice for me given my condition? Is this a helpful route into other careers in trades such as becoming a handyman or repairs and maintenance?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Newboy]

Without trying to put you off I would think that you're not going to enjoy a physical job if it causes you distress. All three trades you mention are likely at some point in the day to require you carry relatively heavy objects (depending, of course, on your definition of heavy) - for example a trade can of paint weighs in at around 10.5 kilos. Carpentry may involve some hefty materials and tools as can plumbing. Simply carrying tools and materials around may prove an issue - I'm certainly feeling the strain at the end of a 'heavy' day on site.

Maybe try carrying a couple of buckets of cheap emulsion up and downstairs and see how it feels.

To be honest, if you're of the 'I can' attitude and you can find an employer who is willing to take you on then great, but I'd think carefully before switching careers.

You have my admiration for the current field - I take my hat off to anybody working with people with mental heath problems.

 

[Antz2015]

My definition of heavy is carrying anything more than 24 Kg in both arms as used to lift 24 Kg weights at the gym

 

[Antz2015]

I did mention heavy objects to the construction company in the interview and one of the interviewers said "he won't be giving me heavy things to lift"

 

[gregers]

fingers crossed for you and lets hope you can get a start.
my youngest boy has club feet and wants to follow me into carpentry im certainly not going to detere him if thats what he wants to do,as others have said there is heavy lifting to do,especially when 1st starting out,you try slinging a transformer onto your shoulders and lugging that up 4 flights of stairs,knackers me out just thinking about it lol.
good luck.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I don't want to put you off, but I feel you may be following a hard road. In my experience in construction as a carpenter (especially on refurbs and new builds) there is always a lot of lifting and carrying of materials up and down stairs as well as climbing of ladders, scaffolding and scaffolding towers. Carpentry inevitably involves the installation of some pretty heavy stuff, e.g. replacement floor beams and joists, roof components, exterior doors, sheet materials, packs of timber and joinery (such as skirtings and architraves), packs of flooring, flat-pack kitchen and bedroom furniture, etc. We also have to hop to it and unload delivery lorries when they come, very often because we just can't get labourers all the time. This isn't so bad on the sites where there are cranes or telehandlers, but the more cramped sites just don't have such things. Would you be able to cope with this? I do mainly commercial build and interior fit-out stuff, rather than domestic/house new build stuff, but the same sort of issues we have certainly apply in my experience to the plumbers, who also have to lug round and install fairly large quantities of heavy materials such as steel pipework whilst also needing to use scaffolding and scaffolding towers, etc. Even the decorators end up working atop access stagings and towers, although they are carrying a lot less weight. If you have mobility impairment I would see the commercial build and fit-out sides of the trade as being areas to avoid, although you might well find employment in smaller scale house building or handyman type work. Not trying to be negative, just realistic

 

[Antz2015]

Thank you for your replies.

Are there any other trades that you think someone with a physical disability may find easier to do?

 

[gregers]

if you feel you have the gonads,THEN go for what you feel you want to do.
over the years ive worked with able bodied people who have been totally useless and lazy gits.

 

[ntb]

From what you have said, I think you would struggle as a Handyman unless you were flooded with work and could pick and choose only the light jobs. Even if you are not carrying heavy stuff there is a fair amount of contorting inside tight spaces and going up and down ladders plus heavy toolboxes to lug around. Good luck whatever you choose to do.