Initial interview with corgi & Portfolio

[Simonbeasley1]

A friend of mine has passed his ACS qualifications about 2 years ago however until now has not been able to become fully qualified.

We are currently doing a portfolio based on about 12-15 central heating installations that we have done in the last 2 years. Our work is shadowed very closely by a Corgi engineer who we sub contract.

When we have completed the write up with photos, clients details and statements. The Corgi engineer is going to write a letter to support the training we have taken under his guidance.

Has anyone done similar to this and have gone onto become a registered Corgi engineer? having a each job written up in full with Gas calcs, Gas pressures ,tests etc along with clients details and the letter from RGI be sufficient to proceed does anyone know???

Do we need to do anything different that is not mentioned and how does the first interview go.


Thanks in advance

Simon

 

[Agile]

The way you have explained that, you and your friend and doing the jobs and have contracted the CORGI to write a letter on your behalf.

Thats illegal !

If the CORGI is doing the jobs, then he should have put anyone with ACS on HIS CORGI registration as an operative to make it legal.

It sounds as if what you are doing is illegal and hopefully, if thats the case, then CORGI will have sussed that out and not be registering you/him !

If you want to get registered yourself you have to do things properly!

Tony

 

[EliteHeat]

So these installs have been undertaken under the supervision of a qualified corgi?

Sounds OK to me. I am sure that, unless corgi are staffed by complete morons, that the idea is to get practical on the job experience of each category of work and I can't see that it would make any difference if it was pre or post ACS. The experience remains the same.

Is there some sort of template that you are supposed to follow to document the work or does each applicant invent a new format to confuse corgi every time?

 

[Bonesy60]

I did a similar thing by doing a bepec domestic gas foundation course over a 12 months period, during which time I gained on the job experiance and built up a portfolio with a service engineer that works for CHN in the west midlands. I then took my acs after passing the bepec course and then applied to corgi, I had my interview with them and then became registered and have had a couple of insepection with no problems I hope it all works out for you Ian.

 

[gasacs]

In our area the inspector wants to see a minimum of 25 jobs. As long as the RGI has been on site teaching you on all of the gas aspects of the jobs you have not broken the law. If however he has just turned up at the end of the job you have been working unsupervised.

 

[Simonbeasley1]

The firm i work for pay the RGI to install what is required whether it is a boiler upgrade or a complete system. We work under his supervision (RGI) to get the installation done quickly and to gain the experience to one day apply for corgi ourselves.

This is not another case of the gas work is being done with no supervision and at the end of the job a dodgy RGI comes in and signs off the work.

One day i would like to progress from a plumber to a gas engineer (only so many bathrooms you can do before you need a new challenge) which is quite difficult in itself when you are a self employed tradesmen.

thanks for all your prompt responses

kind regards

 

[Agile]

Simon, you are making your explanation very complicated because you are mixing your friend and yourself.

You also say you are self employed but work for a firm ??

If yoiur frien has thew ACS then two years ago he should have been registered as an operative in the RGI's firm.

CORGI willl usually agree a personal registration without too much problem for anyone who has been an operative for 2-3 years.

What they are very careful about is registering anyone who has just done the ACS and then immediately want to be registered on their own. In that situation there is no experienced person to supervise gas work and thats the totally correct procedure in my view.

Tony

 

[Simonbeasley1]

I sub contract to a company 6 days a week plumbing and although i'm self employed its like i belong to the firm part of the furniture christmas do's and bonus etc. thats why i made the mistake of belonging to a firm and mentioning self employment in another sentance.

I've been plumbing for about 15 years and pride myself in trying to be the best i can in my chosen field. I see the next step is to become corgi registered however i just can't see me obtaining the practical experience unless i jack in the good money i am earning now and go train up with an RGI for peanuts. too much debts, baby and large mortgage does not allow it.

My friend/colleage on the otherhand whom i work with came to this company with little experience but with his ACS qualifications in tact. (myself being somewhat bemused) hardly any practical experience was closer to becoming qualified than me. i have trained him up to be a very good plumber. Now with him gaining experience through the RGI that the company contracted the Gas/boiler work out too. So over the last 2-3 years 12-15 boiler installations have been done of which we both had a share in the involvement with the RGI. We are writing all these up for a portfolio for him along with the RGI input that could result in him becoming qualified.

And thats where i fit in it's like a roll reversal i would then work for him as an operative over the next 4-5 years under his registration until i am able to apply and achieve my ultimate aim to be corgi.

I hope this clears up a few things.

All i want to do is become Corgi qualified and see this as a possible route in becoming so hopefully.

was just trying to get feedback if the portfolio, training along with the acs would be accepted and if anyone else has achieved corgi this way?

hope a little bit clearer.

regards

Simon

 

[Agile]

That now explains your situation much better.

Your friend should have become a registered operative as soon as he got his ACS. Being an operative in a registered firm is to be CORGI registered. I am not sure of your motive in becoming personally registered.

CORGI seem happy to usually accept anyone who has been a registered operative in a firm for about two years. They dont seem so bothered about a portfolio in that case.

You say that you dont want to lose earnings in order to retrain. Since its normal for anyone to have to have a cut if they are to retrain for any reason then why do you think that you should be any different ?

All you need is to take your ACS at a college evening course for two evenings a week and to do say one day a week working with/for an RGI.

If anyone has no proven experience then its only reasonable that they are going to be carefully checked before being let loose on the public with a total responsibility for working with a difficult fuel which can explode or poison.

If you want to achieve something then you have to make a sacrifice so why dont you want to give anything up? Why do you think that you should be able to side step what everyone else has to go through?

Tony

 

[Simonbeasley1]

Tony,

you said in your last post

"You say that you dont want to lose earnings in order to retrain. Since its normal for anyone to have to have a cut if they are to retrain for any reason then why do you think that you should be any different ? "

I am fully aware of that however i am in no posistion to take a cut i have a hefty mortgage repayment my wife does not work now. we have a 1 year old and i'd like to take time out from my 6 days a week to spend time with them. When house prices get a bit better then we will sell up hopefully make some money and i can look at taking that cut. my circumstances won't allow it at this time.


you also said
" If you want to achieve something then you have to make a sacrifice so why dont you want to give anything up? Why do you think that you should be able to side step what everyone else has to go through?

again see the above answer.

i don't want to side step i want to train i want to make sure what i do is correct and within the current guideline.

how long have you been doing what you do? i have looked at previous post you have answered in the past and you seem to be a fountain of knowledge someone to aspire too - enough with the brown nosing.

Simon

 

[Agile]

I used to work for BBC Engineering and became CORGI registered as a hobby when it was still voluntary. That registration lapsed when it required formal assessments, perhaps about 1992, because I was too busy and I had no justification for the expenditure required.

The BBC privatised its Transmission Department and I left shortly afterwards about 1998. I did some plumbing and then took the ACS to re-register with CORGI. I was aware that, as an electronics engineer, I had a considerable advantage over many people trying to fix boilers who struggled with the electronics side as boiler designs were increasingly being based on computer technology.

I registered with most of the main domestic categories about 1998, added commercial gas dryers under the parallel ACOPS about 1999, then extended my registration to some commercial categories about 2002. However when that expired after five years I did not renew it although if a good enough reason arose I might do it again.

I have specialised in boiler repairs for the last 10 years being particularly focussed on fault diagnosis and the latest technological developments !

I would wonder why you were not taking gas qualifications 10 years ago before you were faced with a baby and non working wife.

Tony

 

[Simonbeasley1]

Before the wife, baby hefty mortgage i was working towards being a good plumber should have carried on with my NVQ in plumbing however the college i was doing it with changed its tutors like the weather not too mention the copper shortage that happen at the same time in the end college closed the course down a year into it and refunded the money. a bit of bad luck i suppos.

Im 34 so with the knowledge i have being a plumber for so many years it shouldn't be too long before i can look at being qualified. I've set up a goal to be an RGI in the next 2-3 years.

In the meantime i have spoken to our RGI about getting my colleage registered as an operative on his corgi said will be contacting them later today for the appropriate paperwork. So things are moving in the right direction. I was not aware that you had to be registered as operative to do any gas works under that RGI supervision. I assumed wrongly that whilst the RGI was was on your shoulder telling you and taking step by step through the installations and essential need to know things that it would be legal.

anyway thanks for your time will keep you updates on the situation.

regards

Simon

 

[Stingray13]

I was not aware that you had to be registered as operative to do any gas works under that RGI supervision. I assumed wrongly that whilst the RGI was was on your shoulder telling you and taking step by step through the installations and essential need to know things that it would be legal.

And you where spot on, you can do it that way, thats how apprentiships work, but what Tony is saying is,as if over the last 2-3 years your friend was registered as an operative with the other guy he would be able to walk in to registration with CORGI by now no portfolio needed. And it seems silly for him not to be listed for the 60 quid is it costs.

 

[bengasman]

If your friend has his acs, he should only work under adequate supervision of a CORGI registered installer.
Until you have you own acs, there is no room for you in this adventure unfortunately.

 

[Simonbeasley1]

bengasman

thanks for the input - not

oh and Christmas wishes to you too