Just signed up at Local College to do Bpec Gas Foundation

[Simonbeasley1]

After putting my Gas portfolio together consisting of 6 Boiler installation, 3 Services, 2 Repairs (have done many more installations prior to this but the Tutor only wants this years jobs).

Local College running the Bpec Foundation course for £830 I met up with them today who said it was a good portfolio although missing an open flue service. So will need to find someone with an Open Flue boiler/fire to work on.

The course then runs for 10 days 9-4 with lunch and afterwards providing i pass i can then sit my ACS for an extra fee.

Always wanted to get my Gas registration and now hopefully i am on my way to achieving this.

I am surprised that with a portfolio of few jobs i can then sit my acs with no formal qualification in plumbing in as little as 10 days time.

Anyway will keep you posted on how i progress!!!

regards

Simon

 

[gas4you]

When Corgi was around, they asked for, I think, 70 hours, or was it days, of gas work on various appliances as a portfolio, before accepting you on the register, regardless of whether you had ACS or not.

I can only assume GSR have at least the same criteria.

 

[holty]

just helped one of my apprentices through his evidence, 35 they wanted.2-5 open flues 5-10 installs then servicing,faultfnding etc.also evidence of the appliances hes gonna do. eg fires, cookers, water heaters etc.bit shocked myself at that little evidence, because taking pics and all the other hassel, to gain his evidence. is time consuming to our company.

 

[kirkgas]

simon what college are you doing the course in if you dont mind saying on here

 

[Simonbeasley1]

Langley College

 

[Simonbeasley1]

Once im ACS qualified i can register on my colleagues GSR as an operative and thats where i will stay for the next 3-4 years be shown everything i need to know before i even attempt to go it alone.

I did question the the content of the portfolio and said it was fine with sufficient eveidence.

 

[Deleted member 105431]

simon I don't mean to PIS5 on your bonfire but new entrants are ten a penny flooding the market with cheap (inexperienced) labour; a market which is already suffering from a glut of fully qualified experienced and skilled engineers. There just isn't enough work out there, don't expect to be busy or earn the £100,000 a year your college promised you.

 

[Simonbeasley1]

I am not doing this to earn extra money i already earn £50000 profit a year as a successful unqualified plumber and if these firms want to pay me this money for looking after them who am i to argue.

Not only am i doing Gas i am also to do Fire Sprinklers systems as they say another string to my bow.

So no your not ****ing on my bonfire. Go sit in the garden and have a beer.

 

[holty]

good luck at least your willing to learn

 

[glasgowgas]

I am not doing this to earn extra money i already earn £50000 profit a year as a successful unqualified plumber and if these firms want to pay me this money for looking after them who am i to argue.

Not only am i doing Gas i am also to do Fire Sprinklers systems as they say another string to my bow.

So no your not p******g on my bonfire. Go sit in the garden and have a beer.

whoa whoa fella take a chill pill

you are taking that post in the wrong way.

 

[kirkgas]

simon, good luck with the course, 10 days doesnt seem long for a cat 2 with no experience, but if you have unoffical gas experience you should get on ok, a re-assessment guy can get through in 4-5 days training/assessment although he has done it before,

 

[Paul Barker]

I think OP is in the enviable position of being successful in plumbing as a business. He is a rarity. This is not the age for plumbers.

Before I went for acs I had two years wet plumbing only. At that time 7 years ago you had only to advertise a small local add and you got an emergency a day (people who wake up to water in bedroom from loft, people who get drunk and turn things on instead of off) loads and loads of toilet problems 50% of the work, at least a saniflo call a week (which after being covered head to toe in brown red and yellow stuff died indellible blue i refused thereafter and no end of bathroom work. The very occasional boiler / heating enquiry which I couldn't do and 2 or 3 times a week someone who had bought a cooker and on receiving it realising they need an instant corgi registered person.

But nowadays people with a lifetime of experience who have offered good skilled quality work locally for many years have sat at home for the last 4 months not receiving a single call. Main reason is influx of entrants to plumbing since 7 years ago.

So to make sure these extra jobs didn't slip through the net and because the grass is always greener I got registered.

With hind sight it was a mistake. but only because of the economic and demographic shift in the industry.

Would i enter the industry in any way shape or form now? No.

But I am in it, so I hang on in there. At the moment I am making sufficient. but the work doesn't do itself.

 

[gremlin16]

£50000 profit a year as a successful unqualified plumber

 

[Simonbeasley1]

Just completed the foundation course really enjoyable, learnt lots in those 10 days. Booked into to do my Core & central heating ACS first week of August. Hopefully will pass those and then register. NICE

Simon

 

[kmeeres]

I think OP is in the enviable position of being successful in plumbing as a business. He is a rarity. This is not the age for plumbers.

Main reason is influx of entrants to plumbing since 7 years ago.

.

Yes, partly, i was one of these

Big problem i think though is the upsurge in insurances from BG and water boards which are soaking up the smaller emergency jobs.
Decline started about 2-3 yrs ago but this year has been very bad.