Dear M
I am 47 and have just done a 5 day tiling course at the builders training centre croydon
www.skillsclub.com tel 0800 389 277. It cost 400 pounds and was very good (i got a reduction for cash) since then i have bought a load of tools and i am starting to get some work. i would thouroughly reccomend it. There are some areas that these sort of courses dont cover i.e. mosaic, tanking and natural stone, but i am filling in the gaps with forums like this. I also thought it might be worth knowing how to remove a sink and toilet and so did a 5 day plubing course at the same place that was really excellent. Next month i am doing plastering. So for about a grand i have developed so many skills that i am starting out now as a tiling/bathroom fitter. Dont worry that 5 days is not very long, lots of places will take thousands of pounds of you for 4 to 6 week courses but in fact most of it is just padding. once you learn how to set out your tiing jobs, and how to cut the tiles then all you need is practice and some product information (tanking, adeshives etc which you can get from forums such as these)
Next week i am doing a complete bathroom for a friend, i am replacing a bath toilet and sink then tiling the lot. I have been as high as a kite since i did these courses, i never thought i would ever be able to do this stuff...the fact is its not that hard. Obviously experience helps and if you really care about what you are doing then you can fill in the gaps in your knowledge yourself. So my advice is don't think twice ...go for it!
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P.s. the total cost of tools after the course was about 400 quid that inluded a plasplugs wet cutter (excellent) and a rubi diamond cutter (industry standard). if you need any advice on tools or websites i would only be to happy to help. The other thing is that although complicated patterns are intimidating, the fact is, most people cant afford exotic tile instalations, most people just want a simple tiling job. as Nigel my teacher at the training centre said with tiling you can make good money doing simple jobs. If you don't fancy a job you don't have to take it. Start
off doing simple jobs and build up your confidence by degrees. I also think doing the 5 plumbing and plastering courses is a good investment because it is a nightmare trying to tile behind a sink or a cistern, and if the wall is not quite straight you might as well plaster it yourself!..why not?
good luck
