Uk Pro Tiling Training - Tiling Courses (formerly Nett) - Tile Advice

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Thanks Bri, you know I have a passion as most pro tilers have for our trade, and it is a trade.

 

[Spud]

I complete understand where Phil is coming from,lets put it this way if Andrew were doing a cookery course after 5 days you wouldnt he wont be michelin star chef even with the help of a forum with the best chefs in the world advising you you would still take years to achieve the level of expertise needed to call yourself an expert/specialist,unfortunately short course tilers will be unleashed on to the public who will end up paying the price who will be fooled by the impressive cards and sign written van and other marketing tricks employed I am all for training and course providers are essential in my opinion but 5 days to be fully skilled tiler is the same as saying 5 days you will be a skilled mechanic

 

[Andrew Case]

At which point has anyone said I'm a fully skilled tiler? 5 days gives you the basics.
5 days at 8 hours a day is a similar amount of hours to learn to drive. Many people do. But they are still learning and gaining confidence after they've passed their test. But they can drive at 70mph like everyone else.
No disrespect to anyone here, the work I've seen from these posts is beautiful, skilled work that I can only dream about attaining one day.
I dont mind anyone's opinion at all. I know what type of person I am, what I strive to be, what I can and can't do.
I did say at the outset though that this post was a review of the course, not a discussion on the rights and wrongs of courses.
I can't do an apprenticeship, I want to tile, live with it.
You look after your business in your area, I'll do mine in mine, don't stress over people entering "your" trade.
When you retire, and everyone else who has been doing it for decades, lets see who is left. Hopefully I'll be one.
There are a lot of supportive people on here who recognise people have to start somewhere and respect people who are willing to give it a go while sticking to good standards and work ethics.
Now enough of the course being right or wrong, have we not all read enough about that to last a life time??!

 

[DHTiling]

Can only concur phils post. Well written.

 

[Andrew Case]

P.s I already am running a painting and decorating business, hence the cards.
Didn't think it was frowned upon to advertise.
I can do a splash back or conservatory floor as good anyone. If I can't do it, if it's out of my reach, I'll decline. Is that bad? It would be wrong to take the job on and do it bad. Surely much respect to me for having the balls to recognise and stick to jobs I can do!

 

[Tony73]

agree with above comments, you do need years to learn tiling ART. As Phil said, tilers of 10, 20,40 years, still ask each other for advice etc. I have been tiling for 14 years, and feel like i know alot. But i allways listen to long time served tilers like Phil, Garythetiler,Sir Ramic, Deano, Dave... List could go on and on and on. Maby course is good, but you need to stick around PRO triler for year or two . If you would stick with me, i could teach you few tricks with MITRE WIZZ :lol: :hurray:

 

[White Room]

Thats for sale in Australia soon.....

 

[Tony73]

It sounds like you have the right idea about how to get started, so hopefully you can prove all the guys wrong that say you need to follow a tiler around for 2 years, because that's how they did it.

I have not seen Victorian tiling courses before, do they do it at uk trades? I live in an area with a large amount of rich people so have often thought that Victorian porch's and steps would work well here.

Andrew, i think all comments to this post :lol:

 

[Tony73]

Thats for sale in Australia soon.....

I'll be first to buy :hurray:

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Andrew I do live with it, I get at least two phone calls per week from hard working people, who have paid good money to have a pro tiling job done by a so called "pro" tiler. I got one tonight from a young woman in tears, she has a 50m2 floor failing, done by a guy with a sign written van, and fancy business cards.

Unfortunately this pro had no idea how to prep an anhydrite screed. Very sad.

 

[Andrew Case]

I think it's a disgrace that there are people who would do a job without knowing how in the first place. Thankfully I'm not one.
Personally on the screed job I would have recommended suitable preperation, perhaps Schluter Ditra, and relevant expansion gaps dependant on size of floor.
However, as I said earlier, I'd rather refuse the job if I wasn't sure and leave it to you pro's.
That's the difference!!

 

[Spud]

P.s I already am running a painting and decorating business, hence the cards.
Didn't think it was frowned upon to advertise.
I can do a splash back or conservatory floor as good anyone. If I can't do it, if it's out of my reach, I'll decline. Is that bad? It would be wrong to take the job on and do it bad. Surely much respect to me for having the balls to recognise and stick to jobs I can do!

Good luck with the tiling Andrew no-ones knocking you just the short courses and the idiots saying that novice tilers earn 40k a year

 

[Andrew Case]

Good luck with the tiling Andrew no-ones knocking you just the short courses and the idiots saying that novice tilers earn 40k a year

Thanks Gary. To be honest as much as its the idiots fault for saying you can earn 40k, it's the idiots that believe it!
I just love learning and looking at others work too. The monthly entries on here are stunning. I'll never be that good.

 

[Dave85]

Everyone on this site didn't know how to tile at some point and they all had to start somewhere. Apprenticeships are very hard to come by these days so courses are the only option for people looking to better themselves by learning this trade.

The only reason I can see for people on here to hate and discourage people looking to learn a new skill in this way is their ego, yes you are more experienced and better than us, yes you do know far more and could finish a job in half the time with your eyes closed, but shooting people down for trying to learn something new and better themselves isn't a very nice thing to do. Is it not a good sign that we are on here in the first place? I'm pretty sure that the really bad tilers that don't ask for advice or care about learning new things don't bother to use this site at all?

Why not rid yourselves of anger and hate towards new inexperienced tilers and spread some love and experience

Peace
Dave

 

[Dan]

The lads here spread love and experience (less of the love these days mind) all day long.

I've always had the view that there needs to be a whole range of options to get people into any trade they wish, and not just one or two.

Short courses have pros and cons just like all the other options. The pros being you can do a course, and start practising with friends and family, and start doing the easier jobs just fine. Like ceramics on plasterboard etc. The skilled stuff even a lot of time-served will need to double check with manufacturers specifications and the likes, and anybody can do that.

It's the putting it into practise part though that puts the pro's aside compared to the newer guys still learning.

We've had this debate for years now and it wont change until some license of some form gets introduced like we hear about for some parts of Canada, USA and Australia. That'd be the big change that'd stop the debate.

The lack of regulation means a DIY homeowner, or a 'newbie', can tackle just the same jobs as a time-served professional who has all the contacts, skills, qualifications, etc etc.

And it's a shame. As like Phil and dozens of others have said in the past, we keep seeing jobs going belly up due to sometimes minor issues like saving £2 per bag on adhesive, and ending up with the wrong one.

BRING ON THE REGULATING OF THE INDUSTRY I SAY! I doubt me shouting in the biggest caps-lock I can find that will change it though mind. haha