I explained my situation in the New Members forum earlier today where I am really wanting to change career and become a tiler.

I have just spent 7 hours on the phone and it seems like I am hitting a brick wall

I cant leave my current job because I need the salary I get to run the family. So I thought I could do an NVQ. My idea was to work evenings and weekends and have my assesments done the days I am onsite.

I have been told all day long that it is not possible and I have to work as an apprentice or be in full time employment in that industry.

I then looked at night scool and the only course I could find is not a "Trade Recognised" certificate so I could spend a year doing it and still not get work.

I am willing to work evenings, weekends and go to college etc where ever possible but I just cant find a route where I can keep my curent job and salary.

Can anyone suggest anything on how I can get there.

I think you should do an intensive short course and then tile away for 2 years to get the experiance to gain the nvq 2 and 3..

Hi Viaticus,
We can help you out as we have done with hundreds like yourself
Give Tracey a ring on 0191 4274529 at North East Tiling Training and as Dave says above we can definatly help you on your way into this industry, Keep your job and make some money at weekends and build up your confidence and contacts, we can talk you through qualifications as well, i dont think you need to panic though as there is light at the end of your tunnel

Regards
Darren

Originally Posted by NETT Darren

Hi Viaticus,
We can help you out as we have done with hundreds like yourself
Give Tracey a ring on 0191 4274529 at North East Tiling Training and as Dave says above we can definatly help you on your way into this industry, Keep your job and make some money at weekends and build up your confidence and contacts, we can talk you through qualifications as well, i dont think you need to panic though as there is light at the end of your tunnel

Regards
Darren

Cheers, do you cover the south though. I am in Milton Keynes

Hello mate, the way i did it was i got in touch with a local tiling firm(Taylor tiles Swansea) and made enquiries with them about the fact of becoming a tiler, they told me to do a three day course with Norcross Adhesives and get in touch with them when i had done so, i did this and started with them and they put me with an experienced tiler for a few weeks, that was seven and a half years ago and i'm still at it. so just make enquiries with some firms and see what comes up, i also got myself onsite assessed and have my nvq level 2,this was all down to my own perseverence and it paid off, all the best Mike

Hi Mate
We specialise in short fast track courses, getting you out there in the shortest possible time, we have hundreds of testimonials on here in the feedback section to back up the quality and results that are course deleivers.
Doing night classess and weekends is a bit of a waste really as it is 1 step forward and 2 steps back its that slow, on our week course it is 40 hours of fast track continuous learning to get you out there, thats the equvalent to 20 weeks of a 2 hour evening course.
Most peolpe take a week off work, or sick and then do our crash course, you can then get cracking at weekends and build your confidence and skills. Cant see any other way for you really
Hope this helps

Regards
Darren

Trouble is with tiling companies these days, they arent taking anyone on, self employed domestic is probably the only way to go now for someone new

Hi all,

I have to agree with Darren on the above post, tiling companies across the UK are not as enthusiastic as they were in the past about taking on apprentices. This is not limited to tiling, companies in general are putting recruitment on hold due to the current climate although this is starting to ease as the months go on and the panic dies down.

We cover the south of the UK and are able to offer short intensive courses designed for adult learners just like yourself who get stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to get a foot on the ladder and still maintain a family and all of the commitments that go with it.

My advice would be to attend an intensive course and start working towards your assessments for the NVQ Level 2. There is no hard and fast rule on how long you have to have worked within the industry before undertaking your assessments, as the NVQ is a practical competence based qualification that is awarded as long as you can demonstrate that you fully understand your trade and have the necessary skills to undertake wall & floor tiling tasks.

If you would like one of our new information packs sent out please call Zoe at the centre on 01903 739 407 or PM me your address and I will get one sent out in tomorrows post.

Our new information pack details everything that you will cover on our courses and also explains what you need to achieve in order to undertake the NVQ.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

This is great advice and I have possibly found the way to go.

I am going to work weekends and where ever I can to keep practising and take one of the intensive courses.

Danny - With regard to your courses. It would be possible to get a week off work to do the entry level course but taking 4 weeks off would be impossible.

Can you stagger those 4 weeks over a long enough period of time?

The only other way would be to save enough money to pay the bills for a month. Hand in my notice. Take the course then go out on my own straight away.

Would those 4 weeks be enough to go and be a professional tiler immediately after - it seems a short period of time when I would have little site experience.

Still - great website, you are all very helpful.

I wouldn't suggest handing in your notice at your current employment straight away, keep your job and build up your business separately until you can see that it is strong enough to support your family.

The 4 week course can be split up into block sections of 1 week at a time, this is absolutely fine and we do this for quiet a lot of our adult learners.

Please email me your full name and address and I will get our new info pack out so you can have a read through, there is a lot more information included that is not yet on the website, as they are due to be fully updated over the coming month.

All the best

Doing a 4 week course will not allow you to call yourself a professional tiler, doing a 3 month course would not allow it either. There are many professional tilers on this site and all have either done an apprenticeship or are self taught over many years. A course will give you the basic skills, it can never just drop you on a job with bouncing floors, holes in walls, a ufh kit beside you and 600x300 polished porcelain to fit and expect you to be able to do it. These skills take time to hone, you learn with time what to do first and in what order, training schools are doing a good job but they are not turning out professional tilers after 4 weeks, to call them professionals is an insult to the long established tilers that have learned the hard way.

Don't hand in your notice, that would be a rash thing to do, we are in a slow period where work is scarce.

Originally Posted by diamondtiling

Doing a 4 week course will not allow you to call yourself a professional tiler, doing a 3 month course would not allow it either. There are many professional tilers on this site and all have either done an apprenticeship or are self taught over many years. A course will give you the basic skills, it can never just drop you on a job with bouncing floors, holes in walls, a ufh kit beside you and 600x300 polished porcelain to fit and expect you to be able to do it. These skills take time to hone, you learn with time what to do first and in what order, training schools are doing a good job but they are not turning out professional tilers after 4 weeks, to call them professionals is an insult to the long established tilers that have learned the hard way.

Don't hand in your notice, that would be a rash thing to do, we are in a slow period where work is scarce.

Of course I am not going to hand in my notice. I was actually echoing your point that 4 weeks is a very short time. The way Danny described it of growing the business in the background until it is covering the bills is definately the way to go.

I have 4 brothers and a Dad in varying construction trades and all of them would agree whole heartedly with what youhave said.

Hi Diamond Tiling,

I am not sure what you know about our training facilities or the training that we deliver at Diamond Training but we train individuals all of the time who myself and the staff at the centre would be happy to call professional tilers.

There is no hard and fast rule that someone must have worked in the industry for X amount of years before they can say they are a professional tiler, it is down to how they receive the information and skills that you deliver to them.

We have students who achieve a fantastic standard of work by the completion of their course, who would be 110% confident to undertake a job with bouncy floors / holes in the wall and polished tiles with under tile heating systems.

Its all down to the facilities / staff and course structure that enables us to achieve these results in such a short space of time.

All the best

Hi Danny
I appreciate what you say and training schools are a vital part of todays need for more tilers but let me elaborate a little, A "tiler" went to a house to fit a wet room out, lay the floor, tray, tank all the usual for a wet room. He was fitting travertine to all surfaces, the first I knew about the job was when the customer came into the shop to complain, he had been on holiday while the work was being done. I went to look and it was a disgrace, it was leaking through to the kitchen, the tiles were a complete mess, it was a waste of money, the tiler had done a 6 week course at a reputable school. I redid the lot and it does not leak, the tiler was not paid but the customer lost some £2500.00 in materials.
A few months later whilst on site I got a tiler to come and help, I went to the nearest tile shop and met him there, seemed ok, said he had loads of experience and had a cscs card, he lasted 2 days,he was slow at setting out, he was slow at tiling, he did not want to do floors, he could not tile to falls, his cuts were terrible, he did not want to do any siliconing so he had to go. His experience according to the shop manager was a 4 week course and 3 months on the job. Two tilers, both from schools and both not up to the job. So I stick with my original post, an intensive course does not produce a pro tiler, only experience can do that. The next time I do a Fitness First club you send me your best student and he/she can tile the communal wet area, usually about 50 mts or so with falls all over the place, if they can do that floor with no help and get it bang on perfect I will give them £100 a meter, my money is safe.

Originally Posted by diamondtiling

Hi Danny
I appreciate what you say and training schools are a vital part of todays need for more tilers but let me elaborate a little, A "tiler" went to a house to fit a wet room out, lay the floor, tray, tank all the usual for a wet room. He was fitting travertine to all surfaces, the first I knew about the job was when the customer came into the shop to complain, he had been on holiday while the work was being done. I went to look and it was a disgrace, it was leaking through to the kitchen, the tiles were a complete mess, it was a waste of money, the tiler had done a 6 week course at a reputable school. I redid the lot and it does not leak, the tiler was not paid but the customer lost some £2500.00 in materials.
A few months later whilst on site I got a tiler to come and help, I went to the nearest tile shop and met him there, seemed ok, said he had loads of experience and had a cscs card, he lasted 2 days,he was slow at setting out, he was slow at tiling, he did not want to do floors, he could not tile to falls, his cuts were terrible, he did not want to do any siliconing so he had to go. His experience according to the shop manager was a 4 week course and 3 months on the job. Two tilers, both from schools and both not up to the job. So I stick with my original post, an intensive course does not produce a pro tiler, only experience can do that. The next time I do a Fitness First club you send me your best student and he/she can tile the communal wet area, usually about 50 mts or so with falls all over the place, if they can do that floor with no help and get it bang on perfect I will give them £100 a meter, my money is safe.

I can see both sides. I dont think an intensive course with out experience is the way forward. You have to do little bits at a time with the work getting harder as you go on.

However, I dont think you can put a time limit on it. One guy might take a number of years to get to a decent level another might get there a lot quicker.

For example, If I spent a couple of months on site and completed an intensive course, I would like to think I could get myself a bit of weekend work doing a few simple job, not many cuts or dodgy situations that take experience, as I go I can undertake more complex work.

If people cant get work after lets say a year then how are they ever going to earn a living while they get up to scratch. Are you suggesting that you got paid apprentice money for the first 5 years of your career? Or did you just do the work that matched your skill level to start with?

My Dad is a succesful builder and a bricky by trade. He is very good and very quick. Two of my brothers tried to follow in his footsteps doing day release and working with him as a labourer. One of my brothers is still not allowed to lay bricks, even a simple garden wall after 6 months. My other brother is doing good work and even knocking out pillars etc after the same amount of time. That brother is now doing a bit of pointing and garden walls etc in his spare time. People are different.

For me, I want to have a good portfolio and a good reputation and have good work. So I will work my nuts off but only take on work I am confident I can do. As my skills increase ill take on the tougher job.

Viaticus you stick to that way of thinking and you will succeed, that is more or less what I was trying to say, you learn as you go along. I am self taught and did it as you say, the more confident I became the bigger the job I took on.

okay 2 different views thats what forums are for im gona sit on the fence but bear in mind you have many different tiling corses over there like everything some good some shody but we all need to start somewere and nothing compares to experiance .from posts ive read danny diamonds seems to be a thougher course and the feedback confirms that but a person is only as good as what they are taut or what they are willing to learn we all know you wont become a tiler in 4 weeks it takes years but if you want to become a tiler a course is a step in the right direction (dont think you do apprentiships ) its up to the individual (have they got pride and respect) okay finished my rave back to the fence

Can I ask you guys a similar question but more focussed on the earning side.

I will put my cards on the table and say. I need to earn £500 a week. I currently earn more than that but in order to cover my bills and live thats what I would need. Money is not that importnat to me I am doing this for happiness and health reasons not to mention the working for myself and doing something I enjoy.

Would you suggest that it is going to take me years to be able to get to that level of income? I dont have years, I cant really stay in my current job for years so that would hurt. Not that I would give up!!

Or is it possible for me do take on the smaller more simple jobmuch sooner than that and be earning the £500 a week. Then as my skills go up I could then earn more if thats what I wanted or needed.

I would hate to think that I am years away from earning £500 a week as a tiler.

Sorry for dicsussing money and being honest but thats my personal situation.

Originally Posted by Viaticus

Can I ask you guys a similar question but more focussed on the earning side.

I will put my cards on the table and say. I need to earn £500 a week. I currently earn more than that but in order to cover my bills and live thats what I would need. Money is not that importnat to me I am doing this for happiness and health reasons not to mention the working for myself and doing something I enjoy.

Would you suggest that it is going to take me years to be able to get to that level of income? I dont have years, I cant really stay in my current job for years so that would hurt. Not that I would give up!!

Or is it possible for me do take on the smaller more simple jobmuch sooner than that and be earning the £500 a week. Then as my skills go up I could then earn more if thats what I wanted or needed.

I would hate to think that I am years away from earning £500 a week as a tiler.

Sorry for dicsussing money and being honest but thats my personal situation.

This is more than realistic within a few months not years

I was wary of posting as this is a somewhat sensitive subject and I also can see both sides of the argument, but here is my 2 cents on the subject having been in a similar situation.

I am an NHBC registered solo builder, I also have a diploma in electronics - so i have opinions on education and tiling.

I love tiling and have been doing my own tiling for years now, self taught, books and build colleagues. When I told mates I thought I’d like to really learn to tile in a professional manner (for my own builds and for others) they thought I was nuts, they said ‘why bother? Your tilings good Stan!’. I disagreed, I thought my tiling is ok, but I want to be much much better than that.

So I got myself onto the Diamond Training 4 week course with the intention of being field tested afterwards to get my NVQ level 2 (even though I will never do site work other than on my own sites).

I have completed week 1 and I’m now into week 2 … already I have learnt …

A quicker and more accurate way of measuring and cutting tiles.
A better way of using nippers.
A better way to tile around a window and square it out.
A better way to set out datums.
A better and faster way to lay out a / plan a room.
Learnt the correct way to layout brick set.
Learnt how to layout and fix diamond set (yes this was done on day 3!) … no boxing in the edges with square set like some Pro(?) tilers do, diamond wraps around corners! … I had never done this before.
… every day I learn something new, and this is in parallel to picking up numerous bits of info on subjects such as the many adhesives, tools and materials that are formerly covered on the course in any case.

I’m sure to a pro tiler this all sounds very boring and simple (it is after all just the start of week 2) but as someone who’s been through 5 years worth of further education and I’ve actually trained people myself on technical and commercial subjects, plus bearing in mind my previous tiling experience, I can only say I was blown away by how much I learnt and was made to put to practice in such a short time. The bottom line is I am ALREADY working much faster, smarter and more accurately, plus I’ve learnt entirely new things.
I was also very sceptical that so much could be learnt in such a short time. Having done my first week and seen 4 and 6 week guys on the course alongside me I absolutely do not have those worries regarding the effectiveness of a short course. There’s a guy in a kitchen unit near my bathroom unit (we learn in full size rooms) who’s work (a complete floor and wall full room with diagonal brickbond and diamond set) is to such a high standard I would happily employ him on one of my sites tomorrow! .. he is a landscape gardener! Enough said!

I am absolutely positive there are some more that excellent A1 tilers here on this forum who are self taught and have never been to any form of college or intensive course as offered by the sponsors of this forum. In fact I’ve looked at your portfolios – its excellent work, really excellent, you inspire me to be an excellent creative tiler. But for me I could not imagine taking on challenging projects without the excellent training I am lucky enough to be experiencing at Diamond Training. There are some things I have learnt from an instructor called Sam (top end tiler for over 7 years with additional experience of teaching in training centres not just at Diamond) that I just wouldn’t (or couldn’t) learn ‘on the job’! What does ‘on the job’ mean? Does that mean I charge someone anything north of £150 a day for them to be my guinea-pig? Maybe he gets a good job, maybe he doesn’t? And what is the point of quality reference if the only benchmark you have is your own opinion of your own work, standards and methods? So what is ‘good’? and what is a ‘professional’ tiler?

I am in the unique position now of being on both sides on the fence, I build – I employ, I tile – I hope to be self employed in parallel to my building.

From what I see the college system doesn’t work, I have two sons, both teenagers, one at college studying science and the other off to uni to study civil engineering. I can tell you that college courses are a few hours each week. The courses as offered by the forum sponsors pack many months into a few weeks more effectively and with massively superior facilities. People who succeed with their NVQ at college do so IN SPITE of the education system offered to them. And many drop out. Failed by the system, these same people would probably succeed on an intensive course in a dedicated facility.

I am firm supporter of these intensive courses, I personally wouldn’t like to train me on some poor ‘potential victims’ job. Colleges are ineffective. Plus I support certification standards! On this subject: the best way we can get everyone on this forum protected and respected is to get everyone properly educated with proof. NVQ2 is at least a good start. Then Id even say raise that bar much higher to an NVQ3 and 4 within the next 5 years. If we want the respect and that extra £100 a day sparkies regularly get paid then we all need to see tiling professionalised! Why? Well in the last year I (with my builder hat on) needed two top end Matki showers installed in two bathrooms. I did the job myself (tiling) alongside my plumber (who stuck to the pipework / drainage + thermosatic valves in the walls etc.)….
So I’m installing thousand of pounds worth of Matki top end shower enclosures, new walls and super expensive hidden in wall behind tiles Hans Grohe thermostatic units. It simply has to go in right and look right and not leak when I sell the house. Now if I didn’t do the job myself or didn’t know of the existence of this forum ( and have seen the excellent quality turned out here, but Joe Blow isn’t going to go doing this much digging) then how would I as a builder and employer know if your work is good or not? … simply , I don’t! I predict that within 5 years you will have to show qualifications to work on self build and domestics in addition to the late introduction of NVQ2 + tiling CSCA cards for site build. Because people like me with expensive projects cant afford to take a risk because ‘you’ recon you’re the mutts nuts at tiling or you have a nice van. (also 3 years in Germany tells me build standards in the UK by comparison – suck!)

So I can only speak for me and share my experience from someone probably somewhat uniquely on both sides of the fence. Will I ever be a pro tiler like some of you guys certainly are - I don’t know. I only know that I’ve learnt more last week than Id learnt in the last year, and that’s a little 52x improvement that gets my vote right now.

Viaticus – you have great attitude and I think we create our own luck in life – I’m sure you’ll find a way, first step as Dave says – go get an intensive course then take it from there IMHO.

Diamondtiling – I agree in general with your post, these courses cant take the place of education AND experience. But I think you need one to lead to the other. I do disagree with the idea of pro-tilers being self taught as a possibly good route to go these days. We never hear about the multiple minor and major bodges suffered by the tiler and endured by the customer along the way. I’d personally take a person straight off one of these 4 or 6 week courses over a 1 year self taught person any day. In fact I’d be bold enough to say that a 4 week courser would run rings around a multi-year DIYer!

My thanks go to Diamond Training for making me love diamond set and making 8 hour days feel like an hour, providing lots of coffee and teaching a Mancunian how to say trowel like an Essex boy! ( fyi – that’s like 'traaaaal' … much harder to say than cutting curves with a Rubi dry cutter!).
{if you are considering training at Diamond then just call/email Danny, they let you go and check-out their centre and you can ask lots of dumb questions just like I did – then make up your own mind}

Flame-suit on I suppose – oh well.

… Stan (written without prejudice – legal ass covered etc etc etc ….. sorry about the long posting)

Stan001 - good post that mate, well written.

Originally Posted by Stan001

I was wary of posting as this is a somewhat sensitive subject and I also can see both sides of the argument, but here is my 2 cents on the subject having been in a similar situation.

I am an NHBC registered solo builder, I also have a diploma in electronics - so i have opinions on education and tiling.

I love tiling and have been doing my own tiling for years now, self taught, books and build colleagues. When I told mates I thought I’d like to really learn to tile in a professional manner (for my own builds and for others) they thought I was nuts, they said ‘why bother? Your tilings good Stan!’. I disagreed, I thought my tiling is ok, but I want to be much much better than that.

So I got myself onto the Diamond Training 4 week course with the intention of being field tested afterwards to get my NVQ level 2 (even though I will never do site work other than on my own sites).

I have completed week 1 and I’m now into week 2 … already I have learnt …

A quicker and more accurate way of measuring and cutting tiles.
A better way of using nippers.
A better way to tile around a window and square it out.
A better way to set out datums.
A better and faster way to lay out a / plan a room.
Learnt the correct way to layout brick set.
Learnt how to layout and fix diamond set (yes this was done on day 3!) … no boxing in the edges with square set like some Pro(?) tilers do, diamond wraps around corners! … I had never done this before.
… every day I learn something new, and this is in parallel to picking up numerous bits of info on subjects such as the many adhesives, tools and materials that are formerly covered on the course in any case.

I’m sure to a pro tiler this all sounds very boring and simple (it is after all just the start of week 2) but as someone who’s been through 5 years worth of further education and I’ve actually trained people myself on technical and commercial subjects, plus bearing in mind my previous tiling experience, I can only say I was blown away by how much I learnt and was made to put to practice in such a short time. The bottom line is I am ALREADY working much faster, smarter and more accurately, plus I’ve learnt entirely new things.
I was also very sceptical that so much could be learnt in such a short time. Having done my first week and seen 4 and 6 week guys on the course alongside me I absolutely do not have those worries regarding the effectiveness of a short course. There’s a guy in a kitchen unit near my bathroom unit (we learn in full size rooms) who’s work (a complete floor and wall full room with diagonal brickbond and diamond set) is to such a high standard I would happily employ him on one of my sites tomorrow! .. he is a landscape gardener! Enough said!

I am absolutely positive there are some more that excellent A1 tilers here on this forum who are self taught and have never been to any form of college or intensive course as offered by the sponsors of this forum. In fact I’ve looked at your portfolios – its excellent work, really excellent, you inspire me to be an excellent creative tiler. But for me I could not imagine taking on challenging projects without the excellent training I am lucky enough to be experiencing at Diamond Training. There are some things I have learnt from an instructor called Sam (top end tiler for over 7 years with additional experience of teaching in training centres not just at Diamond) that I just wouldn’t (or couldn’t) learn ‘on the job’! What does ‘on the job’ mean? Does that mean I charge someone anything north of £150 a day for them to be my guinea-pig? Maybe he gets a good job, maybe he doesn’t? And what is the point of quality reference if the only benchmark you have is your own opinion of your own work, standards and methods? So what is ‘good’? and what is a ‘professional’ tiler?

I am in the unique position now of being on both sides on the fence, I build – I employ, I tile – I hope to be self employed in parallel to my building.

From what I see the college system doesn’t work, I have two sons, both teenagers, one at college studying science and the other off to uni to study civil engineering. I can tell you that college courses are a few hours each week. The courses as offered by the forum sponsors pack many months into a few weeks more effectively and with massively superior facilities. People who succeed with their NVQ at college do so IN SPITE of the education system offered to them. And many drop out. Failed by the system, these same people would probably succeed on an intensive course in a dedicated facility.

I am firm supporter of these intensive courses, I personally wouldn’t like to train me on some poor ‘potential victims’ job. Colleges are ineffective. Plus I support certification standards! On this subject: the best way we can get everyone on this forum protected and respected is to get everyone properly educated with proof. NVQ2 is at least a good start. Then Id even say raise that bar much higher to an NVQ3 and 4 within the next 5 years. If we want the respect and that extra £100 a day sparkies regularly get paid then we all need to see tiling professionalised! Why? Well in the last year I (with my builder hat on) needed two top end Matki showers installed in two bathrooms. I did the job myself (tiling) alongside my plumber (who stuck to the pipework / drainage + thermosatic valves in the walls etc.)….
So I’m installing thousand of pounds worth of Matki top end shower enclosures, new walls and super expensive hidden in wall behind tiles Hans Grohe thermostatic units. It simply has to go in right and look right and not leak when I sell the house. Now if I didn’t do the job myself or didn’t know of the existence of this forum ( and have seen the excellent quality turned out here, but Joe Blow isn’t going to go doing this much digging) then how would I as a builder and employer know if your work is good or not? … simply , I don’t! I predict that within 5 years you will have to show qualifications to work on self build and domestics in addition to the late introduction of NVQ2 + tiling CSCA cards for site build. Because people like me with expensive projects cant afford to take a risk because ‘you’ recon you’re the mutts nuts at tiling or you have a nice van. (also 3 years in Germany tells me build standards in the UK by comparison – suck!)

So I can only speak for me and share my experience from someone probably somewhat uniquely on both sides of the fence. Will I ever be a pro tiler like some of you guys certainly are - I don’t know. I only know that I’ve learnt more last week than Id learnt in the last year, and that’s a little 52x improvement that gets my vote right now.

Viaticus – you have great attitude and I think we create our own luck in life – I’m sure you’ll find a way, first step as Dave says – go get an intensive course then take it from there IMHO.

Diamondtiling – I agree in general with your post, these courses cant take the place of education AND experience. But I think you need one to lead to the other. I do disagree with the idea of pro-tilers being self taught as a possibly good route to go these days. We never hear about the multiple minor and major bodges suffered by the tiler and endured by the customer along the way. I’d personally take a person straight off one of these 4 or 6 week courses over a 1 year self taught person any day. In fact I’d be bold enough to say that a 4 week courser would run rings around a multi-year DIYer!

My thanks go to Diamond Training for making me love diamond set and making 8 hour days feel like an hour, providing lots of coffee and teaching a Mancunian how to say trowel like an Essex boy! ( fyi – that’s like 'traaaaal' … much harder to say than cutting curves with a Rubi dry cutter!).
{if you are considering training at Diamond then just call/email Danny, they let you go and check-out their centre and you can ask lots of dumb questions just like I did – then make up your own mind}

Flame-suit on I suppose – oh well.

… Stan (written without prejudice – legal ass covered etc etc etc ….. sorry about the long posting)

You are an inspiration mate and thats exactly what I needed to hear.

Very inspiring Stan

Fantastic post Stan. As a fellow trainee on the same course as Stan I can only comment on my experience of the intense course route and the excellent training techniques and facilities available at Diamond. I realise that on completing my 4 week course I will obviously lack the experience, speed and skills of a seasoned tiler. The skills learnt on these courses enables us to have the confidence to go out and start working whether it is part time initially, working for/along side an experienced tiler or having the confidence to go self employed from the outset.

hi mate do darrens coures north east tiling. i did it and i have been self employed for 3 years now.

Hi Vince, glad to here your still at it and doing well, time flys, doesnt seem that long since you were here, best of luck for the future
Regards
Darren

Hi Viaticus, I have read all the posts and the choice is down to you. No-one has been on all the courses so each of us can only give our own experience.
I went on NETT courses almost a year ago and would thoroughly recommend Darren and his team for making something that can sound complicated, Not So. If youve got half an incline towards DIY then the NETT course is spot on. Even if your new it will take a bit longer, but its set out to help at all stages.
Good Luck

Doesnt seem like a year since you were on, Dont know where the time goes, hope you are still doing well
Regards
Darren

I would just like to make a point that I have conversly met some tilers who have done tiling for 20+ years and I thought their work was rubbish as well. So imo there are good and bad from both sides. One thing is however for certain "" You can't buy experience""

tel

Read my signiture, worked for me