how do i get work

[chriscart]

hi everyone i did a tiling course in may last year and have done a few jobs scince i am able to tile just not as well as a pro our as quik. i do lack experience and realise that i would have to work for a lower rate of pay how do i go about getting a job with a tiling firm and what should i say when i contact them. thanks

[LM Ceramics]

its a very difficult time to be setting up on your own its is hard out there and finding work with a tiling firm will be near enough impossible at this time they are very anti course people as you need to have a good standard and be quick as you will beon a very low rate.

My advice is to get some business cards,leaflets ring kitchen bathroom companies etc spread your name around if all fails then id consider just getting a normal job to keep the bills paid.

[brian c]

with great difficulty at the moment TBH.lEAFLETS ADVERTISE JUST TRY ANYTHING TO GET THE WORK..IMO.

[kickkick]

Write to the tiling firms and ask for a apprenticeship and learn the trade the properway on the job for 3 years and collage then build your skills and experience over time if your serious about wanting to be a tiler.

[whitebeam]

Just contact as many trades as possible and pass a card to everyone you meet

[mags]

Write to the tiling firms and ask for a apprenticeship and learn the trade the properway on the job for 3 years and collage then build your skills and experience over time if your serious about wanting to be a tiler.

This is not necessary If you ahev had the correct training and knowledge, you can tile as well if not better than a time served tiler. Just not as quick at first.

Times change and people can learn skills from extremely well educated people who have been in the trade , very quicky , If they are open enough and skilled enough to learn.

[kickkick]

This is not necessary If you ahev had the correct training and knowledge, you can tile as well if not better than a time served tiler. Just not as quick at first.

Times change and people can learn skills from extremely well educated people who have been in the trade , very quicky , If they are open enough and skilled enough to learn.

Of course they can learn like that but there still ain't no better way then doing a proper apprenticeship.

In many other countrys they still value and respect the learning of a trade from a master. In German you are not even allowed to set up your own bussines unless you hold the master certificate and the other tradespeople work under the master and hence why the Germans always are well known as being of standard or in Australia in some states you can't set up shop unless your a proven tradesperson and need a licence. But hear in England you can set up shop doing a 4 day course and tileing peoples houses. Its a total joke at what a trade is seen as these days and the tiling trade seems to have been devalued.

[mags]

Of course they can learn like that but there still ain't no better way then doing a proper apprenticeship.

In many other countrys they still value and respect the learning of a trade from a master. In German you are not even allowed to set up your own bussines unless you hold the master certificate and the other tradespeople work under the master and hence why the Germans always are well known as being of standard or in Australia in some states you can't set up shop unless your a proven tradesperson and need a licence. But hear in England you can set up shop doing a 4 day course and tileing peoples houses. Its a total joke at what a trade is seen as these days and the tiling trade seems to have been devalued.

I disagree again, Ive tiled quite a few houses in the last few years , just as favours to mates and family. Now I took a while and the cuts were not always as they should be . However every one (ive done 8) , loved the jobs done. Now I have been made redundant (again) and decided to visit a intesive course in the north easy of england.

I am currently in the process of doing this and have learned such an incredible amount my head is spinning .

Now I had the aptitiude before , Now I am attaining the technica info and the ways to do things correctly. I know people whove had tiling jobs by time served tilers and to be honest the jobs were GASH!.

If your capable and get the info and backing of a very experieced trainer I dont see any issues whatsoever.

all the best
Ken

[FreeD]

A good course + lots of reading up on adhesives, grouts, tanking, different types of stone...etc etc etc etc etc and loads and loads of experience...so getting bathroom after bathroom after bathroom....its defo harder to learn the course route u have to be proactive and determined...but its also so much more ure running ure own business, accounts, marketing, advertising, sales....

all this talk of a course not being enough is rubbish....people have been fast tracking into careers through intensive courses in many other sectors of the economy. Its not just trades...its just becoming a more popular way into trades...

I've had a couple of guys working for me recently who did a fast track city and guilds course 6 weeks in plastering...they had been on the tools 8 months since i recently gave them a 3 bed semi top to bottom to reskim...i checked that they were doing everything to BS. They knocked it out in just over a week to an exceptionally high standard, including patching sockets and overboarding ceilings. They are not alone.

Theres plenty of people out there who have gone into something quickly, researched and trained where necessary and done very well

[faithhealer]

Just contact as many trades as possible and pass a card to everyone you meet

and we mean Everyone (except kickkick apparently)

No offense kickkick but this forum is for all tilers
I take a lot of pride in my work and pride myself on a clean & tidy, honest service and a long lasting, high quality finish. taken from your website but could be said of a lot of 'course 'tilers on here.

[LM Ceramics]

we have heard this rant before time served v course tilers and the can be good and bad on both sides ( ive seen poor work chucked out by course lads and time served lads on site) its down to the individual but there are alot of lads who went through the apprenticeship route ie myself who are proud people of their trade so i cant have ago at kickkick

[smurf21]

As a time served tiler of 25 years i have seen and tiled just about everythng all surfaces and used most methods of fixing some not so orthadox believe me. and i believe if a problem arises on a job i am confident that i can find a way around the problem,Now a tiler who has done an intensive tiling course in a controled environment may not be knowledgable enough to overcome problems on the spot this comes with experience as does speed but i do believe that tiling courses do give a good basic and technical knowledge of the trade and is a good starting place for an apprentice.
However i dont believe that a training course alone is a good enough basis for setting yourself up in buisiness. But even 25 years in if my sons want to join the trade an intensive course will be thier first port of call why start out using my bad habits.. BUT ALL THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION>

[faithhealer]

Both comments taken on board. Course or apprenticeship, the more experience the better.

[bootsmckiber]

Over here in Canada I worked under a master tiler for four years as an apprentice which included going to college each year for 8 weeks a time ,then I got my ticket,there"s a lot of hack's out there so I'm not shy about showing my credentials,clients feel a bit safer when they know that your a professional,I also show my union card which put's some peoples mind at ease,is there a tilers union you could join?They'll put you to work,when I first started my own buisness I got buisness cards made up and pinned them everywhere,go to some bricklaying companies,they're always looking for tilers,but again,if you don't have your ticket get back in the trench and earn it,with experience comes confidence,with confidence comes work,good luck,keep at er,once you get the passion for tiling you'll see why us old dogs do it for so long,I had cancer last year and just today finished my first house since my operation,words cannot describe how good it feels to be back in the game,I thought for awhile I was going to have to hang up my trowels but the passion was still there,and so am I ,cheers.
Mike

[faithhealer]

Over here in Canada I worked under a master tiler for four years as an apprentice which included going to college each year for 8 weeks a time ,then I got my ticket,there"s a lot of hack's out there so I'm not shy about showing my credentials,clients feel a bit safer when they know that your a professional,I also show my union card which put's some peoples mind at ease,is there a tilers union you could join?They'll put you to work,when I first started my own buisness I got buisness cards made up and pinned them everywhere,go to some bricklaying companies,they're always looking for tilers,but again,if you don't have your ticket get back in the trench and earn it,with experience comes confidence,with confidence comes work,good luck,keep at er,once you get the passion for tiling you'll see why us old dogs do it for so long,I had cancer last year and just today finished my first house since my operation,words cannot describe how good it feels to be back in the game,I thought for awhile I was going to have to hang up my trowels but the passion was still there,and so am I ,cheers.
Mike

Glad to hear that Mike, carry on grouting mate