help needed tiling!!!

[carl_hughes]

i have a job now in a meat factory working 630 - 430 earning around £250 but there is a tiling course at college doing two days a week now the question is

is it worth swopping to tiling doing the year course?
do people work for them selves on here?

i have always wanted to work abroad!!

is there much tiling work available working for yourselves in the uk

thanks for the help

[whitebeam]

Hi and welcome, Think you need to slow down a bit. Will you be able to have to two days off a week or would you leave to go into tiling. Maybe a short course would suit you better, tiling can be slow for some at the moment and most are self employed.

[david campbell]

to the forum!
i wouldn't rush into leaving the day job at the moment,it is a worthwhile career to get involved in,but at the moment even some experienced tilers are struggling to maintain a steady influx of jobs,while it is a very rewarding job it is also hard and slow to get you business up and running if you don't have a good group of contacts in place before you start then it can be quite daunting,it takes time to build up your reputaion so maybe starting out on a part-time basis seems the best way to get into the trade at the moment,also allowing you to have a steady and reliable income from your other job

good luck anyway

[carl_hughes]

i would be leaving my job to do 2 days a week at college and get a part time job the course is 42 weeks would you learn enough in 42 weeks?

i dont know what to do

[carl_hughes]

to the forum!
i wouldn't rush into leaving the day job at the moment,it is a worthwhile career to get involved in,but at the moment even some experienced tilers are struggling to maintain a steady influx of jobs,while it is a very rewarding job it is also hard and slow to get you business up and running if you don't have a good group of contacts in place before you start then it can be quite daunting,it takes time to build up your reputaion so maybe starting out on a part-time basis seems the best way to get into the trade at the moment,also allowing you to have a steady and reliable income from your other job

good luck anyway

i thought you could do jobs for yourself and move abroad to spain aus and greece maybe?

[Prem Tiler]

I'll be honest I you can do the course and keep the job as a meat packer then do so. work is thin on the ground for guys who have been at it for donkeys let alone new tilers.

But If you can do it do so. Its good to get a trade under your belt and there aren't any better than professional tile fixer

[carl_hughes]

I'll be honest I you can do the course and keep the job as a meat packer then do so. work is thin on the ground for guys who have been at it for donkeys let alone new tilers.

But If you can do it do so. Its good to get a trade under your belt and there aren't any better than professional tile fixer

i no yeh the problem is i only started the meat packer job on thurs but i dont want to be doing that all my life i wanted to learn something and work for myself it looks like tiling isnt the best?

[whitebeam]

Do you have commitments morgage, wife, kids etc

How old are you

[Prem Tiler]

Sorry if my last post echoed the green's but i type to slow.lol

Don't quit any job unless you live with your folks and dont need to support your self.

[Prem Tiler]

Do you have commitments morgage, wife, kids etc

How old are you

YOU DONE IT AGAIN! lol

[carl_hughes]

Do you have commitments morgage, wife, kids etc

How old are you

i am 23 and live at home i have no kids to i am wanting to move to greece i was going to do tiling and hopefully go over there or stay in uk and do work for myself

[whitebeam]

If you can do the college and survive on three days work then go that route, a course may be better for you but work may be slow to start like the others have said

[carl_hughes]

If you can do the college and survive on three days work then go that route, a course may be better for you but work may be slow to start like the others have said

i could survive on 3 days work and 2 days at college


i dont know what to dooo hmmmm

what would you do

[whitebeam]

Check these tiling courses out and see what you think Tiling Courses - TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums | Tiling Forum

[faithhealer]

Hi carl, I would look for a short course and see if you have a 'knack' for it. Dont want to waste a year (and lost wages) to find out it's not for you.

[carl_hughes]

suppose yeah but these short courses cost alot of money

[whitebeam]

How much would the college cost

[faithhealer]

suppose yeah but these short courses cost alot of money

four day course at Nett 400 quidish, how much would you lose in wages over a year

[tfs]

Hi mate,

Tiling realy isnt as easy as many would think. Even learning to tile to a decent standard wont get you the work you need. If you are realy serious and willing to work hard at it then it may be for you.

If you do choose to go to college, you could probably try and get some work experience also, you may need to ask around and perhaps consider working for free to get the experience.

After the course when you have had a good few homers under your belt, if you feel ready to go for it on your own, I would suggest having £2000-3000 grand in the bank as well as having your tools etc. This is required to pay you overheads for the first two months and even to be used if you need supply materials and if the budget allows advertisement. It would be very unlikely that you will be fully booked immediatly. Many guys who have been in the trade for years are fully booked at the best of times.

Having the cash in the bank gives you a buit of time to establish some custom. In this time you will realy need to work hard at promoting your sel;f to prospective customers e.g. general public, builders or estate agents etc. Please accpet that many business would be reluctant to contract work to you due to lack of experience.

Another option would be to try and gained employment after the course as a trainee or labourer for a local tiler. This way you get a great oportunity to learn from someone who should know what they are doing. Stick at this for a few years (you still have plenty of time at 23) and when the time is right start up on your own.

To succeed, you will realy need to put alot of time, effort and possibly money into this.

Take time to think if this is something that you realy want to do.

[tfs]

There is a post of a guy who has been tiling for a year, have a read at it and you will get an insight as to what your experience may be like.

It should be at the top of the page when you first enter the tiling forum

[whitebeam]

This the link A year in the life of a new Tiler.

[jay]

[BTB]

Most importantly.....

Can you get any cheap meat

[Colour Republic]

It sounds as if you are quite keen to move abroad. Although some of the technics of tiling are the same the world over, fitting methods can vary drastically. You would find it very hard to learn how to tile in a short space of time in the UK and then move to another country and just pick up where you left off. I would agrue that even a very experianced tiler would take some time to get used to another countrys practices.

[timeless john]

If you haven't started an apprenticeship by 23 you've missed the boat!
Try to tile abroad and you'll find every cafe owner is a tiler.
Either keep the job save some money and learn the trade - or go on your holidays and enjoy yourself!.

[carl_hughes]

well i have read that and it doesnt look to easy

[carl_hughes]

If you haven't started an apprenticeship by 23 you've missed the boat!
Try to tile abroad and you'll find every cafe owner is a tiler.
Either keep the job save some money and learn the trade - or go on your holidays and enjoy yourself!.

good idea keep the job and learn the trade but these courses are 4weeks arnt they

[carl_hughes]

How much would the college cost

£74 pretty good

[Fekin]

Personally, I'd keep the job on 3 days a week if that was possible and do the years course at collage, and see how you get along.

[doug boardley]

before you commit to anything, I would see if a local tiler needs a labourer for a few weekends, (he would probably drop you a few quid), then make a serious choice as to wether you would like to make a career out of it