Help!: best way to find work

[kesla]

i'm 39 and am thinking of training to become a tiler. after looking through job vacancies for tilers, they just about all insist on previous experience. Can anyone advise the best way to get work considering i won't have experience??

[enduro]

Get the training, start doing jobs for family & friends then start contacting local builders, plumbers, kitchen fitters etc. Take your time do a good job then work will start to build up, but it wont happen overnight. Good luck

[Bubblecraft]

Times 2! Family & friends is a good way to get your experience. Take your time & do a good job. Word will soon get around but again, it won't come over night!


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[kesla]

Thanks for the advice

[peteablard]

A short course may be an option for you to get the basic idea, it's no good getting friends and famiy to let you tile for them if you've no idea where to start.....

[Bubblecraft]

I'm sure you must have a little experience & product knowledge. A course doesn't go a miss though. More knowledge, the better. If you have a relationship with tile suppliers ie: Topps Tiles, Tile it all, Tile mania etc, see when the next time a product rep is coming in & see if you can stand in.


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[andy allen]

hi and welcome to the forum.

to be honest with you, if you got a job, i would stick with it, times are tough for even the most seasoned tiler, and it ain't getting any better.

as you have said, job vacancies for tilers require experience, and rightly so, you will be competing with time served tradesmen with years of experince, and unless you have that same kind of experince in tiling, you may be left out in the cold.

[Mike]

as with andy on this one , times are hard, we wouldn't want to see you waste your money on a course. on the other hand if you're really determined and depending on work in your area it could be possible but prepeared for a very slow start till you build up a good client base or/and contacts e.g. builders/tile shops

[nybor62]

im with mike and andy on this, tiling has changed so much over the years with tiles getting bigger and much harder to cut , specialist tools need,ed for cutting and they are not cheap , you need to think long and hard about it ,

[dave l and l]

i am with these guys too. more people are trying and failing to start up, there is no easy answer to finding a job. however not all negative
learn to tile well. learn your products,then you will probably need to advertise in local papers and other magazines. maybe if you know people in building trade they can give you jobs. fundamentally you need to do a good job, if you can do that then you will have a decent chance at making a living from it

[timeless john]

The sooner people realise that tiling is a skilled finishing trade and not just a 30 minute makeover programme then the standard of installations will improve.
It's not that a 4 week course will not help with a basic introduction to tiling, it's just that no customer would be prepared to pay for you to gain experience at their expense.
To sell your wares as a professional tiler without the correct training and experience should bring a moral decision into question. The friends and family route would help on this but IMO it would have to be an exceptionally determined/gifted individual to make a decent living within the first 3 years.
On a more positive note - this is the best trade in the world - so if you make that bold decision, then good luck and ENJOY.

[ian158]

Your not all born professional tilers, are you ? how did you all start?

[timeless john]

Your not all born professional tilers, are you ? how did you all start?

My Mam said it was the bib & braces she used to put me in, along with the rubber squeegee I had to play with in the 'pen'.

Everyone's history will be different and the personal profiles on the members list give an indication - for me it was a traditional apprenticeship in 1972 and I learned all aspects of sand/cement fixing, wall preparation and how to make a good cup of coffee!
Although I fixed a few tiles, I grouted all the firms work for 3 months before they accepted that I could grout, and the rest is history.
We hear it often that 'anyone can tile' but that applies to any job, and it is only through regulations and testing that those working with electric/gas/water have some protection of their trade. So until there is an accredited body to represent the craft of Tiling, it will be down to pride and the ability to turn out a decent job.
But as others have said - it's a lot different today - tile sizes, adhesive types, materials (porcelain/stone/mosaics/etc.) and that's what makes it the best hobby to have (and you get paid!).

[Nick HBS]

Kesla, I am also 39 and recently did a four day tiling course quickly followed by a job tiling my inlaws' kitchen. The course was £350 and I've probably spent another £300-£350 on equipment (and I was paid for the work I did). My plan is to do friends and family jobs for now and see how it goes. I've a good career in IT although I'd love to do building related work such as tiling, plastering, joinery etc I've no plans to give up my job as yet.

I know its quite a bit of cash to spend but I enjoyed the course and the one job I did and my thinking is that if I get enough work to cover the money I've spent so far, then I've not lost out at all (apart from nearly 2 weeks holiday leave used up) and then I can make sensible, well thought out career choices.

I would advise a similar approach, as a number of people have said already, its not a good time for rash career decisions.

[swanman]

Ive been tiling now for 12 years and it dosent get any easier.To become a good tiler you need aleast 10 years under your belt


But GOOD LUCK any way