Hi all, hopefully i've dropped this in the right section as couldn't really find anything for newbies - anyway.... If anyone saw my introduction post then you would know that i've decided to have a complete career change into trying my hand at tiling.

I'm 28, soon to be 29 so want to get a proper qualification asap although there are so many courses and i have no idea what to choose seeing as i've never really done this before but have the passion and enthusiam to carry this off and sucessfully turn this into a life changing oppertunity.

At the mo i'm looking into maybe doing some NVQ courses at chase, and would ideally want to get up to NVQ level 3 at some stage although i know i don't have any experience at present. How long does it take to get up to a NVQ level 3 and is that the one that really stands out in the industry ?

Was also going to add is there a quicker route to get up to a NVQ level 3, as i have seen in other trades seem to be in general a year course per NVQ level. Is that the same for floor/wall tiling ?

If anyone can answer what they think the best way into it then i would be extremely happy to listen !

Thanks everyone for listening and your time !

Mooosic

Hi Moosic

It's difficult to say which is the best way into tiling. There are lots of guys and gals on here that are time served, some having learned via apprenticeship routes many years ago, some simply learning as they go, some having undertaken courses which don't lead to NVQ's and some who have supplemented their knowledge and experience but undertaking various NVQ's to demonstrate their abilities.

It comes down to personal preference I think in the tile fixing industry.

Right now, it is probably wise for you to attend a course and see if it's something you want to do and have a passion for. Tile fixing can be extremely hard work, and the satisfaction only occurs when you finish and job and stand back, saying "I did that" and knowing that you poured your heart and soul into it. That's why I don't tile full time

I would recommend contacting a few fixers in your area and ask them if you can shadow them on some jobs. That way you'll get a feel for what the job is really like before committing to a full blown career change.

Be patient, it's not as simple as attending a course, gaining your NVQ's and then jumping in feet first. If you're considering going self employed rather than working for someone else, you need to be sure that you can run a business, and make enough money to live on. Have a mooch around the forums as there are plenty of tips on marketing and where businesses have failed and why.

I don't want to put you off, but there are many chancers and cowboys in every trade and you have to set yourself apart from these people in order to build a good reputation and customer base.

GRR

Thanks Racer Red, very useful post.

I'm gonna look more into it before i jump straight in although will look into companys around the area and see if i can do some shadowing asap !

Been speaking to a local company this afternoon about some shadowing so keen to get this underway. Been looking at chase courses at cannock aswell, plenty of infomation around on the forums and this ''seems'' to be the best way to go for me as i'm in the west midlands and want to get on the way to getting a trade qualification and starting up a business if i'm more than decent at it. I know GRR mentioned being patient and not jumping in feet first but i've been thinking this way for a while now tbh !

Looking at the chase courses, and there are a couple i like the look of - The one is an 8 week intensive course which combines tiling and plumbing which leads to picking up a City and Guilds 6217-01 full level 1 which seems like a good option. [To take me onto a '' Free ??? '' NVQ Level 2 Assesment at some stage]

The other choice i would possible take would be a Construction award diploma Level 2 in wall and floor tiling. Which may be better as i just want to go down the tiling route. Although that cost's over three grand !!! [Hopefully would also take me onto a '' Free ??? '' NVQ Level 2 Assesment at some stage]

Any feedback would really be appricated as i would like to know if anyone has done one of these courses, worth the money, is the qualification the best i could possible do until i got more work experience and was assesed at NVQ level, how it went, where they are now etc... Ideally if all went well does anyone think it is possible to get straight into building a business which the experience i would learn from these courses ?

Thanks in Advance Everyone.

Hi mate, i did a fantastic course with North East Tiling about 3 years ago now. For me it was a total career change and well worth it, BUT as previously mentioned, this is hard hard work not only tiling but all the hours you put in when your not tiling, giving quotes, advertising, meeting builders plumbers plasteres, you have to really want to do this to make a living, my first year or two was easily 12 hour shifts and countless wekends, dont want to put you off by any means just giving it to you straight. I did my NVQ2 this year for free and nearly finished my NVQ3 although these qualifications dont make you any better at your tiling at all.Try not to focus to much on these you will need a good couple of years of experience under your belt before you obtain these, and if you dont do commercial work you dont have to have them. I would probably just stick to the tiling course for now as you will have a lot to learn as doing tiling and plumbing might be a bit much, i wish you the best of luck if you do go for this highly rewarding career, cheers, Mick

Tiling NVQ's - TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums | Tiling Forum

try having a look through this mate,what is the hurry to gain your NVQ's why not go on a course learn the fundamentals of tiling then work towards your NVQ's over a few years,that way you will learn to deal with all sorts of everyday problems you will come across and pick up speed at tiling as you go(what is the point of having site work if you keep getting the bullet for being to slow or unable to overcome problems many experienced tilers don't even think about).if your rushing things you always tend to make more mistakes or not remember how you get out of the many akward situations that arise every day.
good luck

Thanks Mick, that's a great insight and what i wanted to hear.

I think i'm going to try my hand at an eight week course at chase, understand you done yours up north east tiling so wouldn't mind asking you how much you paid, how long was the course to give me an idea...

What i'm looking for is to do start a course and see where that ends up. Going by your post you need much more experience on the job until you can head towards getting ascessed for NVQ's which is understandable.

Did you start up on your own if you don't mind me asking ???

Cheers Mate

Hi mate i will PM you and let you now what i paid. Cheers

Spoke to a friend earlier today and he seems to think the 'wet trades' are being phased out and are slowly being replaced by modular construction. What do people think of that comment please ?

Is this the right trade to get into ?

I'm not a builder or have any knowledge of the construction industry (apart from diggers, but that's another story), so what is meant by "modular construction"?

According to a website i found myself through google it is -

What is Modular Construction?
Modular construction is an advanced form of facility construction in which a building is built in three-dimensional sections (or modules) in an enclosed factory environment.

Every modular building starts with a precisely designed floor plan. This plan is divided into smaller sections or modules which are constructed separately in our state-of-the-art factory using conventional commercial wall, floor, roof and ceiling materials. All major systems including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and finishes are completed prior to shipping and installation on your site. From start to finish, it only takes us a few days to construct many modular buildings saving you months of time.

During the time that your modular building is bring constructed, site development teams are preparing your site and performing any needed on-site construction (a process called concurrent construction).

This ensures that time savings are maximized throughout the modular building process.

Although i havn't asked my friend yet, so will find out what he actually states about it!

Not everybodys cup of tea, or commonly known as Throw ups

Originally Posted by Moosic

According to a website i found myself through google it is -

What is Modular Construction?
Modular construction is an advanced form of facility construction in which a building is built in three-dimensional sections (or modules) in an enclosed factory environment.

Every modular building starts with a precisely designed floor plan. This plan is divided into smaller sections or modules which are constructed separately in our state-of-the-art factory using conventional commercial wall, floor, roof and ceiling materials. All major systems including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and finishes are completed prior to shipping and installation on your site. From start to finish, it only takes us a few days to construct many modular buildings saving you months of time.

During the time that your modular building is bring constructed, site development teams are preparing your site and performing any needed on-site construction (a process called concurrent construction).

This ensures that time savings are maximized throughout the modular building process.

Although i havn't asked my friend yet, so will find out what he actually states about it!

cheers for that Moosic

But one small point, how many building sites are there in the UK currently using that method??? One well known house builder literally half a mile from me is constructing a new housing development in the usual manner.

I wouldn't be surprised if modular construction is just a fad that will be discussed around the industry but never take off.

And as for wet trades going out of fashion - can't see it myself. There will always be a need. If it aint broke, why fix it??

yes there will always be individuals and we all want different houses, and factories tend to tool up for one type at a time ,so i can't see that taking over m8, don't worry so mutch if your only doing a short course, nothing ventured nothing gained good luck.