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To begin with newspapers appear to love discussing what can be earned in Plumbing. Salaries of 30-70k p.a. are often discussed, along with the lack of plumbers within the UK. Is this really a fib – or is this in fact accurate? Without a doubt, a fully experienced Plumber can command salaries of such levels. So whilst those working in the self-employed role can get incomes of 70-100k p.a., those working in more conventional employment routes often find it hard to achieve this salary.

However, working for regular employers often results in the typical hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Salaries of between 15k – 30k p.a. are easily achievable and will include typical benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance – what you’d generally expect from any UK employed status. However, if the self employed person is willing to work longer than the normal working hours then more money can be earned. This is more common in the domestic market where self employed plumbers often have to work evenings and weekends to suit those clients that work during the week.

Then there is the matter of working for yourself, which agrees with some people more than others. The inclusion of key elements such as utilising good ‘business sense’, covering areas such as advertising and marketing and getting your own cost-per-hour correct is integral to the picture. There are additional charges levied to people who work for themselves including legal and accountancy fees as well as those relating to materials and transport. Whilst it is expected that the benefits will be high, the costs can mount up though they should always remain a small part of the income overall. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!

Initially, by searching for standard work a Student Entrant can get the majority of training especially with working knowledge and experience. As quickly as possible the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of accreditations that they will rely upon. To be fair it is the ‘domestic’ market which appeals to a large number of self-employed plumbers and not necessarily that of the commercial sector. (The majority do at the very least)

In terms of plumbing education, there appears to be some similarity between the certification modules required by each path into the industry. A key debate however comes into play when considering the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland.)

From the beginning the Student Entrant instead of the Self Employed Entrant is much more reliant upon the NVQ requirements. The Self Employed Entrant will regularly employ a range of certifications in order to meet the needs of their client’s requirements from the beginning. Without a doubt the self employed person needs to quickly gain the core domestic- centred qualifications to satisfy their typical household-based clients. The Student Entrant will often carry on their studies in the workplace under an apprenticeship where the NVQ element can be assessed. Due to the cost effectiveness of this study the Student Entrant can make strong savings from the outset. That said it is the ability to gain real financial rewards long before the Student Entrant that encourages many Self-Employed Entrants to gain certifications faster and be motivated by a stronger commercial attitude.

This clearly demonstrates the need for talk about careers, covering the certification and study required along with the expected financial rewards. It is extremely difficult for adults with a family to look after and needing 20kp.a. to consider going back to college and spending 3 years on low paid-apprenticeship work. It should also be borne in mind that many young Student Entrants have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships, whereas the self-employed student generally funds the course themselves. For self-employed people these costs are set by the course structure and the level of certification sought and can end up between 3k-10k+.

For the most part, Student Entrants will study at recognised further-education colleges, whereas the Self Employed Entrant has the option to consider the wider range of private commercial schools. It is through well known educational paths that many commercial training companies can offer routes into correct qualifications and skill-set requirements. Of a key opportunity is the ability to train out of hours – evening, part time and self study classes that allows Self Employed Entrants to continue training whilst continuing with their job and maintaining their financial situation. With so many training colleges available, it makes sense to gather information from as many sources as possible. Why not book mark this page (CTRL-D) and then you can come back and review your options from the links and adverts we have provided for you.

Many plumbing students will increase their ‘marketability’ through the use of further courses. Areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical training can offer additional qualifications to Plumbers. A typically popular route for Plumbers is Gas training, especially as this forms part of the usual commercial and domestic heating system.

Without a doubt, NVQ’s that follow on core subjects lead into the careful and precise program that is Gas Training. It is the ability to add extra skills to the fore, along with the features that on-going training offers that continue to be attractive to those who trained as a plumber. From this stance, the mature student is often more suited to a cross of Plumbing/Gas training. The path of focussing on the core subjects and at the same time dropping the NVQ’s seems to favour the Mature Student.

It is this blend of training that would appear to satisfy the needs of the self-employed professional. There is a great empathy for earning money whilst learning a wider range of work skill sets. It is by removing the reliability on third party sub-contraction that results in the increase of the industrial package. Of concern is the reduction in customer’s value as they have to wait for jobs to be completed by others that in turn can lead to a reduction of the earning potential of a job. The more skilled a plumber is in their job role – the more that they have to offer their client base.

Whilst the Student Entrant has the chance to develop through an established employer a Self Employed Entrant can utilise their skill levels through business skills and develop a broader range of certifications to achieve a higher income stream. Note: The above information is solely relative to the UK market, industry requirements and policies.

(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Check out Plumbing Training Courses or Click HERE.

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Property management software can help your office run smoother and make the job of property management easier. These types of programs can help you do a variety of tasks that are necessary to your job.

When you use programs it says thepropertymanagementsoftware.com, you are able to put all of your records online in a short time making this very easy to use. It installs in just a few minutes which led to access them from any computer, from anywhere, and you always get the most current version.

You able to manage both your tenants in your work crew which allows you to perform 2 of functions of your job in one place. It is very convenient to have all the needs met with one program for your property they can be utilized no matter how small or large your property is. This program allows you to manage both the financial side as well as the property upkeep.

Under the tenant management system, you can automatically charge late fees to the account daily, and let the system track of for you. You can also mark rent payments as paid and keep track of the money you have coming in on a daily basis. The system also allows you to give to tenants the ability to access our own account and see how much they owe any given time and be able to pay for it on the online system, cutting down the man hours of the office for rent collection.

When you use the maintenance portion, you’re able to assign and view work orders as they come in. This will allow you to be able to monitor and assign work while being able to prioritize the jobs to get the maximum savings to your property. This will allow you to attend more minor repairs later, and to do the bigger jobs first and make sure that they’re getting done. You’re able to communicate with your workers and use it as a check system to make sure the jobs of being performed.

This system will allow you to be able to print up reports so that you can see and a glance where your money was being spent. By using the reports system, you are able to quickly and easily determine problems financially as well as be able to look at a glance on how your property is performing and what areas need to be improved.

This system does not charge you any fee per machine, you purchase its use once, and then it will work on all machines since it is online which can save a considerable amount of money compared to expensive software you buy from a store which must have the license paid per machine that uses it. You are also able to give free updates as they are available and save valuable memory space. With it being online you can quickly connect to your accounts and be able to manage them instantly.

Property management software allows you to easily and quickly monitor and notate rent and repairs on your property on other costs associated with the management. By using an online program, it is fast and easy to use from a secure web site.

Property management software can help your office to run a lot smoother and make the job of property management so much easier. Get All Your Property Management Done with Software, snap-snap.

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For many people, a career within the electrical industry remains an interesting and varied choice. Often (and more correctly) referred to as ‘Electro-Mechanical Engineering’, we’ll simply refer to it as the Electrical Industry for the sake of simplicity here. In addition, we will stay with the UK market and especially items relating to the domestic and commercial sectors rather than global issues. We will begin by reviewing the main issues first and come back to the ‘add-ons’ later, because of the huge number of options available as a career within this subject.

Really there are two main ways to enter the electrical market. Whilst many candidates opt to join later on in their life, there still exists the more traditional route of the apprenticeship. We have to reference individuals so we will plainly do so by ‘Junior’ and ‘Mature’ entrants.

People who do not want to pay any extra salaries, but want to enter the industry with the focus of being self employed are who we refer to as Mature Entrants. Whereas the ‘Junior Entrants’ train alongside regular electrical employment to pick up practical work place skills as they gain their qualifications. After they leave school a young apprentice will have many skills to learn during their first few years of working life.

The distinct types of entry have differing styles of training – Junior Entrants are heavily linked with NVQ’s (or the Scottish equivalent – SVQ’s.) Whilst the core syllabus is relatively similar to non-NVQ commercial training, there is a particular requirement to attain the actual NVQ qualifications as part of the overall training program. This requires being in a directly-related work program or apprenticeship of some type, so as to meet the testing and course-work requirements.

Mature Entrants, with the possible aim of entering the market from a self-employed perspective, seem to focus on attaining the most commercially viable qualifications (without the need for the NVQ element.) i.e. Those certifications that will get them up and running with the best financial return from their training investment. This system does meet the purposes set out and therefore often provides a faster and more direct route into a trading position.

With regard to regular earning potential we have two clear paths – one for employees and the other for the self-employed. Obviously, with self-employment, there is the added issue of whether the Entrant is part-time (working around another job) or full-time; we will concentrate on full-time. Skill and knowledge levels can often determine salary levels, although this is equally via a proven ability or certification scheme.

‘Junior Entrants’ can expect a basic salary of 12K at the beginning of their training. With application and experience this figure often more than doubles in time. That said, due to the UK press telling people that electricians can get salaries in excess of 70k p.a., it is more difficult to gauge incomes for ‘Mature Entrants’. That aside, many added costs need to be remembered by self employed people in order to make their business work. Allocations for personal/professional insurance will also have to be catered for. Aside from that, the current skills shortage within the UK still means that there’s lots of high value work out there. Certainly, working a full week is a realistic possibility for those who want to. Whilst figures of seventy to a hundred thousand are often bandied around in the press, they do not often inform you of the long hours you would need to work to achieve this.

To be fair, most Junior and Mature electricians experience very different working hours to each other. ‘Junior Entrants’ would normally be required to work Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. That aside the Mature market is equally affected by when their clients are available – this is especially so within the domestic sector, where evening and weekend work predominates. Although by testing and installing various business systems, many self-employed electricians manage to work during a normal working week.

A Junior Entrant that has chosen to adopt a career within the electrical trade is more than likely to gain follow up expertise within the particular field they fall into, often dictated by the main business activities of their employer. Then again, the mature entrant can even go outside of the electrical field to gas work or plumbing work for example. They can take on larger jobs and do all the work themselves then – which is a particularly great benefit to domestic clients.

One fresh approach is that of the ‘Green Engineer’. This could be an area of interest to both Junior and Mature Entrants, and with the expected growth and governmental (both UK & EEC) support, it could provide some highly lucrative employment and business opportunities.

(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Visit Click HERE or An Electrical Course.

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Posted under Software

We often read in the press of the salaries that the Plumbing trade is achieving. 30-70k p.a. is often talked about because of the lack of Plumbers. So, is this the truth of the matter, or are we being lied to? For an experienced Plumber, this amount of salary is both realistic and feasible. To be fair, the higher earnings of 70-100k p.a. are generally for those working within the self-employed field.

It is fairly usual to expect working hours of 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday with a reputable employer. From UK companies comes the standard reward such as holiday pay and sickness allowance and a potential wage of between 15k and 30k p.a. By working ‘out of hours’ – typically longer than 9am to 6pm Mon- Fri the self employed person can often achieve a higher wage. This is especially the case where self-employed plumbers have opted to work in the domestic market, where their clients are at work during the day – requiring evening and weekend visits.

There is the also the fact which fits some people more than others and that is self employment. By using ‘good business sense’, including getting your own cost per hour correct, items such as advertising and marketing can also be worked out. To be fair most self-employed people will have to prepare for additional costs including those relating to legal and accountancy fees as well as those of transport and material usage. While these costs can mount up, so too do the benefits, however the costs should always remain a smaller part of the income generated. And the benefits nearly always far outweigh the downsides!

Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. On the other hand, the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list plumbing credentials as soon as possible. Having said that, we should bear in mind that the majority of self-employed workers tend to migrate towards the narrower ‘domestic’ market, rather than the commercial sector. (At least most of them do)

Considering the education in Plumbing, each path into the industry needs some match in the certification modules. There does remain considerable question when the factor of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is realised.

To begin with the NVQ structure appears to be much more important to the Student Entrant than to the Self Employed Entrant. The Self Employed Entrant will often call upon a wider range of certifications right from the outset; in order to satisfy their perceived client’s requirements. The self employed person needs to consider the wishes of their household clients and use the relative domestic-centred qualifications to satisfy them. The Student Entrant, once they have covered the key fundamentals, will carry on their study in a way similar to an apprenticeship (within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be assessed.) By using this cheaper form of study the Student Entrant can make sound financial savings from the outset. It is often by gaining certifications faster, by being motivated by a more commercial standpoint that the Self Employed Entrant will achieve considerable financial benefits before a Student Entrant.

It is by covering the study needs along with those of a clear careers discussion that meet the financial rewards. For adults with demands of say a 20kp.a and a family to look after, the prospect of going back to college and spending a further 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work can be very daunting. It should also be remembered that many younger Student Entrants are entering an apprenticeship and thereby have their courses paid for them whereas the mature self-employed students do not. Depending on the level of certification sought and the course itself the costs for people can run into 3k to 10k+.

Whilst the Self Employed Entrant can consider a wider range of education forms including private colleges the Student Entrant is limited to known further-education colleges. Commercially oriented plumbing course companies will provide an established path of training which ultimately leads into recognised skill-sets and qualifications. The ability to train in evenings, part-time or in self study classes allowing people to continue with their existing job and maintaining their current financial situation remains one of the key advantages to Self Employed Entrants. With so many colleges at hand, the key is to secure as many with technical data sources and gather them. We’ve provided links and a book mark to this page (CTRL-D) so you can come back whenever you wish and review the adverts and options available to you.

By going on added training programs many plumbing students seek to increase their ‘marketability’. These courses can provide a range of additional certifications in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical. Forming part of the common domestic and commercial heating system, Plumbers have often opted for Gas Training.

Gas training in itself is a specific and rigorous training regime, with core subjects followed by an emphasis on NVQ’s. This considers ongoing development, especially for those who trained first as a plumber and are seeking extra skills. It could be said that the blend of training covering Plumbing/Gas training is better matched to the mature student. It is by centring on these core elements and dropping the NVQ elements that the Mature Student appears to settle.

The self-employed professional appears to benefit from this distinct training mixture. Without a doubt the appeal is to learn a greater range of skill-sets and at the same time earn money from them. This adds to their overall package rather than having to rely on sub-contraction of key skills to third parties. Of equal concern is the lowering of customer value as they have to wait for essentials to be handled by others and the reduction of the overall earning potential that ensues from sub-contraction. The more professional a Plumber is within their field the more that they have to offer their relative client base.

Finally, whilst the Student Entrant breaks into the industry more quickly the Self Employed Entrant has the opportunity for higher potential earnings, but to do so they need to develop a broader range of certifications and a higher level of business skill sets. Note: This relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.

Written by Scott Edwards. Hop over to Click HERE or Plumbing Careers.

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Posted under Software