Obviously this will be an
article biased in favor of a career in plumbing, but let’s try and examine the
case for and against anyway! Firstly, let’s have a basic look at the
requirements to become not just a qualified Plumber, but a licensed Plumber
too.
Basic Requirements:
So the first step in this
process ironically is the hardest one – securing an apprenticeship. It is
common knowledge that all plumbers drive around in their trusty ute, with their
trusty dog and their trusty apprentice right? Wrong! The scary thing about the
Plumbing industry is that a lot of Plumbers work for themselves by themselves,
they don’t want the burden, the responsibility or the expense of having to be
responsible for a young man’s plumbing education for the next 4 years of their
life. This by no means a judgment, just an observation. Fact is, and I know a
lot of Plumbers that like to work hard, then take long holidays and enjoy life
that way.
Ok, with that out of the
way, the hard work for the prospective Plumbing apprentice begins before it
begins! You have to sell yourself, you have to meet plumbers, request an
opportunity to be trialed as an apprentice, and you have to be willing to work
hard in this phase. Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances try and get
your parents to do this. You’re a young man now, be a man and step up.
I hope I haven’t scared
you off. Considering you have secured employment as an apprentice plumber you
will have to enroll in TAFE. Your initial TAFE requirements may vary especially
if you live in a rural area, but if you’re in the city you’ll spend one day per
week at TAFE. You will attend TAFE and have to pass each module each term in
order to progress. Assuming you do this and pass each term, then you will be at
TAFE for 3 years straight. Once you have completed 4 years of on the job
training and the 3 years of TAFE you will now be a qualified Plumber, or what’s
called a Journeyman plumber. Your apprenticeship is now over and you can leave
that horrible boss and move on.
Well, sorry, the learning
doesn’t stop quite there. Sure, after 4 years you are a qualified Plumber, you
can earn some better money and will feel quite good about yourself. There is
one catch – you can’t work for yourself yet! What! You say. Well, plumbing is a
trade that requires a lot of learning so there is one more educational hurdle
to complete, your advanced TAFE course, or licensing course. There are generally
2 ways of doing this course. One way is to complete the course over 2 years and
attend TAFE 2 nights a week. If that sounds too prolonged, then you can cram
the course into one year by doing one full day and one night a week. This way
is appealing, but be warned, it is intense. As the course is an advanced course
your boss does not have to pay you for the day off either.
So basically, when all is
said and done, to be a fully fledged licensed Plumber is going to take you a
minimum of 6 years. Are you still with me? I certainly hope that didn’t scare
you off because this is the best place to launch the first Pro in the list of
why Plumbing is such a great trade.
Pro’s
You are paid to learn!
Yes, you read that
correctly, you are paid the entire time you are on this learning journey. The
pay is stepped up each year of the journey too. The wages for early years of
your apprenticeship may not be huge, but you are being paid to learn. If you
wonder why I keep repeating the phrase “paid to learn” I will sum it up in one
word; HECS. While you are becoming a man and learning a trade, no doubt some of
your friends have headed off to University to do a degree. The difference is
they will pay for their degree, depending on the degree, those poor buggers
will pay a lot. HECS is a loan to complete the degree from the Government, once
your University friends finish their degree and get their first job they have
to pay that loan off, with interest. Did I mention in the 4-6 years they are
doing their University degree they earn nothing?
One of my favorite Pro’s
for becoming a Plumber is the relationship with the boss, or the traditional
Master. This person has the responsibility and privilege of teaching the trade
and also, hopefully, imparting life wisdom and a foundation of shaping the
young man into a man.
Alright, the biggest Pro
has to be the end goal, owning your own business. The beauty of Plumbing is the
diversity of work. Hopefully during the course of your apprenticeship you are
exposed to a great deal of different types of work in this trade. Maybe you
like being involved in building new houses or units and installing plumbing
from scratch, maybe you would rather just work on the roof, maybe you just want
to fix basic things like taps and toilets, maybe you’d like to become
specialized and use cctv equipment to fix drain problems under the ground.
There is always something new in Plumbing. Being an environmentally aware
plumber is a new trend, being able to advise customers that certain hot water
heaters cost half the money to run than others. Another new development would
be what is happening in drain repair, now you can install stents into broken
drains underground without having to dig them up.
Once you have decided the
path you would like to travel the sky is the limit. A lot of successful
plumbers have educated themselves as businessmen and have grown their business
and made great incomes. Even plumbers that I previously mentioned who work by
themselves tend to make great incomes as well. The ability to be licensed and
to work for yourself is not just financially rewarding its personally
rewarding. When you grow older, get married, have kids you can schedule work
around what is important to you. The flexibility and freedom to always be on
hand in family life is one of the greatest achievements for a plumber.
Cons;
In the interest of balance
I will have address the Cons. OK, in no particular order here goes; Plumbing is
a physical job, if you are in anyway scared of hard work it would be best if
you don’t apply. If you are squeamish at the thought of unblocking a sewerage
pipe, then this isn’t the job for you. If you have a issue with apprentice
wages being low, then consider the alternative – HECS. If you want to be the
manager in a few months, this is not the job for you. Plumbing was, is and
always will be very hierarchal. The apprentice is treated with respect, but all
great Plumbers were a first year apprentice at one stage. My advice for the
early years is to always work hard, never be argumentative with your boss,
always be an active learner always be on time and above all – always remember
the point this story started with; not many plumbers take on apprentices, so if
you are given an opportunity do not blow it.
Every so often you may be
exposed to rude people that do not appreciate your qualification or the work
you do and may wish to express this by being rude to you when you quote a price
to do a repair. A good plumber will learn to deflect this sort of rudeness as
more of a problem the person being rude has. This will happen, but it is
important to realize the bulk of people will be grateful for your help,
provided you are good at what you do and act with good ethics always.
It is very hard to make
the Con list expanded. Above all the only Con could be your own attitude and
your own determination. I know a lot of successful plumbers that were dunces at
school, but what they made up for in academic achievement was determination and
common sense.
