i_want_a_GTI Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 calling all chippies, or joiners, if there are any?!? wondered what u think of the job and if the pay is as good as ppl really say it is?im an apprentice chippy, but i do alot of joinery, not sure about sticking with it tho, cos i dont seem to be getting any of this excellent pay carpenters so called get.its not like i expected, unless its because im an apprentice still, and i have the good stuff to come.any experiences with this job drop me a reply.mattc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jnmercury00 Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 plasterers are short on the ground at the moment if you fancy a career change. from my experience i would say being a chippy isn't a bad job, although the chippy i have been working with since september has developed a gut. you won't get excellent money as an apprentice thats for sure, i'd say stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 as an apprentice u wont earn that great a money, stick with it though. ive seen so many people sample one thing then another n before u know it 3 years have gone and uve not finnished nething. Having a skill is lways good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_want_a_GTI Posted February 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 jnmercury00 are u a chippy then or a plasterer?i know so many ppl who are qualified chippys but have changed trades, just wondered if im doing the right thing. After all everyone says getting a trade is the way to go, i might have chosen the wrong one, and i suppose it all comes down to how lucky you are with working for the right company, i know one lad qualified last year, hes on £160dayrate! style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":o" border="0" alt="ohmy.gif" /> alot of traveling involved tho.im going to stick it out tho i think, no point wasting the opportunity, as it doesnt cost me anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jnmercury00 Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 i am neither, i would say definatly learn a trade, that is the most important advice i could give you. carpentry is more interesting than most other trades in my opinion. you are already on your way to becoming one so stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moreno510 Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Stick with it because once you're out of your time you'll always have that under your belt so if you then fancy something else its always there to fall back on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehammer Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Im doing plastering at college part-time , im 25 years old and do it 2 evenings a week after work. They are like gold dust to get on tho , i got one of 10 places available out of 1300 applicants, those that missed out this year may not get on next year or the year after.its very messy and you are constantly cleaning your tools! The job is 80% preparation and 20% actually skimming on the plaster which is the easy part. Im 6 months into it and ready to start doing little jobs for cash. I worked with a plasterer for a bit and he was earning 1k a week ...working 5 days on site and then earning £500 on weekend jobs ...but he worked very hard.Just get yourself through the apprenticeship and then watch the cash roll in , it will be worth it. Even if you dont like the work its better to be earning top money and hating your job rather than earning next to nothing and hating it.Plus you can be your own boss at some pointhope that helpshammertime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montythemole Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Use both a lot as project manager. One thing worth bearing in mind is chippies might be asked to work outdoors (good in summer crap in winter) whilst plasteres always work in doors so are dry and warm!Think the money is about the same depends on how driven you are. I know it's damn harder to find a plasterer though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_want_a_GTI Posted February 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> cheers guys, yeah good thing with my job is i work for a joinery firm and in the winter months im inside a workshop with a log burner burning away, nice!! learning joinery aswel as carpentry, which is very unusual unless you take 2 courses.But i have done a flat roof 50ft up with snow and force gail winds blowing str8 at me style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" /> cheers tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrat Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Finding a decent plasterer is like looking for rocking horse crap> Not so much as in the quality of the job, its the reliability of the individual ... being a property developer i have plastering done on a weekly basis and finally i have found a polish guy who is good and reasonably priced, ie over the weekend he plasterd two cielings, £300 cash in hand. If he wasnt such a lazy git and could be botherd to get up a bit earlier he could have done both ceilings on one day. But just like any job, it has its pitfalls, like being mentioned, its messy .. i would say more dusty but anyway same thing. Dont think its easy this guy is knackerd after doing two walls and is soaked thru, its a very physicaly demanding job.As for being dry and warm ... well dry most of the time, but deffinately not warm ... walls are plasterd before the central heating goes in :S brrrrrrPersonally i would either go for plumbing, or even be a sparky .. i couldnt see myself plasterings walls untill im 55 , why waste time now learning a new skill if you going to change again in 10 years time and start all over again ? ( thats not a dig at anyone !!!! i would love to be able to plaster a bit faster than i can)chippies, erm i dunno ive never hired one style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerz Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 stick with it mate, you will earn a fortune.Grandad used to be a carpentner, he built his own house totaly from buying land, and did all the work himself in his sapre time by himself or with his sonsand even now at his age he does the odd job and makes a fortune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehammer Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 If he wasnt such a lazy git and could be botherd to get up a bit earlier he could have done both ceilings on one day. But just like any job, it has its pitfalls, like being mentioned, its messy .. i would say more dusty but anyway same thing. Dont think its easy this guy is knackerd after doing two walls and is soaked thru, its a very physicaly demanding job.As for being dry and warm ... well dry most of the time, but deffinately not warm ... walls are plasterd before the central heating goes in :S brrrrrrPersonally i would either go for plumbing, or even be a sparky .. i couldnt see myself plasterings walls untill im 55 , why waste time now learning a new skill if you going to change again in 10 years time and start all over again ? ( thats not a dig at anyone !!!! i would love to be able to plaster a bit faster than i can)Some good points made. Alot of plasterers would have done the 2 ceilings in one day and then had another job lined up for the next day. So instead of getting £300 for 2 days work (which is still better than what im on for 5 days at my office job) they could earn an extra £200 - £300 by squeezing in another job.Yeah its deffinately not warm , usually radiators taken off not installed yet , but you do get an easy dab on while skimming up!I would love to have trained as a sparky or plumber but my monthly outgoings mean i needed a partime evening course and because their is so much to learn in plumbing and electrics you need to be full time and would take 3 years to get upto speed.. I can learn tiling aswell and if i can plaster and tile should open some doors job wise. In a few years maybe i can afford to go on a plumming course pick and choose my days at work so although i cant see myself doing it forever , for the next 5 years it should set me up nicely fingers crossed. In my head it's about having something to fall back on and if i ever got flat broke , jobless ...bang pick up my tools and get dusty!hammertime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beer monsta Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 I find gettign any good trades these days is nigh on impossible - all the good ones are well booked up and the crap ones just seem to be goign from site to site as there is such a shortage aroudn us people will take anyone on the new build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jnmercury00 Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Finding a decent plasterer is like looking for rocking horse crap> Not so much as in the quality of the job, its the reliability of the individual ... being a property developer i have plastering done on a weekly basis and finally i have found a polish guy who is good and reasonably priced, ie over the weekend he plasterd two cielings, £300 cash in hand. If he wasnt such a lazy git and could be botherd to get up a bit earlier he could have done both ceilings on one day. But just like any job, it has its pitfalls, like being mentioned, its messy .. i would say more dusty but anyway same thing. Dont think its easy this guy is knackerd after doing two walls and is soaked thru, its a very physicaly demanding job.As for being dry and warm ... well dry most of the time, but deffinately not warm ... walls are plasterd before the central heating goes in :S brrrrrrPersonally i would either go for plumbing, or even be a sparky .. i couldnt see myself plasterings walls untill im 55 , why waste time now learning a new skill if you going to change again in 10 years time and start all over again ? ( thats not a dig at anyone !!!! i would love to be able to plaster a bit faster than i can)chippies, erm i dunno ive never hired one style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />i agree with everything you say, i thought with you being a property developer you would have a select group of induviduals who work with you. it's hard to find decent people, it's shocking how many cowboys are out there. it's a shame you are far away because i know of a decent bloke in almost every field, although the plasterer who works on the site i am on is 62 and still going strong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_want_a_GTI Posted February 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 i dont know about the situation from where u guys are from but it seems like all the sites i have been on and all my college mates have been on,have alot more foreing ppl working on them, and because of these foreigners coming on site and getting paid alot less, they get all the work but only do 1/8th of a good a job as the ppl who really work hard to get their qualification. This really pisses me off, how i take the time to learn and earn my right to get a healthy wage, and good career, and ppl who arent even british citizens come into the country and take all the work away from us tht need it.ive been looking into this for a while now and im toying the idea of moving to australia a few years after qualifying, the need for tradesmen there is very high,especially carpenters due to all the termits that destroy their timber houses,and the price of living is estimated almost half of what it is in england(apparantly)in fact even if i dont qualify, or i change career path, i think aussie is the way to go style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montythemole Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Yeah you do get a lot of foriegn gangs now but generally because you can't get Brits in. Particularly for me as Landfill sites ain't the nicest places to be building stuff!I you've got a trade you'll never be short of work or mates. Based on what you say I think plastering is the best bet, and if you get good you can come do my ceilings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrat Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 i agree with everything you say, i thought with you being a property developer you would have a select group of induviduals who work with you. it's hard to find decent people, it's shocking how many cowboys are out there. it's a shame you are far away because i know of a decent bloke in almost every field, although the plasterer who works on the site i am on is 62 and still going strong!i have been using the same plumber for two years .. untill a few months ago, fitting a hob is a standard price for us, but when you get a bill and its suddenly gone up in price it gets you thinking as to what else has gone up . IE i had a quote from them for a central heating system, boiler only .. £1900 + vat , after phoning a few plumbers out of the telephone directory i get a cowboy who is corgi registerd and will do it for £1500 incl vat, who you gonna choose ? you gonna stick with your plumber that you have trusted for a good price as you give him all your work no questions ? or try out a new guy ? (in the end he was a cowboy, didnt like his finish) but now we back to the same plumber and he has started giving us decent prices again (but he lost out quite a bit)anyways , i totally agree, learn how to do any skill and you will always have work ... i remember having the piss taken out of me for being a 'jack of all trades but a master at none' , if i look at where i am now .. id still rather be 'jack' style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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