How did you learn your trade?

[ScottG13]

Just wondered how the majority of you got into tiling.
College, Course, Apprenticeship, or self taught maybe?

 

[doug boardley]

through platering, I worked for a smallish firm, so we had to do allsorts, tiling seemed to suit me, so I became designated tiler

 

[kent tiler]

same as plastering worked for a block plastering he did tiling i did plastering started tiling with him then twiged i was beter then him still plaster and tile for him now and then rrr:
i think if you dont know somthing lern teach your self if your a numty that cant be asked then go on the dole but for sume thats even hard work :lol: sort your life out i bet 90% of you if you cant tile you can do somthing to keep your self going
I never went too school went to work so there go's reading/righting out the window but im in the trade still going

 

[albyshellshear]

did a bit on my own house and at my shop I then relised I enjoy doing this, so started doing a bit for family and freinds now totaly hooked, I just wish I had done a course when I was younger.

 

[TILINGFORUK]

i was self taught in plastering and tiling

 

[Andy Allen]

when i left school at 16 went to the job center ;saw a job for appentice tiler ;wanted to learn a trade;went for the job got the job ;work with a guy who had been tileing for years; we were doing mainly site work ;i spent a whole year just grouting ;mixing addy; and cleaning out buckets ;eventualy i was let lose on spash backs and kitchens; and it all snow balled from there .

 

[mikethetile]

my first trade is decorating, the man who i was apprenticed to also tiled so we did all the firms tiling

i reaaly enjoyed tiling

i achieved advanced craft city and guilds plus city and guilds interior design

i was set for life as a decorator and designer

in my early twenties i was painting a dormer and the ladder slipped out at the bottom

i wont list the injurys but i mashed my left ankle and had to learn to walk again

i was on disability for over a year and the benifits office had me in for training in a new trade as i was lame i couldnt stand on a ladder

the only trade on the list i was interested in was bench jjoinery, so they paid for me to become a cabinet maker and joiner

i kept the physio up while back at college full time

when quailified i went kitchen fitting, i couldnt find a decent tiler so ended up doing it myself, but recognised my limited knowledge in this trade

i went on the free bal courses and improved everything but my knowledge was still lacking

i heard of a nvq course on tiling so sent myself through my own company and did two years day release

when it came to the paperwork for assessment and recieving my nvq they wanted an extra £3000 , this is on top of the college fees and loss of earnings

they claim that the government paid for students but as my company had sent me they wouldnt pay as i wasnt on the government scheme

i told them that theres cheaper ways to get an nvq so i left after two years without qualification despite having passed on my continual assessment

fast forward to tf

i have learnt more on here in 12 months than all the tiling courses ive been on

i can stick tile level and flush with good grout lines

but the back ground knowledge is paramount and is missing from the nvq syllabus

 

[diamondtiling]

same as plastering worked for a block plastering he did tiling i did plastering started tiling with him then twiged i was beter then him still plaster and tile for him now and then rrr:
i think if you dont know somthing lern teach your self if your a numty that cant be asked then go on the dole but for sume thats even hard work :lol: sort your life out i bet 90% of you if you cant tile you can do somthing to keep your self going
I never went too school went to work so there go's reading/righting out the window but im in the trade still going

Do you have any pictures of tiling that your tutor did??

Now they would be worth seeing, Neale (Sir Ramic) is putting an album together and I think, no, I know he would use them.

:smilewinkgrin:

 

[SOTON STEVE]

Left college at 17 after redoing some GCSE's. Spent 6months training as a printer, got made redundant (I waisted so much paper).
Found a position for a trainee draughtsman in a structural engineer firm, as I always enjoyed art at school. then ended up in an architects office for 2 years. I realised that office work was not for me.
I was only about 20 odd at this time. left the company and stupidly went to uni in pompey on an architects course. completed 2 terms and decided to call it quits. I was very confused and angry at the world when I was young.
I needed a job, so went into a bar that I liked in my town center to see if they needed any bar tenders. This was just what I needed at this age and time in my life. Going from working in stuffy offices to all the fun of bar work. I realised I was damn good at my job and within 3 months I was promoted to supervisor, another 3 months and I was duty manager. This is where I met my other half. She was a duty manager too. you know, late nights at the bar and all that:8:. We where there for 2 years.
We decided to move to Bournemouth cuz she wanted to train as a chef. Got a job as assistant bars manager in the top hotel there. Another 2 years at the hotel. good days!.
I started to grow up at this point and realised I needed money. Partner became preggers with our first girl. I realised I wasnt getting paid much. Joined Lidl as deputy manager, hated it. minimum 13 hr days.
Joined tesco as section manager on nights. first girl born. at tesco for 2 years, started to want off of nights as its not good for your social and family life. Found a store managers job with Topps Tiles. with Topps for 2-3 years. Girl No. 2 born. Enjoyed what I leaning at Topps. Decided to give the whole tiling thing a go. That was 2.5 years ago. havent looked back. I love what I do. Hopefully, I will never have to do anything else. Girl No.3 on the way. :yikes:

 

[The D]

I started tiling in 1985 when I was 16. My uncle had a firm A.T. Overtons I was a wiping boy for 3 years then started doing bits of tiling .I was given a site to look after in about 1990 spent the next 5 years house bashing for all the big house builders. Then I moved to bishops Stortford and started tiling for a kitchen fitter, did that for 2 years then came home and started back with my uncle. I then went to another firm and another and another, I had the pleasure of working with some of the best tilers that I have ever seen (and some of the worst) in the time I spent firm hoping. I then decided I was going to start my one firm(The Tile Company) this was the best thing I had ever done, and was going fantastic I had 6 fixers subbing to me and enough work for 10 fixers if not more, but as some will know when you are doing contract work you ether have more work than fixers or not enough work. This can be stressful, especially when it is the former, so I started training fixers to work for me and to cut a long story short I ended up as a lecturer at a collage in Birmingham, I did that for 4 years and then went back on the tools and I am now as happy as a big in s**t doing the job I love and helping others find a passion for it.