Part time tilers the death of full timers???

[Highlander]

Well suppose the title will rub a few people up the wrong way but here goes.

I have been established for 4 years and have been tiling on and of for 20 years and I suppose I was one of the part time tilers in my day.

It is not until you become full time that you realise the impact that the part time brigade have on the industry and how many are looking to start up as they think it is an easy way into a trade. The knock on effect is we have a market that is on a severe down turn and it is going to get worse and I mean a lot worse before it gets better. But it is going to impact the full time tiler more than the part timer who has a steady wage coming in and I do have to laugh when I have heard firemen and policemen saying they need to top up their wages by tiling I know if I was either I would not be having a partime job just my opinion but we full time self employed dont get paid holidays or sick pay we just get on with it.

So you may ask where am I going with this well tell you the truth dont really know just having a end of year moan I suppose. I thing I would say is anyone considering going full time at the moment you really need to think very hard beause I wouldnt I would take the steady wage and wait till things settle. I think when you become self employed you get into a rut and you keep going pushing yourself sure you can have some really great times but you will have some really low times as well but that is the joys of being self employed.

So I would be interested in opinons and I would be interested if Dave or Dan could be so good to put a poll onto this post as it would be interesting what the split on the forum is ie full time to partime.

Well all the best for 2009 full ot partime tilers.

Cheers :8:


Gary

 

[DHTiling]

I think the sites closing has had a big impact on the domestic market...

We have loads of site fixers wanting a slice of the cake..so to speak....


this is the same in all trades though and not just tiling....

 

[CJ]

Have to admit that I started out as a part timer myself..........but it was the only way I could back then. When you have the normal mortgage, bills etc etc to pay you DO need a steady income of sorts.

Wot gets my back up though is the increasing amounts of 1-2 week course bods coming out, and they have been given the believe that they can start up full time on there own.........:dizzy2:

Even advertising them on the box ffs.

Next year as we all know and agree will be poo or bust for loads of us, as well as other trades......new bods JUST coming out will suffer first......and then down the line.

So it is going to be sink or swim for a lot of people, and the last thing us full timers want or need is a shed load of newbies and wannabes trying to muscle in........now while that may sound harsh? It is survival of the fittest time.

Just my opinion mind...........:rant:

 

[james]

not sure if i count as full or part time tiler, as i do tiling as part of general maintenance work.
the problem with tiling is you may not do work for the same customer for years at a time as they may not move or update.
by the time they need the tiling done their either lost your number, forgotten how nice you were a nice tradesmen, your moved, your knees/wrists have gone or their going get the kitchen fitter to do it.

tilers always have to look for new clients,
unlike plumbers or sparks who get called alot more regular.
tilers have to have some regular clients like builders (personal view) or its going very hard.

 

[grumpygrouter]

I am not really sure how to class myself within this thread. I started up nearly 2 years with a view to "see how it went". If I had constant work, I feel I could be classed as "full Time" with my accounting being the "Part Time" side of my businesses. Not built up a sufficiently good client base yet to do it every day, every week though. Hopefully that will improve as time goes on.

 

[LM Ceramics]

i totally agree im now a full time tiler i was working with a firm for 3 years then set up on my own in jan this year and its not been easy like cj said it 2009 is going to be a testing year for us all survival of the fittest and no disrespect to anyone who has just finished a tiling course your going to struggle big time ive seen a few threads on here were people who have just finished a course gone straight out bought a van tools abit of advertising id say think about what your doing i would advise anyone who is thinking of setting up now think again im not just saying this for less competition if you have a full time job at the moment keep it

 

[Highlander]

not sure if i count as full or part time tiler, as i do tiling as part of general maintenance work.
the problem with tiling is you may not do work for the same customer for ]

Your Partimer mate :8: I am trying to see who are fulltime tilers and not partime I only do tiling as I have said to customers before when they ask do you do electrical or plumbing I just say whats it say on my van Highland Tilers not plumbers or sparkies. Thanks for your input and you are right Tilers are constantly looking for new work not like as you say sparkies and plumbers that get called out for wee problems or changes. My wifes uncle is a painter decorator and my wife is always on at me why has he got so much work well it sunk in when he said the majority o work is repeat customers that he has built up over the years wanting a living room done one year and maybe bedroom the next year and outside house every 3 years once you have a base like that you will always be busy. Not many customers want their tiles changed every three years.


Cheers.

 

[james]

i think i have seen your work on another site highlander?(high quailty)
sure your be seeing lots of repair work, like the one i saw wickes tile and grout on floorboards!

 

[davy583]

At the minute lad and lasses I am a part timer and I do it around my full time job (that I hate) tiling to me is not an easy way into trade. It is a way off giving my family a better lifestyle and I believe that 1 day I will go fulltime tiling but at the minute the markets just aren’t right. At the end of the day a lot of people are struggling with work issues and at times like this you have to take care of the people closest to you. So if this means that by wanting to build a career for myself in tiling and that upsets a couple of people then ha ho that’s the way I go.

 

[kilty55]

im full time,,started my business june 2008 of the back of a course,i know not everyone here is a fan of these courses but with hard work and plenty after course support i beleive i had a great year last year,7 days a week non stop just hoping iv created enough repeat business to scrape me through 2009 as most of my work i had to advertise non stop for in 2008 with the end of 2008 being a number of repeat jobs and referals.