would love some advice!!

[markyneeds]

Right, i am desperately trying to get into the tiling trade, i am currently working full time and have no experience in tiling other than a few days working for my mate. The course i plan to do is a 6 week city and guild, you have two years too complete the course with Access training in wales but i however plan to do 1 week every month, meaning in 6 months i would have completed the course.

Is there any tilers out there in the Bristol area who need a hard working and keen learner? Or any advice on how to maybe get into tiling, i.e best company's etc. I need a job which would allow me to take 1 week a month off to do the course as i need to work to earn a bit of money.

Cheers

 

[cam_low]

how old are you ? why do you want to be a tiler ? do you have an artistic flair ?

 

[markyneeds]

Hi there, im 29, i want to be a tiler because i believe it is a trade i will enjoy, i have done lots of research on various other trades, and although some seem to be better paid i just think tiling will suit me. I had a bit of experience this week working for a mate and although only 3 days i really enjoyed it. Iv taken the easy option for the last 10 years i now want to learn something new which i believe i will be good at! Obviously with no idea of how to go about starting its a bit daunting, but it is what i want to do!

 

[cam_low]

Im actually 29 also. How affluent is the area you wish to undertake work ? Have you checked out your competition in the local area ?

 

[markyneeds]

i believe the area is very good for work, being in bristol we are close to somerset, bath, Gloucestershire. I had a look on yell and compared to other trades people there a few tilers, only 8 pages compared to the 30-40 electricians, plumbers etc, so it gives me the reason to think work is out there. I also know a couple of carpenters who can throw a bit of work my way, i know it will be slow and hopefully build up later but im honestly not leaving a lot behind in my current job!

Did you do any training course?

 

[cam_low]

I can recommend the NETT course I undertook however I also worked with a tiler to learn my trade also. Its a hard slog out there these days with all the competition undercutting our rates.

I have just moved to London and Im working in a tile shop for now but I am hearing so many cowboy stories its just silly. So as far as Im concerned as long as there are people like that out there it will keep tilers like myself in endless amounts of work.

It took me four years to become known as arguably the best tiler in the town I lived in at the time. Its gonna be a long slog ahead of you but I wish you the best of luck. You will be able to find details of courses on this site that are more local to you however if I was you I would travel north and also undertake NETT's plastering course as it will save you on getting another trade in when you have to bond walls up or just give a quick skim to give a good surface for tiling onto!

 

[markyneeds]

Thank you very much for your advice. I will look into that course, i have however just found a 10day city and guilds course with a college called construction skills, they have a centre in stoke and wolves, i rang them and they say it offers a City and guild level one which is fairly basic i would have thought but its a start!

Any ideas on how i could get involved with a tiler at all? Iv emailed a load today just inquiring about trainee positions so will wait and see if i get anything back from that..doubtful though!

 

[DHTiling]

When doing a short course don't worry about the piece of paper they give you after completion , it's worth nothing in the tiling world.
Look at what the course criteria offers you and try to visit the place with no notice and ask students their opinions then you get unbiased feedback.

But as with any short course the training is Only an insight to what tiling involves , it will take yrs to perfect skills.

 

[afright]

Have been at it for 42 years and still learning, there is lot more to it than a short course and away you go,try and find a good est firm and start at the bottom,I spent 3 years grouting before I even fixed a tile,Good luck.

 

[bugs183]

It's very different from when i started, you worked with a tiler all the time. The great thing now is that there are things like this forum, so you can ask any questions and too be fair there is no-one here that will moan at you because 'you should know, i had to learn the hard way etc'
As you say get on a course and work with a tiler.
A course will be good for you as you will certainly be doing more job skills than working for a tiler. Any tiler who cares about their work won't let you loose tiling early on,as if you make a mistake he'll have to fix it, with the training course you will be very hands on.
With the tiler you'll see how the day to day issues are and how to deal with them, duff floors, customers, and above all how to moan properly like a real tiler, my moaning has really come into it's own and it's taken 22 years.
As jobs go it is very rewarding, as you can see what you've done, and you get great customer feed back.
On the downside, how much you'll earn week to week is anyones guess, and say goodbye to a few weekends!!!
Good luck.

 

[afright]

God ! I thought it was just me that alway,s moaned must be part of the job description.

 

[bugs183]

We're artists, we're allowed to be temperamental!

 

[markyneeds]

thanks for the advice guys, i realize it is going to be hard and a course is just a start, but it can only be positive step to start with.

Iv just spoke with Able Skills and they seemed very professional and cover a lot of units in anything from 2 week to 8 week course City and Guilds, may go and check the training centre out this weekend.

Oh and bugs im in golf at the moment, i never get weekends off so im used to it!

 

[AliGage]

Send a letter out to the tilers in your area and see if you can get some work helping out and learning. Explain the intentions you're said here and see if a local tiler has work he needs a hand on and is willing to offer advice.

 

[markyneeds]

Potentially a good outcome today, i emailed Topps Tiles the other day to see if they had any opportunity for trainee tilers, i dint expect a response but today got a phone call from my local Topps in Bristol and the guy said he would ask some tilers on Monday for me. You never know i suppose there may be a Tiler around who wouldn't mind a trainee!

I will let you know if i hear any more! fingers crossed!

 

[AliGage]

Excellent news. Good luck!

 

[prceramics]

thanks for the advice guys, i realize it is going to be hard and a course is just a start, but it can only be positive step to start with.

Iv just spoke with Able Skills and they seemed very professional and cover a lot of units in anything from 2 week to 8 week course City and Guilds, may go and check the training centre out this weekend.

Oh and bugs im in golf at the moment, i never get weekends off so im used to it!

Able skills is an excellent course i done the 8 weeks there at the end of last year a good tip would be to get your website up and running now just leave off your phone number because it takes ages to get ranked on google

 

[markyneeds]

i was thinking of doing the 4 week city and guilds course there to start, what sort of confidence level did you have after your 8 week course there..were you able to take on your own jobs straight away? How did you go about getting work after the course?

Sorry for all the questions..im just realy interested to hear from someone who has been there and done it by the sounds of it!!

many thanks

 

[prceramics]

was quite confident mate but you do learn twice as much on the job the 1st ones are daunting so try and do some for family and friends 1st , i booked in for the 8 weeks but changed the last week for a plumbing coarse, the tools you will need are quite expensive able can get you them at a decent price, work didn't really start coming in until my website had a good ranking.

 

[Martino]

In my opinion the best way to learn is basically be a labourer for a tiler for a good few years, more than one tiler too...i have worked with a few and you take a few things from each tiler and use ways that suit you best...you can get the piece of paper like someone said earlier but it really means nothing...customers want decent work at the end of the day they dont care if u have it or not....most go for price and quality....thats just my general opinion.....also you need to be a good sale's man too and be very friendly to your customers been working for me for 8 years now

 

[markyneeds]

Thanks for the advice mate, i know its just a piece of paper but i think i would be more confident doing the course to get a good understanding of the trade to start, once i have done the course i then plan to get a bit of labouring work (fortunatly i have a few contacts), whilst maybe taking on a few solo jobs, small to start, and hopefully build my knowledge from there.

How did you go about finding work with various tilers? I emailed a lot of tilers and as of yet had no replys at all, i just stated that i plan to do the course etc, and generally asked if they had any oportunitys for a trainee... dont realy know what else to do!!

cheers

 

[Burslems finest]

Sounds similar to me 8 years ago, i was 27 then and fed up, did a few little tiling jobs and really enjoyed it did a course and went on my own.
I found it very difficult and afraid to say i made a few bodges on my first jobs, and was ready chuck it in and go back to my old job (which i hated). I was very lucky whilst sitting in the pub one night explaining my woes to a mate , a bloke overheard me and after a few beers took me on as a labourer. I was paid a pittance for 3 years doing 10 -12 hour days and now i'm my own boss and love it!
My advice would be to go to as many tile shops as possible be as friendly as you can with the staff and maybe buy something ( some spacers from one shop a bit of grout the next don't go mad) The staff know the people you need to speak to!
Be aware though, however good this course is you cannot learn a trade that quick, it takes time. A good attitude will take you far!
Good luck

 

[markyneeds]

Hi guys, thanks for all the advice. Topps tiles really did come up trumps, the guy from Topps asked some tilers and one of the is happy to take me on and allow me to work alongside him, which i am well happy about! Just following on about a course with able skills, the general advice from guys on here is that the best way to learn is to work alongside a professional tiler and not bother with a course, some say it is a waste of time and money. Im just wondering if now that i have managed to find some work with a professional tiler would you recommend i do the course alongside working with the tiler or simply allow my self a good year with the tiler and not bother doing a course, i was looking at the six week Able skills course and planning on doing 1 week a month with 3 weeks work with the tiler?

Many thanks
Mark

 

[bugs183]

Good news eh!
It depends on how hands on you will be whilst working for the tiler, if he's a good sort and isn't under pressure then he may let you start by doing some wall tiling and pointing out along the way what to do, then later you'd floor tile.
As a tiler who's busy i myself wouldn't have the time or TBH the patience to show you how to do a job in a nice relaxed way. Me not working isn't getting the job done, harsh but true.
If you can i'd say do the course and work for the bloke, you'll be fixing tiles in a nice calm enviroment at the college, and then you would have the confidence to do some work for him.