There was once a time when you would use the term ‘tradesman’, yet in this PC age we accept that your plumber or chippy could be of either gender and regardless of this, here is some useful information if you want to work for yourself as a tradesperson.

Start as a trainee

An apprenticeship is the ideal avenue to take to become a carpenter, electrician or plumber; which involves you working under supervision and spending one day a week at college to learn the theory behind the trade. As you are being taught, your wages would be relative and would increase year by year, as you progress through the tenure and with several experienced employees, you receive all the guidance and tuition you need.

Qualifications

Once you pass the college courses and have been a good employee, the firm will issue you with your papers and to all intents and purposes, you are now a fully qualified tradesperson. They might have a clause in your employment that requires you to give them a few years of service as part of the agreement, but once that time elapses, you can be a free agent and go where the money is.

Self-Employed

This is the smart way to offer your talents; you’ll make more money in a year freelancing than if you were directly employed. Of course, you have to sort out your own taxation and super and let’s not forget comprehensive tradesman insurance, which is essential. Builders are always looking for tradespeople and joining a few social media groups is the best way to find work, and you’ll need to be prepared to travel; a good reason to invest in a mobile workshop.

Online Help

Whatever the project, there will be ‘how to’ videos on YouTube and you can watch them as many times as you like; indeed, people have built complete houses with zero building experience, solely by watching YouTube videos.

You don’t have to be of school-leaving age to take up a trade, anyone can decide to learn how to become a tradesperson and with the right qualifications and tradesman insurance, you can make a good living doing what you enjoy. It is kind of important that you enjoy the work and you should have a strong desire to become proficient, which will aid you through the training period of 3-4 years, which is what it takes to become certified.