Self-employed Mechanic or Plumber- Realistic?

Top_Banana_2

I'm considering future options for training with a view to going self-employed.

Two areas of interest in the trades are plumbing and car mechanic.

I have pinpointed the relevant courses at the local college.

Taking the example of the vehicke repair course: How realistic is it to expect to complete the course and then set up work straightaway as a mobile mechanic? Of course, fees are involved for tools, van, etc. But, is it possible to go straight from college to being self-employed in this field?

The same question for plumbing- realistic?

I know setting up any busines is tough, but I'm a hard worker and prepared for a few tough early years.

Any advice would be great!

Proc

No amount of training can prepare you for real life.

Try and find an apprenticeship somewhere to pick up as much experience as possible in the real world.

Would I let a self-employed mechanic who has just left a short college course tinker with me engine? Nope.

Would I let a self-employed plumber who has just left a short college course mess around with my piping? No way.

If anything, go on the college course with aim to become an apprentice at the end of it.

wontfallforit

Top_Banana wrote: »

I'm considering future options for training with a view to going self-employed.

Two areas of interest in the trades are plumbing and car mechanic.

I have pinpointed the relevant courses at the local college.

Taking the example of the vehicke repair course: How realistic is it to expect to complete the course and then set up work straightaway as a mobile mechanic? Of course, fees are involved for tools, van, etc. But, is it possible to go straight from college to being self-employed in this field?

The same question for plumbing- realistic?

I know setting up any busines is tough, but I'm a hard worker and prepared for a few tough early years.

Any advice would be great!

My OH is a mechanic with 20 years' experience, and has a really good reputation locally. He's never been brave enough to go down the self-employed route, not because he isn't good enough, but because there is obvious security attached to being a permanent employee of someone else. Self-employed, he'd have to drum up his own customer base (including effectively stealing a lot of his employer's current clients, which he doesn't want to do), do his own paperwork, sort his own tax/NI implications out, etc.

He does WANT to become self-employed - preferably with his own premises, rather than on a mobile basis - but that's for a time in the future when we're both more financially secure. His current boss is nearing retirement age, with nobody to pass the business onto. The next logical step for my OH would be to set up on his own, as his current workplace will either be wound down, or sold on.

But again, he has 20 years' experience and doesn't feel 'ready' yet.

You could set up straightaway, fresh out of college. But even if you clear the financial hurdles (i.e. equipment, insurance, marketing costs), you may still struggle to find a customer base who'd be willing to have their car worked on by an inexperience mechanic, who doesn't have the backing of an employer in a wider garage setting.

A friend of my OH set up on his own as a mobile mechanic, and is doing reasonably well (seemingly going from strength to strength), but he is of a similar experience level to my OH, and also already had a good reputation and a couple of decades of proven, quality jobs, which has helped him a great deal.

grey_lady

Personally i'd do the plumbing course - especially if you go on to do the gas bit. More money and you get to work indoors in the warm, plus less expensive on tools.

Whilst you're training, have you thought about doing odd DIY jobs? I paid a handyman £200 for what turned out to be a days work (i thought at the time it would have taken him longer). Painters and decorators round here charge from £15-30 an hour.

Top_Banana_2

Thanks for the replies.

I can't do an apprenticeship as I'm 28. I've looked for ages for an adult one, but there is none available- literally none.

The college courses are not shortemed versions- they are 2 years +.

dmg24

If you can do your training first, you may then be able to find someone who will let you work alongside them. My dad did this when his brother wanted to get into the industry. Now my uncle is also fully qualified they share work between them!

tartanterra

Not trying to make you downhearted, but you are going to find this extremely hard to do. Whilst qualifications can demonstrate a certain level of competence, you will still require the knowledge that comes with experience. You will also need to demonstrate experience to become part of a trade body or certification scheme such as GAS SAFE. And don't forget that your start up costs are going to be very high as I doubt you have any of the specialist tooling that is going to be needed.

Remember that college is generally a "sanitised" environment, where you are unlikely to come up against the full range of scenarios that you will encounter working in a real commercial situation.

However, don't let this put you off. Find a reputable plumber/mechanic who will let you work with them when you're not at college (don't expect to be paid, as at this stage; you may well be a burden to them!), and get to know the job. Finish your studies, then get some experience in the industry and learn your trade before striking out on your own (and expect minimum wage at the beginning, until you can work on your own).

Good for you that you have ambition, and there is no reason that you can't achieve what you are setting out to do. Just slow down a bit!

Good luck.:D

claireac

I'm sure you can set up as a plumber or mechanic, but realistically whether you'd actually be competent enough is a different matter.

My ds2 is just finishing his 3rd year at college (he did day release from school for first year) and he hasn't been able to get any work in a garage for the entire time. Therefore, although on paper he's a mechanic, I'm sure I won't be trusting him to do anything indepth on my car any time soon!

He's gutted actually that he can't get any work in his chosen field, and couldn't get an apprenticeship either. We live in a medium sized town and the competition for the limited number of spaces is fierce and generally comes down to who you know!

He's worked part time at Tesco for most of the time, and has now been offered a place on their management training scheme. Not what he wants to do but he's pleased to have this.

Good luck, it's not easy out there!!

Oldernotwiser

Don't forget that you won't be able to complete your full NVQ qualification without the site experience you need for this. It can be very hard to arrange this without connections in the industry, even if you're prepared to do it unpaid.

Dawn3

I am looking into being self employed and simply choosing to being self employed isn't as simply a choice you can make as you can see from the guidelines below. Can't get through to a HMRC Status Officer on 0845 3000 627 for advice. Can anyone advise if it is ok to be a self-employed mechanic?

Taken from Business Link tab Employment Status:

Although there is no individual test that is decisive, you're likely to be classed as self-employed if you:

have the final say in how your business is run
risk your own money in the business
are responsible for the losses as well as profits of your business
provide the main items of equipment you need to do your job
could send a substitute or are free to hire other people on your own terms to do the work you have taken on and pay them at your own expense
are responsible for correcting unsatisfactory work in your own time and at your own expense

Dawn3

PS That is - a self employed mechanic but working in a workshop belonging to someone else, your own tool box, and on cars brought in by someone else.