Paul, a New Trades Career Assessor

Being A Plumber
I believe that it’s vital for tutors who teach plumbing to have real world experience working in a variety of settings; commercial, industrial and domestic environments. There’s no one who understands the job more than someone who’s actually done it.

I teach New Trades Career students plumbing at Level 2 and Level 3, but before I went into teaching I spent many years ‘on the tools’.

I started my plumbing career as a chemical plumbing apprentice, with a large chemical company in the North West of England. The job entailed fabricating pipework out of plastic in the workshop which was then installed on the chemical plants.

I moved down to London and spent some years in the domestic plumbing arena. I have worked with maintenance teams in a variety of settings, including a very large hotel with over 300 rooms where I looked after all of the plumbing faults and maintenance.

I then went on to run my own company installing bathroom suites and carrying out maintenance. I loved the excitement of meeting new people every day, and if they were knee deep in water from a flood, or they hadn’t been able to use the toilet for a while due to a blockage, I was welcomed with huge relieve and a cup of tea. I’ve worked in office buildings, hotel refurbishments, hot and cold supplies, sprinkler systems and dry and wet riders.

I used my qualifications to work abroad. I spent some years in Spain where I worked on expats holiday flats and villas.

Some years ago I was approached by an agent who suggested that I’d make a great teacher. I undertook my teaching qualifications and, along with my plumbing qualifications, I became a qualified Assessor. I now teach New Trades Career students.

The best bit about teaching is when it clicks with the student and you see they finally get it. I fall back on my knowledge of the industry to pass on information to the students. During my career I have worked in most sectors of the plumbing industry, so I have a broad knowledge which I’m so pleased to be able to pass on to the students.

If you’d like to work as a plumber, please contact us at www.newtradescareer.co.uk