# Enrolling on a plastering course tomorrow



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

Im enrolling on a plastering course tomorrow at the local college (well its 12 miles away).

Im an Engineer by trade, an Aerospace Engineer to be precise and I make good money to be perfectly honest.

However, I cant do my own thing with my skills. An IT guy can work for Serco, Cisco, AST etc and then do computer repairs etc on the side. In my field I cant - theres not many people that need a safety and reliability assesment on an aircraft on the weekend









So i like DIY but have always been taught by my dad or sel taught through watching tv etc.

I was looking into plumbing BUT i dont like the thought of paying a lot of money for training and being called in the middle of the night when something goes wrong on a job i have done or worst still when i am at work and cant get away.

Plastering is cheap for the course £200 for 13 weeks at 1 evening per week. The tools of the trade are cheap compared to a plumber or electrician. I wont get emergency calls in the middle of the night (i hope).

Firstly it to get a baic skill that i can work on, and something i can do myself in my own property and that of my family's. If i get better maybe its something i can do on weekends etc.

If its not for me the mostive lost is £200 and about 40 hours of my time.

So, whats your thoughts.....


----------



## calum001 (Nov 18, 2010)

i've been thinking of doing exactly the same thing mate

i'm a Civil Engineer but obviously have no scope for 'homers' and don't get overtime at work so can't earn any extra cash when i need it

i've been thinking about getting into plastering aswell but i'm struggling to find any night courses around where i live, the only thing i can find is a 3 or 5 day intensive course for around £400 and you get a city & guilds at the end of it

night course would be perfect though, is it a local thing or though a uk wide company that your doing mate ?


----------



## Sypher (Jul 16, 2008)

£200 for 40 hours of tuition is a bargain. Are there any reviews for the course? But even if it's pretty basic, plastering is something you can at least practice at home.


----------



## davies20 (Feb 22, 2009)

Sypher said:


> £200 for 40 hours of tuition is a bargain. Are there any reviews for the course? But even if it's pretty basic, plastering is something you can at least practice at home.


Thats what i thought!

My brother in law is a plaster & he charges out at £150 for a day! - he is damn bloody good at it though.

I'd be happy with even half of that for a bit of cash on the side.

Good luck with it fella!


----------



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

Im doing it at Dudley college (west mids).

Just do a google search in your area plastering course fife etc and it should lead you to a college ortraining centre ec

like i said the most ive lost is £200 and 40 hours of my time if i cant get on with it, but what i will have gained is the knowldge to know when a plasterer is doing a **** job!

looks like ill be signing up.


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

I might come and join you!


----------



## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

very good friend of mine runs a local building firm and he is always banging on about how hard it is to find decent plasterers. 

sounds like a cracking plan to me at the moment there seems to be lots tradesmen out of work do the the building market being junk but when it kicks of again these days earn some serious wonger


----------



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

RussZS said:


> I might come and join you!


well if you are serious, enrolment istomorrow at dudley college.

call 01384 363399 and theyll tell you all you need to know before enrolment!


----------



## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Great skill to have and you can get all your money back on the first room you do and that would be a small bathroom actually double your money if you have to board it.

Its a job you will find strenuous has the largest heart attack rate, as with your hand above your head and spreading. I notice more using stilts these days so not stretching so much.

Great life skill to have...:thumb:


----------



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

largest heart attack rate? really? :doublesho

i thought it would be the Quality Assurance team at Benson & Hedges or something that would fall into that category :lol:


----------



## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Estoril-5 said:


> largest heart attack rate? really? :doublesho
> 
> i thought it would be the Quality Assurance team at Benson & Hedges or something that would fall into that category :lol:


Well it was when i did a brief course when i worked for a builders merchant, thats in the building trade the heart attack rate.


----------



## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

Estoril-5 said:


> largest heart attack rate? really? :doublesho
> 
> i thought it would be the Quality Assurance team at Benson & Hedges or something that would fall into that category :lol:


they more than likley use machines to register how much filth your pumping into your lungs once you see the yellow filth hit a filter you surley wouldnt want to do that to your body.

thats about the only thing i remember from 6th form science :lol:


----------



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

I'll enquire when I speak to the teacher/lecturer etc


----------



## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Sounds a great plan, but from what ive seen plastering is tricky to master. I had a respected plaster in to do bit on our kitchen and did a shocking job in the end after 3 visits back i called it a day and said enoughs enough.

Stay away from patching up jobs and ceilings and you should do pretty good. 

Nice big walls are the key.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

yeah sounds like a plan!


----------



## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

Funny you should say this.

I've been doing some DIY at home and thinking that it would be good to learn how to do it properly as it's hard work doing it on your own. All i have done is plaster over a wall chase but getting it smooth and level is HARD. 

In the end, i just accepted that i'll have to do it twice and sand it back. Getting a whole wall right was obviously beyond the guy that did my house.

BTW, I'm an Engineer too (R&D). Funny old world.


----------



## Estoril-5 (Mar 8, 2007)

£224. Enrolled!


----------



## lofty (Jun 19, 2007)

Plastering is probably one of the hardest trades to master and one of the most physically demanding.I know 2 or 3 excellent plasterers, 3 or 4 decent ones, and see loads that are absolutely hopeless who just expect the painter to put their work right by filling and sanding it.A 40 hour course may show you the basics but it wont turn you into a plasterer.It takes years of practise to acheive the standard that I would expect from my employees.Nothing wrong at all in doing the course, and as you said you would practise on family and friends first, but I see loads of people that go on these courses and think they are fully qualified after a week.Good luck with it :thumb:


----------



## ant_s (Jan 29, 2009)

Good luck mate, and if you find out you like it can always give me a pm and I could get you work on site, we're crying out for plasters on our job at the minute.

Was thinking of being a plasterer before I started working as a parition and ceiling fixer, but now seeing how some make a hugh mess of it i'm glad I didn't. I'm not cut out for plastering lol, I can tape but plaster noooo.

Our plasters have always got foreigners on at the weekends and earn a nice lil bonus, but not many people often want a wall or ceiling building


----------

