Part 1 no experience!

Cheers mate I bet it's difficult to start from the top and work your way down lol
 
I dont think you would be doing yourself any favours when you turn up on site and find that the labourers are better than you (with your part 1)

Surley you are bound to stir up abit of jealousy and raise a few eyebrows over money etc

Good luck though
 
Go For It Kid, At Least Your Showing A Bit Of Intrest In The Job, Not Like Some Labourers Iv Had Over The Years, Keep Your Head Down,Work Hard, And Above All Else Listen To What The Experianced Scaffolders Tell You, You Will Do Allright.
 
Cheers I'm leaving like I said I'm leaving a job of 9 years for this some I'm not entering the game to mess about, as long as I'm earning while I learn i will be happy. I don't expect to know it all in a few years time and I'm willing to put the hours in
 
Iv Been Scaffolding Since 1978 And Im Still Learning, Every Day Something Different.
 
Wass1985, my usual advice is too keep your cash in your pocket for already stated reasons but you have come to far down the road to turn back now so just go for it. You will get a job at the end off it all but don't tell the gaffer any BS, it would take him 5 minutes to tell exactly what you can and cannot do. Same advise with the boy's you end up working with, most scaffs I know love to feel they can pass on a bit of knowledge so make sure you take advantage of that. Keep your head down and graft like a donkey and hopefully your knew gaffer will take up the slack on the rest of your training. Good luck.
 
Welcome to the forum Wass ,

Ive been reading the thread with interest especially your posts , Your original post asks for advice but I personally think you were actually looking for a bit of reassurance as you yourself were beging to doubt weather paying out the thick end of a grand for a part 1 course was the right way to go .

Whilst you can not be faulted for your initiative I agree with the general consensus that it is somewhat misguided . IMO you need to severe your time (12 to 18mths min) as a laborer for two reasons firstly to familiarize yourself with the various components and the correct way to handle them . Also you will begin to earn the respect of your work colleagues and understand that the hierarchy of a scaffold gang is based on ability and experience and not necessarily what ticket you have .

On the subject of tickets after completion of your part 1 course you will still only be classed as a "trainee scaffolder" and there will be other trainees out there who haven't completed a part one course but have a great deal more on site experience than yourself so it wont be that much more of an advantage in todays competitive job market .

If you came on to my site with no practical experience other than your two week part one course you would be told to remove your harness and tools and start humping as you need to grow that second skin on your shoulder first :nuts:

Having said all this I sincerely wish you the best of look with your change of career path :)
 
But that's the thing this day and age it's hard enough to find jobs with tickets so with non it's near enough impossible. Time will tell if I made the right choice, I hope I have though lol
 
But that's the thing this day and age it's hard enough to find jobs with tickets so with non it's near enough impossible. Time will tell if I made the right choice, I hope I have though lol

Your missing the point Wass , even when you have completed the part 1 course you will still only have a trainee ticket you would be better applying for a trainee ticket and seeking employment as a trainee/labourer then by showing initiative and a good attitude to wards hard graft your employer would more than likely pay for your Part 1 course .
 
Your missing the point Wass , even when you have completed the part 1 course you will still only have a trainee ticket you would be better applying for a trainee ticket and seeking employment as a trainee/labourer then by showing initiative and a good attitude to wards hard graft your employer would more than likely pay for your Part 1 course .

I'd be looking at getting a labouring job to start off with
 
Plate layer for trackwork. Basically timber and sleeper changing, laying track, lifting and packing, usual railway work
 
Atleast your active in the Forum, lol.
Just make sure you dont 'leave' us after you get your Part 1. :)
 
2 things to get you a job.

A ticket
A van

In my experience these things get you the job. You're taking a gamble really taking your part one so soon but if you're honest with bosses about your experience I can't see a problem.

In an ideal world labour for a couple years, part one, another few years, part two, then when you finally accept you're trapped in scaffolding take your advanced. But it's not an ideal world all the time.

Oh and we're not joking either, it's getting really sh!t at the moment.
 
Ya mate.
100% agree... REALLY shiit atm.

Advanced Scaffolders being offered £120 a day?!? :eek:
Maybe we should be called ScafFOOLders, instead?
 
worth getting your part 1 even just to labour in my opinion youd have to do a touch screen anyway to get a labourers card to get on sites so might aswell do your part 1, get a job labouring, then get experience watching, passing and hoy a little bit gear about, hoy a bit handrail on etc,
 
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