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[steve66]

Hi all, Age old problem i have got. hope anyone can help having no trade behind me i decided to go to college and train as a mig welder (6 month course) passed successfully now the problem "no jobs without experience" really like to get into this trade but how the hell am i going to succeed with no experience.....ARGHHHHH THE FRUSTRATION!!!!. Any help or advice gratefully appriciated.

 

[weldequip]

Hi there!
Congratulations on getting your quallies!; have a go yourself, sod the whip- lashing employers (typically paying around 6 quid an hour!) & set yourself up.
weldequip

 

[Bigjoe]

Hi Steve,
As weldequip said,give it a bash,you'll be surprised how many people wants gates etc making and other repairs or custom jobs.

Have a go,maybe put adverts in local paper etc

Good luck

Joe

 

[Drains]

Steve, what quallies did you get? If you can wangle a coding, that might help, but it'l cost you and you need to get one that shows you know your stuff - overhead positional etc.
Or go back to college and do MMA, then people are more likely to look at you.
If your welding is good, apply to everyone and go for trade tests. Give AMICUS a ring - they're the union who cover most engineering trades these days:- they will give you advice, maybe even some leads. You could brave the UKWelder forum. Look at their jobs section, or post for advice or work.

But as you have been warned, the money can be rubbish. You need to get into production work paid on a price, and be fast. The money in welding is in pipes and boilers, even then you have to be lucky, and VERY good, and preferably MMA, TIG qualified and with an apprenticeship under your belt!

Chase the work, work for peanuts, if you really want an in. That will make you experienced, then you can get proper jobs. You could also try a get in as a welders mate. Are you Brum or Black Country? If you're near Tipton, and young enough, try to get in at Babcocks. They are THE boilermakers (power stations etc). But you would go in as a trainee, sweeping floors, and end up as the cream.

 

[steve66]

Hi simondrains the quallies i have are basic c+g mig welding and i know its going to be hard to get into. i currently live in sutton coldfield in brum i appreciate you're advice and will take you up on it. i think i will go back to college at the end of the year for MMA course. Once again thanks for the advice.

 

[Drains]

If you're in Sutton you'd only be welding peoples hedges anyway.
Good luck though mate. Keep trying. You just need someone to give you a start, and you're away...

 

[weldequip]

I wish you the very best but you would need to be very well qualified to gain a good career in the welding industry nowadays. The good money, as Si says, is in the pipeline jobs (Transco etc) & the more specialised jobs; but that's were the old 'experience' headache comes in.
Your common or garden production, 'tacking up' jobs pay S*** money & are increasingly being farmed out to Eastern Europe & the Far East, so there's no great future there.
Car bodyshop welding with the latest equipment & techniques would be a winner if you could train up for that.
Hitachimad is a professional welder/fabricator & would be well worth contacting for his advice/comments.
weldequip

 

[Haze]

pipe fitting isnt bad really, its not for me but my brother gets £600-1000 pw before tax so it must be working for him.

 

[weldequip]

Hard graft but good money; is that pipe fitting or welding? Done a bit of fitting meself when I was young & stupid (or should I just say younger!) & it is hard work but good fun on diffferent sites all the time.
weldequip

 

[Haze]

pipe welding

 

[Dave J]

Hi Steve

I’m in the same boat as you at the moment. I’m did C+G level 2, from Sept 2005/Jun 2006, I did MMA and MIG. From Sept 2006, I’ve been doing Alu Tig.

I’ve now finished all the test pieces, still need to finish the paperwork, but still go back to collage every week to keep my hand in. At the moment, I’m doing vertical and overhead MMA.

All I am doing to find work is going through the local yellow pages and sending out spec letters and hoping somebody wants a trainee welder (just started to send letters out, been stuck in a rut with my present job).

For me, I don’t think it’s worth going for advertised job as there is a lot of skilled welders around. Once I find a job and am welding full time, I am planning to go for more qualifications, just need lots of practice!

Just keep practising and sending spec letters out. Be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. Good Luck !

 

[snowcat]

Hi all, Age old problem i have got. hope anyone can help having no trade behind me i decided to go to college and train as a mig welder (6 month course) passed successfully now the problem "no jobs without experience" really like to get into this trade but how the hell am i going to succeed with no experience.....ARGHHHHH THE FRUSTRATION!!!!. Any help or advice gratefully appriciated.

Hi steve,
If your going down the self employed route then take on anything to start off with, and keep you rates down ie about £10 hour once you get a good reputation you will get to the stage where you can ask for good money and turn down the s**t you had to do to get a head. look for someone who is going to put a lot of work your way and bend over backwards for them ie if they want you in on a sunday afternoon do it, I have a docks I did this for when i was seting up and i now get 70% of my work off them, i can go in at £100 hour on emergancy jobs (but its taken 15 years to get there). Never lay out any of your money, get the customer to buy meterials, there is two many people who can and will knock you. and finaly dont expect it to be easy its hard work, very hard work, but it can be very rewarding and creative job far better im sure than sitting in an office, hope this isnt to much of a sermon but its just what iv found from starting up from scratch. best of luck with the job.

 

[Alex]

Dont turn anything down in favour of sitting in front of the TV. You'd be suprised how 1 happy customer from a crap job can bring many others with better jobs.

If your too busy then thats tough, you have to turn it out but otherwise do the job and to your best ability, your still getting paid anyway.

 

[snowcat]

amen alex your bang on the money there....