Career Guide for Kitchen and Bathroom Fitter Jobs

Work Environment:

As a kitchen and bathroom fitters, you'd fit kitchens and bathroom sets within businesses and houses. You'd fix appliances, cupboards, flooring and worktops while working with kitchen fittings. And in bathrooms, you'd fit storage cabinets, baths, toilets, shower modules and sinks.

• fabricating shower modules, cabinets and base units
• outlining the position of concealed cables and pipes
• measuring and cutting joints, worktops and recesses
• repositioning plumbing points and sockets where required
• fixing appliances and units
• cleaning out remains after finishing the work

Usually, you'd work by yourself or within a smaller team. You might require a Gas Service technician, electrician or plumber to finish parts of work, e.g. connecting a gas network.

Health and safety is a significant component of this job, and you'd be anticipated to always work as per Building Regulations.

Qualification, Education and Experience:

Generally, you'd be required to be an eligible tradesperson, such as an electrician, joiner or plumber. Employers might also be ready to hire you if you've work experience into an associated field, like tiling, cabinet creating or plastering.

You might be capable to gain entry to this profession as a trainee with a construction firm, and then enter into the work of kitchen and bathroom fitting. The availability of Traineeships within your sector will rely on the regional employment market and the kind of abilities employers want from employees.

And also the number of Traineeships for kitchen installer is limited. For information, check the website of KBBNTG (Kitchens Bedrooms-Bathrooms National Training Group).

You'd be anticipated to give your own transport and instruments for the majority of works.

For further details regarding construction qualifications and careers, contact Construction Skills. The Know Your-Place campaign aspires to endorse the construction businesses as an option of career for women.

Training Details:

While you're working, you can select from various short courses provided by KBBNTG, comprising:

• Building Regulations
• fundamentals of kitchen-design
• kitchen fitting program
• business establishment

You can also acquire qualifications associated to your specific job, e.g. NVQ qualification into Wood-Occupations. CSCS: Construction Skills-Certification Scheme Numerous construction contractors nowadays prefer you to contain a CSCS card to operate at their worksites. This card is evidence of your competency and skills. To obtain your CSCS card you should:

• hold a NVQ or similar qualification
• get through with a health and safety evaluation

If you're working with no qualifications, you might be capable to utilize EWPA (Experienced Worker-Practical Assessment) or OSAT (On Site Assessment and Training) to acquire your card and NVQ. For additional information, contact CSCS.

If you desire to execute particular electrical-work, e.g. inserting circuits for lighting/showers, you'll require Part P-certification to fulfill Building Regulations. You could acquire certification with accomplishing a short course by Association of Electrical Contractor, NICEIC, British Standards Institute or ELECSA.

You'll be required to enroll with Gas Safe Register, if you deal with gas equipments. For further details, visit the website of Gas Safe Register.

Skills and knowledge:

• an understanding of health and safety measures
• the capability to understand technical designs
• a knowledge of Building Policies
• the capability to take precise measurements
• excellent customer-care skills
• the capability to work by yourself or as member of a group
• outstanding practical abilities
• the capability to accomplish job to targets
• excellent problem resolving abilities

Salary and Other Benefits:

• Initial remunerations for kitchen and bathroom fitter can be about 14,000 to 17,000 for a year.
• Annual earnings of experienced kitchen fitters can be around 18,000 to 26,000.

Freelance fitters put their own charges.

Working Conditions:

Usually, you'd work weekly for around 38 to 41 hours. Sometimes, you might be required to work overtime to meet up targets.

You'd utilize various hand and power instruments, and put on safety outfit in all works. Circumstances at work would be dusty, specifically when removing present fittings.

You'd be required to voyage between different works, and few contracts might include overnight-stays away from house.

Different Opportunities:

You can discover work chances with kitchen and bathroom producers, construction firms and design organizations. You can also establish your own firm.

By additional training, e.g. into CAD (computer aided-design), you can proceed to planning and installation-design. Within a bigger firm, you can advance to project manager, sales coordinator, or directing a group of installers and designers.