To give up my job and set up as a painter decorator?

[sundayopening]

I have a crappy job, and although the annual pay is ok, I have to work anti-social hours away from home (but also have a lot of downtime in-between shifts). The job has no prospects at all, and is low paid - but I get a shift allowance. I currently earn aprox £21,000 pa with this job (I do work in a different field in my 'downtime' so have additional income to live on).

Although I am pretty well educated, I have no real 'proper' work experience (I have always worked, but odd self-employed things - I have been lucky with some great jobs that I have loved) but none look good on my CV for a professional/office job..

I would like to adopt in the near future (I am single & no other children) so will 100% need to change my current job if I am to do this plus earn enough for us to live on.

I have been musing about becoming a self-employed painter/decorator/tiler. I haven't much experience (although I have done most of my home/every home I've ever lived in myself) but I am sure I can learn, I'm pretty handy/skilled in other areas of art/craft.
I can also do flooring/shelves/flat-packed furniture/wallpapering no problem.

I have a degree & masters which is in the visual arts, and lots of knowledge of design/colour etc which might help with client relations etc.
I work neat and tidy, reliable and like to crack on with a job and am personable, so hopefully those traits will earn me repeat custom/recommendations.

I live in the SE, but a comfortable bit rather than a posh bit, although there's plenty of older money around. I'm hoping the type that need their houses decorated!

I could start the business alongside my current job for a couple of years if needed to build up my experience & client base etc. I have been self-employed most of my adult life so keeping books, HMRC etc isn't an issue.

I will need an income of £25k min or £30K to be comfortable, and preferably be able to do some/most school pick-ups and some/most holidays.

I am thinking £150 - £200 pd could be achievable, with very little initial outlay or running costs.
Anyone got any thoughts on how realistic this is, and how difficult it might be to get started?

Haven't read the full thread but one of my employees left to do this. He had been casually doing it for a while and took some A/L to retrain on an intensive course over a few weeks somewhere down south (all with my blessing I might add)

So it can be done.

My only concern is that people think being self employed is easy.

It's f*cking not. I am current living proof of self employment where am dealing with it whilst mid course of chemo.

Remember to get yourself critical illness cover because the benefit system isn't 'for all' after all

And yes, I do think you can charge more/have a different clientele if you are a woman. I had a look on the PD Facebook page recommended on here, and the 'banter' was so off putting.
I am female, middle-class, educated and pretty cultured (so shoot me) and this will work against me with some jobs, but it could be a massive plus for certain private customers who I would be targeting (if targeting is the right word considering I've been called a cowboy before I've even started)

Yes I think you can just don’t do that usual thing of rubbishing F&B - although it is probably harder to work with

Although I didn’t mind the suggestion of another high end one but still used it anyway

you really don't need any experience to know very basic stuff like that....just more than one brain cell....I would be amazed if anyone on this thread didn't know basics like that.

Tbh I didn't really know any of that. Mainly bc I know nothing about decorating. Your comment about needing just more then one brain cell? Absolutely confirms your arrogance that was displayed deform your first post and throughout.

Sorry Keep all the best for your treatment.
I've been self-employed most of my working life, but yes, if I was going to be responsible for a child I would get critical illness cover to pay the mortgage if I couldn't.

It’s full on having people in your home when you’re home - the politer / less typically bolshy blokey the better

I do think you can charge more/have a different clientele if you are a woman.

Take your head out of the clouds. If you want to charge more it has to be based on ability. You can't just decide to be a professional with absolutely no training or experience and charge more because you are female.

emp I'm sorry you think that about me... so you know less than nothing about PD and still want to poo poo me? Ta for that.

I think your plan needs more consideration! My decorator has a lot of experience and is very good. He charges £150 a day (8am to 3pm with 30 mins lunch break). His apprentice is £100 a day. These rates exclude materials. I’m in Surrey.

He is self employed and is really busy towards the end of the year, but has hardly any work lined up for Jan/Feb! Also, if he’s injured/sick, he doesn’t get paid.

A general handyman is between £20-30 per hour with a minimum of 2 hours a booking. Again, it’s tricky to fill full working hours this way and income isn’t guaranteed

you really don't need any experience to know very basic stuff like that....just more than one brain cell....I would be amazed if anyone on this thread didn't know basics like that. just shows the contempt In which "middle class" and "cultured" you holds the trades. I'd rather employ someone who respects the work they do, regardless of what their "banter" is like, rather than someone who wants to fleece chattering class women who're scared of tradesmen.

Im sorry Kazzy you really don't need any experience to know very basic stuff like that....just more than one brain cell....I would be amazed if anyone on this thread didn't know basics like that.
If thats the sort of thing I would be learning on a college course I would be bored out of my skull. I'm not a 17 year old with no life experience.

I rhink you really need to see what a painting and decorating nvq and apprenticeship involves, before dismissing them in this way. I would suggest that what is happening here is that you don't know how much of the job you don't know yet, as you are coming at it from a position of relative ignorance. No one is knocking the goal of becoming a painter and decorator andcmanyvofcus would hire a professional female tradesperson by preference, but are somewhat dubious that you think you can skip or curtail the training and learn at your customer's expense and charge more than people who in the first instance willl be quicker and better at the job than you.

At the moment you're effectively saying, ' I can become a chef earning top money in a big restaurant as i cooked my own tea last night'. Both are the same task, cooking food, but onr requires greater speed precision and standards than the other. You might be able to do that, but you need the proper training and experience behind you rather than turning up with a set of jnives and a white hat.

Well I hired a woman and I’m not scared of them just the annoyance factor is lower
Although she led a team of men anyway so they were still here
They were all very considerate

She didn’t charge more though

I employed a decorator to do my bedroom, hall, stairs landing and dining room earlier this year. Paid the going rate of £150 a day but expected and got full days as I wanted the disruption over quickly.
I had wood chip on the ceiling of the bedroom that took a whole day to be stripped alone and was a messy thankless job and needed an industrial stripper to remove.
When I am looking to employ any trade person I am wanting either a good personal recommendation or if I can’t find that I want to see a good website giving qualifications, gallery of completed works and comments from past customers.
I don’t care if it is a man or woman as I am employing them for their skill not what they do or don’t have between their legs.

I'm sorry you think that about me... so you know less than nothing about PD and still want to poo poo me? Ta for that.

Oh you are funny OP! I didn't 'poo poo' you because of your shockingly low or my almost non existent knowledge of PD. I said you were beating arrogant because of the attitude you have displayed the thread throughout.

Your ridiculous comment above only goes to further show you are indeed an arrogant idiot with no sense of reality.

Sounds sensible OP. You've said you will team up with someone and learn part time. Invest in additional training as well. However, like a pp has said I think you are selling yourself short. You could advise on colour schemes, also you may want to look at some more specialised training in say restorations. Your skills would be put to good use there if you went into restoring period property and the like.

Sorry wanted to add it sounded good till you dismissed the training idea. You really do need that as well as others have said people will call you in once they've fucked it up. Also extra training could open up niche markets your previous experience may be more suitable to.

You can only give it a go OP. To command the higher rates really sell the female aspect and market yourself as an interior designer if you can word this to fit I have a degree & masters which is in the visual arts, and lots of knowledge of design/colour etc which might help with client relations etc.

I don't think it's the worst idea in the world and do know a former colleague who did a part time college course doing painting and decorating so she could eventually give up nursing. She knew though that she couldn't charge top whack initially but has slowly built up a pretty decent business although she still isnt earning as much as she was nursing.

You definetly need the training though. And to be fast but precise. I can decorate but i paid someone to do my kitchen becasue they could do it faster than me. If you're going to take 3 days doing a room due to shorter school hours that I could do in 2 then I wouldn't find that value for money.

I am happy to do training on short courses/one day a week and or learn on the job by working along side an experienced PD. I'm not prepared to do a full time 2 year 'professional' course, as I don't have the money to take 2 years off work. If I did I would probably go into more the restoration area as someone has suggested.
I'm sorry if I've come across as a dick on this thread....I'm not, and I am full of respect for skilled crafts/trades people. I want to become good....but I am starting from the bottom. No problem earning £100 pd as an apprentice, but I want o know that if I am capable in this area, after a few years I could earn more.
Sorry if people think that's unreasonable, but I still don't.

www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/painter-and-decorator/

I'm in the southeast; my very experienced decorator charges £150/day. And he doesn't bugger off half way through the day to do a school pick-up.

Perhaps also a course to develop your social skills?

TeeBee - any PD I have ever employed has always buggered off throughout the job to do all sorts of things. Who cares? As long as they stick to fixed price and they finish within the estimated time

TheGodess - eh? There is really no need to be so bloody rude.

am happy to do training on short courses/one day a week and or learn on the job by working along side an experienced PD. I'm not prepared to do a full time 2 year 'professional' course, as I don't have the money to take 2 years off work.

Then you need to understand you will not be able to charge a 'professional rate'

You will fall into the 'odd job/handyperson' category and will earn accordingly.