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?

Well, mine have never done that (works 9-6 and gets anything he needs before he starts) and I do bloody care if they keep buggering off! I want my job finished and them out the house as soon as possible.

Social skills goddess? How can you tell what social skills I have? You might not like me (my thread) but I'm not sure how you would come to that conclusion from one thread.

Do it if you want to, sounds a great idea. It might work, it might not but at least have a go. We charged way above the odds when we started a management consultancy but people were will to pay it and it's worked for us. Being your own boss is magic! Good luck.

Its really nice to see so much support for you here (sarcasm). I don't know whether you so my post. But I suggested starting with letting agents. You'll more than likely be slapping on magnolia in most. Watch YouTube on caulking, filling holes. I worked alongside an experienced painter who I subcontracted. I learnt an awful lot. I don't do it anymore but I was pretty good by the time I finished and I could confidently cut in with bold colours.

My friend does this, her day rate is £200+ (as in + materials) in Suffolk. It’s hard work, she’s booked up forever with a mixture of private clients and as a sub contractor for new builds landlords etc. Don’t understand the negativity on here at all! Go for it.

(Friend did a few courses beforehand and is always learning, it’s surprising what can go wrong sometimes but that’s life isn’t it?)

“who has qualifications and years of experience?”

Umm what would this qualification be then as I don't know of one?.

Umm you don’t know of any qualifications for a painter and decorator? Really?

How about the city and guilds courses that they take for 3 years alongside an apprenticeship shadowing and learning from a professional?

Who was that directed to lottie?

justaboy (page 4)

Setting aside the painting skills / business viability as those have been thoroughly gone into already just a few comments re the suitability of self-employment and single adoption. I'm a single adopter and before I did it, I thought I would probably end up changing my job and going self-employed (v different sector) for more flexibility etc.

When it came down to it, I realised if self-employed: no adoption pay/leave, no sick pay, no holiday pay to cover when child was unwell or just not settled enough to be left...and actually hours that would be less flexible than being employed I.e. if I need to flex a couple of hours for a child's hospital appointment now, I can. If I was self-employed, I wouldn't be able to just make up the hours later because it would most likely be inconvenient for the client. So I would either lose the goodwill or the income, or possibly both. There would be no one to cover for me in an emergency. I know quite a lot of adoptive families and the stress of bringing in business and not letting clients down when self-employed is an extra pressure that you really don't want; only one of them is self-employed, and she is re-training to end that.

Also bear in mind many adopted children cannot handle childcare and/or full-time school. It was 18 months before my child was able to cope full-time at school. Financially punishing, and I was extremely lucky to have an understanding employer who let me do a very phased return from adoption leave. I would have gone broke/insane/both if I was self-employed.

I don't want to rain on your parade but it might be good to talk to some adopters and test out your ideas against their experiences? Good luck with it all, I hope it goes really well.

Some moron helpful person tried to suggest this to me when I was struggling with anxiety in my job. "Why don't you become a painter and decorator instead and leave the stressful presentations behind!" As if anyone would hire someone who has NO previous work experience or qualifications in that field! It's like my friend who thought she could be a yoga teacher after a correspondence course and a handful of yoga classes. Nobody is going to pay her to teach them yoga, let's face it.

If you are going to charge people for a service, you need to be experienced and skilled at what you're doing, or you'll be ripping off your clients. I think you're being unrealistic. Sorry.

Having a degree/masters in visual arts does not give you any transferable skills to become a painter and decorator though. It's not the same as being an interior designer. I don't think P&D is as glamorous as you envision. And it's not just about working the hours you want. You work the hours you need to make money. You'll be painting most peoples houses magnolia or pale duck egg. Being creative really comes into it. I wouldn't really ever ask my Painter and decorator on his opinion on the colour my husband and I have painstakingly chosen. I may ask what brand of paint they recommend though.
Have you thought about being and interior planner/designer/stylist instead? It may be more relevant to your qualifications.

I think you might want to consider a course to improve your skills. I have had a female decorator in my house and she told me that she had built up her skills working with her father for a couple of years before she was able to carry on on her own. It is perfectly possible but agree you need to learn quite a lot first including how to work safely at heights and how to deal with tricky areas. People expect a lot when they pay for a decorator.

Nothing glamorous about spending a full day steaming wood chip off walls or ceiling!

As someone up thread said you would be restricted to domestic work as you won’t have a CSCS card and it think whoever posted about their decorators apprentice being £100/day was meaning that how much he was charging. I’m pretty certain the apprentice was on no where near that when it came to his wages!

Umm what would this qualification be then as I don't know of one?

That migh have bene better put as I don't see ANY adverts for P&D firms stating that their staff are qualified on a formal basis. Further to that spoke to a builder relative last night asked him and he said that most all of these he knows doing that "picked it up as they went along"!.

After all its not the most skilled and demanding job say compared to bricklaying or as perhaps dangerous as being a sparks or plumber even. Most all people will have done some decorating in their time but how many will have done plumbing , electical work, now has to be apprioved to part P of the regs in domestic permises or bricklaying etc?.

My ex wife could do this work painting and get an excellent finish even papered a celiing! no formal qualifications or training at all just a carefull hand and a desire to do a good job.

I would say to the OP just get on with it go for it and don't look back as can been seen from this thread some have done this and are doing well. Yes being self employed has its drawbacks but let me tell you this i went it alone some 35 years ago and do i regret it? No! not at all. I like being the only person i have to answer to no one tells me what to do at work. I don't have to suffer idiot bosses or co-workers and I still like what I'm doing now some years past normal retiment age:)

Go for it Sunday and I wish you every sucess:)

I know someone who did this. He got made redundant, and someone he knew had an elderly relative who wanted their lounge painted. Apart from doing DIY in his own house he had no experience whatsoever. The old lady wash happy so he decided to put a card in a shop window to advertise his services.

25+ years later, he's still doing it - painting & decorating, garden maintenance, house clearances, anything he can turn his hand to really. Whatever he can't do he has a list of other contractors he passes the job to, and they do the same. He tends to charge by the job rather than the day.

wash happy???

was

Do it. It's not rocket science. You need a steady hand, desire to learn and attention to details.

My old man done exactly that after a 30+ year factory job came to an end. Sure he doesn’t earn so much, but I think he built his idea on being a reasonably priced option, and seems to do alright for himself. Perhaps start off with lower day rates and build up to higher once you have a customer base/reputation?

Just read this post with great interest as a female decorator in SE I work 8 hour days and clean up afterwards ! Had to smile that one answer said you wouldn’t want to be doing it in your fifties, I am and have no aches and pains it keeps you very fit ! So anyone who feels their age is holding them back, don’t let it, I love my job and hope to keep doing it as long as possible.

From the experience of the last professional printer and decorated l hired then it sounds achievable. He was shit. I am a fair bit better than him and lm sure you will be as well

Just a thought would you be able to do murals . A woman I went to school with does them in commercial and private homes makes good money.

But you won't pick up the necessary skills in a few days of assisting! This is the most bizarre thread.

Just an idea- have you thought about becoming a self employed house cleaner? A good cleaner is worth his/her weight in gold, will always have more than enough work and hours can be easily fitted around school runs. Also if a client mentions they need P&D doing you could offer your services and build up that side of the business.

Ghost thread guys from 4 years ago almost…

I think it's an excellent idea but you should complete either a training course or an apprenticeship with an established contractor first. It's hard to find someone for those little projects and I think that you will have lots of work. But def get some skills under your belt. One or two badly performed jobs at the outset will sink you pretty quick.