To think about quitting my WFH job to re-train as a plasterer?

[confusedlady10]

Would I be stupid or unreasonable to consider quitting my job and re-train in a new field as a plasterer? I am a 29 year old single mum WFH in a dead end call centre job. It’s quite niche as it involves investigating specialist fraud cases but is still mainly a customer service job. The pay isn’t that great (£2k pm after tax living in London) and I’m fortunate to be able to live in cheap accommodation through family, but it’s not sustainable.

I’ve had applied for hundreds of jobs to try in earn more money and elevate, even paid someone to re-write my CV and do an extra qualification in my field within finance. But I don’t have a degree and regardless, I’m struggling to stand out. Hundreds of applicants, countless ghosting's and unfortunatelys after an odd interview. Finance, admin and banking sectors seem to be too saturated whether remote, hybrid or office.

So I was thinking to quit my job, apply for universal credit of some sort (started doing research on what they can support me with) and then hopefully retrain as a plasterer in a course to try and better myself as I heard that there’s good money if you are a skilled labour and could hopefully work for myself or another company. I would hopefully be able to work it around my son and less competition for the jobs I am not getting. Am I wasting my time and dreaming? (I have no experience in this and trying anything to earn more at the moment, whilst still applying for jobs like crazy, pls be nice!) 😣

I would also discourage women from going into low paid, low prospect work like caring too.

Plastering is really hard to do if you haven't taken very good care of yourself.as you get older. It's really demanding on your joints, skin, lungs etc. I think people are just being realistic, not misogynistic.

Women also tend to come home and do the 'second shift' (I'm talking as a single parent here myself). That's a lot on top of a very physically demanding job.

There are also quotes, invoices and chasing payment jobs to do on evenings/weekends.

You don't have to be tall some plasterers work on stilts.

Very good advice. Most work in the building trade is hard on your body. Good to find out first if you could do it.

What about tiling?

We have a friend who retrained as a plumber in her 40s, so it's certainly doable. Lots of single women would like to have females tradies, so there's definitely a market for that too

I am speculating that people need plumbers far more often than they need plasterers, but that may be wrong. If you aren't confident about learning the tech stuff what about the halfway house of painter decorator?

I agree that painting and decorating might be something else to look into because its difficult to find people who will come in and do small jobs and small jobs might suit you better BUT just like plastering, you are going to have to be fabulous at it. Do you have any artisan/craft type skills? Additionally the decorators in demand round me are ones who will also move furniture and undertake minor repairs....fill cracks, holes etc. When I have had plasterers in, they have been recommended by the person doing the stuff which has meant that a plasterer is needed so I think you need a network of contacts if you are not going to be employed by a company. Not saying its not do-able but its more than learning how to plaster.

That's interesting, I just had a look at she_plasters, and it looks like she's looking for apprentices. South London.

@confusedlady10 the CS are currently recruiting for compliance caseworkers which I think lends itself well to your background. Can generally wfh 2 days per week. Worth having a look at anyway. There’s currently 500 vacancies so I think you have a good chance even if you may have failed in the past. It’s a foot into what good be a decently paid and secure career with much better pension prospects as well. Closing date is 3/11.

www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1975432

How much would you earn a day as a plasterer? How much do you earn a day gross now?

I think it’s good that you are looking to find a better career OP and I wish you well. But I noted that you said that plastering isn’t as technical as electrics/ plumbing and just wanted to put in a point of caution that there is more to plastering that smoothing plaster on a wall. If you want to make sure you can fill your books with work you may be asked to do work as part of damp repair/ prevention - so you really do need to know what you are doing with that and understand the chemistry with different types bonding/ plaster/ brick reacting together in the environment and how to do work to not result in damp issues down the line for the customer. Plus jobs like fixing plasterboard after damp works etc. I’m sure in time you can learn it all and will be fab - but there might be a bit more training and learning than you anticipated before you can earn a decent living. On the plus I would have loved to have hired a female plasterer - the only female tradie I’ve been able to book whilst doing up my house was the chimney sweep!

I'd take a look at joinery and kitchen fitting, preferably high end. I've worked in those trades as I have an allied qualification, I'm not fit enough health wise to do so now.
Painting and decorating is also a good shout and probably easier to find work as a woman.

Are there any apprenticeships in plastering?

Depends on how many sets you can do, room size etc - ours earn 3 - 400 per day.
Plastering is a young persons trade as it is labour intensive and fucks the shoulders.
Most of our plasterers are late 20's - early 40 fit as but also have another trade - electrics, plumbing etc as then when the shoulders go they can still earn, DH has a building company so hear the moans all the time.
Given my time again I would look at being a mechanic working with commercial vehicles, when Covid hit the company I work with was inundated with work, still is.

Do it. We’ve just paid an absolute fortune to have a couple of rooms plastered. Great money and choose your own hours.

😂I really wish I could say that pun was intentional

A friend went into painting and decorating then discovered she was allergic to paint fumes in her first week.

Gosh, don’t look into becoming a car mechanic. Their work is reducing massively due to everyone buying electric cars now. This will only get worse. Very little goes wrong with an electric car that your average high street mechanic can fix.

All the plasterers I know end up with horrible neck, back and shoulder problems. They often have to retire early due to tendinitis or similar.

It might be worth considering a less physical role if you’re not naturally strong or fit.

my friend is a female tiler and is booked out for over a year - it’s a similar skill but can be less heavy.

best of luck whatever you choose - I retrained at 47 and love my new life.

OP, I would do a medical secretary course, it'll boost the cv and open doors to a job that you'll be warm in with much longer staying power. Right up to your 60's, plus there is more for growth to a PA or office manager.
It's a cheap course.
Not sure why I quoted post above.

I agree early years practitioners are paid a pittance but some childminders have made a good living from it. I think it's all ridiculous amount of paperwork it takes that puts people off doing it.

"Get a job in the Civil Service at HEO or above (preferably SEO) "

Cos that's easy!

OP, I’d go ahead with the plasterer course if I were you. I’d also do a painting and decorating course.

I’d focus on being able to do a bit of everything. Be that person that can go into someone’s home and decorate a room, hang a door, skim a crappy wall if needed, hang some wallpaper and do a bit a tiling.

I think your goal should be building up a bank of small residential clients rather than working on large commercial sites where all you’re doing all day every day is plastering.

I think as a woman you’d do quite well. I’d much rather have a woman in my house doing these things than a man.

Good luck, I think retraining into trades is a great idea.

As I said, she painted and decorated for friends and family while still attending college.
That brought her in an income, gave her experience and helped to build up a good reputation.
My memory might be faulty, but I'm still pretty sure she was earning a living within a year of starting her course.
I'll check with her tonight.

It's not something to be ashamed of either.
However, if it were that easy to get a job at HEO or SEO level without doing overtime, why would anyone be stuck at the lower grades of the Civil Service.
When I temped, there were loads of people at AO level then some of them with experience got to EO, but most of those would never become HEO or SEO.

According to someone else on here they do hardly any work for a reasonable amount of money. Sounds about right for Civil Service