Day in the life of
Plumbing and Heating Engineer – Toby Organ
My Typical Day
Start of day
I like to leave home early to miss the traffic into London and get to my first job in plenty of time – after grabbing a coffee on the way! My typical working day can vary from various reactive repairs such as leaky showers, dripping taps, and water pressure problems, to servicing jobs and larger installations such as servicing a customer’s boiler or installing a completely new one. I also undertake larger maintenance jobs that can take a day to complete or even a number of days.
The majority of my work is in and around London, so I try to stop for lunch near a park or somewhere quiet away from the hustle and bustle of city life, to run through my jobs and make sure that any associated tasks have been completed. I communicate with our job management team in the office throughout the day regarding reports, further work, and quotations.
End of day
At the end of the day after completing all of my jobs, I usually spend some time making sure I have completed all of my tasks and paperwork. I try to do this before I head home, by which time the traffic has usually calmed down too. I try to get home to see my two sons before their bedtime, they get so excited when they see ‘Daddy’s van’ pull up on the driveway.
Pros
I love the variety of work on offer. I never know what the day will unfold, and I really enjoy being reactive to what comes my way. It doesn’t faze me. We offer emergency plumbing and heating repair services too, so it is not uncommon to be called out somewhere unexpectedly. I’m always busy and really enjoy meeting interesting and different people from all walks of life – you definitely need to be a sociable person to enjoy this line of work! I also enjoy working in prestigious properties, and prestigious areas around London, seeing inside a wealth of beautiful homes is a real perk of the job!
I knew from a young age that classic office work was not for me, I’m a more practical person and enjoy being out and about meeting people. The work is quite physically demanding, which works well for me (as it means I don’t need a gym membership!) but some may see this as a negative of the job.
When working in domestic properties, I often work alone, and I enjoy the responsibility which comes with that. Being invited into someone’s home is a privilege and all the plumbers and engineers that I work with respect that. It is also very rewarding to be able to swoop in and save the day for many homeowners – returning their home to working order after they have experienced no heat or hot water for a while, is very satisfying.
The skills you have as a plumber are skills you keep and use for life – you’ll always have work and decent job security. Plus, evolving technology makes it an exciting trade to work in.
Cons
As with all jobs, there can be a few downsides. As I mentioned earlier, it can be quite physical and tiring work. Plus, the responsibility you earn also makes you liable for mistakes. Plumbers are very busy, with limited time to pause throughout the day, and as we are always going from job to job, traffic and parking can be a bit of a nightmare!
The only other downside might be that as it is such a specialist skill, it would be hard to switch fields as a plumber, so if you are thinking about undertaking a plumbing career, I would suggest doing some work experience or shadowing an experienced plumber for a while to gauge if it is the right job for you before you start your plumbing course.
Advice for aspiring Plumbers (UK)
The good news is you don’t need a degree to embark on a plumbing career. Most awarding bodies offer NVQs in Plumbing and many employers are embracing apprenticeship positions within their companies, so there is much more scope to study for your plumbing qualification whilst you are on the job. My advice would be to offer your work experience services during the weekends and holidays whilst you are still at school, then you will already have a firm or too to contact when you leave school to see if they are offering any apprenticeships.
My father was a plumber at the company I work at now for over 25 years and I started working for Maintracts after leaving school at 16. I completed a Plumbing and Heating City & Guilds apprenticeship incorporating NVQ levels 2 and 3.
