Many career choices have at least some scope for practical uses at home, but some job choices can actually save you money and keep your home safe as well. One of those is the gas engineer – here’s five reasons to consider a career.
Money
According to Salary Track the average UK salary of a gas engineer in London is £40,000. Three per cent earn more than £100,000 a year, and 90% are getting more than £25,000 per annum. The average wage of a gas engineer in the UK as a whole is £32,500 compared to the overall UK average salary for all jobs, of £26,500 – quite a leap.
Apprenticeships in the field are popular, with companies, colleges and organisations such as Options Skills offering regular positions across the country for youngsters looking into the field of central heating, boiler installation or other trades.
Run your own business
A salaried gas engineer at a big business will enjoy job security in a challenging and interesting profession. But as a self-employed gas engineer you can pick your own hours and work conditions, and potentially make more money.
The top earning gas engineers (the highest 1.1% in London are earning more than £140,000 a year) tend to run their own business and perhaps a franchise for a particular area, which can be tailored to the needs of individual franchise participants.
Home repairs
The layman can sometimes repair your car and often do a bit of plumbing or DIY. But trying to fix a boiler or heater adorned with stickers warning you not to attempt to tamper with it is not a wise idea. As a gas engineer, you don’t have that concern.
With wise social media maintenance you can also promote yourself for free; friends, family, and friends of friends will remember your name. You might charge a reduced rate or no rate at all for these favours, but you’ll be good for a few beers down the line.
Moving abroad
If you’ve ever whimsically researched emigrating to Australia or somewhere similarly exotic after a bad day, you’ll have seen the visa scoring system that is prohibitive for many careers but excellent for construction and engineering. According to Emigrate to Australia, these sectors have made recent appearances on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL), alongside similar and related occupations.
Mining and manufacturing companies, management consultants and the public sector are looking for tradesmen from coast to coast, with good pay.
Always in demand
People need to stay warm. Virtually every home and workplace uses gas and/or gas appliances in one form. Those businesses, and 4.6 million UK homes that are rented, must organise regular safety inspections to keep them safe.
That is not a market likely to dry up any time soon, and the sector continues to be popular. The industry-recognised CORGI registration was replaced by the Gas Safe Register in 2010, and more than 120,000 engineers have so far signed up.
It might be controversial, but the demand might increase even further if the UK Government continues its support for shale gas exploration, otherwise known as ‘fracking’.
Survey results in the Guardian may show that while environmentalists and a high percentage of the UK population are unsure or against the practice, especially near their own homes or national parks, the practice could potentially provide Britain with power for decades – and provide able engineers with exciting opportunities.