A HKer changing his career for his move to the UK ⦁ 為移英而轉行整水喉

Mario the world famous plumber

Leo Yu plans to come to the UK in 2022 with his family and mother in law using the BNO visa. Like many Hong Kongers, his biggest worry is whether he can find a job in the UK. “If I am willing to work hard, I will not starve,” and with this mentality Leo quit his job as a clerk and is now training to be a plumber.  


What makes you want to change your career in your 30s? ⦁ 點解30幾歲先決定轉行

I am changing my career so that my kids can be educated in the UK. 

I have been doing clerical work for over 10 years in Hong Kong. I know if I wanted to find a job in the UK, being a clerk gives me no advantage whatsoever. This is why I want to learn a skill. So I decided to be a plumber, even though it is a more physical job.

How are you training to become a plumber?  ⦁ 你點樣喺香港學整水喉

I have enrolled into a relevant course in Hong Kong from November. But I wanted to start earlier so I handed in my resignation letter and started training with other builders a month ago in September. 

As someone new to the industry I’ve been asked to do most of the hard work such as lifting heavy stuff. Hopefully I will be able to pick up other skills later. 

Is your family supportive of your career change?  ⦁ 家人支持你嘅決定嗎

My wife is fine with it, although we are a little worried about our finances. We are a family of four. I used to earn HK$30,000-40,000/month (£3000-4000/month) doing clerical work, but my current job pays HK$700/day (£70/day). We have to be very careful with our savings. 

As I become more skilful, my daily rate will go up. In Hong Kong, after a few years of training, I should get around HK$1,300-1,500/day (£130-150/day), so if I work 25 days a month, I will be earning what I used to earn as a clerk.

Leo's new working environment in Hong Kong as he trains to be a plumber
Leo’s most recent work site
 
 

How to be a plumber in the UK ⦁ 去英國做水喉工

After speaking to Leo, Ying Goi Dim reached out to Access Training Academies to find out more about becoming a plumber in the UK. ⦁ 同Leo傾完計之後,英該點搵嚟 Access Training Academies 去解釋喺英國點做水喉師傅。


To become a plumber in the UK, you need to speak English and have mathematical skill. To start off, you will need a diploma in plumbing foundation. A level 2 qualification is understood to be an industry standard across the UK. It teaches you the basic skills in plumbing.


You can only become a fully qualified plumber in the UK when you have passed NVQ 2 or NVQ 3 exams. NVQ means National Vocational Qualifications, which is the main category of qualifications for plumbers. NVQ 2 training include work placement and guided learning. NVQ 3 is for plumbers who already have well-established skills and are working with minimal supervision.

Many places in the UK offer the said diploma and NVQ exams, including Access Training. They offer many types of accredited training courses, including electrical, gas, construction and plumbing course. If you are interested, email hello@yinggoidim.com and let us know. If there is enough interest, we will see if we can work on a group discount for these courses for Hong Kongers! 

⦁ 要喺英國做水喉,你必須要識講英文同識基本數學。

Access Training Academies 話喺英國你需要先報讀及取得基本水喉課程嘅文憑,證明有基本知識。喺英國最基本嘅水喉師傅都需要取得 level 2 嘅資格。

要做一個合資格同能夠落 site 嘅水喉工,你要通過 NVQ 2 或者 NVQ 3 考試。NVQ 全名係 National Vocational Qualifications。 NVQ 2 嘅課程包括實習及學徒訓練。NVQ 3 係比已經有一定技能及能夠喺冇乜監督下工作嘅水喉師傅。

英國有好多地方都提供水喉工嘅文憑及 NVQ 考試。呢啲訓練中心亦提供好多唔同類型嘅課程,例如電工,水喉,建築,煤氣等。如果你有趣興趣報讀 Access Training Academies 嘅課程,可以電郵 hello@yinggoidim.com 話俾我哋知。假如我哋湊夠人數,可以嘗試幫香港人搵團體折扣!

Image: Mika Baumeister on Unsplash


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2 thoughts on “A HKer changing his career for his move to the UK ⦁ 為移英而轉行整水喉

  1. Kit

    想請問NVQ2同3要讀幾耐同幾錢,讀完之後又係可以點入行?

    1. 港女 Kong Girl

      Hello! We advise you to get in touch with the following company and found out what courses they offer and learn more about NVQ. Good luck!

      Access Training Academies
      http://www.accesstraininguk.co.uk

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