Blog

Getting into a trade

How to get into a job in the UK: the tickets, the training, the pay and the first step.

How to become a vehicle technician and MOT tester

The route from apprentice to qualified technician and on to MOT testing, with what the courses cost, what the trade pays and the truth about tools, targets and cold workshops.

6 min read
How to become an HGV driver in the UK

What it takes to get a Class 2 or Class 1 licence, what the training and Driver CPC cost, the pay to expect and the realities of tachographs, nights out and early starts.

6 min read
How to become an electrician in the UK

The real route to qualifying as an electrician, from apprenticeship and NVQ to the AM2 and an ECS gold card, plus what the courses cost and what the trade pays.

6 min read
How to become a warehouse operative and forklift driver

One of the easiest UK sectors to enter and one of the fastest to progress in once you are ticketed. What the job involves, what forklift training costs and what it pays.

6 min read
How to become a teaching assistant in the UK

Teaching assistant roles suit people who want term time hours, but the pro rata pay surprises applicants. Here is the qualification route, the DBS process, honest pay and how to progress.

6 min read
How to become a security officer with an SIA licence

Getting an SIA licence takes about a week of training and a background check. Here is what the course covers, what it costs, what security work pays and which sectors are worth aiming for.

6 min read
How to become a plumber in the UK

What plumbing actually involves, the Level 2 and 3 route, how Gas Safe registration really works, what the tickets cost and the pay you can expect employed or self employed.

6 min read
How to become a groundworker or CSCS labourer

Construction will take you on with one card and a pair of boots. How the CSCS colours work, which plant tickets pay, what site life is like and how labourers become skilled operatives.

6 min read
How to become a CNC machinist in the UK

Machining pays well and trains people from scratch on nights. Here is what setters and programmers actually do, the apprenticeship and college routes, realistic pay and the shift patterns involved.

6 min read
How to become a chef in the UK

Kitchens will train you from nothing, but the hours are the price. Here is how the brigade works, what qualifications you actually need, realistic pay by grade and how to get a first section.

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How to become a care assistant in the UK

Care work needs no qualifications to start, but it asks a lot of you. Here is what the job involves, the DBS and Care Certificate process, realistic pay and how to move up.

6 min read
From care assistant to registered nurse: the routes that work

If you already work in care you do not have to start again. The apprenticeship, nursing associate and degree routes to an NMC pin, what they cost and what the training is really like.

6 min read