A headteacher told the speaker they were too smart for a construction BTEC, steering them toward academic subjects instead. They self-funded a plumbing diploma, fought to find an apprenticeship, and eventually earned their Level 3 NVQ and gas qualification anyway.
He sat me down and he said, "You can't do construction because you're too smart for it." So when I was at school, I wanted to do a construction qualification. I think it was a BTEC. And they asked me to go to the headteacher's office and I was a bit confused 'cause I was like, I haven't, I've just filled in my application. I don't think you can fill it in wrong. He sat me down and he said, "You can't do construction because you're too smart for it." I said, "How can I be too smart to do a course?" They said, "It looks better on the school if you get a grade in maths than if you get a grade in construction." And then like I say, I was looking for an apprenticeship and I couldn't find anything. I applied to loads and nothing ever came back, so I ended up just paying for a Level 2 diploma because I thought if I had a plumbing qualification, it would help me get my foot in the door. Now that I've done my apprenticeship, I have a Level 3 NVQ and my gas qualification.
Your Profit Is More Than Your Salary: Pricing A Trades Business w/ Doug D'Aubrey
Is taking over another gas business a realistic alternative to hiring from scratch?
He Took Over Another Gas Business After 3 Years As A Sole Trader w/ Dan Giles
