If you’re looking for a varied, outdoor lifestyle that pays well and offers excellent career progression opportunities, building could be just right for you. It is a physically demanding profession that requires great skill, accuracy and interpersonal skills and will always be in demand.
What opportunities are there in the building trade?
There is a phenomenal range of opportunities available within the field of building and construction, ranging from labouring through to structural engineer roles and surveying.
Each role has different entry criteria so it is important to consider not only what roles appeal to you, but which match your existing skill set and experience, though of course, further education courses, apprenticeships and T-Levels are available to interested candidates wishing to expand their skills and break into the industry.
What do you need to be a builder?
You need passion, dedication and a good van. Especially when you are first starting out, you will likely be required to make regular runs to builders’ merchants to collect the materials needed for each job. Your van will get a lot of heavy use, so when checking used vans for sale Cheltenham, make sure that the vehicle is well maintained and up to the job.
Specialist suppliers such as cotswoldvancentre.co.uk/buy/used-vans-for-sale/cheltenham/ will be glad to help you select an appropriate vehicle for your new business endeavour, whether you will be working for yourself or as part of a team.
Things to note about buying a van
Consider whether you will be travelling alone or whether you will regularly carry passengers. This will influence your choice of van as if you will be the nominated driver, you will want to select a crew cab. Consider also what payload you need – going too big will cost you money for no reason, while also making manoeuvring on rural roads and builder’s merchant yards trickier, but too small and you’ll be racking up the mileage very quickly making return journeys. Finally, make sure to take out appropriate van insurance, to include carriage of materials for hire or reward.