The Ulitmate Tile Training Course

The tile training course industry is literally bursting at the seams with a new course or training school popping up almost monthly, some looking a truly professional outfit; others giving nothing more than a 'quick buck' image. We've poured over many a prospectus and brochure over the last year and whilst many of the training providers are offering 3 - 4 week courses covering a wide range of topics, purporting to be 'professional tiling courses', the UK Tiler Register feels that the bar could be raised further yet to be truly 'professional'.

If new tilers are to leave the training course they need to have the skill and knowledge to safely and professionally provide that level of service that is expected of them by their paying customers. And while it is often an excuse by many intensive tile training courses that the real knowledge comes with experience from on the job training, this itself poses many problems as there is often limited trainee placements and paid work especially for those with limited experience. This is not to knock students of intensive short course, rather to help them find further courses which will improve their professionalism.

Naturally what we are about to suggest will come at a price, no student can expect to learn real knowledge and skill for free; it all comes at a price. But we see the need to bring far greater standards into the tile training industry rather than waving the NVQ banner on every sentence of a brochure. Of course we understand the reasoning for the NVQ qualification and its soon to be essential requirement for construction sites, it's how that initial knowledge is learnt and to what extent we are concerned with.

And a course is more than just its content, without a decent teacher the content will never be learnt. How many times have you seen questions on forums about getting grout lines to match or how to set out a bathroom? And these are posts from people who have completed tile training courses. Surely these tilers have been let down by their teachers?

As far as we are concerned a course that truly produces a professional tiler as the end result must include the following aspects; in no particular order of importance.

• Health & Safety
• First Aid
• British Standards
• Substrate knowledge and overcoming problems with substrates
• Tile manufacture and tile quality

• Leveling compounds
• Decoupling systems
• Floating floors, anhydrite screeds
• Plasterboard, Tile backers, Ply
• Tanking systems
• Complete understanding of adhesives, grouts, colouring
• Primers and sealers
• Ceramic, Porcelain and natural stone understanding and knowledge
• Cleaning, refurbishment and care of tiles

• Correct calculations for area and volumes
• Setting out of floors, walls, features
• Knowledge and understanding of tile patterns
• Mosaic, listello, borders, trims
• Geometric design tiling and victorian tiles

• Dry and wet cutting, drilling of tiles
• Cutting curves, around fixtures and coping with problems

• Plumbing and bathroom fitting
• Boxing of pipes and concealment

• Customer service
• How to quote accurately and realistically
• How to market you services, including advertising resources
• Tool knowledge and understanding

To learn this effectively would take time and dedication, not something you can learn in few days and hope to retain for life. Naturally there will be elements on the list that are already covered and those which many a training centre will scoff at. First Aid is a prime target, but have you ever seen an injury caused by a sharp tile? During my apprentice ship I had to save my bosses life after I found him bleeding to death on a balcony he was tiling. By time the ambulance had turned up the man had lost so much blood he nearly lost an arm and to this day, his injury is a disability. Had I been fully trained in first aid, maybe his injury would have been less severe.

So we'd love to hear from any tile training course that is either able to provide all the training points mentioned above or even exceed them. But we'd also need you to prove it by allowing us to take your course for it's full duration. Only then could we fully recommend your course and your centre.

Tags: training courses