Working as a Handyman

If you have ever owned your own house, you may have had difficulty finding a sound, reliable person to do the bits and pieces of work that are part and parcel of home ownership. Perhaps you would like never to need to call someone out to do what seems to be the simplest of tasks, particularly if you own a property that you manage and rent out. What you need is a reliable, prompt response, and the work completed quickly and cleanly without costing a fortune.

Enter the handyman. There may be adverts in the local paper: ‘No job too small – professional work at reasonable rates’, the sort of work that takes from a few minutes to perhaps half a day. Only as good as their last job, the handyman relies on recommendation in building up or maintaining a small sole-trader business with the repeat call-outs keeping them in business because they build trust with the customer.

People may wish to become a tradesperson without formal training for many reasons, one of which may be as simple as ‘horses for courses’. If you intend to be a professional tradesperson, a member of a professional industry association or work for an employer, it may be essential to become qualified at the correct level to meet the requirements of your chosen industry; and, in the future, regulation and licensing may increase the pressure to go down this route. However, a handyman may not need this.

No one is advocating a move away from becoming suitably qualified for the work that you do. Indeed the accomplished handyman might well have at least one major qualification gained over a number of years as well as other associated skills. But they may not want to be limited in the type and quantity of work they undertake, so some training for other skills is essential.

Variety may well be attractive. Many people enjoy being out and about, and taking responsibility for their own working day. However, the handyman doesn’t have to be able to do everything. They should admit to needing help on occasion, being ready and able to find ‘a man who can’.

Starting small may be the best option. As experience and self-confidence increase then investing in quality training to increase the skill set is likely to pay dividends. And, if you want to manage but not do the jobs yourself (although knowing something about it would be a distinct advantage), there is even a handyman franchise.

Finally, there’s the mobile response technician. This is nothing to do with mobile phones (although you will certainly need one) but the latest name for a skilled tradesman who would probably be part of a property services organisation. The more skills you possess, the better. But a core skill in carpentry, plumbing, plastering, bricklaying, painting and decorating, electrical or gas fitting would be a good start.

Attitude is all-important. Employers want people who take pride in their work and who are highly customer-focused, enthusiastic, committed and energetic. Interpersonal skills are valued and recognised by clients requiring maintenance, repair and refurbishment work.

Being a ‘jack of all trades’ can open up many opportunities. The ability to work independently, visiting domestic and commercial properties, using a computer and initiative will be essential. Sounds to me like a description of a lot of Service leavers I’ve met over the years.