When becoming a heating engineer there are many skills to be learnt before carrying out work on your own. You will have to learn an extensive amount about plumbing as a lot of the work with the boiler and things like that are related to plumbing and if you wanted to work with a selection of boiler types and different heating systems you may have to take other courses in subject areas like gas and even electric. With the market of heating engineering ever growing and with the constant new developments in the market meaning your knowledge on the products has to be more extensive than ever it is a good idea for you to continue training in new techniques and services that are discovered once you are trained. This goes for those who own their own businesses as well because they need to ensure that all their staff are fully trained to manage whatever problem they may be required to solve for their customers.

The training process for becoming a heating engineer can start at the age of 16 once you have finished your GCSE level qualifications you can continue onto a NVQ level 2 in either Mechanical Engineering or in Basic Plumbing Skills. The main education authority for courses of this kind are the City and Guilds group that take the level of education in the subject up to a level 3 in Mechanical Engineering services or a level 3 in Plumbing studies it is often thought best to run the two courses along side one another, however, this may not be necessary if you are taking an apprenticeship. It is advised to start training in the trade as young as possible as you can get the experience in the practical side of the work as well as the knowledge learnt in the courses.

When taking it up as a career you need to make sure you have the right kind of attributes for the style of job it is, below are some things for you to take into consideration:

• It is important for you to have a polite manner in the way you deal with people and be very good at explaining technical situations in a way that the customer will be able to understand.
• You should be good at technical drawings and making the plans that will solve the problem.
• You should be fully aware of the safety issues and the regulations involved with the work you're carrying out.
• You will have to be comfortable with working in confined spaces at times.

If there are a number of the above suggested requirements that you don't think you will be able to meet over any period of time then you may be best looking at a different sector of engineering.

Once fully trained there are several routes you can take either going into work straight away for an already existing company, where over the years it should be possible for you to work your way up the promotional ladder. Often with working for a firm it has advantages such as in house training or they will fund you to go to college to gain the correct qualifications. You can start your own business if you have the correct standard of knowledge in the subject, and you must ensure when hiring staff that they are all fully trained to the level they will be expected to work.

There are many possibilities within this sector of work but is always important to ensure take the right type of course to the right level for the kind of work you would like to pursue. Many people see it as a life time career because there is always the option of you starting your own business.