Off The Job: A Tradesman Podcast

Trade Apps Ltd
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Comedy
  • Weekly

Welcome to 'Off The Job: A Tradesman Podcast,' the ultimate destination for tradespeople across the UK, hosted by Keiran Yates and Pete Withers (Tradie Tales aka Plumber Tales). This podcast is a toolbox of insights, humour, and real-life stories from the heart of the trades industry.Each episode of 'Off The Job' is crafted with the tradesperson in mind, whether you're a Gas Engineer, Plumber, Electrician, or just passionate about the trade world. Our hosts, Keiran and Pete, bring their unique perspectives and humour to the table, making every discussion engaging and relatable.What sets 'Off The Job' apart is its blend of entertainment and education. We dive into industry trends, offer practical advice, and share stories that resonate with anyone in the trades. Our guests range from seasoned professionals to new faces in the industry, each bringing their unique experiences and insights.'Off The Job' is more than just a podcast; it's a community where tradespeople can come together to learn, laugh, and connect. Whether you're on the job site or relaxing at home, our podcast is the perfect companion to your day.Stay updated with the latest in the trades, get a good laugh, and maybe learn something new along the way. Subscribe to 'Off The Job: A Trade Podcast' on Apple Podcasts and join our community of hardworking, fun-loving tradespeople today!

  1. Episode 1

    Gas Engineers vs Air Con Engineers: Should Plumbers Be Moving Into AC? | Off The Job Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail Gas engineers are moving into air conditioning in growing numbers, but should they be? On one side, Thomas Milham, an experienced air conditioning engineer with more than 20 years in the industry. On the other, John Cruickshank, a plumbing and heating engineer with around 30 years of experience who has now moved into air conditioning himself. With hotter UK summers, growing demand for domestic air conditioning and more heating engineers looking for additional work, the two trades are beginning to cross over more than ever. But that raises a controversial question: Can you really complete a five-day F-Gas course and call yourself an air conditioning engineer? Tom and John debate whether experienced plumbers and heating engineers already have many of the transferable skills needed for HVAC, including pipework, electrics, condensates and working with pressures, or whether getting the qualification is only the very beginning of learning another trade. They also get into: Gas engineers moving into domestic air conditioningCan you really become competent after a five-day F-Gas course?F-Gas qualifications vs real-world experienceWhy installation and fault finding are completely different skillsAre experienced AC engineers right to protect their trade?Why some heating engineers see air conditioning as a new business opportunityWhether domestic AC could become a race to the bottomGas boiler installs vs air conditioning installsHow much money you can actually make fitting ACWarranty differences between boiler and air-con manufacturersThe mistakes new engineers make when entering refrigerationThe cost of setting yourself up properly for air conditioningHeat pumps, renewables and the future of heating and coolingWhether gas, plumbing, renewables and air conditioning could eventually become one trade One of the biggest arguments is whether F-Gas is becoming too easy to enter compared with gas. The lads discuss how someone can potentially complete their F-Gas qualification and start working on domestic split systems relatively quickly, while becoming a gas engineer involves qualifications, portfolios, supervised experience and a probationary period. But this isn't simply air-con engineers vs plumbers. Tom acknowledges that good heating engineers can bring strong transferable skills into HVAC, while John argues that anyone moving across needs to treat it as learning an entirely new trade, not something they suddenly know because they've passed a course. And the opportunity is clearly there. They discuss rising demand for domestic air conditioning, stock shortages during hot weather and why more gas and heating engineers are looking at AC as another way to stay busy throughout the year. The conversation eventually becomes much bigger than gas vs air con. Could the future engineer simply be trained across heating, cooling, ventilation, refrigeration, heat pumps and plumbing, rather than these remaining completely separate trades? John believes that over the next 10 to 15 years, that crossover could become increasingly normal as renewables and HVAC continue to grow. If you're a gas engineer, plumber, heating engineer, air conditioning engineer, HVAC engineer, refrigeration engineer or apprentice, there's plenty in this debate to disagree with. 👇 Let us know in the comments: Should experienced gas and heating engineers be moving into air conditioning? Or does completing a short course risk people entering a trade before they've built enough real-world experience? 🎁 EXCLUSIVE PODCAST OFFER Get 30% OFF your Yearly Subscription to Gas Certificate App! Use code: POD30 at checkout 📲 Download the Gas Certificate App now https://onelink.to/hbv69u ⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead. 🔗 Follow us on Socials 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offthejobpodcastuk 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offthejobpodcastuk 🎁 EXCLUSIVE PODCAST OFFER Get 30% OFF your Yearly Subscription to Gas Certificate App! Use code: POD30 at checkout 📲 Download the Gas Certificate App now https://onelink.to/hbv69u ⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead. 🔗 Follow us on Socials 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offthejobpodcastuk 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offthejobpodcastuk

    Gas Engineers vs Air Con Engineers: Should Plumbers Be Moving Into AC? | Off The Job Podcast

  2. Episode 1 Bonus

    Customer LOCKED A Tradesman Inside Her House... | Off The Job Podcast Overtime Episode 97

    Send us Fan Mail What's the worst customer, job or house you've ever walked into as a tradesperson?   Pete and Keiran are back with a Halloween special of Off The Job Overtime, and this week they're getting into some proper trade horror stories sent in by the audience.   From nightmare customers and dangerous boilers to strange things found on jobs, there are some stories in this one that every plumber, gas engineer, electrician, builder or self-employed tradesperson will relate to.   One of the biggest comes from a carpenter who says a customer locked him inside her house after a disagreement over the job. After delivering bespoke cabinets and under-stairs storage, the customer complained about the finish and refused to pay anything until the work was completed.   When he started removing the units, he says she locked the door and told him he wasn't leaving until he finished the job.   He eventually had to call 999, at which point the door was opened and he was able to leave.   They also get into: The strangest things tradespeople have found in customers' homesFinding a dead cat while digging for a condensate soakawayA petrol saw accidentally filled with urine instead of fuelA dangerous boiler discovered after a previous serviceEngineers becoming complacent on the jobThe customers who stand over your shoulder while you workCustomers who agree to a quote and then try to negotiate afterwardsThe "YouTube expert" who thinks they know more than the tradespersonCustomers disappearing when the invoice arrivesThe customer who always finds "one more little job"Late-night customer phone callsWhy you can't always trust a customer's description of the problemCreepy houses and jobs that just don't feel rightTrade partners picking up plumbing and electrical lingoThe fear of getting a callback after finishing a big jobPlumbing leaks and mistakes that every experienced tradesperson eventually deals withPete also shares one of his own customer nightmare stories, involving a boiler replacement, a late-night phone call and a customer demanding that the old boiler be put back after the new one had already been installed.   And then there's the fear every plumber knows.   You've finished a heating install, left the job and everything seems fine.   Then a week later, the customer's name appears on your phone.   Pete explains why even experienced tradespeople immediately assume the worst when that happens, especially when you're dealing with water, fittings and pipework where problems can sometimes appear days after you've left.   If you're a plumber, gas engineer, heating engineer, electrician, carpenter, builder or self-employed tradesperson, there's a good chance you'll recognise at least one of these customers or situations.   👇 Let us know in the comments: What's the worst customer horror story you've ever had? And what's the strangest thing you've ever found while working in someone's house? 🎁 EXCLUSIVE PODCAST OFFER Get 30% OFF your Yearly Subscription to Gas Certificate App! Use code: POD30 at checkout 📲 Download the Gas Certificate App now https://onelink.to/hbv69u ⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead. 🔗 Follow us on Socials 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offthejobpodcastuk 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offthejobpodcastuk

    Customer LOCKED A Tradesman Inside Her House... | Off The Job Podcast Overtime Episode 97

  3. Episode 2

    This Electrician Had To Rebuild His Life | Karl Sparky

    Send us Fan Mail After losing his wife to cancer, Karl Batterbee suddenly had to navigate running his electrical business, raising his young daughter and adjusting to a completely new normal. Better known online as Karl Sparky, Karl joins Pete and Keiran to talk about more than 20 years in the electrical trade, becoming self-employed and the experiences that have completely changed the way he looks at work and life. Karl started out at college before eventually securing an electrical apprenticeship, although getting qualified wasn't straightforward. He worked across several companies before finishing his apprenticeship and went on to gain experience across domestic, commercial and industrial electrical work. He also spent time working for a heating company, where he built up his knowledge of heating controls, wiring and fault finding, something that still forms a big part of his work today. They get into: Karl's route into becoming an electricianStruggling to secure and complete an apprenticeshipMore than 20 years working in the electrical industryDomestic vs commercial and industrial electrical workHeating controls and where plumbing and electrics overlapAir source heat pumps and changing technologyStarting an electrical business after years of employmentFinding work through word of mouthLearning how to price jobs properlyWhy customers disappearing after receiving a quote shouldn't be taken personallyThe real costs involved when you become self-employedRunning a one-man electrical businessElectrical testing, fault finding and older installationsGetting electric shocks on the toolsSocial media and building friendships within the tradesWhy Karl started creating content as Karl SparkyBut the conversation becomes much more personal when Karl talks about losing his wife to cancer at the beginning of the year. Alongside dealing with his own grief, Karl suddenly had to take over parts of the business his wife had previously helped him with, including paperwork and admin, while also raising their seven-year-old daughter and keeping his electrical business running. He talks openly about learning to navigate that new normal, the support he's received from friends and family, and the importance of having people around you when life changes completely. Karl also explains how things like music, trade events and spending time with friends have helped him switch off, and why the experience has made him look at life differently. One of the biggest lessons he has taken from everything he's been through is simple: Life's too short, do the things that make you happy and build your own village of good people around you. Social media has played a surprisingly big part in that too. What originally started with Karl posting a few tools and electrical jobs online eventually led to brand opportunities, trade events and, more importantly, genuine friendships with people who have checked in and supported him through one of the hardest periods of his life. If you're an electrician, apprentice, self-employed tradesperson, parent or someone trying to keep moving through a difficult period, there's a lot to take away from Karl's story. 👇 Let us know in the comments: What's one thing working in the trades, or life outside of work, has taught you not to take for granted? And who makes up your own village? 🎁 EXCLUSIVE PODCAST OFFER Get 30% OFF your Yearly Subscription to Gas Certificate App! Use code: POD30 at checkout 📲 Download the Gas Certificate App now https://onelink.to/hbv69u ⚠️ Warning: Contains adult humour and strong language. Tradesmen banter ahead. 🔗 Follow us on Socials 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offthejobpodcastuk 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offthejobpodcastuk

    This Electrician Had To Rebuild His Life | Karl Sparky
See All Season 12 (3)

Trailer

About

Welcome to 'Off The Job: A Tradesman Podcast,' the ultimate destination for tradespeople across the UK, hosted by Keiran Yates and Pete Withers (Tradie Tales aka Plumber Tales). This podcast is a toolbox of insights, humour, and real-life stories from the heart of the trades industry.Each episode of 'Off The Job' is crafted with the tradesperson in mind, whether you're a Gas Engineer, Plumber, Electrician, or just passionate about the trade world. Our hosts, Keiran and Pete, bring their unique perspectives and humour to the table, making every discussion engaging and relatable.What sets 'Off The Job' apart is its blend of entertainment and education. We dive into industry trends, offer practical advice, and share stories that resonate with anyone in the trades. Our guests range from seasoned professionals to new faces in the industry, each bringing their unique experiences and insights.'Off The Job' is more than just a podcast; it's a community where tradespeople can come together to learn, laugh, and connect. Whether you're on the job site or relaxing at home, our podcast is the perfect companion to your day.Stay updated with the latest in the trades, get a good laugh, and maybe learn something new along the way. Subscribe to 'Off The Job: A Trade Podcast' on Apple Podcasts and join our community of hardworking, fun-loving tradespeople today!

Information

  • Creator
    Trade Apps Ltd
  • Episodes
    206
  • Seasons
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Off The Job: A Trade Podcast | Trade Apps Ltd
  • Show Website
    Off The Job: A Tradesman Podcast

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