CSCS/PTS Is It Worth It?

[Gnarlyoak]

Having seen a number of job ads popping up on this site now and again looking for workers with CSCS and PTS cards/accreditation, I was wondering is it worth spending some of my hard earned (speculate to accumalate) on putting myself through the relevant training and getting hold of said documents.

 

Has anyone else been in a similar position and done the same and found it made it easier to find work or did it prove to be a waste of time and money for which you never gained an positive benefits?

 

Does anyone even know if its possible to do the PTS training as a freelancer without being sponsored by a rail approved contractor?

 

Thanks in anticipation,

Rick

[skyhuck]

IMO, rail work should be your very last option, its hideous!!!

 

Your working in what many seem to feel is their own personal tip. Those council estates that have gardens with fences that are on the railway boundary are the worst, all manner of discarded household items, TV's, furniture, old bikes, also bags of used nappies and bags of just household garbage. All covered in brambles, add to this the fact that much of the work is done in the dark, its not great.

 

I felt my business was a success the day I was able to turn down the offer of rail work.

 

This is only my opinion, others may love it.

[mikecotterill]

ive got both, railway can be good as im findig at the moment but it can also be really bad, try smashing up bramble with a saw for half a mile. but money can be ok. i wouldnt bother with pts without getting work, im 99% sure you have to be sponsored anyway.

 

cscs is about 40-50 quid all in, sit an exam on health and safety and apply for a card, easy. its worth doing for the cost, though ive never got any work from it, better having than not.

[roseyweb]

I had to do CSCS for highways work on the M25, The test was only like £20 and was massively simple if you can't pass it then you should't be aloud out in public!

Not come in useful for any other jobs since mind but i'm sure it will do one day.

[Glen Poole]

we do a bit of work on building sites, we're not allowed on site without the cscs card, so in my eyes it was worth doing, the questions were pretty random though, nothing to do with tree surgery at all, one question was about how to set up scaffolding

Edited August 21, 2010 by Glen Poole

[monkey boys]

iv got cscs card just need it for site work

[DN22 Gardening]

you need to be sponsered by a link up approved co. to get your pts.

any company you go to work for will put you through it.

 

but....as said earlier, its crap work, we did it for 3 years....its very crap work....

 

cscs, take it.

once you've got it, you've got it forever. we do a fair bit of site clearence work, and finding local subbies with cscs is a nightmare. not helped by the fact that ASDA won't hand their sites over on time... GRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

[Ella]

 

cscs, take it.

once you've got it, you've got it forever.

Thought it had to be renewed every 5 years?

[mike81]

hows it going mate. yeah you need to be sponsered and i wouldnt bother. I'm doing track work at the moment and its bloody hard work , miles and miles of rashing prickley bushes and the odd tree if your lucky our company isnt too bad though as we dont only do track stuff. probably not worth wasting your cash unless you have a company offering you track work and you havn't got any other options .

[mike81]

Cscs card is definatly handy though. very cheap, easy and useful