[Sean Dyer]

i think once the numbers do start to be a sizeable percentage of window cleaning population and the sub fees are substantial then the mgwc will be able to start easily doing what fed does but maybe better

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

thats the plan., dunno about giving away free mars bars though....how about the empty wrappers.....i will waddle over and will be hand them out.

 

[Nathanael Jones]

i would like to see window cleaning as a profession and to have minimum levels of qualifications before any single person can tout for business or even clean a pane of glass. i would like to see guys charging sensible prices and not feeling that worthless they need to charge peanuts! i would like to drive out the bad reputation window cleaners have and replace it with a respected business outlook on our industry.

I couldn't agree with your more!
As for minimum qualifications, the Guild doesn't require anything other than proof of insurance at the moment, but we do strongly encourage training. I would eventually like to see "Ladder safety" and "Work at Height" training taken up by the majority of our members and NVQ too where possible,.. and it is high on our priority list to wrangle a discount for members! The larger the membership, the better chance of getting a discount, so it may take time (We have 130 members at the moment).
By making the Guild accessible to the average guy or even the "Newbie" window cleaners we aim to provide the support they need from the very outset by helping them to price work right, work safely from the start, and provide a more professional image to the general public right from day one.

Exaclty, if you have been on a course and earned this "bit of paper" then im up for it. Any tom dick and harry could join the guild and obtain this guild sticker and be useless and non trust worthy people.

The Guild logos/stickers show that at the very least  you are insured. Trustworthy is something very hard to quantify, unless you know of a test? Perhaps you are suggesting that all our members should be CRB checked? Should the majority of members agree with that, then after a show of hands and a discussion on how to implement the scheme, it will be introduced. Such a major change may have to wait till 2011 registrations to come into effect tho!


The Guild is still in its infancy,.. we're figuring out what benefits our members want, and what we can afford with just a £20 per annum member fee. What I can promise is that we're working hard to constantly improve all aspects of the Guild, and we appreciate the help and input we get from our members.

[Window Washers]

i would like to see window cleaning as a profession and to have minimum levels of qualifications before any single person can tout for business or even clean a pane of glass. i would like to see guys charging sensible prices and not feeling that worthless they need to charge peanuts! i would like to drive out the bad reputation window cleaners have and replace it with a respected business outlook on our industry.

I couldn't agree with your more!
As for minimum qualifications, the Guild doesn't require anything other than proof of insurance at the moment, but we do strongly encourage training. I would eventually like to see "Ladder safety" and "Work at Height" training taken up by the majority of our members and NVQ too where possible,.. and it is high on our priority list to wrangle a discount for members! The larger the membership, the better chance of getting a discount, so it may take time (We have 130 members at the moment).
By making the Guild accessible to the average guy or even the "Newbie" window cleaners we aim to provide the support they need from the very outset by helping them to price work right, work safely from the start, and provide a more professional image to the general public right from day one.

Exaclty, if you have been on a course and earned this "bit of paper" then im up for it. Any tom dick and harry could join the guild and obtain this guild sticker and be useless and non trust worthy people.

The Guild logos/stickers show that at the very least  you are insured. Trustworthy is something very hard to quantify, unless you know of a test? Perhaps you are suggesting that all our members should be CRB checked? Should the majority of members agree with that, then after a show of hands and a discussion on how to implement the scheme, it will be introduced. Such a major change may have to wait till 2011 registrations to come into effect tho!


The Guild is still in its infancy,.. we're figuring out what benefits our members want, and what we can afford with just a £20 per annum member fee. What I can promise is that we're working hard to constantly improve all aspects of the Guild, and we appreciate the help and input we get from our members.

Crb is location based, so would really be a waste of time. I have crb check yet I am now being vosa and crb checked on new contract....

Problem is with these checks they are fine up till they are processed then they are out of date.

Ian
p.s crb is 3 times the guild membership fee at least 
unless you are plannjing to up the fee to somewhere like the fed after we have built it for you.  but could see that being clever business on your part Nat 

[Window Washers]

What do you mean by CRB being location based?

as in when it is done it is out of date a min after, so one company based say cambridge centre crb you, within an hour int is out of date, meaning you cant go to next place say cambridge south and say I have a crb as it means yes you did earlier but not present

[Window Washers]

Independent safeguarding authority, is the answer you may be looking for windowwhasher

Check it out mate 

your spelling is worse than mine spewan

[ftp]

Can't help but think that crb's are just another money spinner somehow.  

[Sean Dyer]

Can't help but think that crb's are just another money spinner somehow.  

they are if you dont need it

[Window Washers]

Sorry Ewan could not help myself, you must either be drunk on concentrating hard to get my name wrong to get me to bite, which I do

[macmac]

Can't help but think that crb's are just another money spinner somehow.  

You're such a sceptic Davith, you've changed since you got that big posh house!!

[Nathanael Jones]

Crb is location based, so would really be a waste of time. I have crb check yet I am now being vosa and crb checked on new contract....

Problem is with these checks they are fine up till they are processed then they are out of date.

Ian
p.s crb is 3 times the guild membership fee at least 
unless you are plannjing to up the fee to somewhere like the fed after we have built it for you.  but could see that being clever business on your part Nat  

There are no plans to increase the membership fees,... unless the members vote to introduce something like this which would necessitate it. The Guild is guided by its members with all major decisions being put to the vote.

The CRB check idea is something I plucked out of the air after Sensai mentioned proving members are "Trustworthy",... but perhaps I should have asked what other organisations like the Fed do to prove their members can be trusted? Is it possible?!

[ftp]

Not got the house yet! My mrs has been helping out at the school for years - she is also involved in security work with her job. The school suddenly realised she had no crb check so she was instantly banned from the shool trips etc untill the check was done.
The fact that they are non-transferrable is a joke. Obviously thought up by some jobsworth as a way of boosting revenue to whoever charges for it.
Reading through this thread has made me angry that we live in such a crap society that thinks bits of paper are the way forward.  
As for NVQ's - don't start me on that but having witnessed someone pass one who could barely read or write made me realise what a load of toss his piece of paper was.  : (and that was far more advanced than any window cleaning certificate)

[Gleaming windows]

A piece of paper could quite easily be meaningless but how are you going to prove something (which has value/worth and meaning) to someone without a piece of paper, scribe your qualifications on a rock?

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

Nat I have registered mate, just have to email my insurance details, do you need the whole PDF that we have?




Matt

[ftp]

How many customers are interested in what associations anyone belongs too?
If I want a tradesman I ask around for a recommendation, I couldn't care less if he has any qualifications or belongs to a club. I'll take others words that he has done a quality job at a good price.

As far as window cleaning goes if a commercial customer wants proof of insurance then give him a photocopy. It's only cleaning windows - do a bad job and they will simply sack you. We are hardly craftsmen anyway let's be honest.

[Nathanael Jones]

do you need the whole PDF that we have?


Matt

Yes pls!

[BORBRYCE]

How many customers are interested in what associations anyone belongs too?
If I want a tradesman I ask around for a recommendation, I couldn't care less if he has any qualifications or belongs to a club. I'll take others words that he has done a quality job at a good price.

As far as window cleaning goes if a commercial customer wants proof of insurance then give him a photocopy. It's only cleaning windows - do a bad job and they will simply sack you. We are hardly craftsmen anyway let's be honest.

So so true, good old common sense, we clean bloody windows for hells sake, no one cares or even thinks are we quallified to wash their glass. Just show up now and again and clean the windows please..... :

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

How many customers are interested in what associations anyone belongs too?
If I want a tradesman I ask around for a recommendation, I couldn't care less if he has any qualifications or belongs to a club. I'll take others words that he has done a quality job at a good price.

As far as window cleaning goes if a commercial customer wants proof of insurance then give him a photocopy. It's only cleaning windows - do a bad job and they will simply sack you. We are hardly craftsmen anyway let's be honest.

They show professionalism, SAC shows patential customers that registered tradesmen know how to operate safely whilst on their premises.

[Sean Dyer]

How many customers are interested in what associations anyone belongs too?
If I want a tradesman I ask around for a recommendation, I couldn't care less if he has any qualifications or belongs to a club. I'll take others words that he has done a quality job at a good price.

As far as window cleaning goes if a commercial customer wants proof of insurance then give him a photocopy. It's only cleaning windows - do a bad job and they will simply sack you. We are hardly craftsmen anyway let's be honest.

So so true, good old common sense, we clean bloody windows for hells sake, no one cares or even thinks are we quallified to wash their glass. Just show up now and again and clean the windows please..... :

you guys are mostly domestic then?

[Niall McAllister]

It's £20 for 1 year advertising on a site that places highly on search engines.
is that not enough reason?