apprenticeship as a gunsmith.

[contrysports]

i'm not sure if this is in the right place but please move it if it is not.

 

i have been searching for a place as an apprenticeship in gamekeeping but i need to keep my options open. so i was wondering if you know if there is any where you think may take on an apprentice.

I'm based in Lincolnshire however probably would travel into Yorkshire for the right placement. any help or advice on the career much appreciated. the reason i have been looking into this is because i have recently done up an old gun but would want to learn and take this on further into all of the mechanism.

 

thanks for looking.

[Bleeh]

the only chap I know who did an apprenticeship to be a gunsmith went to Uni to study as a mechanical Engineer first.

 

You've got lots to learn, such as metal working, milling, lathes, various chemical studies to understand the properties of metal, etc that I don't think a gunsmith would have the time, or want, to risk attempting to teach a young'un.

[peck]

the only chap I know who did an apprenticeship to be a gunsmith went to Uni to study as a mechanical Engineer first.

 

You've got lots to learn, such as metal working, milling, lathes, various chemical studies to understand the properties of metal, etc that I don't think a gunsmith would have the time, or want, to risk attempting to teach a young'un.

 

what a negative attitude to take with someone who is trying to get an apprenticeship.

give the lad a break, if you cant be positive towards him best say nowt.

[Bleeh]

what a negative attitude to take with someone who is trying to get an apprenticeship.

give the lad a break, if you cant be positive towards him best say nowt.

 

I'll stand by what I said. If you want to be a Gunsmith you've got very little chance without doing some further education first.

 

Traditional apprenticeships are dead, and though blunt If it's something the lad is serious about doing he will need to realise there is some serious mechanics behind the trade these days.

Edited February 13, 2013 by Bleeh

[Gunnerbob]

Have you thought about the Forestry Commission ? maybe a bit of a convoluted route but may lead to something more in line with your hopes. You are doing the right thing, by being pro-active, ask, visit, you never know. Although a long time ago now, I got an apprenticeship as a printer by getting the works manager's direct line and badgering him for an interview......bit different now but keep at it

Edited February 13, 2013 by Gunnerbob

[mark@mbb]

Mike Norris was advertising on SD the other week for an assistant that would be a start they work from 6am until midnight to try and keep up

[fuzzypigeon]

go and do mechanical engineering/fitting with machine tools and bench fitting as these are the fundamentals of all mechanical trades including gunsmith

[bakerboy]

i'm not sure if this is in the right place but please move it if it is not.

 

i have been searching for a place as an apprenticeship in gamekeeping but i need to keep my options open. so i was wondering if you know if there is any where you think may take on an apprentice.

I'm based in Lincolnshire however probably would travel into Yorkshire for the right placement. any help or advice on the career much appreciated. the reason i have been looking into this is because i have recently done up an old gun but would want to learn and take this on further into all of the mechanism.

 

thanks for looking.

 

Peter Godfrey at Royston in Herfordshire done an apprenticeship as a Gun Smith, many years ago, and for many years took on apprentices. Peter might be someone to talk to for guidance and advice.

He no longer requires apprentice's so no job going, but Peter will certainly tell you as it is.

 

PM me for contact details if you are interested.

 

Terry

[Big Mat]

Elderkins of Spalding might be worth an ask, i know they take in the odd apprentice!

[HDAV]

Contact the GTA and the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers for advice.

 

AFAIK Hollands/Boss and Purdeys still take one or 2 a year

 

http://jobhits.co.uk/view-job/APPRENTICE-GUNSMITH/d24d.html

Edited February 13, 2013 by HDAV

[fruitloop]

the only chap I know who did an apprenticeship to be a gunsmith went to Uni to study as a mechanical Engineer first.

 

You've got lots to learn, such as metal working, milling, lathes, various chemical studies to understand the properties of metal, etc that I don't think a gunsmith would have the time, or want, to risk attempting to teach a young'un.

I think you mean technical collage .as I don't think media studies will help any one to make or repair a gun

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I think you mean technical collage .as I don't think media studies will help any one to make or repair a gun

 

But they might have lovely advertisments!

[contrysports]

thanks for all the help but it's just a back up plan if i don't get into keeping but sounds like my back up is harder so i would probably do the collage route in mechanical engineering to make things easier.

[kent]

thanks for all the help but it's just a back up plan if i don't get into keeping but sounds like my back up is harder so i would probably do the collage route in mechanical engineering to make things easier.

To be fair most jobs become a drag, the above is a better career choice- you can always diversify later in life when building money and assets becomes less of a motivating factor

[Guest TomColman]

I'll stand by what I said. If you want to be a Gunsmith you've got very little chance without doing some further education first.

 

Traditional apprenticeships are dead, and though blunt If it's something the lad is serious about doing he will need to realise there is some serious mechanics behind the trade these days.

 

What a load of rubbish you are spouting! Traditional apprenticeships are dead? Tell that to BAE who take on a few thousand apprentices a year in skills such as metal working and electrical engineering WITHOUT having a degree! Yes having a degree is beneficial, i myself have a degree in chemistry but it is not the be all and end all.

 

As to the original post i would seriously suggest going to speak to derek lee in tumby before you become too disheartened, a friend of mine had an apprenticeship with him, starting on smaller things such as work in the shop and understanding the trade before he got into the mechanics behind it, however he had to stop working due to family circumstances. I Would try giving him a call.

 

Good luck chap.

[Bleeh]

What a load of rubbish you are spouting! Traditional apprenticeships are dead? Tell that to BAE who take on a few thousand apprentices a year in skills such as metal working and electrical engineering WITHOUT having a degree! Yes having a degree is beneficial, i myself have a degree in chemistry but it is not the be all and end all.

 

As to the original post i would seriously suggest going to speak to derek lee in tumby before you become too disheartened, a friend of mine had an apprenticeship with him, starting on smaller things such as work in the shop and understanding the trade before he got into the mechanics behind it, however he had to stop working due to family circumstances. I Would try giving him a call.

 

Good luck chap.

 

Right.

 

BAE take 300 apprentices a year, not "Thousands".

 

It's still not what I'd call a traditional apprenticeship. People have this romance about walking into a dusty shop rosy cheeked after school and offering the sweep the floors and suddenly 8 years later you are a fully trained Gunsmith. It just doesn't happen like that anymore.

 

 

I also never said anything about getting a Degree, I said further education (i.e 16+ education, College, for example.) To be honest while education is free, it's hardly a bad back up plan to be studying for something while looking. that way if you come up empty handed you won't end up with nothing.

[Gunnerbob]

Amidst all this just remember...no knowledge is ever wasted, as Bleeh said, a back up plan is a pretty good way to go.

[Bazooka Joe]

go and do mechanical engineering/fitting with machine tools and bench fitting as these are the fundamentals of all mechanical trades including gunsmith

 

True, but that on it's own is an apprenticeship, & will take you a good few years to learn.

 

Having that behind you will/is a great help if you intend going forward into gunsmithing.

 

I feel these days, starting a young apprentice from scratch to teach the above will be slim.

[HDAV]

Your best chances are a collage course if under 18 then an apprenticeship/training scheme for 3-5 years. After some difficulties and illness a friend has just completed his Electrical apprenticeship after 7 years norm 4-5, 2-3 in college same in work.

[fuzzypigeon]

you could do a nvq level 2 in PEO (performing engineering operations) wouldnt take a full year and its all bench fitting and with that you are classed as semi-skilled so would then be showing that you are keen and have done something to help your chances, perhaps??

 

at least some firms class you as semi skilled with that anyway, not all.

[contrysports]

thanks for all that, Derek lee is not that far from me so it would be worth having a word with him before i do anything see what he says

[kent]

Right.

 

BAE take 300 apprentices a year, not "Thousands".

 

It's still not what I'd call a traditional apprenticeship. People have this romance about walking into a dusty shop rosy cheeked after school and offering the sweep the floors and suddenly 8 years later you are a fully trained Gunsmith. It just doesn't happen like that anymore.

 

 

I also never said anything about getting a Degree, I said further education (i.e 16+ education, College, for example.) To be honest while education is free, it's hardly a bad back up plan to be studying for something while looking. that way if you come up empty handed you won't end up with nothing.

Uk apprentiships in high level manufacturing like engineering are the best they have ever been. Funding is on tap and a guy trained this way is highly likely to be higher paid and more sought after than a lot of guys with lesser degrees. The wages in the mid stages aint too bad either especially when a degree student will be building debt for a job they might never get. My wife is very involved with this up to Gov, level being a director of a training company and to say the apprentiship is dead is total rubbish. One of her projects at present is building a university technical college that takes kids from age 14 replacing the trash that high schools have become to industry

[Bleeh]

Uk apprentiships in high level manufacturing like engineering are the best they have ever been. Funding is on tap and a guy trained this way is highly likely to be higher paid and more sought after than a lot of guys with lesser degrees. The wages in the mid stages aint too bad either especially when a degree student will be building debt for a job they might never get. My wife is very involved with this up to Gov, level being a director of a training company and to say the apprentiship is dead is total rubbish. One of her projects at present is building a university technical college that takes kids from age 14 replacing the trash that high schools have become to industry

 

What? I said traditional apprenticeships are dead, and they are. I didn't say modern, government and education establishment backed apprenticeships are dead.

[kent]

What? I said traditional apprenticeships are dead, and they are. I didn't say modern, government and education establishment backed apprenticeships are dead.

To qualify they are better than they ever have been in the engineering type trades "traditional" depends on your age group- I was trained by one guy who wasn't actually paid- his parents paid the company, most guys in the 40-50 yr old age range started with YOPS and YTS and had to progress onto decent training after. So what the heck is a "traditional" apprentiship? slave labour with no college like during the industrial revolution? From UTC at 14yrs a student will need a corporate sponsor a std modern apprentice is only retained by his training group so long without an employer (in the case of the employer going insolvent or redundancy). I ask you to respect that which is happening today regardless of the experiences you might have had in the past- Today an engineering apprentiship is an excellent start in life and it is how the UK must see itself out of this bad period

[syborg]

When people say an engineering background is needed, would city and guilds level 3 in mechanical production competencies count?