Lee and I are discussing him going to RV Tech school as a way to start the adventure so he can service our camper and perhaps pick up a few extra dollars as we travel. Anyone in the forum a certified RV tech?? Any thoughts on the return on investment for 10 weeks of school versus a possible lifetime on the road??
-- Edited by Trace on Monday 16th of December 2013 07:38:01 AM
SnowGypsy said
01:13 PM Dec 16, 2013
My husband considered it as we knew someone that was going down to the one in FL and wanted someone to go and help share expenses. He decided not to go. At the time, we were staying long term and my husband had a secure job on the Army post. The friend went down and came back after training. The only job he was able to get in the area was at a Camping World which paid, at the time, $10.00 per hour and this was in 2004 which was 1/2 what he was making as an airplane mechanic. Being new got him stuck with the more undesirable tasks and I won't detail that. While the course is good, there is still a lot to learn "in the field" per his experience and he was a long time RV owner. Now, we knew someone that took the course in FL and he set up his own business repairing and inspecting RVs in a rather wide area and wider if one was willing to pay his travel expenses. For him, this was income in addition to his military retirement. He set up a cargo trailer like a little shop and went out to the campgrounds. As expected, he had all of those normal business expenses that you get when running your own business. Would your husband be picking up jobs on the road as you went or maybe running a mobile type business?
lindy said
01:18 PM Dec 16, 2013
Interesting idea. Being an X-motorhead this is something that would interest me too. Looking forward to see what replies you receive.
Lucky Mike said
01:50 PM Dec 16, 2013
Well the best way to look at it is cost....
Certified Tech school average cost for a good course is 6500.00
if you have to buy all the tools your really going to need 1200
small onsite parts inventory about 2k
so basically you would have to lay out 10k if you are serious about doing it as an income
like it has been said....after you finish school you have only learned the basics......every brand appliance...coach and system design has its own quirks....They dont teach them all and your going to have to see each one as you go along.
Repairing is not for those that are not mechanically inclined or have poor on the spot problem solving skills.
in the field the going Service tech rate goes anywhere from 25 to 65 per hour plus travel.......
working for a shop will very by region ....
GENECOP said
02:55 PM Dec 16, 2013
I am going to do it.......if for nothing else to have a better understanding of all the RV Systems....i am not doing it to earn income or to save money, I am doing it because I love everything about RV ing and want to have as much knowledge as I can, I also want to be able to help people while on the road....I have checked out two places in FL, they offer a short coarse and a longer coarse that puts you on the path for Certification...
Camper Chronicles said
07:05 AM Dec 17, 2013
SnowGypsy wrote:
. Would your husband be picking up jobs on the road as you went or maybe running a mobile type business?
Picking up jobs as we went probably...it would be a second income
el Rojo and Pam said
07:48 AM Dec 17, 2013
GENECOP wrote:
I am going to do it.......if for nothing else to have a better understanding of all the RV Systems....i am not doing it to earn income or to save money, I am doing it because I love everything about RV ing and want to have as much knowledge as I can, I also want to be able to help people while on the road....I have checked out two places in FL, they offer a short coarse and a longer coarse that puts you on the path for Certification...
Gene may I ask what the cost of the coarse's you found are?
GENECOP said
10:56 AM Dec 17, 2013
el Rojo wrote:
GENECOP wrote:
I am going to do it.......if for nothing else to have a better understanding of all the RV Systems....i am not doing it to earn income or to save money, I am doing it because I love everything about RV ing and want to have as much knowledge as I can, I also want to be able to help people while on the road....I have checked out two places in FL, they offer a short coarse and a longer coarse that puts you on the path for Certification...
Gene may I ask what the cost of the coarse's you found are?
Its been awhile since I sent for and read about the coarse description and fee, but the full coarse was about 6-7000, there was also a shorter 1 month coarse for about 2000..The two schools I looked into are in Florida....
WestWardHo said
11:45 AM Dec 17, 2013
Another possibility is the Campground RV Technician class offered on workamper site. It is one week @ about $1800 and will cover about 80% of the most common problems faced today.
In the interest of full discloser, I have just completed the class and feel a lot more confident about taking care of and fixing most problems with my RV. This class is advertised as a step to become an Inspector but has been around long before that was added and is worth the knowledge about your RV. IMO
I am glad I completed this class.
Jesse
The Bear II said
11:53 AM Dec 17, 2013
Also if you are repairing someone else's RV for pay you will need to carry liability insurance for a minimum of one million dollars in coverage. Preferred amount is 3 million.
A mobile RV technician removed a stove from a friends RV while she was away. He did not plug off the gas line but did turn off the propane at the tank. When she returned home she was cold so she went outside to turn on the propane. When she opened the door to go back in the RV, the escaping gas exploded. She received 2nd and 3rd degree burns to her face, arms and chest.
The technician had not left a note or communicated to her that he had left the gas line uncapped.
Camper Chronicles said
07:07 AM Dec 18, 2013
Wow great point Bear...never occured to me, but your absolutely right. Thanks
rvingft said
06:50 PM Dec 20, 2013
Terry Cooper used to teach and certify techs at a BIG Houston RV dealer. He now operates The Mobile RV Academy and conducts live classes offering the basic information to maintain your own RV. You can contact Terry or Evada Cooper at 254 709-3251 or LadyECooper@MobileRVAcademy.com This is his website >>> mobilervacademy.com/
WestWardHo said
10:23 AM Dec 21, 2013
Actually Terry Cooper does the training for the workampernews.com course that Jesse took and mentioned above. It was a very intensive course with classes from 7 AM and often running past 5 PM. It should be noted that the classes cover detailed inspections with reports and not repairs. Although the inspectors taking the class learned how to do many repairs, they are not authorized to do them nor does the program promote that. Just FYI.
Because part of the course is hands-on inspections of all the different rigs, you get a good check up on your own.
Lee and I are discussing him going to RV Tech school as a way to start the adventure so he can service our camper and perhaps pick up a few extra dollars as we travel. Anyone in the forum a certified RV tech?? Any thoughts on the return on investment for 10 weeks of school versus a possible lifetime on the road??
-- Edited by Trace on Monday 16th of December 2013 07:38:01 AM
Certified Tech school average cost for a good course is 6500.00
if you have to buy all the tools your really going to need 1200
small onsite parts inventory about 2k
so basically you would have to lay out 10k if you are serious about doing it as an income
like it has been said....after you finish school you have only learned the basics......every brand appliance...coach and system design has its own quirks....They dont teach them all and your going to have to see each one as you go along.
Repairing is not for those that are not mechanically inclined or have poor on the spot problem solving skills.
in the field the going Service tech rate goes anywhere from 25 to 65 per hour plus travel.......
working for a shop will very by region ....
Picking up jobs as we went probably...it would be a second income
Gene may I ask what the cost of the coarse's you found are?
Its been awhile since I sent for and read about the coarse description and fee, but the full coarse was about 6-7000, there was also a shorter 1 month coarse for about 2000..The two schools I looked into are in Florida....
In the interest of full discloser, I have just completed the class and feel a lot more confident about taking care of and fixing most problems with my RV. This class is advertised as a step to become an Inspector but has been around long before that was added and is worth the knowledge about your RV. IMO
I am glad I completed this class.
Jesse
A mobile RV technician removed a stove from a friends RV while she was away. He did not plug off the gas line but did turn off the propane at the tank. When she returned home she was cold so she went outside to turn on the propane. When she opened the door to go back in the RV, the escaping gas exploded. She received 2nd and 3rd degree burns to her face, arms and chest.
The technician had not left a note or communicated to her that he had left the gas line uncapped.
Because part of the course is hands-on inspections of all the different rigs, you get a good check up on your own.
Sherry