Who should NY Trade schools be accredited by?

[ThinkingAboutIt]

I'm considering different trade schools here in the NYC area. Who should they be properly accredited by? Also, any recommendations?
This would be a 2nd career, so I need to go part time (late afternoons/evenings/weekends).
Reasonable tuition is obviously a plus.
Also, how long does it typically take to complete school, etc. for certification?
Which tests will I need to take?
Any extra info in general would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!!!!

Anthony

[raven22]

Save your money all hvac schools in ny i know of are a waste of time you wont learn anything get a job as a apprentice working for a company only way you will learn or start reading alot of books one good one is modern refrigeration also electricity,electronics,and control systems for hvac both you can get used on amazon for a good price (I REPEAT ALL HVAC TRADE SCHOOLS IN NY ARE GARBAGE IV WORKED WITH GUYS OUT OF SCHOOL DIDNT EVEN KNOW WHAT A WRENCH WAS AND 20,000 IN DEBT)

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Raven22, thanks for the reply. How about getting certified?
The problem for me is I can't work full-time as an apprentice making very low pay (I'm 40 so got bills, etc).
What is the pay like as an apprentice? (rough estimate)
Thanks once again...

[KnewYork]

The problem for me is I can't work full-time as an apprentice making very low pay (I'm 40 so got bills, etc).

What is really low pay? And do you expect to come out of HVAC school and be able to start as journeyman? Guess again. In our local a first year apprentice starts at about $18.00 plus benefits.

If you can get accepted as an apprentice, you'll have a steady job and go to school at nights (here it's twice a week) for five years. After each year you will get increases to your wage until you turn out as a journeyman.

When you go to a trade school you are getting no field experience. It's all book knowledge and when you're finished you have to go out and try to find a job. What if you are unsuccessful in finding a job? Then you have a mountain of more debt and no income to pay it off.

[timebuilder]

Take the low pay. It's worth it.

[raven22]

you need your epa card to work with refrigerants go to abco refrigeration supply house they give the epa test its by mainstream engineering its like 175.00 for the test package with study material thats the only certification you need for now and if your using the torch in the 5 boroughs you need the g-60 and f-60 at 9 metro tech brooklyn ny givin by the fdny,also osha 10 hour is good to have a must if your doing new construction you can take it online just google it 1st year apprentice in the union local 21 westchester starts at 15.47 a hour and 638 in nyc 10.95 hour trust me this is the only way you will learn please dont waste your money on school field experience is the way to go

[DLZ Dan]

Lincoln Tech in Union NJ does bussing in and out of NY and i think it's the better program. I'm a graduate of there and i'm on their advisory board. I used to teach at Apex and after myself and nother teacher left, the supervisor fired all the good teachers because they knew more than him were a threat to him. So at least raven knows what he's talking about here.

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Thanks for the replies. I need to weigh everything. I'm making $60,000 a year right now, so it would be tough to drop down to $15 or $18 an hour.

So, one question I still have. If (IF) I were to go to a trade school, do I still need to do an apprentice? If not, am I to assume I would not start any higher than $15 or so an hour anyway? (I'm sure I wouldn't). If that is the case, then becoming an apprentice would make more sense since I would be making the same and would get the hands-on.

Actually, one more question lol. Does the apprentice work/position need to be full time? If I could do it part-time (nights/weekends, etc), then I could get buy doing that on the side until I'm ready to go beyond the point of apprenticeship.

[maxster]

is your $60G job mechanical at all w/hands on work with tools.forget about the part time thing your either full time or no time being hired.going to school is a typical requirement even if you don't learn anything,but companies want to hear your committed in spending that tuition.the apprentice starts with a company not schooling.

[MechanicallyInclined]

If you're doing about $30/Hr. right now doing something else good luck making that type of money as an HVACR Apprentice. Most certainly you won't be anywhere near that starting off non-Union. A degree in HVACR isn't needed if you can enter as Apprentice, a $20K tuition bill is even less needed.

[ThinkingAboutIt]

is your $60G job mechanical at all w/hands on work with tools.forget about the part time thing your either full time or no time being hired.going to school is a typical requirement even if you don't learn anything,but companies want to hear your committed in spending that tuition.the apprentice starts with a company not schooling.

No, not mechanical at all. I'm a teacher, a few years in (thinking of leaving for many reasons, from politics to the extreme and being micro-managed to the extreme; not to mention our union & pension probably disappearing eventually as charters begin to take over, but that's a whole other topic).

So, part time is out of the question? That would not be good for me. I'd have a real difficult time managing money-wise.

[DLZ Dan]

School could be done part time, such as nights, but once out in the workforce it probably wont happen. What was your idea of "part time"?

[KnewYork]

I don't know about other UA local unions, but here in California when you become an apprentice you are required to go to school two nights a week. You can be terminated from the program if you miss more than two classes per semester. Your education in the program actually falls under the jurisdiction of the community college district.

I can imagine it would be tough to walk away from a $60K per year job. The only thing I can ask is "Is it worth it?". I believe if there's a will, the way can be figured out. I started in this trade at $2.25/hr., but the last year I made less than $60K was 1985. Money shouldn't be your only motivation. Find something you are passionate about and go for it. I love this trade and love going to work.