Boilers, callouts and a lot of driving
A gas engineer's week is a mix of servicing, breakdowns, installs and safety checks. You spend hours driving between jobs, kneeling at boilers in cupboards, lifting flue kits into lofts and working in tight spaces. Back and knee strain are common, and so is the fatigue that comes with long winter days.
Breakdown work peaks when the weather turns cold, which is also when you are most at risk of slips on icy drives and carrying heavy kit in the dark. Responsibility for safety is high, which adds its own pressure.
Registration, qualifications and your income
To work on gas legally you must be on the Gas Safe Register, backed by ACS qualifications that need periodic reassessment. If illness keeps you off for a long time, those costs and renewal dates still come round. For a self-employed engineer, missing the winter rush can wipe out a big slice of the year's earnings.
Engineers employed by energy suppliers, housing providers or large heating firms may get company sick pay for a time, plus a van and sometimes death in service. Check the details, as they decide how long your waiting period should be.
- Self-employed: winter breakdowns may be your busiest earning months
- Employed: find out when company sick pay steps down
- Keep registration and reassessment dates in mind during time off
- Service contract customers may move on if you are away long
How gas work is classed
Insurers group occupations by risk. Gas engineering is skilled and manual, but with less heavy lifting and height work than many trades, so it is often rated more favourably than roofing or bricklaying. That can mean a lower premium and a better chance of own occupation cover, which pays if you cannot work as a gas engineer.
Engineers who mostly do surveys, inspections or training may be rated lighter still. Tell us what your duties really involve.
Life cover alongside any work benefits
If you die during the term, a life policy pays a lump sum to your family. If your employer offers death in service, it is a useful extra, but it stays with the job. A personal policy protects your family whoever you work for, including if you go self-employed later.
Many engineers set cover around the mortgage and add a family income benefit policy for the years the children are at home.
How Hi Tomorrow helps gas engineers
We look at your work pattern, your employer benefits if you have them and your monthly costs. Then we compare insurers on our panel for the best rating and claim definition for gas work, and help you through the application.
Engineers who leave a national firm to go it alone often lose sick pay and death in service on the same day. If that is your plan, it is worth putting personal cover in place before you hand in your notice, while you can still show steady payslips. If you need to claim, we can support you with the insurer from start to finish.