A short background:
I left school, went to college for 2 years, obtained my City & Guilds in joinery and carpentry, went to work as a kitchen fitter, work dried up and was made redundant. I took the first job that came my way and have been in dead-end jobs ever since. The work i do now is too easy and i feel as though i'm suffocating and wasting my life there.
I've decided to try and get back in to joinery. I have tried to keep myself up to scratch by helping my brother (another joiner) with various projects like fitting kitchens and converting a loft earlier this year. I think once i get re-acquainted with all the terminology and get my speed up, i'll be fine.

My brother says i need at least the CIS card :?
So i need info on the two cards:
What is the difference between the two cards?
How do i go about getting the card/s?
Do i have to pay for the card/s?

I asked my brother but he was clear as mud :rolleyes:

Contact Thompson Matric (I think that is the name) on 870 600 4020, 6th floor, Furnival House, Sheffield.
Registration as labourer £17 and for the card £20
2 passport photo's
booklet for test £9.99p H & S test CITB

Hi,

The CIS card is for self employed individuals where the cost of labour exceeds a certain amount (usually £1,000). If you work for a School and the labour exceeds that amount, you have to show your CIS4 card, your cheque is sent to the local council who deduct your TAX etc. and send you the cheque back.

The CSCS card is a construction skills card. You have to do a Health & Safety exam in Sheffield costs about £20, then a further £20 for the card. If you work on-site the foreman will ask you to provide one.

CFS
Sheffield

The difference between the cards is, the CIS card is for inland revenue tax collection, you pay 18% tax directly from your earnings. The CSCS card is a basic traing certificate that allows you onto construction sites. Most sites I have worked on will not allow you on site without one. I have a safe pass certificate which basically is the irish equivalent. They are usually done over a 2 day period. CIS cards can be obtained from your local inland revenue office. Hope this has been helpfull

Thanks for all the info everyone :thumbsup:
In order to keep my options at a maximum, i think i'm going to need both cards.
I don't suppose anyone knows how long they take to come through?

Hi could anyone help me out with a few questions regarding the cscs card please,i understand that you have to sit the health and safety test ...and after you have passed the test you apply for the card....do you need any recognised qualifications in order to get a card if you are self employed and wanting to work for agencies or sub contracting?please please can someone help..im really confused regards jen

After 5th April 2007 you no longer need a CIS card.

You basically need to register with HMRC as self employed and they will put you onto their database. Then when you work for a company as a sub contractor, the company will inform HMRC who will provide them with a verification number and will also let them know how much tax to deduct from you. (20% or 30%).

it was the cscs card i am confused about....not the cis card thanks anyway...anyone else help??

getting your cscs card is becoming essential. whilst most sites are really not bothered about them, getting work, especially temp work without one becoming almost impossible, just look at job centre website.

you need to take a multichoice theory test and get 35/40 to pass.

get in touch with Nacro (earl st.) - (0114) 2722319, can look em up on yell.com and ask for sarn or mick and theyll explain everything and huide you through it, they also have a copy of all 500 questions for you to scan through. can get a cd rom off ebay for £2-£3 with all quests on it you fancy a practice prior to your test!

costs around £17 for test (tek it at same place as theory test i think) and £15 for card, once passed. get a temporary number that you can give to employers before your card arrives.

just spoke to mick 25 for the card .. :(

if your temp working or without a steady income, youll be able to get the standard cscs test and card for free, speak to sarn!!!

its okay paying all that money to try and pass the course but what if u fail it u have wasted all that money !! cos its like this... if u fail u still have to pay... if u pass still have to pay..... i am not a book reader or into cd roms i have no time for all that... so they should have help in the class room for specail needs ppl... to explain the questions more better so they get a good chance in passing... i say get rid of the card and let us all have work !!!!

Do any of you have any revision aids that my hubby could borrow for this test, Thank you

Yes i have the required revision aid. And hixxy trust me you would have to be brain dead to not pass the test. Its basic common sense.

A short background:
I left school, went to college for 2 years, obtained my City & Guilds in joinery and carpentry, went to work as a kitchen fitter, work dried up and was made redundant. I took the first job that came my way and have been in dead-end jobs ever since. The work i do now is too easy and i feel as though i'm suffocating and wasting my life there.
I've decided to try and get back in to joinery. I have tried to keep myself up to scratch by helping my brother (another joiner) with various projects like fitting kitchens and converting a loft earlier this year. I think once i get re-acquainted with all the terminology and get my speed up, i'll be fine.

My brother says i need at least the CIS card :?
So i need info on the two cards:
What is the difference between the two cards?
How do i go about getting the card/s?
Do i have to pay for the card/s?

I asked my brother but he was clear as mud :rolleyes:
Your cis is your self employment card although they no longer give these anymore you would need to call the inland revenue to obtain a utr number which is your unique tax reference code and then you can work as self employed and sort your own ni contributions etc again this is optional!

cscs is a health and safety card which is becoming more compulsry on construction sites now you just need to book in for the test buy the booklet with the reading materials and do the test this is something I would recommend if you want to get back into construction.

hope this helps :-)

cant ya get a mate who can pass off as you and take the test n pass for u on your behalf?? :loopy: cos am telling you now if its like the car theoy test ya got na chance in passing, ive been over 200 theoy tests and failed everyone, i think they should have like teacher assitents to explain the questions in more detail, ..........

i wouldnt worry bout getting your cscs card its a doddle , if youve worked on a site before and not lost a limb through you own stupidity then youll pass , the only thing i had to look up was what each colour of fire extinguisher was and that was a long time ago

well i dont like reading so the book is out of the question, so if anyone wants the book that i bought for the cscs card can have it well actually i didnt buy it got it given but once i opened it as a present i said stick it up where da monkeys put there nuts, i cant stand reading, even thought i can read pretty well in deed..... :hihi:

has anybody got any bricklaying jobs on, or know any sites tht need bricklayers???

hi brickieblade yeah i know 2 agencys who want brickies to start asap but must have own transport and work is not in sheffield though!!

do have any phone numbers?? where is it workin


cheers pal

leda agency in leeds city centre will have to register though before they can give ya any work!! they have work across yorkshire and the midlands for brickies on a new school build, mind you wont be working the the company its self you will be working on behalf on the company for the agency and remember agencys take so much per hour off ya wage but ya still will get a denct pay each hour!

ye, worked for an agency before. Any wage round £10 p/h is good enough for me. Can u register over internet or do u have to phone up?

you have to go to agency with id, passport or birth paper and bank details etc plus ni number card or wage slip with ni number on it, plus referances from old works etc then u start straight way, its agency work thought!! ring up make a time to register!

They dont do the CIS cards anymore but they give you a number UTR number it is known as

have recently been to the tax office and was told because i am going self employed i must regiseter for my UTR then if i intend to work in the construction industry i will have to register for the CIS number if i do not register for cis i will be taxed at 30% with this cis number i will only pay 20%
this is directly from my local tax office :huh: yet many of you say u dont need it ???? .

the cscs cards are supposed to drive out idiots and cowboys from the industrys as you are supposed to demonstrate that you have the skills for your trade that will be printed on your cscs cards, nvqs ect OR (you are supposed to be assesed at site or workplace to prove you have the skills) and the health and safety is a newish addition to the cscs cards (supposed to be required on every construction site )

hi re the cscs test

thomson prometric in salford is who you should call they control the cscs card test.. 17.50 for the test and you can pay by debit /credit card they will give you a test date in and around your requested date.

upon passing the test, you have a period to find an employer and they complete the bottom part of your certificate which also is acceptable to get on site.. the cscs card is free if within this period.. after that its 20 pounds for the card.

in preparation for this test , there is the actual cscs revision book and cdrom available from most good bookshops. i would ask someone you know if they have either.. its worth revising because like the last person said to me " its all common sense" he got 28/40 and failed it.. made him look a right knob.. by doing revision it also makes sure that things sink in for the future. .it is a health and safety test and it should be known that anyone ignoring health and safety practice shouldnt go anyware near a construction site..

if you are unemployed , there are ways of getting this test paid for. flexible new deal is coming into force from the 5th of october hence there will be case for training providers to pay for this and achieve a job outcome from it.. the only thing at the moment is construction work is majorly effected and even trade based agencies such as linear, linsco, leda are all shy of work!!.

lets hope things improve.

Boxing Day MASSACRE WEDNESDAY Trounced UNITED. They'll never get over that one!Also the 2008 season double.Thanks for all the info everyone :thumbsup:
In order to keep my options at a maximum, i think i'm going to need both cards.
I don't suppose anyone knows how long they take to come through?

Just found out my CSCS Card has expired, am not working at the moment, but need one to improve my job prospects. Where is the best place to take a test, and can anyone flog me a revision book? Thanks.

I managed to get hold of a Question and Answers disk. I f anyone needs one, pm me, and I can e-mail the pdf file to them.

Unemployed and want a free CSCS card? Get one here: www.freecscscard.com/ (http://www.freecscscard.com/) Loads of centres knocking about too.