Welcome to From Trowel to Teacher
You know your trade — but could you teach it?
From Trowel to Teacher is our series about making the move from working on the tools to standing in front of the next generation of plasterers.
Drawing on real experience from the trade and Further Education, we talk about what it’s actually like to become a plastering lecturer — from that first interview and your first nervous steps into the classroom, to lesson planning, managing students and, of course, surviving OFSTED week!
There’s no educational jargon and no pretending it’s always easy. Just practical advice, plenty of stories, a bit of humour and the things we wish somebody had told us when we first swapped the trowel for the classroom.
Whether you’re thinking about teaching, have just started your first college job, or you’ve been teaching the trade for years, there’s something here for you.
Put the trowel down for a while, grab a brew and join Mick & Dave — welcome to From Trowel to Teacher.
Episode 1 The Overview
Ever wondered what it’s really like to swap the tools, the site banter, and the day-to-day graft for the classroom?
In this first episode of From Trowel to Teacher, Mick and Dave kick off the series with an honest overview of the journey from working plasterer to teaching the trade.
Episode 2 The Interview
In Episode 2 of our From Trowel to Teacher series, Mick and I look at the college interview process and what you can expect when applying to become a vocational teacher.
What are they looking for?
How should you prepare?
Does being a great tradesperson automatically make you a good teacher?
And how do you convince an interview panel that you can pass your knowledge and experience on to the next generation?
Episode 3 The First Two Years (rabbit in car headlights)
In this episode, Mick and Dave dive into their early days as teachers — tackling IT skills, surviving the dreaded Cert Ed, and sharing what it really took to make it through those first two years. Expect plenty of laughs, a dose of banter, a few terrible jokes, and a healthy serving of classic dinosaur rock. Tune in for a fun, honest, and nostalgic chat about the rocky (but rewarding) road from trowel to teacher!
Episode 4 The Ups and Downs of Classroom and Workshop Management
In this episode of The Plasterers Podcast – The Mick & Dave Show, Mick and Dave explore one of the biggest challenges faced by trade lecturers: managing both the classroom and the workshop environment.
Episode 5 The Assessment Process
Join Mick and Dave as they dive into the assessment process — breaking down what it really means to go from the tools to the teaching side of the trade. Expect the usual banter, belly laughs, and great music that fans have come to love.
Episode 6 Don’t sweat the small stuff
In the final episode of our From Trowel to Teacher series, Mick and Dave talk about Ofsted week, observations, preparation and why sometimes you’ve just got to…
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!
Episode 7 The Tom Marsden Story
In this latest episode of The Mick & Dave Show, we sit down with Tom Marsden to hear his journey from life on the tools to inspiring the next generation of tradespeople.
Episode 8 Its Silly Season again for the colleges
That time of year is nearly here…
Colleges are enrolling thousands of students for September — and suddenly realise they need lecturers to teach them!
That’s when the emails start flying and the agencies start looking for experienced tradesmen and women who might fancy swapping the tools for the classroom.
Episode 9 Think you know everything about your trade Part 1 The Classroom
You’ve been on the tools for years. You know your skimming from your rendering, your floating from your setting, and you reckon there’s not much about plastering that anyone can teach you.
Well… let’s see, shall we? 😂
In this episode of The Plasterers Podcast – The Mick & Dave Show, we put plastering knowledge to the test.
Episode 10 Think you know everything about your trade Part 2 The College Workshop
Mick and Dave spent decades on the tools before moving into teaching and soon discovered that doing your trade and teaching it are two very different skills.
Maybe it should be:
👉 “Those who REALLY know their craft… teach it.”
