James Crawley
St Albans,Hertfordshire
Summary
I am a trusted and reliable individual with a strong work ethic, who is committed to continuous learning, personal development and the development of those around me. As the owner of a successful plastering business for over forty one years I have built up my knowledge to be able to effectively navigate the trade and adapt to the environmental changes of the building industry. Throughout my career I have developed a solid understanding of the daily operations of small businesses including payroll compliance, budgeting, workforce management and customer relations. Creating positive relationships and maintaining high standards of service and a professional approach to my job.
Overview
49
49
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Construction Consultant
GSK Surveyors
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
2025.11 - Current
- I assist structural surveyors with my 40+ years of knowledge pertaining to the construction industry.
- My day to day jobs in the office are admin work consisting of spreadsheets, making and receiving telephone calls to the businesses clients and dealing with customer queries and bookings via email.
- When I go out on site visits it is my role to conduct dilapidation surveys to ensure safety and compliance with the relevant regulations.
- With my extensive knowledge of listed and unlisted buildings I am able to bring my experience and practical understanding to the surveying work.
General maintenance operative
Wolverton Park Nursery School
Enfield, North London
2025.06 - 2025.10
- My expectations within this role were to complete general building maintenance and upkeep along side any in-house small structural problems that arose.
- It was also within my job description to maintain the grounds of the school.
- The majority of my responsibilities took place prior to the opening of the school, once the school opened in September 2025, I found that there wasn't enough to done to sustain me long term.
Business owner
J A Crawley Plastering
St Alban's, Hertfordshire
1984.02 - 2025.05
- I have owned and successfully run my own plastering business for over 41 years.
- My positive reputation within the construction industry meant that I have travelled to numerous counties to carry out my work.
- Covering all aspects of the plastering industry from stud partitioning to dry lining all internal and external plasters, working with sand and cement renders, pebble dash, floor screeding and small amounts of brick work.
- I am a specialist by experience in grade 2 listed buildings lime mortars, putty's and renders.
- Throughout the course of being a business owner I was an employer for subcontracted labourers for 25 years, providing high quality, on the job training to promote a progression pathway for them to start up on their own.
- I also have a strong understanding of employee relations and directorial responsibilities that fall in line with payroll, profit and loss, budgeting for material and wages to ensure that I maintained fairness and compliance with the UK payroll regulations.
- On top of the building work, I dealt with architects, surveyors, professional and domestic clients, site agents, project managers, building inspectors and health and safety executives. This means that I have the skills and knowledge necessary to adapt my communication style effectively to different professional roles and working environments.
Plasterer
Victoria Construction
St Alban's, Hertfordshire
1981.10 - 1984.01
- I originally started with this company as a small plasterer under a recommendation based off of my previous work.
- I then became the Forman for the business owner which meant that I had the responsibility to control of all of the jobs that the business had coming in, deal with the contractors and manage the expectations for the necessary deadlines.
Postal worker
Royal Mail Group
St Alban's, Hertfordshire
1979.10 - 1981.10
- Sorted mail accurately, ensuring correct distribution.
- Adhered to security policies to maintain service integrity.
- Completed sorting and delivery tasks in line with target timeframes.
- Created and maintained positive relationships with customers and the community through friendly interactions.
- My duties were to sort the mail, collate the mail and then deliver it effectively and efficiently.
Labourer + Improver
Free Lance
St Alban's, Hertfordshire
1977.07 - 1979.10
- My role was a form of self employment when I was not fully qualified as a plasterer subcontracting for small building companies as a free lancer.
- Working on small remedial plastering jobs, to build up my knowledge and skills.
Trainee electrical engineer
Deeks Electrical
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
1977.01 - 1977.06
- With this company I learnt the basic knowledge of circuits and other electrical components but ultimately was a labourer for the qualified electricians.
Education
Marshalswick Boys School
St AlbansSkills
Strong work ethic both individually and as part of a team
A reliable individual with exceptional time management
A fast leaner who has the capacity to onboard and retain information provided through all mediums
Understanding of the daily runnings of a successful small business
Always willing to learn new skills and adapt and develop my current knowledge
Certification
I am first aid trained and I hold a valid and in date DBS certificate because of my volunteering at the amateur boxing club.
Affiliations
I have over the past eighteen years and will continue to, spend a lot of my free time volunteering at the local amateur boxing club that I was apart of in my youth. I am the head coach there and I take pride knowing that we are a charitable organisation who help young people turn their life around through sports, redirecting them towards a positive output for their emotions and create a safe space for people to come and build upon their talent.
References
References available upon request
Timeline
Construction Consultant
GSK Surveyors
2025.11 - Current
General maintenance operative
Wolverton Park Nursery School
2025.06 - 2025.10
Business owner
J A Crawley Plastering
1984.02 - 2025.05
Plasterer
Victoria Construction
1981.10 - 1984.01
Postal worker
Royal Mail Group
1979.10 - 1981.10
Labourer + Improver
Free Lance
1977.07 - 1979.10
Trainee electrical engineer
Deeks Electrical
1977.01 - 1977.06
Marshalswick Boys School