Distance learning

United States of America

As you'd expect in a country accustomed to contracting out household jobs from dog-walking to lawn mowing, the States has a thriving market in "home improvement contractors", as they are known, only too happy to offer both specialist and general handyman services. Not all of them are entirely scrupulous, however. New York's Department of Consumer Affairs says it receives more complaints about this group than any other.

Consumers are fighting back by posting recommendations, gripes and warnings of dodgy dealing online. Angie's List, for example, operates across 36 US cities and receives 5000 reports a month on everything from scams that will be all too familiar to the UK consumer, such as fly-by-night traders and poor workmanship, to the plain bizarre, such as the repairman found in a woman's wardrobe sniffing her shoes.

How are they regulated?

In New York, anyone doing jobs of more than $200 (£114) must have a licence, which requires a criminal check and a written exam. They must also post a bond or contribute to the HIC Trust Fund which can provide up to $15,000 worth of compensation to consumers if contractors go bust or skip town. However, New York authorities are keen to know more about TrustMark as the formal licensing of tradesmen isn't making a dent in consumer complaints.

France

There is no hurrying French builders, or "artisans" as they are known. They will lovingly craft your home improvements in between sipping espresso or puffing on a cigarette.

Tradesmen are much in demand since DIY mania seized hold of France three years ago, and with a 35-hour working week and customary two-hour lunchbreaks, jobs can take a while to complete.

This can be a source of frustration for Brits attempting live the Year in Provence dream in their dilapidated farmhouses. "Everything takes a lot longer in France," says one. "You can get someone, but they're unlikely to turn up in the next few weeks. You have to badger them." The most sought-after tradesmen may be booked up a year in advance.

How are they regulated?

Artisans must be registered with the region's chamber of commerce, which will issue them with a SIRET number and licence to ply their trade, require them to take out insurance and, usually, offer a 10-year guarantee.

India

It's not hard to find a builder in India's vibrant informal economy, but getting them to finish the job to the quality you're after is difficult unless you know exactly what you want and how it should be done.

It's not such a problem for tenants in the new apartment blocks springing up all over India's bigger cities - they can take advantage of modern management services - but for individual homeowners quality is a perennial gripe and the need to keep a constant eye on tradesmen can strain relationships.

Homeowners are not exposed to high standards of work in India, particularly outside the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, and as many tradesmen are ill-educated or illiterate, improvements throughout the industry are slow.

For expats living in India workers' approach to timekeeping can be baffling. No matter how faithfully a tradesman might promise to come at a certain time, they almost certainly won't, and it's wise to take completion dates with a massive pinch of salt. It's not deliberately poor service, Indians are very eager to please and they don't like saying no if they can't deliver.

How are they regulated?

Not at all. Semi-government bodies such as the Construction Industry Development Council are trying to raise skill levels and health and safety standards on large-scale construction projects, but the smaller end of the sector is largely beneath their radar.

South Africa

If you're thinking of doing some renovation work in South Africa, then you'd also better ramp up your home security. Housebreaking and robbery are endemic as the unemployment rate soars, and as one Cape Town local puts it, "when the builders move into an area, housebreaking goes up".

Most building workers on domestic jobs are very casually employed. The average small-time contractor, or "bakkie builder" as they are known after the pick-up trucks they drive, will collect a couple of labourers from the side of the road on the way to a job, which gives little protection for homeowners. The market for renovations is booming - a drive through the suburbs of Cape Town reveals piles of bricks outside every other house - which has encouraged more people to set up their own building firms, not all of them scrupulous. So while it's not hard to find tradesmen, it's very much a case of buyer beware.

How are they regulated?

They aren't. Firms actually building houses must be registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council, but there's no equivalent for small renovations work: anyone can buy a bakkie, pick up some labour and get stuck in.

Russia

There are two types of builder in Russia, according to one Moscow-based expat: those who understand what quality means, and those who understand what the minimum legal requirement is.

Unfortunately the legacy of Communism means the "bodge it, grab it and leg it" brigade have a ready market - many Muscovites have lived in state-owned apartments all their lives and their expectations are low. "In the UK, people know what a bodged job looks like. Here, if it works, to a lot of people that's good enough," says our wary expat.

Russia's housing market is booming and, like everywhere else, the good tradesmen come at a premium. But Moscow's apartment dwellers do have another recourse: the teams of tradesmen employed to service each block. In fact, the landlord should be the first port of call when any kind of alteration is planned - if you don't obtain their permission and they find out, you could be ordered to stop work halfway through, though as Russian local authorities are not known for the speed at which they process paperwork, many people bypass the bureaucracy. These days, however, they're less likely to get away with it - too many residents have flooded, damaged or otherwise inconvenienced their neighbours and landlords are cracking down.

How are they regulated?

There's no central body to regulate tradesmen and while they must be qualified in their discipline, as a plumber or electrician for example, further specialist certification - the equivalent to CORGI in the UK - is unknown. Russian consumers must check references and qualifications carefully to avoid getting ripped off.