Self Employed Pat Tester

[Jeeves]

Hi Guys

Just signed up here, basicly looking for advice I am a time served wood machinist but in need of a career change and would really like to work for myself, I have considered pat testing but I dont know where to start, I see all these 2 day courses that claim thats all you need but I feel thats imposible to learn it in 2 days .

can any of you's give me advice on how to get the correct traning that will help me on my way to be a self employed pat tester

Cheers
Jeeves

 

[Adam W]

Setting up a PAT business isn't something I would consider - short of spending 3 years at college the 2 day course (c&g 2377) is the only widely recognised appliance testing course; as a consequence more PAT businesses have sprung up than you can shake a stick at, charging as little as 50p an item, while most here would agree it takes around 5 minutes to properly test an item.
Around £270 for the course
Around £500 for the test gear
Around £200 per year for PL insurance
You might spend an average of around 5p on materials for each test

970÷0.45=2156 appliances to test before you're into profit

2156x5 = 10780 10780÷60=179.6 179.6÷40=4.49.

That's 4½ weeks working flat out 40 hour weeks (excluding travelling time) before you're into any kind of profit, without even considering anything frivolous like buying petrol, advertising, van etc, and assuming you can land enough contracts to give you that much work.

Personally after the first 500 or so appliances I'd be ready to do myself in.

 

[Patman]

Hey you really know how to give a guy encouragement !!

 

[Kamikaze]

He is only stopping him from committing hari-kari
Personably 200 would do it for me…lol

 

[Adam W]

Hey you really know how to give a guy encouragement !!

He said he was after advice, not encouragement.
I had a tutor at college who had been out of the trade for a few years and reckoned PAT testing was "money for old rope" - you could charge £2 - £3 an item for pressing a couple of buttons.
As I say the reality is PAT testing was a 'low value' service anyway (nobody really wants to get it done), just about anyone can do it, there is still the myth that it's "money for old rope", and as a result the market has been saturated.
Fine to offer to existing customers in combination with something else eg maintenance or IT, but not really financially viable to compete for on it's own.

Did I mention it's mind numbingly boring?

 

[Olec]

I only do one or two jobs a year. My biggest is roughly 550 items which i'm pretty bored by the end of.
Having said that it sorts me out cus its straight after chrimbo When i started doing it i gave them a good rate and now four years later I've been told I can get more work from that company but i'd have to drop my prices. Thats gotta be a sign of competition!

I think the biggest problem is that people can not do the job properly and easily get away with it, leaving joe public thinking why would I pay more?

 

[Olec]

In answer to your question jeeves, if you are set on the idea then why not do the 2377 and try and get some jobs while still working to see whether it's a goa and if you enjoy it. At least if it's not for you then you haven't lost out too much

 

[robsparky1975]

I used to pat test a couple of hotels each had 1500 items+,(i was forced to do it),by 4pm on the friday i couldnt wait to get to the pub and get pished,mind numbing work,my advise would maybe to get in contact with large hotel chains etc,find out what they are paying and give them a bulk purchase quote,see if they want to have you do it,get the contract verbally first,then if its financially viable persue the course,if not then you have not wasted to much of your time or money,dont really want to put you off,its just my experience of it,good luck in whatever you choose to do.

 

[roukel01]

With folks charging 50p an item these days, I wouldn't rely on it as a main source of income, it seems large PAT testing firms are sending any tom dick or harry on these courses and then paying them minimum wage to PAT test, they do a realy bad job of it and no one seems to care. Most electricians do PAT testing for compaines or businesses that they do other electrical work for and it is something they Have to do as part of the contract.
It is really really boring, and i think it could be used as a kind of punishment on the youths of today!

 

[accordfire]

Have to agree with most posters here. We do PAT testing, but only for existing customers - we will NOT take on PAT work alone for anyone. It just isn't cost effective. However, we can make it pay when we've got guys on site doing something else too, so we'll do it as part of an overall agreement.

We're at a point where we can do that for as "little" as £1.25 an item or so in bulk - but it does have its pitfalls. It is boring as all hell, as many have said.

I've just spent time on a site myself, to help one of my guys, and ended up doing the PAT testing - 194 devices!

And woe betide you doing that number of devices on a manual PAT tester, and then hoping to use something like Tysoft to produce your cert. You'll effectively be doing the job all over again by the time you've typed everything in!

So. If you're set on doing it, try to differentiate yourself on quality (make sure you can justify why you can't do it at 50p an item), invest in a recording Tester, like a Fluke 6500, or one of the Metrel ones, bar code everything to make your follow ups easier, and make sure you understand appliance repair, fuse ratings, and what the tests actually mean. We've seen millions of "PAT Tested" devices that were no more PAT tested than my auntie's cat.

Another thing to point out with a lot of the "50p an item" testers is that they will charge for EVERYTHING on top. Replacement fuse, a quid. Fail sticker, a quid. New bar code label, two quid. Replace flex, a mint. It's how most of them make their money. Whether it needs it or not, often times. "Re-earthing" is a popular one I've come across - though how you earth class II kit still beats me. I could understand it on Class I appliances, but some of these guys don't even have that level of savvy.

 

[jock28]

Hi lads

Really like the advice given on this topic as currently working offshore as an Electronics technician and looking to do some pat testing in my spare time. Im currently going through OLCI to get a few quals obviously I know all the crap about the course im using for my own benefit and don't want to end up as a sparkie as wont be a qualified one anyway without being time served.

In short is there still a chance of making a bit money on the side of a main income with doing Pat testing ???

Cheers

 

[accordfire]

Hi lads

Really like the advice given on this topic as currently working offshore as an Electronics technician and looking to do some pat testing in my spare time. Im currently going through OLCI to get a few quals obviously I know all the crap about the course im using for my own benefit and don't want to end up as a sparkie as wont be a qualified one anyway without being time served.

In short is there still a chance of making a bit money on the side of a main income with doing Pat testing ???

Cheers

There's *always* a chance of making money, lol.

Seriously, if you can sell it as a bolt on to something else too, you'll do fine.

If not, it's marketing! Make sure what you're doing is more attractive to customers than what the rest are doing.

Put together some basic leaflets, for example, explaining why your PAT testing is better than "standard" PAT testing, and what the benefits of having YOUR PAT testing are to your customers.

I've seen guys locally lugging PAT testers round shopping centres, along High Streets, literally leafleting, and doing the job on the spot if they get a bite.

 

[jock28]

Cheers for the reply,

Im in a good situation with as like I said I work 3 weeks on 3 weeks off making good money but looking to start small doing the marketing like you have talked about. My brother is a website developer I guess its a good idea to get up and running on the web as well. Im also looking to doing the testing of domestic dwellings not really interested in doing the re-wiring etc as work commitments are primarily focused on my offshore job so the Pat testing and dwellings inspection and testing is the path I am trying to go down.

But once again thanks for the advice.

 

[Octopus]

I must agree with Accordfire, his points are well made.

I offer PAT testing for clients but don't push it too much because its rather tedious. The main reason I do it is purely down to marketing myself. When I'm doing small businesses locally I talk to the employees as I go round and look for electrical installation work.

Having said that after 7 months my kit has paid for itself with less than 10 jobs and I've got 2 more 1/2 days coming up. The "profit" will be made between now and when I need to replace the kit!

One final point, don't forget to factor in conversion cables etc if you're going to do 110v testing - my metrel unit does test 110v units BUT only when its plugged into a 110v transformer!

Good luck - keep it professional, produce a good leaflet outling what your charges are, what is covered (i.e. fuse changes, plug rewiring, plug replacements), have "quantity" breaks, minimum charges and then people can see what they will get for their money. Don't drop your prices and fingers crossed you'll get repeat business - businesses want professional suppliers - not cowboys.