Becoming electrically qualified without taking it up as a career

[bromine]

Hi

I do not wish to become a career electrician but do wish to be able to carry out electrical work to a competent standard in my home and to the point where I could, for example, build a home.

I have looked around at the various qualifications that can be taken up, and would like advice on which would be viable and suitable, as it is not always clear whether I would need full time on the job experience with some. I could work weekends with an electrician, obviously unpaid, but not evenings. Could you advise on the following?

C&G 2357
AM2
NVQs

Forgive any ignorance in this pots; I am extremely new to the trade and trying to establish how to move forward.

Many thanks

 

[Kamikaze]

Can't see the point, why bother. Just get an electrician in. Cheaper and less effort.

 

[bromine]

Knowledge and interest.

 

[Adam W]

It doesn't really work like that - the idea is the exams prove what you know rather than being a training course.
C&G 2356 and the new 2357 replacing it require you to be working onsite, preferably full time.
AM2 is a practical workshop-based assessment.
AFAIK there aren't many (if any) courses for DIY "electricians" - it's a bit like being an amateur dentist.

If you have the opportunity to work weekends with an electrician, gain your experiance by doing that.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Bottom line is you don't need anything you just need to be competant.

So you can achieve competency several ways, work in the industry for 40 years train and retrain as your career goes along and then you maybe consider competant.

Do a modern apprenticeship and come out of your time and start to work in the indsutry and you will be deemed competant but perhaps not the finished article.

Do night school for perhaps 2 or 3 years and try and get work in the industry to gain experience and then complete NVQ's and such, may be a while before you would be deemed totally competant but working towards that.

Do an intensive 8 week course or perhaps a learn at home course, you might not get a title of electrician but you do get a domestic installer tag and your deemed competant but there is a lot of argument about that.

Or there is the DIY'er who as managed to blunder his way doing things, it must be easy becasue I haven't killed anyone or burnt the house down yet, but then I don't have car insurance either and not hit anything for years, nor do I wear my seat belt but hey have I gone through the windshield, naw.

Please don't think about wiring your house, I would not try and perform a DIY vasectomy I would leave that to someone competant.

 

[ALH]

Bromine - an excellent idea - then you won't have to wait around and be let down over and over again waiting for work to be done. I've been trying to get an electrician to fit/reposition a new cooker switch for months. Have rung and asked for someone to come and give me a quote, they have given me a time and day when they will come, but never heard of again. Others have come, given me a quote which I accepted. Gave me a day and time when they would come and do the job, but never turned up. No phone call, no reply to voicemail message or e-mail. The latest one (yesterday) came, gave me a quote and said he would probably be able to come on Wednesday, but he would check his diary at home and ring me back within the hour. Did he? Did he buggery. People wonder then why someone has done a diy job when you can call in an electrician!

Good luck.
Al

 

[Sparky Ninja]

Bromine - an excellent idea - then you won't have to wait around and be let down over and over again waiting for work to be done. I've been trying to get an electrician to fit/reposition a new cooker switch for months. Have rung and asked for someone to come and give me a quote, they have given me a time and day when they will come, but never heard of again. Others have come, given me a quote which I accepted. Gave me a day and time when they would come and do the job, but never turned up. No phone call, no reply to voicemail message or e-mail. The latest one (yesterday) came, gave me a quote and said he would probably be able to come on Wednesday, but he would check his diary at home and ring me back within the hour. Did he? Did he buggery. People wonder then why someone has done a diy job when you can call in an electrician!

Good luck.
Al

Really??

 

[ALH]

Really what?

 

[Sparky Ninja]

Really as in.. really?

Have you tried that hard to get an electrician?

 

[Adam W]

Really??

I've heard of people pulling their own teeth out with pliers because they couldn't find an NHS dentist; similar kind of thing I should imagine.

 

[ALH]

Widdler: Oh - yes, absolutely true. I feel quite capable of doing the job myself, but want it to be done by the book. Unfortunately if I don't get it done soon I will do it myself.

Al

 

[Sparky Ninja]

I just find it hard to believe this work is out there when I'm finally convincing myself to sign on tomorrow!?!?!

 

[Adam W]

Something tells me there's slightly more to it than that.

 

[bromine]

Thanks for some of your replies. It is a lot of effort, and perhaps a general course is more appropriate, such as the Introduction to Technology: C&G Level 1, which covers a range of construction skills, including electrical installations. I would not expect to be able to carry out any domestic job required of an electrician, but would like, for example, to be able to fit a light or a double oven.

ALH, sorry to hear of your experience; try mybuilder.com as there are definitely many great tradesman out there who want to work and keep promises.

Working weekends would be great but no sparky would take on someone who can only faintly remember GCSE physics. Therefore a course would surely help in terms of knowledge and demonstrate a willingness to learn.

 

[bromine]

My post was deleted, perhaps because I signposted ALH to another website on which tradesman advertise. Apologies for breaking forum rules. In any case, what I wrote was that perhaps the Introduction to Technology: C&G Level 1 course is more appropriate to gain knowledge of construction skills in general.

ALH keep on trying, private message me for the website which I suggested, if indeed that is allowed by forum rules, and you can find many a fantastic tradesman who wants to work and carry out the job properly. I do not wish to eliminate electricians from my home; I just want to have knowledge of what they do and be able to do it myself.

 

[bromine]

Hang on a second, it was not there a minute ago! Apologies for multiple post.

 

[ALH]

Something tells me there's slightly more to it than that.

Like what? I haven't asked them to fit a pull cord switch

Al

 

[ALH]

Bromine - thanks, I'll take a look. Have tried other websites, but not that one.

Al

 

[sbrown2]

Bromine - you need to be careful here. If, as I hope, you are one of the many people to have the ability to absorb information and understand it and have good craft/trade skills then I understand your frustration. In reality I have good qualifiactions in electrical engineering but I cannot do electrical work in my own property with paying building control or a competent persons scheme. Therefore you and I have to make decisions as to what we are competent to do.
As an example plumbers can repair a water leak in a property as far as I know without certification. Whats the chances that a major water leak will not effect e;lectrical circuits. It all comes back to competence.
If you are unsure, follow the rules, if you are truly competent make a decision based on your skills.

 

[pushrod]

Hi

I do not wish to become a career electrician but do wish to be able to carry out electrical work to a competent standard in my home and to the point where I could, for example, build a home.

Many thanks

learn about the world of part P - doesn't matter how competent or qualified you are. There are just three options really if you want to install new circuits... join a competent persons scheme and pay their dues etc or pay a similar amount to the local authority building control or break the law . I am not advocating the third option!