Discuss Help for experienced Spanish electrician looking to start out in UK in the Electrician Courses : Electrical Quals area at ElectriciansForums.net

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J

Jamg

Hi guys,

I’m new on the forum, I’m 29 years old and from Spain. I’ve worked as an electrician for more than 6 years in Spain. Now, for personal reasons, I’m living in Swansea and I would really like to carry on working as a sparky here in UK. I’m working in something else at the moment but I don’t enjoy it. I’ve got a full Spanish qualification (2000 hour/ 2 year course) but apparently it’s not enough to start working in the trade because they obviously need a British qualification to start to work. I’ve been asking around but nobody has been able to tell me what exactly I need.

I went to Swansea College and asked there what I had to do to become an electrician ASAP and they told me the best thing I could do was to do a full time 2330 Electrotechnical level 2 course for a year. I’ll start it in September but I’m not sure if it’s going to be the best I can do or if it will be a waste of time because I think there must be some other option before doing a year course just to be an electrician’s mate. Maybe there’s a shorter course or a quicker way of becoming an electrician without having to do a full time course. It will be really annoying if I’ve got to study again what I already did in Spain ages ago…

Please if you could give me any advice about it would be great. I really appreciate your help. Thanks very much guys in advance. Cheers.
 
It takes four years to become a qualified electrician in this country. Short courses will get you know where. If you claim to have served your time in your country, you could get your certificates looked at here, to see if they are equivalents to any UK qualifications. The standards between the UK and most European countries are extremely different, infact the word standard doesnt apply for alot of countries. It would probably be worth doing the qualifications over again. I've worked with alot of European 'electricians' and i wouldn't trust them to wire a socket in my home!.....
 
Hi Jamg,

You need to get in contact with NARIC, they will be able to advise if your qualification has a UK equivalent and will give you a statement of comparibility, or should I say sell you a statement cos it will cost you about £50.00, see the link for details UK NARIC - NARIC Services and Prices
 
If you are a fully qualified electrician with Spanish qualifications to back it up, and you cant get any equivalent UK qualifications, then you could look at doing a Level 3 NVQ, and then take the City and Guilds short courses, 2382 Wiring regs, 2394/2395 Test and Inspection.

To do a Level 3 NVQ, you need to be working, as this is done in the workplace. It costs around £1200, and can take up to 15 months if you drag your feet with it, but it can be completed sooner, that all depends on the amount and type of work you do, and the amount of effort you out into the qualification framework.

If you want to look at the NVQ, then contact a local training provider. Dont be fobbed off with distance learning, you want a provider who will support you, guide you, and help you fullfill the requirements. A good provider will discuss your requirements, allocate you to an Assessor, and look at all the optional modules to see which best fits your needs, and then will be on the end of the phone, or email for you to contact them. The Assessor will also come and see you at work from time to time. I see all my NVQ candidates, i have 43, over a 6 week period, to keep them on track.

The NVQ is not difficult, but there is a lot of paperwork to keep on top of, but once explained, it is straightforward enough. From the quality of your post, your English is excellent, so that wont cause you a problem.

Cheers.........Howard

I have just signed a Level 3 NVQ in electrotechnical services off, he completed it in 8 weeks. This was an Electrician who had 15 years experience, but no formal qualifications, he came up through the ranks by experience, and a very knowledgable bloke he was as well. He had C&G 2382,2392 and 2377.

Cheers...........Howard
 
Hi guys,

Thank you very much for all your replies, I'll do the full time 2330 Electrotechnical level 2 course anyway because it's really hard to get a job although I'll try my best to get it to be able to do the NVQ, if I get it I'll contact a local training provider as you said Howard but if I don't I think it will be useful anyway. We'll see what happens...

Also I'm going to see about getting a UK qualifications in NARIC, definitely it will be really useful anyway.

Thanks a lot guys for taking your time to reply to me. Cheers
 

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