Help, im confused about what qualifications i need in what order

[mdgibbs32]

Help !!
I was recently made redundant and want a new direction and career and have decided i want to "try" being an electrician. I have looked at "domestic electrician" courses as i want to really concentrate in this type of area but im seriously sceptical..i mean come on...qualified sparky in 5 to 7 weeks...if it was that easy then why isnt everyone doing it. Also i suspect the sales pitch is somewhat unrealisic .

I think a much better way to do it would be to go to my local college and do the relevant qualifications. This is where my confusion starts though. Exactly what qualifications and in which order should i take. Please bear in mind im 40 years olds so getting a job with a local sparky as his mate ( i would love to do it though if any sparky in the coventry/leicester/midlands area is looking for one) is unrealistic as they will all want young lads/lasses and at the end of the day i want to work for myself.
Im not being unrealistic about the money you can earn, (ive been quoted that you can earn £50+K a year...yeah right !!) its just something i want to try and do.

Going back to the qualifications i want to be able to do everything in a domestic environment from installing a plug socket (i can actually already do that) to being able to sign safty certificates for landlords.

Sorry for the long thread but i want to do this properly, i wouldnt want someone whos done 5 weeks training re-wireing my house thank you very much !!
thanks

 

[JONOXNAM]

Hi, I have just finished a couple of years completing 2330, 2391 etc i.e. proper electrical qualifications and have just started up with Napit as a sole trader - to be honest if you can get another trade you might have a better chance of a decent return on your investment.
I was in the semiconductor industry as a technical customer support engineer with a P60 every year over 60K but left because of having to fly all the time.

The amount you have to comply with and have to be a properly tooled up, insured & registered sparky who takes a pride in their work makes me think 'they never told me’ this at the local college when I started.
Don't get me wrong its a great job and I love it but it is depressing seeing some of the dangerous crap people are installing who obviously don't even test their work means it is difficult to compete.

Plus I think you will find it hard to get an apprenticeship as if you are over 25 - companies do not want to know. But you may be lucky.

In my opinion all electrical work should be properly regulated - no more DIY - then no need to have confusion over part P at all. It is a profession with a lot of responsibility, signing a cert is serious but from what I see the attitudes and the remuneration does not reflect this at all as I saw a job advert for electrician must have own tools, transport & 2391 etc ALL for £12 an hour!
Jon.

 

[nickblake]

It takes years to be come a spark not something that can be done in a few weeks ive been in the trade for over 25 yers and guess what im still learning

 

[SirKit Breaker]

You are correct. You will not earn £50k a year. Nor will you become a qualified electrician in 5 days. At least you are in the real world.

Jono in the post above makes some very good points in my opinion.

There are no end of quals you can do. He quotes 2330, and 2391, there is also 2382 wiring regs.

So 2330, then get some experience if you can, then 2382, then 2394/5/6 these are replacing the 2391. This will cost an arm and a couple of legs, not to mention the time factor. Once you are getting there then you need to get kitted up, Part P reg etc, plus all the books, insurances, van and so on.

You will be looking at throwing a good sized 4 figure sum, pushing up to five figure at this, so dont decide to do it on a whim. Given that you are 40, it could be another 10 years before you reap any significant rewards on your investment, leaving you only 10 to 15 years left to earn for retirement. self employment is rewarding, all the profits are yours, but chasing money, sending out invoices etc etc etc can be a real pain. So i would say before you decide on a total change of direction think long and hard.

Working with electricity is not rocket science, but even the smallest task has to be done properly, tested properly, and most importantly it has to be safe. When you are 50 you will have 10 years experience if you started now. No disrespect, but 10 years experience is not going to be good enough. You can be trained into any trade you choose, but unfortunately you cant be taught experience, the only way to get 30 years experience is by doing 30 years work.

The trade is also full of cowboys and pub experts who will always undercut you for cash. It is also full of very very good experienced electricians, some of whom will be your competitors and well established, so guess where the work will go. It took me 5 years to get properly established with a solid customer base. Thankfully i now teach it, i decided that 30 years on my knees had to come to an end.

Cheers..........Howard