How does one become an electrician?

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Discuss How does one become an electrician? in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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sonny

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I want to know how you proceed because in my country I only have courses that start from 4 months to 6 months and I have no idea how you can get training.Do you start as an assistant?I tried to find 4 year courses but I couldn't find it and I'm pretty sure that most of the courses in my country don't teach you a lot about electricity.What should I do?I really don't know if the degree from these courses are recognizable so I'm asking for advices.
Do you get some training in another country if you have these 4 to 6 month courses?
 
TonyMitchell said:
Where do you intend to live and work in the medium to longer term?
This may influence where you want to train and gain qualifications.
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In Ireland or UK.I don't think Germany will train me because I'm an unskilled worked in electrotechnics and electronics.I have no experience in electrotechnics and I doubt that Germany will train someone who is unskilled.I heard a lot of users from other forums that if you are not skilled in this specialty it will be harder to get a qualification because no one will train someone who has a low-skilled degree.
 
in the UK, you can take a short course 4 -5 weeks which gives you the in to being a domestic installer, limited to working in the domestic market, join the race to compete with the bottom feeders that work for peanuts.
 
telectrix said:
in the UK, you can take a short course 4 -5 weeks which gives you the in to being a domestic installer, limited to working in the domestic market, join the race to compete with the bottom feeders that work for peanuts.
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But I wanted 4 years and not 4-5 weeks...Is it impossible?
 
MFS Electrical said:
Sorry I don’t have a clue what EURES is mate. I’d probably try and get in contact with firms local to where you’d like to set up home and go from there
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Ok but do you know if you start as a labour worker if you don't have the 4 year degree in your own country?I mean I don't want to start as an unqualified worker in the electrical industry.
Do you start as an assistant to the electrician?That is what I want to know.
 
sonny said:
Ok but do you know if you start as a labour worker if you don't have the 4 year degree in your own country?I mean I don't want to start as an unqualified worker in the electrical industry.
Do you start as an assistant to the electrician?That is what I want to know.
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you start off unqualified learning your practical side of the trade at the same time as maybe 1 week out of 3 going to college sometimes it’s one day a week and sometimes it’s blocks of maybe 3-4 weeks of college but in between you are out learning the practical side with the company you are employed with.
 
Well now.... I did about 5 years of training in total, including the two City & Guilds courses, and the the C&G tearing as cert course. The regs updates etc etc. And even now it continues.

But nowadays I would say you could do the four week course, but a set of insulated screwdrivers, a pair of pliers and a roll of electrical tape and Bobs your mentor. YOU ARE AN ELECTRICAN!

I wish you well in your new career and more so I wish your clients even more luck!
 
PEG said:
I'm disillusioned with my lot...i too,want to be an "electrican":)
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Why, it's a rubbish career, train to be a CISCO engineer instead.

You will be on a rubbish wage having to pay out money for rent/food/travel with no backup or help if things go wrong.
 
To get properly trained you need a level 3 qualification an NVQ and AM 2. If you are under 25 and British the level 3 certificate is free in college but quicker and very expensive at a training centre.
 
MFS Electrical said:
maybe 3-4 weeks of college but in between you are out learning the practical side with the company you are employed with.
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What do you mean by college?I thought electricians are non-college graduates.I don't understand what you mean here.You need a college degree to be an electrician?Please explain me!
Also if it's 4 years why do you have to go to college?I'm confused right now.Do you become an engineer after you graduate college?Is that what you mean?
 
Pete999 said:
n

Think my reply went adrift somewhere sorry
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There is a ‘five week wonder’ course that. As far as I understand, is aregs course only. ‘This enables the partaker to become Part P registered. Yes, go figure!?

These FWW’s come out thinking they are qualified electricians.

The ‘real’ course will be three years or so plus other courses such as testing and certification and regs updates.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pete999 said:
n

Think my reply went adrift somewhere sorry
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To recap Sonny, you obviously haven't heard of the Term 5 week wonder, where by someone suddenly decides they want to become an Electrician, because they realise they are in the wrong job and want a change, so they pay their money and enroll in a 5 week intensive course, trying to learn all the theory, and practical skills an Apprenticeship used to provide.
Now don't get me wrong Mate this will, and has worked very well for a few people, who turn out to be very good electricians.
I admit I don't know the detail of how this is achieved, because personally I don't agree with this system, ( far to old to change my views now) but if this is the way you want to go in your career then search the internet for the myriad of training courses promising you the Earth.
Once you have passed (graduated) from these courses, you are allowed to join one of the Competent Persons Scheme CPS as an example NICEIC, NAPIT. ELECSA, there are others who will gladly persuade you to part with your hard earned once per yer, on joining a Scheme, or scam as they are sometimes called, you are permitted to sign off on your own work.
 
At a Further Education College they teach Electrical Science and technology (along with hairdressing, art etc. in other departments of the college .
Level 2 usually takes 2 years and level 3 another year. Level 3 includes the Wiring Regs and inspection and testing.

Either during this time or after it you can do your NVQ level 3. This is work based on the job learning so you will need to be employed. At this point you should be able to pass the AM 2 (trade test)
Don't be tempted to take the 4 week wonder course as a Part P domestic installer. Not if you really want to be a good electrician and not a bodge it and scarper chancer
 
Dont know if they still do it,but i did my training on a 2 year intensive colleve couse whilst i was on disability &in & out of hospital for 18 months reconstuctive surgury following a burn injury.this was 5 days a week for a year with a few weeks farmed out to a local company for on site experience.year 2 consisted of 2 days at college & we were supposed to sort ourselves out for the rest of the week.i went from college straigjt into the large commercial sector,straight in a deep end,learned very quickly.i dont know if such a thing is available now with the 3 & Electrical Trainee courses on offer,its 20 years since,but something may be available better than a wetpants course.
 
Sonny, whilst you haven't indicated your age or whether you have commitments at home, being realistic here, your enquiring as to how much food and rent costs whilst you're training suggests you may need to carefully look at how you are going to finance a move to the UK, paying to live and paying for training whilst you have no income. If you want something even half decent, you will have to pay a couple of months rent upfront. If you do a 4-week course, that alone is going to cost you circa £3,000, + allow £200 for books. Then you need to get a job as a mate, to start earning. Throwing all that into the melting pot, I reckon you need to have around 52,000 Leu (£10,000 GBP) saved that you are prepared to invest in what could be a life changing decision.

In the meantime, start learning from reading the forum posts and trying to understand some of what's being discussed. Buy an 18th edition regs book and familiarise yourself with it in relation to some of the topics on the forum - that will put you on the front foot.

Good luck.
 
I would tend to agree with the posts 39 (Oracle) and 41 (Tony) for advice so far. There are some good Youtube video's that members may wish to put links to for you. But all the best of luck.
 
Why do you want to be an electrician, its not a great job to be honest, I did my time 4.5 years working industrial building sites and being sent to college by the firm I worked for (EIL if anyone remembers them in Victoria) to be honest if you are 19 and stuck in Romania and are flush with cash then I would choose a different route to be honest.

As I said before if you get CISCO accredited then you have the potential once you work your way up to be in a nice office with free tea and coffee and with women not dirty plumbers on say £350 to £500 per day, there must be courses in Romania, or go to India for training.

As you are 19 and in Romania have you just completed your basic education?
 
SWD said:
As you are 19 and in Romania have you just completed your basic education?
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I only graduated highschool but I didn't get my bachelors degree(12th year degree).I was a poor educated child in physics and I barely passed my exams in school so now I want something easier from the chapters of physics.I looked through advanced physiscs and I couldn't understand a thing from integrals,derivatives.
 
I had a B in my last physics exam and a A in my math but I failed in my original language.The math wasn't hard until calculus but the physics was hard.We didn't had a lab so we had to google it and I didn't understood a lot from google.The videos explained me such a low information where I could barely recognize the difference between 2 phenomens.
 
If it is the same system as in Poland at 19 you finish High School, why not go to Uni to study a decent subject that can open more doors for you?
 
SWD said:
If it is the same system as in Poland at 19 you finish High School, why not go to Uni to study a decent subject that can open more doors for you?
Click to expand...
Because I suck at physics?I didn't learned a lot in my physics lab so I doubt that my imagination could comprehend physics at an advanced level.
 
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