In need of some friendly advice!

[boontang]

Hi,

I'm new to this, so forgive me if this has been asked a thousand times!

I'm wanting to start a new career as an electrician. Looking back i should of done this years ago, when prehaps it would of been financially easier! But hey-ho i cant dwell on that!
I'm 30 years old and currently work in customer service, were i have been for the past year and a half. Before that i worked as a plumbing(not gas safe/corgi) & drainage technician, where I worked for 6 six years. I was trained in that field by my mother's husband who had his own business.
I've always been pretty hands on and not afraid to get my hands dirty.
I did spend my late teens and early 20's in college and university, so I know I've got the ability to learn.

I've spent hours looking around on the internet trying to find information of where to start, but the truth is, i'm a little lost! What I'm after is someone with experience to say... Your first step should be this course, or this book. My knowledge/experience is very little, but I can change a plug/light fitting/light switch/socket!

Any advice, good or bad would be much appreciated!

 

[valleybilly]

Dont belive the training centre 50k a year hype ! They use this to sell you there courses

 

[accordfire]

Speak to local colleges first. And local firms who might be willing to take on an adult trainee - few and far between to be fair though at the moment.

Don't be tempted to do a Electrical Trainee course and hope it'll all come good. It rarely does.

 

[boontang]

Dont belive the training centre 50k a year hype ! They use this to sell you there courses

Yeah I'm read some stories! I did make some enquiries, but was put off by their pushyness and wanting £6000+
I'm in no rush, and I've learnt that enjoying your job is more important than just the money. I can honestly say I think I would enjoy being a sparky!

 

[telectrix]

go for a job as an electricians mate then try and get on a proper college course, 1 day or 2 evenings a week .

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

Proper city & guilds qualifications and 5 years hard work part time or 3 full time at college to get what you need, get a work placement(even unpaid), its the only way, these "become an electrician in 5 weeks" are a load of cobblers, you will be left skint, baffled, badly taught and unqualified if you choose that option, good luck

 

[a1electrical1]

Don't listen to these losers! This trade is what you make of it. These people sit around waiting for life to give them a break. I can't say anything, I did that for 2 years. But it doesn't work. I finally got off my arse and found my own council contracts (the only way to do it by the way), and now I take home 24,000 per month profit with only 6 blokes working for me and I'm only 27. The message really is that it doesn't matter if your a spark a plumber or a road sweeper. If you've got the drive and the brains you can turn your life how you want it to be. If your a loser like most of these on here you won't ever take more than £200 a day, and that's no wage to be getting out of bed for is it!

 

[Des 56]

Personally,I have always considered someone who has obsession with how much they earn to be sorry individuals
You will find as you get older that there are priorities in life that make the aquisition of money and stature pitiable and somtimes even laughable

Advise by seasoned sparks about the correct way to be skilled in an occupation is not the advise of sorry losers,rather its advise by electricians who have trod the road to skill in life and trade

You are young and brash and may find you have a lot to learn
One thing that comes to mind is humility,it takes a larger personality than you show to aquire

 

[a1electrical1]

Personally,I have always considered someone who has obsession with how much they earn to be sorry individuals
You will find as you get older that there are priorities in life that make the aquisition of money and stature pitiable and somtimes even laughable

Advise by seasoned sparks about the correct way to be skilled in an occupation is not the advise of sorry losers,rather its advise by electricians who have trod the road to skill in life and trade

You are young and brash and may find you have a lot to learn
One thing that comes to mind is humility,it takes a larger personality than you show to aquire

Theres no obsession here, simply gratitude for the life that this trade has given me. People here seem to be telling this bloke that its hard to earn a good living through being an electrician. I'm saying that its a matter of point of view. If you train to be an electrician and work for someone else or indeed become self employed and limit yourself to local work and word of mouth, you may as well become a milkman (which I'm not saying isn't an applaudable way of life, but this man seems to be striving for something more based on his original question). Just the fact he is looking to change his way of life by becoming a spark says to me that he is after something more and unless he does things the right way it doesn't matter what quals he has behind him.
And for the record, I have trod many a rough path and have experienced the rough end that you seem to be still going through, so it can't be said that I don't know both sides of the coin

 

[londonlec]

I'm fully qualified, work in all areas, domestic commercial and industrial installation, and testing, and I would have earned more being a parcel force van driver last year.

 

[Des 56]

Theres no obsession here, simply gratitude for the life that this trade has given me. People here seem to be telling this bloke that its hard to earn a good living through being an electrician. I'm saying that its a matter of point of view. If you train to be an electrician and work for someone else or indeed become self employed and limit yourself to local work and word of mouth, you may as well become a milkman (which I'm not saying isn't an applaudable way of life, but this man seems to be striving for something more based on his original question). Just the fact he is looking to change his way of life by becoming a spark says to me that he is after something more and unless he does things the right way it doesn't matter what quals he has behind him.
And for the record, I have trod many a rough path and have experienced the rough end that you seem to be still going through, so it can't be said that I don't know both sides of the coin

Personally I have need or want for anything regard work,it emerges as regular and sufficient for my needs and no i am not nor ever have experienced the rough as you care to put it

I think people here are saying that it would be hard to earn a living as an electrician if your training was inadequate
In this respect they are very right,there are people who will buck the trend,but they are few and far between
For the average Joe.quality training and extensive experience is absolutely essential

There is money and a good living to be earned as an electrician
I have always been in work and usually been fortunate enough to work harder at turning away work because there has been simply too much for the most part of my many years in the trade

However,employment or self employment will be much harder to make a success if the underpinning training falls short

 

[kingeri]

@ a1electrical1 - I've never heard as much tripe in all my life. A couple of guys just warned against Electrical Trainee courses, they also advised to go to college - and you call them losers. And as for you tall claims of 24,000 profit per month....hahahaha very funny......yeah right!!!!!!

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Always amusing reading braggarts speil.

In my experience:


" I've had 3451 different women" usually means maybe 1, and maybe a half baked effort

"I'm rock hard, fought this bloke, had this bloke" usually means not 'rock 'ard at all


"Im rich Im successful listen to meee" ......

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

A1 electrical - open abuse of other members, he is probably not an electrician but the guy who sells these 'dreams' of earning 50k and qualifying in 5 weeks, total joker, don't believe a word he says

 

[Essexboy7]

Don't listen to these losers! This trade is what you make of it. These people sit around waiting for life to give them a break. I can't say anything, I did that for 2 years. But it doesn't work. I finally got off my arse and found my own council contracts (the only way to do it by the way), and now I take home 24,000 per month profit with only 6 blokes working for me and I'm only 27. The message really is that it doesn't matter if your a spark a plumber or a road sweeper. If you've got the drive and the brains you can turn your life how you want it to be. If your a loser like most of these on here you won't ever take more than £200 a day, and that's no wage to be getting out of bed for is it!

Mods please ban this fool before he wastes any more of our time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Engineer54]

You normally find at least one of these bragging fools on every project (thankfully none so far on this one) We used to encourage them, and eventually they tied themselves up in knots. lol!! They told so many make believe lies, they forgot which one went with each storey!! lol!!


The truth be known he's probably a Electrical Trainee, that needs other qualified electricians to keep him out of the S**t!!

 

[eds54]

The truth is electricians are not a rare breed. When i first started which is more years ago than i care to remember sparkies were considered the crem de la crem and it was one of the top jobs to have now there are so many of us that if you did manage to get a foot hold in the industry finding steady employment would be hard. If you could find a way of killing a few (quite a few actually) of us old buggers off it might create a gap in the work place for people yourself. Good luck i hope you make it

 

[a1electrical1]

Seems like an awful lot of jealous people on here who can't handle someone who has made a better life than themselves. As for being a Electrical Trainee, I am time served and qualified through a rigorous college program.

What a **** forum, don't worry you won't hear from me again.

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

Good riddance

 

[Engineer54]

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!