Is it realy that bad?????????

[dan arbin]

Hello everyone. Well i,ve spent the last half an hour reading what some of you think about the state of the traid and now i,m feeling depressed. I,m 19 months into a 2 and a half year corse. I have my level 2 in 2330 and have just started my level 3. I have worked as a chef for 13 years and at the age of 30 decided i wanted a change and picked a new career as a electrician at a good deal of expence to myself and my new family. Is there anyone out there who has some encouraging words about the traid? I seem to be in the same boat as many new sparks who cannot get a job without experiance. Any advice from you chaps out there i would be realy greatfull.........

 

[Spa Key]

Hello everyone. Well i,ve spent the last half an hour reading what some of you think about the state of the traid and now i,m feeling depressed. I,m 19 months into a 2 and a half year corse. I have my level 2 in 2330 and have just started my level 3. I have worked as a chef for 13 years and at the age of 30 decided i wanted a change and picked a new career as a electrician at a good deal of expence to myself and my new family. Is there anyone out there who has some encouraging words about the traid? I seem to be in the same boat as many new sparks who cannot get a job without experiance. Any advice from you chaps out there i would be realy greatfull.........

About the only encouraging words I can give are: It'll pick up, eventually. You're in a good position doing your 2330, and when there's plenty of work again your knowledge will put you at an advantage to those without any qualifications, though you should try and get some experience to really improve your chances.

I'm 21, just about to finish my 2330 and was made unemployed last month (job not electrical). I have some experience, though not much and only domestic. Luckily I have no responsibilities, so I've applied to uni for electrical & electronic engineering. If I haven't found a job by September then that's where I'll be heading. While you're doing your 2330 have a look at getting 2382 & 2391 as they're very handy nowadays.

 

[dan arbin]

About the only encouraging words I can give are: It'll pick up, eventually. You're in a good position doing your 2330, and when there's plenty of work again your knowledge will put you at an advantage to those without any qualifications, though you should try and get some experience to really improve your chances.

I'm 21, just about to finish my 2330 and was made unemployed last month (job not electrical). I have some experience, though not much and only domestic. Luckily I have no responsibilities, so I've applied to uni for electrical & electronic engineering. If I haven't found a job by September then that's where I'll be heading. While you're doing your 2330 have a look at getting 2382 & 2391 as they're very handy nowadays.

Thanks for the reply Spa key. Guess just have to keep fnngers crossed and trying

 

[Echo]

Depends where you live how bad it is I guess. Haven't had much of anything for weeks, managed to just get a rewire for next week.

I've been offered a 4 week contract on day-rate for £300 a week. (I got paid more as an apprentice!) But if work doesn't pick up I'm going to have to take it just to pay the bills!

Apparently the recession is over, but its going to take a hell of a long time for wages to go back to where they was 3/4 years ago!

 

[acat]

Building goes into recession and is first out when you see that recover then the trend for the future is good until that happens we are in the gutter and it really depends on where you are as to howe busy or quiet you will be. Earn up to £50K yeah right.


Chris

 

[dan arbin]

Building goes into recession and is first out when you see that recover then the trend for the future is good until that happens we are in the gutter and it really depends on where you are as to howe busy or quiet you will be. Earn up to £50K yeah right.


Chris

50k? 15k would be nice. I,m hoping it is just the current climate. I live in norfolk near norwich. I was wondering if i could work for free in my spare time to gain my nvq 3 so to become a registered and gain the vital experiance

 

[ralph naylor]

Hello everyone. Well i,ve spent the last half an hour reading what some of you think about the state of the traid and now i,m feeling depressed. I,m 19 months into a 2 and a half year corse. I have my level 2 in 2330 and have just started my level 3. I have worked as a chef for 13 years and at the age of 30 decided i wanted a change and picked a new career as a electrician at a good deal of expence to myself and my new family. Is there anyone out there who has some encouraging words about the traid? I seem to be in the same boat as many new sparks who cannot get a job without experiance. Any advice from you chaps out there i would be realy greatfull.........

dont bother lol i,m a jib graded spark with 30 yrs exp and i cant get a start anywhere local . its london or starve

 

[ezzzekiel]

got to say although ive noticed a significant decrease im still busy enough, not so many big jobs but plenty of small ones so a lot more running around but works still out there.

 

[m25maintenance]

yep london still ticking over, the trade not traid here is still ok. im jobbing each day pulling in between 120 to 180 a day,will make 1600 profit next week on a 3 bed re wire, if ur willing to drive all over then u can get jobs, i drive from baldock herts to london every day, stress but cash waiting. good luck mate, as tony blair said things can only get better, yea right

 

[rocker]

I haven't read any other replies so sorry if this is a repeat, but:

It WILL pick up, but we are now in a very competitive market and will be for a long time. If you are prepared to work bloody hard and not take the cowboy shilling then you'll do well. Don't have any illusions of having a nice house and an Aston in three years cos it ain't gonna happen, but if you put 100% into everything you do, you'll succeed, and you may have a nice house and an Aston eventually.

 

[Scott F]

Good Advice Rocker

 

[lee sandland]

hey mate dont be so down hearted , i was a chef for 15 years plus, and retraining as a electrician ,but using all the people ive known in the catering trade to gave me a start , i work now and again with a local sparky , witch helps me with my training.You have a head start on knowing pub landlords ect and thats the way in , just getting your name out there and doing a good job
lee (skegvegas)

 

[dan arbin]

Thanks Lee and to everyone else who has posted replys.

 

[devon1]

I haven't read any other replies so sorry if this is a repeat, but:

It WILL pick up, but we are now in a very competitive market and will be for a long time. If you are prepared to work bloody hard and not take the cowboy shilling then you'll do well. Don't have any illusions of having a nice house and an Aston in three years cos it ain't gonna happen, but if you put 100% into everything you do, you'll succeed, and you may have a nice house and an Aston eventually.

Dream on! Local Government want (and getting) fully qualified sparks for testing etc at £8.60 an hour paye. To give you an idea of how low the UK is going, in Australia the minimum wage is $15 per hour = £8.82

 

[rm100]

Good sparks with proper appreticeship served,cant get work for all the firms using mates on a tenner an hour,thats the problem,this forum is riddled with sparks mates looking for work,its a joke.
ELECTRICIANS FORUM yeh .

 

[wattsup]

I don't even get agencies pestering me now, a year or two ago they offered the world!

 

[Adam W]

Tenner an hour? The industry is riddled with 5 day wonders looking to gain experience for free!
Once they have gained the experience the firms will move on to the next 5 day wonder looking to gain experience for free. It's the same as trying to build up a client base by being cheap - as soon as you hike up your prices to try to earn a reasonable wage your customers will find someone cheaper.

 

[rm100]

Tenner an hour? The industry is riddled with 5 day wonders looking to gain experience for free!
Once they have gained the experience the firms will move on to the next 5 day wonder looking to gain experience for free. It's the same as trying to build up a client base by being cheap - as soon as you hike up your prices to try to earn a reasonable wage your customers will find someone cheaper.

I got finished up with balfour beatty recently,they moved the adult trainees into inspection squad,they are still on job snagging approved sparks work and we are all down the road.Its a disgrace,the firms are just using the cheap labour.
Its just getting worse.
I was on a clown house job in scotland with about 200 suppose to be sparks,more than half were mates walking about doing testing.

 

[devon1]

,the firms are just using the cheap labour.
Its just getting worse.

yes you are right, it's a downward spiral with no value to skilled sparks.

My unskilled 18 year old nephew earns more stacking shelves at the local corner shop! Than a local fully qualified government employed sparks per hour if both work the same hours on sundays and bank holidays !

 

[m25maintenance]

bloddy hell, stop feeling sorry 4 ur selves, how many of u advertise ur business, if nobody knows ur there they cant call u. im in london where it is getting more busy by d day, i know up north things might be less busy but u need to invest in order to get reward

 

[sbrown2]

Are you saying there is work out there if you get on you bike? What is the proportion of approved sparks out of work? What is the market really like? And is there truly no value to being a time served spark? I am in the process of gaining a JIB grading and then looking for additional work to supplement reduced hours as a maintenance electrician (Automotive Industry). I am trying to gauge the return on investment. Investmment being NICEIC, Meters, Insurance is the market that saturated or is the little man being squeezed.

Regards

 

[devon1]

To work away from home you need at least £3 an hour more just to break even. There is no financial incentive to attain higher JIB grades above electrician, the JIB site or Installation techician card is a good one to get, but again I don't think there are any jobs that pay more for the hard work required to pass the c&g 2391-20 design course. I would like to think there are guys getting better pay for those qualifications

 

[sbrown2]

devon1

is there work around nottingham for JIB sparkies, even temporary work or unusual hours? I also have IPAF and have completed a apprenticeship.

Regards

 

[devon1]

Directgov jobs and skills search - Job search results

Several jobs on there.

Usually asking for 2391 and one asking for compex

 

[mogga]

Loads of jobs but 100+ chasing every vacancy your lucky to even get a reply when you apply never mind getting an interview

 

[johnboy6083]

alright lads!
Im 23 and a JIB approved sparks. got laid off a power station in march. was out of work for 2 weeks and only worked 2-3 days per week for the next 2 weeks. Im now back working solid on underground. My tactic to get work was to ring every agency no i could find. this included agencies advertising jobs i wasn't interested in ie not in my area, ect. the likelyhood is that most of these agencies take on all over the country. Another thing i was taught as a boy was to always do the best job you can do. I now get calls from aagencies asking me to go back to jobs i have left, and i got my current job because of a bloke i met on the power station. if i threw the work in, then i wouldnt get calls, but i am happier doing a proper job and looking back at it, and being proud that i have done that. The saqying that a good tradesman should never be out of work may not be 100% true, but people can tell the difference from somoene who is interested and does a good job, and someone who just cares about throwing it in. There is work out there, its just that the customers and companies want the best for their money, because they can afford to be picky. And of course you have to have a bit of luck.

So, in summary: Call as many agencies/ companies as humanly possible: probability says that you will find a job eventually.
Do the best job possible so that when you do need work, past employers will be only too happy to take you on again.

Good luck lads, and i hope england win tomorrow!