• If you have electrical work available, then you are in the correct forum.

    Post details of the position you have on offer in this forum. Domestic / homeowners are also welcome to post electrical work they have available on their property. Or you're welcome to seach for a Local Electrician in our directory.

Discuss Is the electricians game worth getting into in 2020 in the Electrical Work - Electricians Jobs area at ElectriciansForums.net

This person requires some work. They've hopefully explained their skills and qualifications and what area they're in. Otherwise, what's the bloody point?
Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

Reaction score
0
Hi guys
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Apologies in advance if this is the wrong forum for this sort of topic, please point me in the right direction if that's the case.

I'm looking for advice and opinions from people working as electricians or sparkies mates on whether or not in the current job market, it would be a good idea to get into the electrical side of construction work (London). I'm 24 working as a Slinger Signaller.
  1. Are there a lot of jobs going in the London area, and have there been generally more or less jobs in the past few years?
  2. As a newly qualified Sparkie or Sparkies mate, would one have trouble finding work without necessary experience, or are employers and clients quite keen to take on new workers?
  3. As someone in their mid 20's with sky high london bills to pay, what would be the best way to get qualified as quickly as possible in the london area?
  4. What would the average weekly or hourly wage be for a new sparkies mate/electrician? What could one reasonably expect to make after 3 years?
  5. How many hours a day would most Electricians consider to be normal, what would overtime hours be?

I currently make about 640 a week after tax which isn't that bad but that's with a 10 hour work day, which with a London commute, tends to suck the life out of the week. Also worse of all, jobs seem to be few and fewer with so many people competing for jobs there's not always enough to go around so sometimes I have to spend 2 weeks out of work. Agencies and companies know this and treat you accordingly :/

Any advice and help would be very appreciated, I've been thinking about doing this for a while but am starting to think this is the time to do it.

Thanks for your help.
 
In my opinion Any trade is worth learning , if you get good at it and work hard you will always be in work and earn an ok living.
the Issue you have is it can take several years of low pay and starting from the bottom.
 
In my opinion Any trade is worth learning , if you get good at it and work hard you will always be in work and earn an ok living.
the Issue you have is it can take several years of low pay and starting from the bottom.

If you pay for the qualifications yourself however and don't do the apprenticeship route, I think the course providers market it for people who need to get earning relatively quickly; after a year you'd make more than a sparkies mate/labourer I'd presume?
 
Fortune favours the brave? I think like any such plan there are pitfalls and possible major successes. Generally as I understand it the industry needs more electricians. But I think they mean proper electricians with a gold card (JIB) There are courses which fast track you into domestic electrician. But it sounds like that is not where you want to go. Have a look at this link.
It describes exactly what is required to become an electrician. There is no other way to be a bona fide electrician from domestic to commercial/industrial. Plan your route to becoming an electrician first and cost it up. There is no doubt you will be in a hinterland even with qualifications for a time, maybe a year or two receiving low wages. Can you afford that? Are you able to use tools and do you understand the structure of building and routing cables?
I have had a few trainees with me over time. All of them have achieved level 3 qualies but are hopeless when it comes to practical matters. It is time consuming and requires careful attention to them when working to avoid a nasty accident. I wonder what you would be like with qualies? As well the theory they have passed exams in seems to have no means of translation into the real world. For instance I asked one in a domestic premises to report to me on the bonding in the house. After half an hour and looking at the water mains incoming at least five times they could not identify what they had passed an exam in and tell me if the bonding meets BS7671 requirements. Is that you?
You need to get a job with a course to make the theory accessible in the real world. As you are on site can you not ask around for mate work? And get on an evening course maybe?
 

Reply to Is the electricians game worth getting into in 2020 in the Electrical Work - Electricians Jobs area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock