Looking for a change

[woody791]

Currently a teacher and I'm not enjoying it. The workload is well in excess of the pay, so many hidden nasties to the job that I never knew until I'd completed my degree and started work. Without going into detail I'm up after 11pm every night planning and preparing, no matter how many hours I stay after school or how many days in advance I try to plan I still find myself sorting things out well into the night. Before I make any decisions about a career change I thought I'd come here and hear it from the horses mouth.
So is a spark what it's cracked up to be? I had a mate who has now moved to aus and he loved his job. I'm just wondering if I decided to go for it a) are there any hidden nasties i.e. will I be swamped with work every night after I finish a job? b) What is the best route for a 24 year old to take, with very little/no experience. By very little I mean I've wired a few sockets with my granddad and fitted his cctv (so pretty much no experience).
Thanks in advance.

 

[davesparks]

If you go self employed or start your own business then yes you can expect to work 7days a week and be doing paperwork late into the night to start with, once you've got into it and got your systems in place you will get some of your free time back.
Working on the cards for a company it is pretty much a 7:00-17:00 job and you can forget about it the moment you leave site.

As for training the only real way to learn this practical technical trade properly is the apprenticeship route. You need both the technical theory and practical training.

Don't be fooled by the 5 week courses promising that you'll get rich quick, you won't!

To be honest, your best bet is to get a job teaching at a private school!

 

[woody791]

Like you say, once you get a system in place it will get easier. Teaching hasn't, I put in countless hours and the work never lessens, the saying 'there aren't enough hours in the day' is a saying that I never really thought much of until I started teaching. What is the nature of the paperwork you're talking about? Is it generally the same sort of thing or does it involve reinventing the wheel everytime you complete it?

 

[davesparks]

The paperwork is keeping your accounts up to date, invoicing customers, chasing late payments, paying suppliers, filling out electrical installation certificates and electrical installation condition reports, answering endless emails from customers asking daft questions, writing up quotes, reviewing quotes when customers start asking daft questions and generally dealing with customers.

 

[uksparks]

The key to it is being very organised.

 

[woody791]

If teaching has taught me one thing it is certainly organisation. Say if I were to look into the change what would anyone advise as the best route be?

 

[Midwest]

Google electrician apprenticeships jobs. I think they're a bit like gold dust and you age might prove difficult. Perhaps you should preserve with you teaching job, all things become easier with experience.

 

[NDG Elecs]

The paperwork is keeping your accounts up to date, invoicing customers, chasing late payments, paying suppliers, filling out electrical installation certificates and electrical installation condition reports, answering endless emails from customers asking daft questions, writing up quotes, reviewing quotes when customers start asking daft questions and generally dealing with customers.

I have liked your post Dave, but really I wanna press a dislike button!! I got a shed load of paperwork to catch up on, tis an ache in the balls!

 

[rolyberkin]

Currently a teacher and I'm not enjoying it. The workload is well in excess of the pay, so many hidden nasties to the job that I never knew until I'd completed my degree and started work. Without going into detail I'm up after 11pm every night planning and preparing, no matter how many hours I stay after school or how many days in advance I try to plan I still find myself sorting things out well into the night. Before I make any decisions about a career change I thought I'd come here and hear it from the horses mouth.
So is a spark what it's cracked up to be? I had a mate who has now moved to aus and he loved his job. I'm just wondering if I decided to go for it a) are there any hidden nasties i.e. will I be swamped with work every night after I finish a job? b) What is the best route for a 24 year old to take, with very little/no experience. By very little I mean I've wired a few sockets with my granddad and fitted his cctv (so pretty much no experience).
Thanks in advance.

I worked for an electricity supply company in the 80's was trained in cable jointing and contracting but left to work in the public sector in an unrelated career, I consider I have a fairly good grasp of electric theory and practical application. In my current job I have over the years been involved in maintaining and installing technical equipment. I have renovated and built numerous houses over the years including full rewires, have built and rewired extensions and generally undertaken work for family and friends etc. My point...... it isn't as easy as some people would like to make out, I have been studying for the City and Guilds 2365 Level 2 and 3 and other exams, I will then need to undertake a 2357 conversion which converts the 2365 to an NVQ (this involves compiling a practical porfolio) and undertake an AM2 test, it takes time to do it properly and understand what you are doing, then you have inspection and testing...... etc etc. I can't get my head around how anyone can expect to do all this effectively in five weeks if you were looking to go this route. My suggestion as someone who is preparing to move from one line of employment to another would be to consider signing up for a 2365 L2 course at a local college or night school and see how you go, see whether it is your cup of tea before jumping in with both feet. City and Guilds do a good range of study books to support the electrical courses, if you go down this line consider joining the IET as a student member for £20 as you get discount on text books.

 

[ian.settle1]

What you haven't said is what your degree is in and what you are teaching?

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Well I trained as an English teacher and could only find supply work. I hated it. The work load was horrendous as was the money. I got work as a mate for the same money and went to night school and did all my city and guild qualifications then the NVQ which was a bit tedious but at least I was working on big commercial jobs so got the range of work. Then I did the AM2. I get text messages every week from the agencies for starts so there is work out there.

My advice is to get in with a couple of agencies so you will be on bigger, more interesting jobs and do your theory at your local college in the evenings.

Good luck.