Looking For Advice - becoming An Electrician With A Criminal Record

[Matt24]

New to the forum and looking for advice.

I am 24 and have had a pretty messed up life so far. When I was 17 I started an apprentiship but messed up and I was sacked without getting any qualifications. I joined the Army but didn't last long in there either and got discharged. I admit I was a scumbag when I was younger and ended up in Young Offenders and prison. I got out of prison last year and have been working in a hotel kitchen - got training and qualifications for that in prison but that's not what I want to do long term.

I've been thinking about going back to college and get electrician qualifications as that is what I wanted to do originally but am wondering is it realistic? I know I won't get another apprentiship so college would be the best option but it' a big commitment and don't know if I would have any chance of getting a job/experience with my record.

So am wondering if people think if somebody like me could get a chance if I get qualifications or am I just wasting my time and forget about it. If you do employ people would you consider me if I had qualifications or just think of me as too much trouble. Just looking for honest advice and opinions and won't take it personally. I am a different person now and want to get a better job and career and want to work hard and stay out of trouble.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

As far as I am aware, you do not have to disclose spent criminal convictions.
That being the case, if your employer finds out you have a criminal record and you never disclosed it, they would have every right to sack you immediately.
There are some areas of electrical work, where a criminal record might prevent you from working.
Other areas, where only certain convictions would be a problem.

 

[buzzlightyear]

welcome to the forums Matt24 ,by looking at your post you have been a very bad boy ,and some times every body needs a break some times.
some companies do take on people like your self, but some wont.
the only way is to get a company that will take you on ,by starting at the bottom like a labour .and pay for your own to go on a electrical courses.

 

[Devonchris]

Sorry Matt I can't answer most of your questions as I'm not employing electricians. But if someone is prepared to admit mistakes, recognise what they need to do to make things better and are prepared to really graft to get there shows a very mature attitude and strength of character. If I was employing and you came to me with your qualifications gained then I'd give you a job.

Good luck , it's up to you.

PS have a look at Timpsons (high street shoes repairs) and their record of hiring ex cons.

 

[Risteard]

As far as I am aware, you do not have to disclose spent criminal convictions.
That being the case, if your employer finds out you have a criminal record and you never disclosed it, they would have every right to sack you immediately.

How would they if it's spent?

 

[Rpa07]

How would they if it's spent?

Woman scorned?
Welcome to the forum Matt24. As others have said, it’s all about proving yourself in training and to other people.
No one would give a monkeys if you graft and get on with everyone and that comes from maturing, repentance and improvement. Good luck with it all. Go for it if you can and your life enables it.
You are amongst friends.

 

[Leesparkykent]

I know a few sparks that have done a bit of bird and have never had a problem getting jobs.

 

[Matt24]

As far as I am aware, you do not have to disclose spent criminal convictions.
That being the case, if your employer finds out you have a criminal record and you never disclosed it, they would have every right to sack you immediately.
There are some areas of electrical work, where a criminal record might prevent you from working.
Other areas, where only certain convictions would be a problem.

I'm on license at the minute and it will be more than 8 years until my convictions are spent. What type of convictions would cause the most problems, if you know?

welcome to the forums Matt24 ,by looking at your post you have been a very bad boy ,and some times every body needs a break some times.
some companies do take on people like your self, but some wont.
the only way is to get a company that will take you on ,by starting at the bottom like a labour .and pay for your own to go on a electrical courses.

Thanks. I know I have been a "very bad boy" but have done my time and want to leave that in the past, Have no problem starting at the bottom and working hard if I knew I would get a chance.

Sorry Matt I can't answer most of your questions as I'm not employing electricians. But if someone is prepared to admit mistakes, recognise what they need to do to make things better and are prepared to really graft to get there shows a very mature attitude and strength of character. If I was employing and you came to me with your qualifications gained then I'd give you a job.

Good luck , it's up to you.

Thanks. Hope most people think like that

 

[Tes369]

Go for it mate.

"If your contract of employment asks you to disclose your convictions, you would not be required to disclose any that are spent (see section 4(3) of the ROA). As a general rule, you would not be breaching any employment contract if you failed to disclose a spent conviction and, if you were dismissed for failing to disclose a spent conviction, then you may have legitimate grounds to bring a case of unfair dismissal."

Don't let your mistakes hold you back just be honest with your employer.

Good luck geezer

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Got a mate who is ex navy, he had drug and a drink problem then got into allsorts of nonsense, he was kicked out and did just over 2 years in prison as a result of the court martial. As far as i recall the only issue about criminal records is dbs checks when working around schools, kids, vulnerable people etc.. anything sexual or similar i guess they would run a mile but otherwise the issue i think is one of trust.. can they trust you to keep on straight and narrow?
He did his 17th edition in prison!! got it paid for by a charity and then on day release got his cscs green labourer card. once out he went to college to do his 2365 and got work first as a labourer then sparks mate and now goes out doing jobs on his own for the company. so it can be done.
You have to disclose unspent criminal history if asked but if an employer doesn't ask you are not obliged to tell i believe. if they find out after hiring you and didn't ask, i believe they cant fire you for it either... but suspect its your word verses theirs?
Ultimately though if you do go to college and do the courses, get other qualifications aswell such as 18th ed, later in summer , and make yourself useful and demonstrate you are trying, then all it takes is an employer to give you a shot and you are getting experience, a good option might be to get work as a labourer somewhere as then you have construction experience, preferably in the electrical sector. It then gives people confidence in hiring you.
I know from my own experience when doing commercial refurbs around the country that a lot of the people working for the company had records for things ranging from violence to armed robbery! people make mistakes and learn from it. on building sites people are from all walks of life and backgrounds. as long as you work hard and cause no trouble people dont care. the construction industry is quite forgiving in that sense compared to a lot of other industries.

 

[The Ghost]

You cannot request anyone for their criminal record it is against the law. You can initiate a DBS for sensitive roles such as elderly child etc. type work. You can request an applicant to obtain a basic DBS check initiated by themselves. You must be informed in advance the company policy regards checking and at what stage of the interview process this will occur. Unspent convictions do not have to be revealed. This is really a question for NACRO or some such organisation to clarify it properly for you I suggest you get in touch. You have no obligation to blab your life story out before a potential employer. If you have genuinely changed then there should not be a problem. If it was me I would not ask of your past just your ability to do the job. Go for it and get advice from NACRO.

 

[WillWX]

I think you have every chance, everyone makes mistakes, some worse than others, it’s how you deal with it and move on as a person that matters.

Work hard, be genuine and I think you’ll be fine.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

How would they if it's spent?

No one should be able to check on someone’s criminal record.
However many moons ago, I was working somewhere, where one of the lads was known to have just been released from Prison.
Another one of the lads then mentioned that they had also been in Prison (can’t remember if it was the same Prison or a different one).
That lad was then sacked, because he never disclosed that he had been in Prison when he applied for the job.

As for what crimes would be considered a problem, I guess it depends on circumstances.
Driving offences if you are expected to drive a company vehicle, drugs and violence if working near children, any criminal activity if working in Police stations or Prisons.

 

[Marvo]

To be honest I think most companies wouldn't employ a person with a criminal record and jail time if there was an alternative equally qualified candidate who didn't have a record. I'd suggest looking at self employment and grow your business organically but even then, depending what crimes you were convicted of your past record could still be a hinderance.

Maybe in the UK there's some government assistance available for either giving ex convicts a leg up or even an entrepreneur starting a small business. If so rather tailor your future endeavours around the available assistance.

 

[Risteard]

No one should be able to check on someone’s criminal record.
However many moons ago, I was working somewhere, where one of the lads was known to have just been released from Prison.
Another one of the lads then mentioned that they had also been in Prison (can’t remember if it was the same Prison or a different one).
That lad was then sacked, because he never disclosed that he had been in Prison when he applied for the job.

As for what crimes would be considered a problem, I guess it depends on circumstances.
Driving offences if you are expected to drive a company vehicle, drugs and violence if working near children, any criminal activity if working in Police stations or Prisons.

Depending on how long the sentence is though, some sentences are never spent. Also, they will not become immediately spent on release. This doesn't alter the fact that spent convictions needn't be declared (except in exceptional circumstances e.g. certain types of security clearance or whatever).

 

[JAWS]

You want to work in the building trade mate not join the Rozzers, no one care about your criminal convictions and most won’t even ask.

 

[Jim90]

All of our sparks are DBS checked due to our client requirements.
Depending on the conviction - indictable offences you could be very restricted for example.
That being said, that really only applies to larger companies.
A career nonetheless in a Particular industry is never a bad idea especially if you enjoy it

 

[Matt24]

Thanks for all the replies. Good help and makes me think it is possible if I want it and I should probably go for it.

Got a mate who is ex navy, he had drug and a drink problem then got into allsorts of nonsense, he was kicked out and did just over 2 years in prison as a result of the court martial. As far as i recall the only issue about criminal records is dbs checks when working around schools, kids, vulnerable people etc.. anything sexual or similar i guess they would run a mile but otherwise the issue i think is one of trust.. can they trust you to keep on straight and narrow?
He did his 17th edition in prison!! got it paid for by a charity and then on day release got his cscs green labourer card. once out he went to college to do his 2365 and got work first as a labourer then sparks mate and now goes out doing jobs on his own for the company. so it can be done.
You have to disclose unspent criminal history if asked but if an employer doesn't ask you are not obliged to tell i believe. if they find out after hiring you and didn't ask, i believe they cant fire you for it either... but suspect its your word verses theirs?
Ultimately though if you do go to college and do the courses, get other qualifications aswell such as 18th ed, later in summer , and make yourself useful and demonstrate you are trying, then all it takes is an employer to give you a shot and you are getting experience, a good option might be to get work as a labourer somewhere as then you have construction experience, preferably in the electrical sector. It then gives people confidence in hiring you.
I know from my own experience when doing commercial refurbs around the country that a lot of the people working for the company had records for things ranging from violence to armed robbery! people make mistakes and learn from it. on building sites people are from all walks of life and backgrounds. as long as you work hard and cause no trouble people dont care. the construction industry is quite forgiving in that sense compared to a lot of other industries.

Good to hear about your mate - he sounds a good bit like me - ex military, ---- head, court martial and doing 2 years. I got a 4 year sentence and did 2 years inside so he must have got the same. If he can do it then I am sure I could to. It's lucky he got to do training in prison. I probably should have tried to do something like that.

I was given a kitchen job and then got involved in The Clink restraunt in Brixton. Don't know if you heard about it but it's a restraunt in the prison where prisoners coming to the end of your sentence get to work in the kitchen and as waiters. I loved it when I was in there. Better than spending the day in your cell and got to talk to normal people.

Would have no problem starting off working as a labourer. I know it's what a lot of lads do after prison as it doesn't seem to matter too much having a criminal record. If I do get a job like that I would work hard at it.

You cannot request anyone for their criminal record it is against the law. You can initiate a DBS for sensitive roles such as elderly child etc. type work. You can request an applicant to obtain a basic DBS check initiated by themselves. You must be informed in advance the company policy regards checking and at what stage of the interview process this will occur. Unspent convictions do not have to be revealed. This is really a question for NACRO or some such organisation to clarify it properly for you I suggest you get in touch. You have no obligation to blab your life story out before a potential employer. If you have genuinely changed then there should not be a problem. If it was me I would not ask of your past just your ability to do the job. Go for it and get advice from NACRO.

I will talk to them and my probation officer about it. He's not too bad and he helped me get the kitchen job. It's good though to hear what it is really like from people out there. I know from before that what they tell you officially isn't always right or what really happens out there.

No one should be able to check on someone’s criminal record.
However many moons ago, I was working somewhere, where one of the lads was known to have just been released from Prison.
Another one of the lads then mentioned that they had also been in Prison (can’t remember if it was the same Prison or a different one).
That lad was then sacked, because he never disclosed that he had been in Prison when he applied for the job.

As for what crimes would be considered a problem, I guess it depends on circumstances.
Driving offences if you are expected to drive a company vehicle, drugs and violence if working near children, any criminal activity if working in Police stations or Prisons.

I got the 4 years for GBH - I know that sounds bad. Also have other conviction for theft and criminal damage and public order. Trying to get a driving license now.

To be honest I think most companies wouldn't employ a person with a criminal record and jail time if there was an alternative equally qualified candidate who didn't have a record. I'd suggest looking at self employment and grow your business organically but even then, depending what crimes you were convicted of your past record could still be a hinderance.

Maybe in the UK there's some government assistance available for either giving ex convicts a leg up or even an entrepreneur starting a small business. If so rather tailor your future endeavours around the available assistance.

Yeah I know that would probably be the way. Only comes up though if they ask so might be OK. I want to be honest but no point in making things worse for me. Will probably want to know why I haven't been working for most of the past few years.

Depending on how long the sentence is though, some sentences are never spent. Also, they will not become immediately spent on release. This doesn't alter the fact that spent convictions needn't be declared (except in exceptional circumstances e.g. certain types of security clearance or whatever).

If I had of got more than 4 years my sentence for GBH would never be spent. Even with it being 4 years it is 7 years after completion f the sentence given not the time served so that means I will have it on my record for another 8 years -seems like forever.

 

[DC-backfrom the past]

hi Matt speak to your probation officer they should be able to help you.
some places actually employ and retrain people that have had criminal records

your convictions would prevent you doing some work in areas

I know one area of work that will be short soon across the uk is hgv drivers, not sure if that is an suitable alternative for you( if the sparky work is not feasible.
gtg training also do training for that and also mechanics nothing for sparks I'm afraid although your Probation officer should be in the know of these places

good luck and we all have been in a bit of bother or know someone that has in the trade I'm sure.
hopefully you get sorted soon.

 

[Matt24]

hi Matt speak to your probation officer they should be able to help you.
some places actually employ and retrain people that have had criminal records

your convictions would prevent you doing some work in areas

I know one area of work that will be short soon across the uk is hgv drivers, not sure if that is an suitable alternative for you( if the sparky work is not feasible.
gtg training also do training for that and also mechanics nothing for sparks I'm afraid although your Probation officer should be in the know of these places

good luck and we all have been in a bit of bother or know someone that has in the trade I'm sure.
hopefully you get sorted soon.

Thanks again. Looking at a few thins but really think sparks would be ideal and good to get encouragement. Actually have to meet my PO next week so will talk to him then and see what he says.

Just want to get on with my life now and stay out of trouble. A lot of making up to do with my family after everything I did. I also have a 4 year old kid I haven't seen before prison