Hi
just wanted some advise as I’m thinking of a change in career and been looking into Electrican for a while
personally for me the 4-5 year route, level 2&3 city and guilds then 2 years work experience with the additional qualifications needed to get a gold card is quite a long proces.
And I would prefer to work self employed. Would a part time evening course or a intense 4-6 week course be enough ? After completing the c&g level 2 and 3 could I work self employed doing domestic work?
Thanks
Some of it depends how well you already know the basics, how quickly you can learn, how practical you are and how willing you are to recognise your limits.
I got into it via the short course route in 2006, registered with a scheme and was able to make a living as I built up experience by doing the small local jobs that large companies often don't want to do. This was back when a lot more was Part P notifiable, (though still widely ignored of course..)
Just be aware it's not a path to wealth though, as the smaller jobs often have less profit on them and you might be competing with 'handymen' who will cut corners. But build up a good base of satisfied clients with the small jobs and they will call you back the next time.
There is the option of working for local estate agents too, who can sometimes bring in plenty of work, but won't want to pay much for it - It can be tedious (or horrifying) but it can also be a good way to get the experience.
The biggest skill is knowing your limitations and only taking on work that you know you are able to do - and knowing when to seek advice from others, or even esteemed online forums...
Nowadays there are a lot of good Youtube videos (and plenty of bad) which can probably teach as much about the practicalities of actually doing domestic work as any amount of classroom work - though of course you need a good grounding in the regulations to start with.
Then there's the whole lot of pros and cons that come with being self-employed....
The truth is that the practical experience can only come by working with someone else, or doing it yourself - and no course of whatever length can do that unless it includes genuine on-site experience, which is unlikely.