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Thats probably one of the more foolish things I have seen written to be frank. Working your --- off for a company is the only way you will gain the experience you need. It could lead to progression within that company etc etc.

You say you lack how to do things quick in a safe and accepted manner, well this is something youd learn at a company working with lots of different electricians.

agree with ris,you have to graft ya nuts off wether you work for yourself or a company,many on here would love the security as much as it can be these days of being employed fulltime by a company with all the benefits like hol/sick pay vehicle etc,theres good money to be made working for the right company as many on here will testify,going s/e isnt the holy grail,i admire anyone that does it because its a risk giving up being employed to go s/e,but well worth the risk if it comes off,but its not for me..
 
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Fair enough, i can currently make more working in a factory than i make now, how many sparks on this site work for £8.50 an hour? At the very worst i come out <10k debt through a silly venture and i have to get a job in factory to pay it off. At the best i become my own boss and can do the work i enjoy doing. Now is the time to do it while my overheads are low (still living with parent) rather than sticking to a ****e job, renting a place of my own and living in regret!

Its not just a grass is a greener decision, its been over a year of research, deliberation and saving, certainly not a decision that has been made on a whim. Running a business isn't for everyone, not everyone has the motivation, gumption and possibility stupidity to risk such a venture, even more so in the position that i am in! But some do, and its a risk im willing to take. Its a risk that i certainly wouldn't have taken after just passing my qualification and in reality i realise the stupidity of the suggestion to Dipesh, it was more a case of underestimating myself than anything i think!

But if you Alarm man, found yourself in a position where you were on just over minimum wage and unable to get another job, i am sure you would consider your options, and once you rule retraining out of the window, they start to become very limited!
 
Fair enough, i can currently make more working in a factory than i make now, how many sparks on this site work for £8.50 an hour? At the very worst i come out <10k debt through a silly venture and i have to get a job in factory to pay it off. At the best i become my own boss and can do the work i enjoy doing. Now is the time to do it while my overheads are low (still living with parent) rather than sticking to a ****e job, renting a place of my own and living in regret!

Its not just a grass is a greener decision, its been over a year of research, deliberation and saving, certainly not a decision that has been made on a whim. Running a business isn't for everyone, not everyone has the motivation, gumption and possibility stupidity to risk such a venture, even more so in the position that i am in! But some do, and its a risk im willing to take. Its a risk that i certainly wouldn't have taken after just passing my qualification and in reality i realise the stupidity of the suggestion to Dipesh, it was more a case of underestimating myself than anything i think!

But if you Alarm man, found yourself in a position where you were on just over minimum wage and unable to get another job, i am sure you would consider your options, and once you rule retraining out of the window, they start to become very limited!

youve certainly do it the righnt way by going to college,but theres a good few posts like yours on here,its a tough time for sparks with years in,so its going to be extra tough without the expierence but good luck all the same
 
Why don't you add your location to the profile all views see?


Just last week one guy on here was complaining he couldn't get (paid) help in North London!!
 
What qualifications do you have manx? As an Agency will in theory pay you more than factory!
 
I thought it was on actually Murdoch #9Im in Bolton), to the left under my join date? I have my 2330 MKS, got my 17th booked and then i am doing the 2391 course and just generally revising alot at the moment. The company i work for specailise in PA systems/ voice alarm/disabled refuge/induction loops etc. When i have applied for jobs i just get told i don't have the correct experience. Where are you based Rise?
 
Based in the North West, RISE is my company, a small contracting company and I work full time as a contracts manager for a company in Chester.

£8.50 ph isn't all that bad considering you don't have 17th edition etc. Working self-employed, after overheads etc you might be surprised when you only earn £8.50 an hour then also. Ask around on here and you will find a lot of people struggling to make any profit at all at the moment.
 
What type of work do you do then?

Im fortunate to have a f/t job in that case. But the wage really doesnt cut it for the amount of responsibility. But im using it to my advantage and doing all my quals whilst working. My employer wont contribute so i have to have the time as unpaid leave but its better than leaving the job. Regardless of how much money i would make self employed. £8.50 an hour earnt solely by me/for me will taste slot sweeter than the £8.50 an hour given to me by an employer. I appreciate your comment regarding the wage even though i dont have 17th but its no consolation as i was told they would put me through it and kerp me on jib rates. And the economic climate is no excuse, we are a specialist contractor and although work has dipped in certain sectors we have still had a constant stream of work.

The grand plan is stay in this job whilst i finish my quals, once finished go self employed and hopefully get subby work doing what im currently employed to do and use the additional free time to gain domestic experience. A lovely plan in theory however my confidence in it is a little bruised after this thread.

What do you think?

Once again i do appreciate any advice/ comments passed.
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good luck out there mate stick at it i worked with my parner for my self for 3 years we done well but it takes over your life aswwell its not easy working for yourself very hard going and were i am there seems to be that many vans with elecy logos on makes me wonder if theres enough work for everyone
 
Mostly commercial and industrial, currently doing large scale factory works and numerous hospitals, schools etc.

RIS is purely small commercial and occasional domestic. To be honest I have very little involvement with it now as I am busy enough in my full time job, I have a guy (my main foreman) running the day to day jobs etc and I just sort the invoicing and the accounts every month.

This is probably the opposite of your ideal situation, I chose to go back to full time employment (car, pension, holiday and sick pay) as i like the security and the regular wage, especially while the family are young and cost a fortune haha.

I think your plan reads well and I do wish you the best of luck, just more a reality check, meant in the nicest possible way that is isn't easy to get qualified and start a business. Finishing your quals is a good idea, and starting up on your own doing what your doing now is always a good plan as its what you are used to.
 
Cheers mate, yeah i have been on a few tradesman/governing body websites searching for registered sparks in my area....... good lord lol.

Im hoping my cctv/induction loop experience will give me a slight (i realise it will be VERY slight) advantage.

I am ready for it to take over my life, ive spent 5 years with employers who act like employees and employees who act like employers. Im all for the 7-7 on site then a couple of hours paperwork. If your going to graft your ******** off you may aswell do it for yourself (again, may not apply to everyone)


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Sorry i hadnt seen your reply. You must be a very busy man! Job security is the main thing if you have fixed outgoings commitments and responsibilities im sure. But may aswell take advantage of living with mother bear for that bit longer :)

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Yep times are bad a lot of individuals are in a corner that makes them say thats it I am going to do something about it so I will self retrain as an electrician sounds great but in my view it has now become a feeding frenzy with guys trying to get into the trade also the customer is getting more savvy as I am being asked for proof that I am a qualified time served electrician.

I am not trying to put anybody off but as I write this there is a discussion on 5live about how the construction industry is on its arse so yep we have a double dip but will not admit it. We also seem to be an open door for east european sparks who are here for a quick buck add all of this together and it does not look good for the trad at all and I speak as a guy who with 36 years experience who is having a quite week
 
Sorry i hadnt seen your reply. You must be a very busy man! Job security is the main thing if you have fixed outgoings commitments and responsibilities im sure. But may aswell take advantage of living with mother bear for that bit longer :)

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Ma x I havn't read all of this thread but from the posts of yours I have read I like your attitude. Its goos to see you've actually researched what your options are and have acknowledged the potential pitfalls/ repocussions.
To a lot of the people on here with little on the tools experience trying to start their own business I wouldnt be encouraging them much but you seem to be in a good position.
You have said so far:
You live with your parents.
You are qualified
You have worked a lot on building sites
You have people, including domestic sparkies willing to sub work to you
You understand that its not all gonna be rosy

These are all good things..If you have experience with tools, and have got people willing to sub you, thats good, thats how I started out S/E. If you live with your mum you can survive on the inevitable low income that you will recieve for the first few months/years.
If it works out for you and you build up good experience and a customer base, Im sure you'll never look back. I wouldn't change my career for the world (S/E domestic sparky) and being yer own boss is very liberating.

First things you need to buy are van and tools these are what make you a handy subby to have around.

All the best
 
Hi Dave I'm a very new sparky and need some experience. Do you have any advice for me? I'm in the process of building my toolbase and no not want to go self employed. I would rather work with somebody
 
Hi Dave I'm a very new sparky and need some experience. Do you have any advice for me? I'm in the process of building my toolbase and no not want to go self employed. I would rather work with somebody
Its very tough out there at the moment if you are looking to be employed mate. There are probably 10+ 'qualified electricians' for every job vacancy. Experienced guys will always get first dibs. Not really a lot more I can say.
 
I thought it was on actually Murdoch #9Im in Bolton), to the left under my join date? I have my 2330 MKS, got my 17th booked and then i am doing the 2391 course and just generally revising alot at the moment. The company i work for specailise in PA systems/ voice alarm/disabled refuge/induction loops etc. When i have applied for jobs i just get told i don't have the correct experience. Where are you based Rise?

if you have a full time job,dont rap it just because you get your quals,keep the fulltime work and build up your own work in your spare time,when your own work get too much then go alone,if it doesnt take off you still have your fulltime job
 

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