OP
hillcbt
Have just read through this thread and the first thing I will say is that it's a brave decision to make a career change away from teaching.
If you are serious about being an electrician then realistically the advice given about courses at the beginning of the thread is a good starting point. With regard to 2391, don't worry about it until you have got 2330 or equivalent as test and inspection is part covered in this course.
Try chatting with a couple of local eletricians an see if there is anyone wanting a mate. This will get you your practical experience while you do your courses.
I don't know enough about short courses to make a valid comment on them. The only thing that I can say is that it concerns me that firms offer a short course to teach what it took me several years at college to learn (this is just a personal opinion and I am prepared to hear from those who know more about these courses than I do)
You no doubt have contacts in local colleges, have a chat with them. Be prepared to start on a relatively low wage but at the end of the day what you are prepared to put in you should get out.
If you decide to go with the career change, I wish you all the very best and I agree with an earlier comment, go for it. Whatever you decide post it on the forum and if you do join this insane industry if you have any questions then hopefully someone here can help.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
thanks mate thats really helpful advise its a big step walking away from sumthin so sucure i know...
sumtimes i think you have to take that leap of faith... and aim to land on your feet
will keep you posted cheers all (any other insight is more than welcome cheers all)
Hi Craig
In answer to your questions;
1,3 and 4) academic qualifications required would be minimal maths, maybe physics. The standard electrical qualifications C&G electrical installation, the testing and inspection and 17th edition. It is probably possible to pass these within 2 to 3 years but the actual qualifications stand for very little in the terms of practical knowledge. The best way to learn is by working within the industry for a period of time with more experienced sparks. There are so many "tricks of the trade" that aren't covered in a class room. For this reason i think that evening courses or day release would be more suitable as short intensive courses will be more difficult to take in if not working within the field
2) Average starting salary can be anything from 14k to 18k. I don't think that a company would pay more for someone straight out of college with limited experience. Obviously as you become more proficient the money should begin to increase but unless you are running your own business or putting in some serious overtime i think that 28-34K is a realistic figure for a 9-5.
5) your demand will depend on the qualtiy of your work. Most of my work comes from recommendations or the previous merits of the work we've carried out. Yellow page ads and such like provide mainly annoying additional sockets etc too much hassle for small return.
6) The question about setting up is perhaps a little pre-emptive. I think that with little experience you will struggle to set up alone as without the knowledge of several years within this trade there are too many learning curves where you could get unstuck. Of course a smart guy would set up, employ someone who knows what their doing and skim of their wage and knowledge. Running a business is a completely different ball game to being an everyday sparks - NIC or governing body enrolment and inspections, insurances, vehicles, wages, people not paying, VAT, H&Safety, correct estimating, invoicing....the list goes on.. and this is not including the everyday struggle of actually doing the work.
7) Charging for work will be dependant on what the other people are charging in the area. Most domestic installations the owners will have called in maybe 3 different people. You can find out by just phoning around competitors with a few carefully placed questions.
Hope this is of some help. I have recently taken on a guy aged 32 who decided to change his career. He has found it a challenge but enjoyable from previous work. It is not something that happens overnight. Hope this is of help and good luck!
wow, thank you for your time ! that was really insightful/informative, Q - the guy you have just employed how did he train/retrain? over what period? etc do you think its a realistic approach to do an intensive course then get employed by someone like yourself to learn the 'trix of the trade'? so i start the job at least 'qualified in thoery' ? i fully appreciate that theres no better way of learning the ropes than on the job but these courses give you the certificates required by law to carry out the work... i wouldnt just be able to scout for work with a sparky with no prior knowledge would i?
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