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Skint Eastwood

Hello there. I'm coming to the end of my 3rd and final year of the 2330 C&G course. I'm working but yet to find a job in the electrical industry.

What I want to know is - what would you recommend I do now? Priority number one is find work, and when I do I'll have a better idea of where I am heading (this is not going to happen for a while, not just because of the economic climate, I am also recovering from a back injury).

But if I want to do another course now is the time to apply. Is it worth doing 2391 yet?

I'm interested in renewable energy, and I think this will be a good growth area to get into, but how best to start? Cable jointing also interests me, as a starting point.

What areas of the industry are looking for newbies at the moment? Anyone know? Would I be better to concentrate on gaining experience, or look to do another course while there are not many jobs around?

I'd be interested to hear any stories of how YOU continued your career after gaining your quals...
 
To be honest mate its hard to get a job with all quals and experience under the sun. You will have to expect to take a trainees wage even if you do get a job, like £5p/h.
If you feel confident to take the 2391 then do so, but i know people who have been on the tools of years and failed this course.
 
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Times is hard everywhere mate, sparks with lots of quals and bags of experience are struggling to find work, and what they do find is poorly paid.
 
Been looking for work for a while.There is quite a bit of work out there but a majority of the companies want 239-1 as a must and i haven't managed to do it yet,lack of cash.I usually look on Jobsite.co.uk and they seem to have loads of work for sparks up in the north,but the pay isn't great.Good luck anyway mate;)
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'm only too aware that work is scarce. I'm lucky that I do at least have a job, there are two lads on my 2330 course who gave up perfectly good jobs to join the bottom rung of the electrical trade, only to find themselves laid off a matter of months later. I fully expect that if I find some sparks work it will be evenings & weekends, for a few quid at best, just to gain experience.

What I'm thinking about is something outside the everyday domestic/commercial services. The world doesn't stop, whatever the economic conditions, and I think there are areas that will expand in the next few years. Renewable energy for one, as I said before, and things like data cabling/fibre-optics.

I'm thinking of doing a Solar PV course. As it stands the energy billl savings don't really outway the cost of installing one of these systems, but I think this is likely to change in the near future. Anyone done a Solar PV course?

Obviously there are a lot of people in the same boat as me. 3 years ago becoming a sparky was a smart move. Who knew what was to come? These are extraordinary times we are living in, and I think we really need to start thinking outside the box if we want to earn the good money.
 
If you went on to learn about PLC`s and automation it would certainly broaden your horizons as regards job opportunities

Regards chris
 
It's interesting the number of people who have an interest in the alternative energy game. It's certainly worth having a look at.
What does not seem to be high on the thoughts of some people is that it involves more than hooking up a couple of wires to some batteries and an inverter.
Roof panels (photo cells) involve acrobatics on roof tops while fixing same and the routing of cables through a roof without letting the rain in. i.e. roofing skills.
Mills will involve either rigging scaffolding or hopefully not, rigging ladders to roof peaks to fix mill mounting brackets without pulling the gable out of the house, or for larger mills the laying of founds for masts and rigging stays. You can of course employ the relative outside trades to do all this and successfully price the job out of peoples ability to pay.
You can learn all the courses enough to pass all the exams but until you start tracking walls and all the other means of whacking your fingers with a club hammer and slicing your hands on freshly cut trunking or tray, or even coming home with a sore back from digging trenches, you won't be ready to go live as a spark.:)
 
it"s all about experience i"ve come across lads who have qualifications coming out of there ears but when push comes to shove they can"t connect a contactor! or make a bend in a piece of trunking,make a pyro end off! one thing you can"t buy is experience and that comes with serving a full 5yr apprenticeship! that"s why the games gone down the pan and now people have the cheek to call it a easy trade to get into!

My sentiments entirely.... Cheers..:)
 
it"s all about experience i"ve come across lads who have qualifications coming out of there ears but when push comes to shove they can"t connect a contactor! or make a bend in a piece of trunking,make a pyro end off! one thing you can"t buy is experience and that comes with serving a full 5yr apprenticeship! that"s why the games gone down the pan and now people have the cheek to call it a easy trade to get into!

Well said Russ
 
it"s all about experience i"ve come across lads who have qualifications coming out of there ears but when push comes to shove they can"t connect a contactor! or make a bend in a piece of trunking,make a pyro end off! one thing you can"t buy is experience and that comes with serving a full 5yr apprenticeship! that"s why the games gone down the pan and now people have the cheek to call it a easy trade to get into!
Yeah, believe me I'm very conscious of that. While I CAN do the things you listed, until I find a job I won't be doing them on a regular basis, and that's going to be a problem. I'm gonna do a few little jobs round the house, and friends' houses, but that's no substitute for being on the tools day-in day-out.

What I'm thinking is, things being how they are, what is the best use of my time til I can get work? Of course quals don't mean tihs if you can't physically do the job. But until I get the chance, it won't hurt to learn a bit more. And this time of year is application time.

I'm still none the wiser at the moment. Maybe I'll become an internet poker pro!

It's interesting the number of people who have an interest in the alternative energy game. It's certainly worth having a look at.
What does not seem to be high on the thoughts of some people is that it involves more than hooking up a couple of wires to some batteries and an inverter.
Roof panels (photo cells) involve acrobatics on roof tops while fixing same and the routing of cables through a roof without letting the rain in. i.e. roofing skills.
Mills will involve either rigging scaffolding or hopefully not, rigging ladders to roof peaks to fix mill mounting brackets without pulling the gable out of the house, or for larger mills the laying of founds for masts and rigging stays. You can of course employ the relative outside trades to do all this and successfully price the job out of peoples ability to pay.
You can learn all the courses enough to pass all the exams but until you start tracking walls and all the other means of whacking your fingers with a club hammer and slicing your hands on freshly cut trunking or tray, or even coming home with a sore back from digging trenches, you won't be ready to go live as a spark.:)
Ha! Fair enuff!:D
I used to work on the roofs, so that doesn't bother me. Nor would whacking my fingers now n then if I'm pocketing a grand a week.
I really think solar panels could be a big thing in the not-too-distant future. The real question is whether they are economically viable. I'm not convinced they are right now, but as technology improves, and energy prices inflate, that will probably change. Once they're installed you've got free electricity, and you've added value to the property. Could be a smart move for people who can afford it.
 
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Have you enlisted on a PV course yet Skint Eastwood? If so how's it going? I fully agree with your outlook on life. I think you should never stop trying to learn new things. I have my c&g 2330 2&3 ,nvq3, c&g 2377, 17th editions & c&g 2391 and own my own company
plus in the years i'v been in the trade I'v been on basic plumbing and plastering courses to keep costs down on rewires ect.
My point beeing dont ever apologize for wanting to inprove and better yourself for new lines of work. While i agree with every sparky out there experience is the key to learning the job proerly, but what i don't agree with is that everones got to start somewhere. And it seens that there is a lot of small minded sparks out there who just keep banging on about apprenticeships. You get good and bad electricians which ever way they learnt and we have to remember the the apprenticeship route is free for a lot of ungreatful kids and the night school route cost a lot of money and dedication from adults who missed their chance.
 
Exactly Shagg. There's a big difference between a know-it-all 17-year-old apprentice who's afraid of a day's work, and someone like me who works all day then pays out a fair portion of their hard-earned to go to college in the evening. The lecturers at my college tell me there's a huge contrast. We're determined to stick at it and get full value, while a lot of the kids don't give a rat's.

I didn't give a rat's either when I was that age, which is why I need to catch up now. My point is that it's hard to get much hands-on experience at the moment, so I may as well keep studying. Some people don't seem to understand that.

No, I haven't applied for a PV course yet. I'm currently waiting to have surgery on my back (which has made finishing the 2330 especially hard) but when that's out of the way I can start putting plans into action. The courses aren't that expensive, and I think would add to my CV, show that I'm keen to learn new things. Like you say, we should never stop learning.

Maybe I'll do plastering too, depending on the back. Seems like a logical thing to me to be able to make good a wall after you've stuck your cables in.
 
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its a changing world out there boys, a recent article on a web site (sorry cant remember) said plumbers and sparks are going to be at the fore front of renewables, and self employed should have it central in there bussiness plan. next couple of years and it will kick off big style.
 
its a changing world out there boys, a recent article on a web site (sorry cant remember) said plumbers and sparks are going to be at the fore front of renewables, and self employed should have it central in there bussiness plan. next couple of years and it will kick off big style.
Well let me know if you do remember! Sounds interesting, but I'd like to know specifics.

The government has set some big targets for renewable energy and CO2 emission cutting (well not that big actually, but they have a lot to do to meet those targets), and the way the tories are sounding they will continue in a similar vein. Efficiency is the simplest and most obvious first step, so tradesmen are in the front-line for that kind of scheme.

Personally I think we are doomed as far as climate change goes. It will take major catastrophies before there's enough political will to make big changes, and by then it will be too late. But before armageddon I wouldn't mind earning a few quid!

I go here to read about green issues, if anyone's interested: Monbiot.com » climate change
 

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