What qualifications are required to work on domestic buildings?

[allthequestions]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to first start off with a little about myself, I am 19, live in Scotland, 3.5 Years through my apprenticeship as an electrical technician in the oil and gas industry. I currently have my HNC in electrical engineering and am about to complete my SVQ level 3 in electrical engineering.

I have always worked in the industry and never done any domestic work. I did a little bit on inspection and testing and the regulations while at college but nothing too detailed. I work with both 3 phase and single phase systems here. Also do plenty of work on other industrial stuff such as protection relays, high voltage equipment, generators, motors etc. I was wondering what courses/tests/qualifiactions would be required for me to work on domestic properties at the end of my apprenticeship in a few months? Feel free to tell me how you got into the industry and what qualifications etc you had when you started as all information would be helpful.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Your future is in the industrial sector. Why do you want to turn your back on this much esteemed sector to work on monkey houses?

 

[TJ Anderson]

Your future is in the industrial sector. Why do you want to turn your back on this much esteemed sector to work on monkey houses?

We need some good guys back in domestic sector. Many many more houses than factories, good sparks not at all short of work.

 

[GMES]

I can only echo what Voltz said, you would be crazy to go down the domestic path.

 

[baldsparkies]

Your future is in the industrial sector. Why do you want to turn your back on this much esteemed sector to work on monkey houses?

Commercial work is for the qualified electrician, it scares the hell out of those who have never done anything but domestic all there working lives, and rightly so.
Lets face it the wonder courses have let loose the inexperienced on the poor old house owner.
When we covered the C&G 236 part 1 first year you were ready for house bashing.
2nd year covered by part 2.
And then the 3rd the B certificate in electrical installation work.
2 years in the evenings and the C certificate was covered.
All that and an apprenticeship, learning how to set conduit make off MI's and swa.
Tray work and designing installing all sorts, emergency lighting, UPS supplies, generators and change over panels, composite panels, fire alarm systems, fire suppression systems, the list and diversity is endless.
Domestic work will seem like child's play by comparison.
But then that's what sets you apart from the Electrical Trainee
If your able to cover industrial and commercial work with competence, you are worlds above and beyond the needs of domestic installs.
As voltz said why go back to monkey work where monkeys can cope, and peanuts the pay.
Keep your sights set on commercial, and use domestic as a stocking filler, and you will keep your pride and respect for the trade.
There are good electricians in the domestic market don't get me wrong.
But there rubbing shoulder with some real cowboys these days.
I mean Part P qualified ??? WTF is that supposed to mean !!

 

[Knobhead]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to first start off with a little about myself, I am 19, live in Scotland, 3.5 Years through my apprenticeship as an electrical technician in the oil and gas industry. I currently have my HNC in electrical engineering and am about to complete my SVQ level 3 in electrical engineering.

I have always worked in the industry and never done any domestic work. I did a little bit on inspection and testing and the regulations while at college but nothing too detailed. I work with both 3 phase and single phase systems here. Also do plenty of work on other industrial stuff such as protection relays, high voltage equipment, generators, motors etc. I was wondering what courses/tests/qualifiactions would be required for me to work on domestic properties at the end of my apprenticeship in a few months? Feel free to tell me how you got into the industry and what qualifications etc you had when you started as all information would be helpful.

What a waste of an apprenticeship.

 

[tazz]

At 19, thats very quick to get through an ONC (3 years) and an HNC (4 years), or are these NVQ certs...?

 

[Engineer54]

Yep, Mad as a march hare!! What a total waste of a companies time, money and effort to train a young lad, just to be thrown down the proverbial toilet!!

 

[Engineer54]

At 19, thats very quick to get through an ONC (3 years) and an HNC (4 years), or are these NVQ certs...?

To be honest i was thinking exactly the same thing!! But things have changed an awful lot since my training days.

 

[Guest125]

For me, domestic work is boring an non-rewarding. Working in other people's houses. Carpets, floor boards, decorations etc etc is not for me. Been there and done it and was not a pleasant experience. Home owners are also the oddest clients.

However,

commercial work I love. Variety in each day. Circuits changing, containment changing. A variety of people to deal with. Design work. Also you are generally surrounded by other good tradesmen and your skills can just develop and develop.

It it domestic is where you want to be, fine. Far be it for me or anyone else to dictate to you. Just be prepared for a cut through market place and tough tenders. Find what you are good at - which at 19 will be another 10 years yet and keep doing it.

 

[allthequestions]

Hi all, thankyou for getting back to me, I feel that I might have come across wrong in my paragraph. I am not looking to go into the domestic world and it is more of a last choice type of thing that ive been thinking about. I enjoy the industrial sector and wouldn't leave it to start doing domestic work however I was wondering what my route would be if I ever was made redundant and wanted to work in the domestic sector.

Once again I thank you all for getting back to me and it was much more helpful than I could have hoped for.

 

[ian.settle1]

We need some good guys back in domestic sector. Many many more houses than factories, good sparks not at all short of work.

Why hell would you want to go house bashing if you had a HNC.

 

[Knobhead]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to first start off with a little about myself, I am 19, live in Scotland, 3.5 Years through my apprenticeship as an electrical technician in the oil and gas industry. I currently have my HNC in electrical engineering and am about to complete my SVQ level 3 in electrical engineering.

I have always worked in the industry and never done any domestic work. I did a little bit on inspection and testing and the regulations while at college but nothing too detailed. I work with both 3 phase and single phase systems here. Also do plenty of work on other industrial stuff such as protection relays, high voltage equipment, generators, motors etc. I was wondering what courses/tests/qualifiactions would be required for me to work on domestic properties at the end of my apprenticeship in a few months? Feel free to tell me how you got into the industry and what qualifications etc you had when you started as all information would be helpful.

I assume your role has been in the main maintenance and fault finding, not installation.

If you want a change look to industries like chemicals where you can use your skills to the full.
I’m going to be brutally honest. I think you’re being stupid, you will have spent four years to get exactly where a domestic installer took five weeks.

Your qualifications will count for nothing when you have to compete in the rat race against the Electrical Trainee’s.

I’ve spent forty years in heavy industry and enjoyed every minute of it. In that forty years I’ve did five domestic installs under duress. It’s mind numbingly repetitive and won’t keep your interest.

 

[LankyWill]

There's nothing wrong with the domestic sector whatsoever. Don't listen to these egotistical fools. There's lots of different aspects of domestic to conquer ie.

Rewires
Networking
Home integration
New builds
Temporary supplies

At such a young age you can have a go in each sector and learn some valuable skills. I'm fully qualified and I work in domestic premises and it's an interesting sector. New problems everyday and you will learn how to adapt improvise and overcome a variety of tasks. Go where you want mate and try it all. If anything your current training will help you excel and get a head start on the rest.

 

[tazz]

The Egotistical fools, don`t hump other peoples furniture around, or lift carpets for a living....They tend to work on problematic design projects, at the design stage, and throughout the project. They find it interesting, rewarding and gain alot of respect. But then, it took alot of years, cost and studying to get there.

 

[baldsparkies]

The Egotistical fools, don`t hump other peoples furniture around, or lift carpets for a living....They tend to work on problematic design projects, at the design stage, and throughout the project. They find it interesting, rewarding and gain alot of respect. But then, it took alot of years, cost and studying to get there.

In total agreement.
Well said sir.:icon12:

 

[LankyWill]

The Egotistical fools, don`t hump other peoples furniture around, or lift carpets for a living....They tend to work on problematic design projects, at the design stage, and throughout the project. They find it interesting, rewarding and gain alot of respect. But then, it took alot of years, cost and studying to get there.

I'm not a carpet fitter. I work on new builds only so i don't need to move anything. Even if I did it doesn't make me any less of electrician it's work either way. It's seems you think you being an electrician has an hierarchy it doesn't we all excel in different areas doesn't make any of us less of electrician.

 

[tazz]

Hence the different...Electrical Engineer or Electrician, Hopefully this young man will continue his hard work, resulting in his achievement as an industrial designer...You never know, you may one day install one of his designs.

 

[ImpededLoop]

What's your reason for wanting to go into domestic work?

As others have said, there's more variety and money in industrial and I would personally stay in that sector.

It's easy to think that the grass is greener on the other side, but in reality it's not.

 

[Engineer54]

I'm not a carpet fitter. I work on new builds only so i don't need to move anything. Even if I did it doesn't make me any less of electrician it's work either way. It's seems you think you being an electrician has an hierarchy it doesn't we all excel in different areas doesn't make any of us less of electrician.

Of course their is a '' hierarchy'' in place, there is in all trades and professions, it's what higher education is all about, it's called progression!! What we have here, is a young lad that has had extensive time, effort and money training him to work at a much higher level within the industrial sector only to throw that training and achievement away, to enter a sector of the industry that in the real world hierarchy of things, is on the bottom runs of the ladder...

Out of the 5 examples you give above, only two can be remotely classed as being ''interesting'', unfortunately those two examples will not count for even one percent of typical domestic sector work.

Let me ask you a question, ...if this was you're young son would you be honestly be advising him to give up his present line of occupation with an oil company, to enter the domestic sector as a house basher??