A new career as an electrician...

[matt.bram]

Hi all - I hope it is ok to post it here, please move somewhere else if required.

I have a friend who is currently in the business sector (sat at a desk). He is relatively young (32) but has a mortgage, family etc.

He's interested in retraining as an electrician and asked me for some advice on how he could do that without killing all his income (because he needs to support his family)...but I am kind of stumped.

Has anyone had experience in this? Any tips you can offer?

 

[Murdoch]

He is in a very tricky situation.

with no experience he's not to get a position unless he's really lucky and even then probably on minimum wage.

Lots of "training companies" will take their money and that won't get you much,except for some pieces of paper - experience is ESSENTIAL, and not just of running and connecting cables - you need a good all round knowledge of construction techniques of homes over the last 60 years or more

There are skills shortages but the market is slowing so opportunities may be thin on the ground to say the least

Maybe approach the local electrical companies - and see what they say but be aware a huge percentage of sparks are sole traders

Apologies if this isn't helpful

 

[matt.bram]

He is in a very tricky situation.

with no experience he's not to get a position unless he's really lucky and even then probably on minimum wage.

Lots of "training companies" will take their money and that won't get you much,except for some pieces of paper - experience is ESSENTIAL, and not just of running and connecting cables - you need a good all round knowledge of construction techniques of homes over the last 60 years or more

There are skills shortages but the market is slowing so opportunities may be thin on the ground to say the least

Maybe approach the local electrical companies - and see what they say but be aware a huge percentage of sparks are sole traders

Apologies if this isn't helpful

Very helpful actually, as I thought I was being an idiot for not really being able to think of a way this could work.

One benefit is that he is self employed, so he could in theory with with a local electrician 1-2 days a week to start building some experience and then keep the cash coming in by running his day-to-day business the other 3 days.

I guess it would just take a very long time to gain the experience he needs this way...and find a local electrician who would be willing to do this could be tricky.

 

[matt.bram]

Doesn't it seem kind of ridiculous that for areas with skills shortages that there aren't established route for those who are already in a profession to keep their income at a reasonable level whilst they train its either:

1. Get in when you are young/don't have any financial dependencies
2. Save for years so you can take the time off to train/get experience.

My wife was really keen to look into becoming a teacher, but couldn't just not work for a year while she got the qualification...so basically just can't do it.

 

[Murdoch]

What is their current job ?

 

[matt.bram]

What is their current job ?

Self employed in the marketing space. So very detached from becoming an electrician haha.

 

[binky]

Doesn't it seem kind of ridiculous that for areas with skills shortages that there aren't established route for those who are already in a profession to keep their income at a reasonable level whilst they train its either:

1. Get in when you are young/don't have any financial dependencies
2. Save for years so you can take the time off to train/get experience.

My wife was really keen to look into becoming a teacher, but couldn't just not work for a year while she got the qualification...so basically just can't do it.

if there's one thing the government could do, it's support adult trainees with some form of apprentcieship scheme, but they don't.

I looked at retraining as a radiographer, but like your wife could not afford not to be earning for years whilst studying. Minimum wage would have sufficed, just enough to keep the 'wolf from the door'.

 

[matt.bram]

if there's one thing the government could do, it's support adult trainees with some form of apprentcieship scheme, but they don't.

I looked at retraining as a radiographer, but like your wife could not afford not to be earning for years whilst studying. Minimum wage would have sufficed, just enough to keep the 'wolf from the door'.

It annoys me.

They seem to put plenty of money into training programs. But they don't work for the majority of the population. They mostly only work for the unemployed, many of which aren't interested in working anyway....or like a couple of my friends who are unemployed are desperate for a job (not training) so they can get some money coming in.

 

[matt.bram]

if there's one thing the government could do, it's support adult trainees with some form of apprentcieship scheme, but they don't.

I looked at retraining as a radiographer, but like your wife could not afford not to be earning for years whilst studying. Minimum wage would have sufficed, just enough to keep the 'wolf from the door'.

If it helps, I know two radiographers and they are blood miserable (I don't think that has anything to do with the job though).

 

[matt.bram]

He is in a very tricky situation.

with no experience he's not to get a position unless he's really lucky and even then probably on minimum wage.

Lots of "training companies" will take their money and that won't get you much,except for some pieces of paper - experience is ESSENTIAL, and not just of running and connecting cables - you need a good all round knowledge of construction techniques of homes over the last 60 years or more

There are skills shortages but the market is slowing so opportunities may be thin on the ground to say the least

Maybe approach the local electrical companies - and see what they say but be aware a huge percentage of sparks are sole traders

Apologies if this isn't helpful

Just a quick follow up question on this.

Would he not need to also get the 'bits of paper' in order to legally conduct electrical work?

 

[Murdoch]

Just a quick follow up question on this.

Would he not need to also get the 'bits of paper' in order to legally conduct electrical work?

If he's employed then the employer would take responsibility for signing stuff off IMHO

 

[Sharpend]

Surely marketing can be down from a laptop anywhere/anytime?

 

[Fleeting]

Just a quick follow up question on this.

Would he not need to also get the 'bits of paper' in order to legally conduct electrical work?

In the UK there is no legal requirement for you to have 'bits of paper' to carry out electrical work it is a massive failing but having said that there is a huge percentage of people with these bits of paper who are totally incompetent.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Just a quick follow up question on this.

Would he not need to also get the 'bits of paper' in order to legally conduct electrical work?

Just a few points that may (or may not) be helpful?

1. DIY electrical work is legally permitted. (BS7671 is non-statutory).

2. IF you want to be a member of one of the various 'optional' electrical trades bodies, they do have criteria, (qualifications/insurance/documents/test equipment etc..), you need to meet.

3. Any existing company can take on unskilled, limited competence employees, that they will train and educate... On-the-job training is a normal practice in almost every business sector.

4. Any individual can legally have multiple jobs/employers/businesses that they run or work for.

5. So if it was possible to find "A.N.Other.Company.Co.Uk" willing to take them on for 1 or 2 days every week, while they ran their other work for the rest of the week. This would all be legal and good way to get some hands-on-experience....

6. However, at the end of the day as with 99% of job opportunities/prospects... It is still "WHO you know"... NOT... "WHAT you know" that carries the final selection.

7. Its NOT impossible to do... But also its NOT easy!

 

[nsalam]

I was working as a web developer for 9 years before retraining as an electrician.

I first went night school and completed my level 2 & 3 City and guilds. I then obtained my cscs and ecs cards.

The most challenging asking was finding work, i feel it’s more experience than age and if you don’t have your nvq and am2 I think it makes it harder.

Currently I am working for free under an electrician 2 days a week and this added experience has gotten me interviews now with electrical jobs. Hopefully I will be in a paid job soon as my next step is to complete my nvq, 18th and am2.

I’ve had to work for free just to get through the door and I hope this ain’t the same for everyone’s journey but at times it needs to be done.

I’m 34 years old

 

[Sharpend]

Well done in your perseverance. Continue like that and it will pay dividends.

 

[Phoenix]

I was working as a web developer for 9 years before retraining as an electrician.

I first went night school and completed my level 2 & 3 City and guilds. I then obtained my cscs and ecs cards.

The most challenging asking was finding work, i feel it’s more experience than age and if you don’t have your nvq and am2 I think it makes it harder.

Currently I am working for free under an electrician 2 days a week and this added experience has gotten me interviews now with electrical jobs. Hopefully I will be in a paid job soon as my next step is to complete my nvq, 18th and am2.

I'm sure your wiring is a lot better than my PHP code

Depending on when you completed your level 2 and 3 then 18th edition might not be necessary, generally the installation courses are deemed to qualify you to the current edition at the time, and the regs courses are just updates. There might be some edge cases that require it when you are close to a gap in editions, e.g. I did my parts 1 and 2 right at the end of the 16th edition being current and then ended up having to do a 17th update.

You definatly need the NVQ3, its generally regarded as esstential in the same way the parts 1 and 2 are,

The AM2 is more of a grey area - its intended for those serving a formal apprenticeship and is effectivly seen as the conclusion as that, I think if your route in differs from that then you don't strictly need it. I don't have it and it hasn't stopped me getting a JIB card, but your millage may differ. I understand that its not the same as it used to be, understand that you don't need to be able to do MICC anymore.

 

[Joules]

Hi all - I hope it is ok to post it here, please move somewhere else if required.

I have a friend who is currently in the business sector (sat at a desk). He is relatively young (32) but has a mortgage, family etc.

He's interested in retraining as an electrician and asked me for some advice on how he could do that without killing all his income (because he needs to support his family)...but I am kind of stumped.

Has anyone had experience in this? Any tips you can offer?

Having read through the replies I was struck by the absence of something that should really be obligatory if natural selection is not to take its course. I refer to Colour Blindness which the wok-ish changed to Colour Vision Deficiency or CVD. I never took the test when I was an apprentice/electrician but did take it much later in life which thankfully confirmed there was no CVD present. When I was an apprentice there was a guy who had changed trades to become a pipe fitter something I simply could not understand because electricians as you know are the salt of the earth. It was explained that he had been forced to change because of CVD. Guess he had wired one too many red wires to an earth pin?