Become a qualified electrican

[richard1600]

hi guys,

am currently an electrical/electronical engineer in the army, have all sorts of qualifactions btec in electrical/electronical engineering, hnc electrical/electronical engineering and an advanced apprenticship in electrical/electronical engineering..

we covered dc and ac theory in great depth but it was not things like how to install ring mains or anything like that, so i believe i have most of the theory just none of the standard working practices or legalities understanding with regards to commercial/household electrics.

i was told about 17th edition, what i want to know is, what exactly do i need to have to work as an electrican-household. and how do i go about getting it, am hoping i dont have to sit through courses etc, rather just do some revision and take some exams, as the knowledge is already there...

thx

 

[electronicsuk]

i was told about 17th edition, what i want to know is, what exactly do i need to have to work as an electrican-household. and how do i go about getting it, am hoping i dont have to sit through courses etc, rather just do some revision and take some exams, as the knowledge is already there...

I would say the first thing you'd need to become a domestic electrician is to be certified completely insane.

If you've got that covered, the next step would be to become part of a self-certification scheme. This allow you to certify that your work in a domestic environment is compliant with part P of the building regulations - if you don't join such a scheme, you will have to have your local building control inspect every job you do, and pay a couple of hundred pound every time for the privilege.

To become a scheme member, there are usually requirements for C&G 2382 in the 17th Ed. regulations, and 2391 inspection and testing. I know that ELECSA do not insist on the 2392/2391 if you can prove competence in inspection and testing, but without any on-the-job experience it's hard to see how you would do this.

Then there is, of course, the insurance, cost of scheme membership, tools, test equipment, calibration, customers - thank god I'm not a domestic spark

 

[davelx]

And then, of course, there is the question of how do you learn to:

Sink back boxes
Chase walls & make good
Drill joists safely
run cables though inaccessible ceilings
cut holes for downlighters
neatly cut, lift and replace floorboards

etc. ie all the "house bashing" aspects of the job.

 

[electronicsuk]

And then, of course, there is the question of how do you learn to:

Sink back boxes
Chase walls & make good
Drill joists safely
run cables though inaccessible ceilings
cut holes for downlighters
neatly cut, lift and replace floorboards

etc. ie all the "house bashing" aspects of the job.

...but of course, by the time you've considered all that, and if you've ever done any DIY electrical work on your own home, you'll realise you probably don't actually want to become a domestic spark!

 

[dingbat]

...i was told about 17th edition, what i want to know is, what exactly do i need to have to work as an electrican-household. and how do i go about getting it, am hoping i dont have to sit through courses etc, rather just do some revision and take some exams, as the knowledge is already there...

But what knowledge? For the regulations I strongly recommend that you attend a course.

Regardless of your background, unless you have some formal training understanding the requirements is by no means straightforward.

Bizarrely, apprentice electricians are not taught the regulations, rather they are deemed to be qualified to the edition in force when they undertook their training. Perhaps this is one reason the vast majority of electricians are both afraid of and ignorant of the actual regulations, preferring to accept hearsay and guesswork.

Best start off on the right foot.

 

[Spark123]

My personal experience is apprentices are taught to fill in paperwork nowadays, when it comes to hands on a lot of them struggle - even with the fundamental principles. Mention an earth fault loop impedance test to some of them and you get a blank look

 

[nozspark]

I came from a similar background but as a civvy with the RAF (same qualifications).

When I took my redundancy (after 17 years) I went and did my 2381 (16th ed regs) and 2391... beleive it or not while you know a lot of electrical theory it is different and I would suggest that you do the courses and not just the exam there's still loads to learn!!

The regs course I did was over 3 days and I can say that my head was spinning at the beginning and hurting at the end, but I did pass without a problem.

You will not learn enough by self learning; you will have loads of questions!

 

[wingcoax]

SPARK123, As you say, my last apprentice before i left the company and semi retired was being used as a "gofer" before i got him and was learning nothing at the training school with 60% of his marks from course work. He finished with HNC and HND.