Becoming a qualified electrician

[ziggy1979]

Hi Everyone

I was wondering whether you guys could put me straight on a couple of things:

1. Do you need to work for an electrical installations company in order to sign up to and undertake electrical qualifications to become fully registered (e.g. to get NIC Certification)?

2. Alternatively can i sign up for a course on domestic installations and study for it by myself (self-funded so no apprenticesip, etc.).

3. How long is it likely to take to get a DISQ qualification and how much would it cost?

Thanks a lot guys .... any further advice is welcome!

 

[xAlex]

To be self-reliant, i.e. to certificate your own work, I see this as the route (it's the one i'm taking anyway):

C&G 2330 - fast track level 1 and 2 in one year: £550.00. Also took the 16th regs after a one day lesson for £50.00 as level 2 prepares you for this.
C&G 2330 Level 3 - 2nd year - £500.00 - This will allow me to take the Inspection and Testing 2391 for a discounted price over 4 days and will save me having to do the practical for the 2391. - Probably and extra £150.00 for the 2391 4 days.
Year 2/3 - Part P - £600.00. 12 weeks part time or about a week full time.
Then you can sign up with the NICEIC (or similar) for approx £500.00 and carry out self-certificated domestic installation, (They also need to inspect your work a couple of times for full approval).

 

[xAlex]

...forgot to say... You don't need to be working 'on the tools' (i'm not), but It helps. You need to be pretty practically orientated.

 

[ziggy1979]

Thanks xAlex

How are you finding it so far? Are the courses you've done pretty complicated and intense or is it manageable, especially if you are doing other things on the side?

 

[xAlex]

I’ve always worked in Purchasing (and still am), but wanted to get out of an office environment. On the whole, the level of work was very manageable for level 1+2. Assignments were on the easy side and exams were all easy multiple choice. I didn’t have to spend too much time revising or doing assignments. The 16th Regs were also discounted and were one days teaching plus an exam. This was fairly easy too.
The area where I struggled a bit was the maths (I’ve never been much good at maths). This said, we were taught at a higher level than the actual exam.

I’m doing level 3 as ‘they’ say that you have little chance of passing the 2391 Inspection and Test if you are not on the tools, or if you do not do level 3 first. I’m not on the tools, so I am doing level 3. You don’t need level 3 to be a domestic/commercial installer and certifier.

Level 3 is shaping up to be a bit more advanced, but still manageable. There will be one multiple choice exam for Science, and two written exams for Regs, and one 10 hour practical. Passing the practical will exempt me from having to do the practical for the 2391.

Part P will be dead easy and is just a formality.

 

[davelx]

Once you have all these, do you propose to go it alone with no practical experience? I really hope not, for your sake.

 

[xAlex]

.. I've done a fair bit along the way (for friends and family). And when I lost my job earlier this year I took a job as a low-paid (as I had no experience) electrical contractor. As you intimate, theoretical knowledge is no substitute for doing the job. My launch into electrical work is longer term. I would just do it spare-time for a while or maybe with another contracting firm. I would not bite off more than i could chew. Thanks to you Pro's for helping.

 

[dingbat]

‘they’ say that you have little chance of passing the 2391 Inspection and Test if you are not on the tools

And rightly so. The 2391 was set up for 'expert' testers... and many of them fail.

Level 3 is shaping up to be a bit more advanced... 10 hour practical. Passing the practical will exempt me from having to do the practical for the 2391.

Really? I'd check that out if I were you. With City & Guilds direct, not with the college.

Part P will be dead easy and is just a formality.

How so? Part P is part of the Building Regulations. It's not an exam, a qualification, an assessment, or any other of the many mythical things that many seem to believe.

 

[xAlex]

2391: You are correct, the practical exemption was stated by the college. Either way, I don't mind, i'll get there in the end.
Part P: From what i've heard from lots of electricians, part P teaches them what they already know and they see it as a money-making scheme for someone. Dingbat: have you done level 3, 2391 and part P? If so, what is you perspective on the difficulty of each?

 

[scousespark]

2391: You are correct, the practical exemption was stated by the college. Either way, I don't mind, i'll get there in the end.
Part P: From what i've heard from lots of electricians, part P teaches them what they already know and they see it as a money-making scheme for someone. Dingbat: have you done level 3, 2391 and part P? If so, what is you perspective on the difficulty of each?

2391 is NOT easy, as evidenced by the failure rate amongst experienced sparks.

How the hell does Part-P teach us what we already know.
It's a section in the building regs - and only requires that electrical work is done properly. To prove this you notify the LABC up fron t and they inspect, or you regeister withna scheme and notify through them, with an annual inspection by the provider. Not that big a deal really.

 

[dingbat]

From what i've heard from lots of electricians, part P teaches them what they already know ...

How so? Part P is part of the Building Regulations. It's not an exam, a qualification, an assessment, or any other of the many mythical things that many seem to believe...

...it is certainly not a course of study, which your 'lots of electricians' don't appear to understand.

 

[alex28]

do u need an inspection & test cert with every job? has anyone got a copy of one? sorry for the dumb questions as Iam a bit of a newbie

 

[Spark123]

do u need an inspection & test cert with every job? has anyone got a copy of one? sorry for the dumb questions as Iam a bit of a newbie

In order to comply with BS7671 you need to inspect, test and issue the correct certification for your work. The BS7671 certificates can be downloaded from here: clicky . Adobe reader is needed.

 

[oohthatslive!!]

u only have o do the basic week or 2 week course. u can join the niceic or wateva then. cost u about a grand tops and then around 400 squid to be in the niceic

 

[ziggy1979]

oohthatslive!! so you mean that after a 2-week course you can then apply to be NICEIC certified for domestic work? Surely that can't be right?

If so, would you know who offers these courses?