Help for a new Sparks

[mosadagent]

Please can you advise please.

I have just passed my Part P and 17th edition wiring regs.
Now i need to practice my electrics at home on various projects before i go into the big wide world of private work.
Are there any reference books or sites i can use to give me advice as i start my new career, should i get stuck ?

I'm going to install a shower circuit and renew the upstairs lights for starters.

Hope this is the correct place for this question.
Cheers.

 

[oharaf]

What do you mean by 'Part P'???

What experience do you have of electrical installation work?

Reading books is fine but not preparation for carryingout work on a professional basis!!!!

 

[mosadagent]

17th edition wiring Regs - City & Guilds 2382
Part P - EAL VRQ Level 2 for domestic ELECTRICAL installers

I have a pretty good understanding of electrical work, just not professionally. I have wired small radial circuits and small lighting circuits in the past but Went for the Part P qualification to be legal.

Is this better info ?

Cheers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yup.

It makes you a competent DIYer, not someone qualified to charge money for his services, no matter how much you practice at home.

You should find an experienced electrician to work with and learn from.

 

[mosadagent]

I have applied to some electrical company's to shadow their electricians but no luck yet.
I was going to do the work at home 1st to get some practical experience because as i said, i have not done any Professional work, just in the Classroom while on my course.
Iknow i need more knowledge and experience than a Diyer to expect to charge the public.

Surely this is better than just going out there and making potential Fatal mistakes !

Any advice on my future direction in electrics would be helpful.
I have enquired to NicEic and they are sending me their Domestic installer pack to apply to them.

Cheers

 

[comms]

Upon successful completion of this Part P training course candidates will be able to apply to one of five nationally-accredited Competent Persons schemes. (taken from an EAL part P training sales web site)




These eal pay a lot of dosh & in a few weeks i'm an electrician courses, don't mean you leave the course as a fully competent part P sparks who can leave at the end of the course & go straight out doing jobs for the unsuspecting public, they mean the above so far as I'm aware.
As ban says you've paid for a course to become a certificated competent DIY'er.

Having said that well done on passing & looking towards starting in a new trade. I would advise you get some hands on experience with a local sparks (can be hard to do as most frown on the eal fast track route), because as said you cant learn the trade from a book you'll end up demoralized out of pocket with unhappy customers & laughed at in the wholesalers when you don't know what materials you need to do a job.

Might sound harsh but hey needs to be said.

 

[mosadagent]

Fair play there comms.Cheers.

So, once i've joined NicEic, they then access me on my work and if satisfied, pass me as a Competent person who can do domestic work (experience gained by shadowing obviously a big help).

Is this correct ?

 

[JACKC]

Am I missing something?
You said 17th edition wiring Regs - City & Guilds 2382
Part P - EAL VRQ Level 2 for domestic ELECTRICAL installers .
To be part P registered you have to be a member of a registered body so I do not understand your Part P claim, can you clarify please.
Personally I would register, use their forum site and offer your services FOC to any member willing to take you on. You will get a bit of experience and if you are lucky they may bung a few quid your way. NIC are not the only body so ring for prices. NAPIT, ECA and NICIEC all do these courses but you need to get some experience before going solo.
Put an town along your sign on, you never know someone on here may want a mate.

 

[SparkyNinja]

Unfortunatley doing work around your own home may not be that beneficial as you should really seek some supervised work where you can be guided correctly.

Can I ask how long you consider yourself to have been in the 'sparky trade'?

TBH I have a frowned opinion on people calling themselves electricians when they have gone through the express DI course route. Mainly as half of my work is now in retraining these guys and rectifying any work necessary.

If I were you, I would seek work with a firm, and pass on to them your own understanding that you have done the quick approach, don't consider yourself competent and am seeking to gain experience. If you call them and say you are an electrician they may blank you off..

Well done on your training thus far, and best of luck

w

 

[mosadagent]

Apologies if my replies make you think "i think" i'm an electrician.
Far from it. I am newly trained(fast track i know), but am looking to change from my current job and progress in the Domestic installer side of electrics.

When i have contacted firms to try and shadow their sparks, i do inform them from where i have got my current knowledge/VRQ etc. They just don't seem interested, probably because of the training i have recieved , AND where from.

I find you can only learn by Doing, so thought by working in my home, i was at least getting some experience.

Thanks all.

 

[scousespark]

The course you've done is suitable for 2 groups of people.
1 - The electrician who's done the job for years, without the theory, and wants to do domestic under a scheme.
2 - Other trades wanting to do limited electrical work (kitchen fitters for example).

It doesn't make you 'newly trained' if you have wired a couple of circuits and regard this as your underpinning knowledge.

You need supervised experience.

Several years ago i did a 5 day plastering course, so I could make a decent job of making good. I am not a plasterer, I have the skills of a competent diyer. You are in a similar position regarding electriacl work.

I suggest you keep looking, but I'd stress that you are looking for a start and are not 'trained'.

 

[oharaf]

I think you'll find the NICEIC will require you to have C&G2330 Level 3, !7th Edition and C&G2391.

So frankly you're stuffed for joining them


NAPIT will probably want C&G2330 L3 17th Edition and give you a year to get C&G2391, so you're stuffed there!!!

Have you been able to get any PLI?

 

[streetlighter]

I know its not domestic electrical and i might be sligthly biased but try getting a job as a street lighting attendant.
Most contractors or local councils will pay around £8 to £10 an hour for an attendant and you dont need to be a fully qualified electrician as its mostly on the job training the employer will provide.
They might even pay for you to do day release to become a fully qualified electrician.