Trainee Electrician

[britishrallying]

Hi,

Ive just turned 27, currently working at a factory, but want a change my career. My girlfriend has recently changed jobs putting us in a financially good position, so is able to pay mortgage and bills on her own while i sort my career out .

End of next month im starting a electricians course. Im quitting my job in two weeks, to give me a few weeks studying before the course starts. Its a intense 4 week couse:

Basic Electrical Generic Module
Domestic Electrical Part 1 - Domestic Wiring Circuits
C&G 2381 16th Edition Wiring Regs
C&G 2377 PAT Testing Unit
C&G 2391 Installation Testing & Inspection Theory
EAL Domestic Electrical Installer Units - Part 'P' Qualification

Ive sent letters to various local electricians but only had one reply, offering an electricians mate for a year on minimum wage. Which is fine, wasnt expecting anything different.

Briefly the letters ive sent out are detailing what the course im doing involves and the qualifications i will gain from it, and if they are in a position that they could take me on once im qualified.

What would you guys be looking for if you were or are in a position to recruit?

Next step is the phone the companies ive sent letters to and see if they received the letter etc

Any help will be appreciated

Regards,

Gareth

 

[luminaire]

Once you've passed all your exams and are part P qualified, you will be looking to go self-employed.

Electrical contractors will be part P registered but not necessarily the electricians working for them. So they know you wont be with them for long.

Whilst your training though, you might be able to find someone to take you on as work-experience. Ie No Pay! But the experience might be worthwhile whilst you are learning.

Hope that helps.

 

[RobFurn]

4 weeks to do 2381, 2391 and 2377.

What traning agencys that?

Dont want to put a downer on things Gareth but if you pass all that lot in 4 weeks you need to appy for a job at NASA. Good look though

 

[ayen]

hi Luminure you dont get part p qualified, the course teaches you the rules regarding part p. To become part p registered you need to show that you are competent to an assessor from one of the electrical governing bod's.

 

[Chivers7]

4 weeks to do 2381, 2391 and 2377.

What traning agencys that?

Dont want to put a downer on things Gareth but if you pass all that lot in 4 weeks you need to appy for a job at NASA. Good look though

I tend to agree unless you have a sound knowledge of electrics/physics it's a lot to ask any individual to expect to pass all that in such a short space of time.

 

[Mikey_A]

Hi Britishrallying

I'm doing a course similar to yours, which gets me the same quals as you. However, in addition to 4 weeks of solid practical, i also have tons of theory (and i mean tons of it)!!

The course is meant to be over a period of 12 to 18 months with at least 15 hours of theory study a week and lots of home assignments. That's how much is involved mate. I tend to agree with RobFurn. I don't see how you can cover it all in just 4 weeks.

I've been on the course for almost 7 months now. I've completed 2 practical sessions. I still have 2 practical sessions to go and lots more theory (and i'm talking an huge amount of hours over the next 6 months or so).

The thing about these course is that they can teach you theory and a bit of practical but what they can't give you is the experience.

Lucky for me i have an electrical contractor who is letting me go out on jobs with him to learn the ropes.

Be prepared for your brain to be frazzled

Good luck though!!

 

[Pensdown]

What would you guys be looking for if you were or are in a position to recruit?

Any help will be appreciated

Regards,

Gareth

Let’s just turn the tables for a minute.

Since PP was introduced I’m reading between 2&4 CV’s a week. Some posted and some e-mailed, some from agencies but most come directly from individuals like your good self. And yes, I do read them all (just in case Adam’s is amongst them ) and I also (like our Scottish friend) reply to the hand written ones.

I would say that 90% are from people such as you who have decided to do a career change. Some have basic qualifications and some have more, however, most have very little or no practical site experience. As electrical work is a practical trade, what could they offer me as an employer?

I would have to send them out with someone as a trainee and if they were a very quick learner and just doing domestic work then I might consider letting them loose on basic jobs after about 6-12months. During the training the pay would be around 6-7K max because there’s not enough money in domestic jobs to pay anymore.

However, as luminaire has pointed out, after about 3 months they would feel they knew enough to jump ship for more money working direct. So from my point of view it’s a waste of time taking them on in the first place.

I know this post won’t help in the short term but it may help you understand why employers are reluctant to take you on.

 

[britishrallying]

Thanks for the replies.

I was thinking thats what employers might think, after a few months i'll jump ship, but thats not the case, Im looking towards 2 - 3 years with an employer. I know qualifications are only half of it, experience is what people want. Problem I have which maybe a lot of people changing careers is the age factor.

I cant afford to do a few years at college, something I wish I had done when I left school, when I didnt have a mortgage etc, but cant change that now. 4 Weeks is short, i was unsure myself, but got to start somewhere. C & G 2391 exam isn't until June, I know that doesnt really make that much difference

One of my mates is doing a distance learning course, he's been on a few practicals, but mainly works from home doing the theory stuff, thinks hes about 7 months into it, looks after his 1 year old to though!

Company im with is Technique Training, im staying down there for 4 weeks intense, whether i pass is another story, could be a waste of money, but im confident in myself that I can give it a good shot

To become part p registered you need to show that you are competent to an assessor from one of the electrical governing bod's.

I already have a few jobs lined up for family and friends that I can be assessed on.

I'll keep you posted on how I get on, thanks again for the replies,

Regards,

Gareth

 

[chris600uk]

I did the course and passed the 2381, the EAL, and the 2391 practical.
I'm now waiting for the results of the written 2391.

I did 6 months of studying beforehand and I've done domestic electrical work in the past.

I found it hard going but instructive - you have to listen closely to everything the instructors say, don't waste time socialising or chatting in class (you'd be surprised how many do) - at around 50pence a minute you can't afford to, and you WILL miss valuable information.
Stay Sober, you can't learn anything with a hangover.
If there's something you don't understand the instructors will take the extra time to explain it to you; after the course you can get work experience from them at basic rates ( although I didn't take that up)

Staying at the Ibis hotel was essential to my success, you only have to walk to the course each day for 5/10 minutes; that increases the study/prep time available. Its important because there's alot to take in, most of it you should already know from reading around the subject.
Don't try to save money on accomodation unless you like spending an hour each day driving through heavy traffic, or longer if there's been an RTA, and don't stay in any Pubs unless you don't intend to sleep at all; there are lots of horror stories.

It's not wasted money if you put it to use and keep studying after the course.
you'll learn a great deal more than you've paid for if you listen and ask lots of questions.

I know what I'm saying sounds obvious, but when you get on the course you'll understand.

Good luck,

Chris.

 

[britishrallying]

Hi Chris,

Nice to hear some positive feedback about the course.

The domestic work you have done before, was it DIY around your home or with a contractor?

Are you self employed or with a contractor now?

Should of booked the Ibis Hotel my self, staying not far away, only a mile, 20 minute walk there abouts.

Thanks for the info, most appreciated,

Gareth

 

[chris600uk]

Mostly on my own properties, having been a landlord in the past which was when I stopped doing electrickery, and more recently in development when I met cowboy after cowboy, but now I'm looking forward to going out and do contracting once I've sold up.

There's no shortage of sparkies out there, I read somewhere on one of the forums that there were around 220,000 in the UK.
Most consumers have no idea what bs7671 is, or part P for that matter and up until recently I didn't know either; if the truth be told they don't really care so long as the lights light and the telly works, so the cowboys will always be there.
Years ago I rewired flats, fitted meters, installed cookers and ring mains with nothing more than a screwdriver, hammer and a pair of pliers - until I was electrocuted!
Because I didn't know why wires that shouldn't have been live were - I was put off touching them again, and until I started studying the subject my best mate would use the same equipment working live and testing with a £10 maplins DMM.

So for me/us the course was well worth it, and I now own over 2 grands worth of test equipment. It taught me that electrical installations are much more than just "a couple of wires"!

As far as the course was concerned, I began staying in Chesterfield in a really nice guest house. I'd looked at the Ibis originally and objected to the cost, but after a couple of days it became clear that the traffic was diabolical and the extra money was worth it. So I moved; and prebooked the whole period so I didn't have to think about that.

Food wasn't an issue, there's a Macdonalds, a Brewsters Tavern, or the hotel, and anyway Technique lay on lunch, and drinks are available throughout the day from various machines.
I bought my own breakfast from Tesco's which helped.

 

[davy_owen_88]

Years ago I rewired flats, fitted meters, installed cookers and ring mains with nothing more than a screwdriver, hammer and a pair of pliers - until I was electrocuted!

Can everyone else read this? Or am I one of those special people... you know, forum spirit mediums.

 

[scousespark]

Not wishing to seem nosey Chris, but what test gear have you got for two grand? I've spent less than half that on a Megger.

 

[SparkyUK]

Hi,
The course I did was the C&G 2360 pt1 & pt2 ( now superceeded by C&G 2330 ) . These courses took me 3 years to get through.
I am now in the process of doing an NVQ3 ( which is a requirement ) to gain a practical qualification.
Perhaps have a look on the J.I.B website for the requirements for "electricians" and alike.

www.jib.org.uk

No one can be an electrician in 4 weeks.

 

[chris600uk]

What a cynical lot you are, now I'll have to add it all up.