Training as an electrician...

[dreamz]

is it hard?

i'm lookin for a career change from the one i'm currently in. being shot at for refusing ppl in a club isnt quite what i signed up for.

i've long thought of moving into either plumbing or an electrian - at a local college city and guilds etc

i'm willing to put the effort it and have the motivation. i'm just thinking if it would be a good career move or not.

 

[Gasguru]

I can only speak for the plumbing/heating game but I imagine it would be no different for electrcians.

If you plan to work in the cities/larger towns there has been a large influx of cheap migrant labour and you will never be able to compete. They don't bother with qualifications and their work is by and large abysmal but the public still use them.

Personally I'd steer clear of the construction industry - its in freefall at the moment - there's no quality left in the products and with interest rates on the rise customers are going to be tight.

There are thousands of people currently in training with little prospect of full time work.

Cheap labour has pushed UK workers off the sites so you'll have to also have to compete with them on the domestic workfront.

This inept goverment continously bring in legislation to make the job harder and more expensive whilst allowing the cowboys to thrive. Despite non entities such as CORGI, so called qualified installers continue to cut corners and get away with it - you will never compete with them.

If your honest and conscientious the pay is rubbish (you'll spend plenty of time on "charity" jobs sorting out the mess a previous cowboy has made).

I've had many different careers and like you thought of a change - big mistake for me.

 

[Nige F]

full time work.


If your honest and conscientious the pay is rubbish (you'll spend plenty of time on "charity" jobs sorting out the mess a previous cowboy has made).

that`s so true ........I went for a job once .....changing lightbulbs on streetlights for local elec. co ........and the pay was the same as I was getting as a qualified C+G plumber/ leadworker on the JIB rates @ the time and things are no better now ....I`ve just been lucky ducking+diving and lived frugally and me+ mrs are sitting relatively comfortable now...........if you`re not Corgi, then forget plumbing , unless you want to do demo`s in Singleton Museum in W. Sussex

 

[dreamz]

so what about if you go to say that eleclocal - like plumblocal but for electricians??

i agree with the cheap labour - in london its just tacky

 

[Moz]

blue collar trades have lost its impact ...

unless you city an guilds trained

ten a penny , IT workers now Plumbers, even *ladies* ..lol..lol

my best advice is go early doors to a busy trades counter on profession you want to switch to an ask about nicely /respectful ....about getting into that trade .....
Most good trades lads tell you wether its worthwhile or that area is *flooded* (lol) with very very cheap E/Europeans........

 

[dreamz]

i'm in the northwest/lancashire and so far its not as bad as it is in other parts of the country

there's a fair few in manc etc and i just feel for the guys tryna cut a good honest living in london with the amount of mickey mouse workers there its just shocking that the govt doesnt do more to enforce and back qualified workers

its just a moment when there's a major accident thats caused by someone using cheap labour

 

[Moz]

its just a moment when there's a major accident thats caused by someone using cheap labour

HSE get fatalities every week ..lol
due to cowboys/substandard trades ....

worse is the lil doggie /corgi who Take...Take...Take an dont protect their members ,
an couldnt/dont follow up on dodgy cowboys gas installers reports ...

as they say "We ARENT the Police, havent the power /resouces ..."
just a money making clicky club ....hmmm

go sparks ..lol

 

[Thermo]

dont start me on this one. Ive got one lad who left school working with me. Keen as mustard, can i find a course for him to go on to do hard landscaping to get a qualification? No, the only one thye were running they stopped because of funding.

Then i take on one of his mates for the summer. Hes just coming to the end of his firs year at college training as a plumber. Hes exactly the same very good worker, no grumbles, punctual, smart, common sense, all the things you want. If he cant find a plumber to take him on by the end of the first year he has to leave college as he cant do the next year unless hes getting experaince. Hes done the rounds with applying to loads of plumbers. ive looked at his cv and its more well written than the majority i get from older guys asking for jobs. What state is this countrys trades in where the government encourages them to go to college but gives no support afterwards, and the trades dont want to take them on. these are young blokes who want to work and earn a living for christs sake.

 

[rommy]

To be a competent electrician takes some years of training at college and on the tools.
It's not the thing you can just do a few weeks of training then you're an electrician.
It's a very competitive market.
Wishing you good luck.

 

[Nige F]

I`d like to help the young plumb. Thermo.......but I don`t get asked much nowadays to do jobs ...........don`t need them, thank goodness May be able to offer some advice to him if he wants to email