UK Am I not getting enough work?

kieran97 · Mar 18, 2021

Hi,

Sorry If I am posting in the wrong place, I am new. If you could take the time to read my post, I would appreciate it more than you know.

I am about 5/6 months in on my first year as an electrical apprentice I love this industry and its fundamentals and since I was around 15, I have wanted to be a qualified spark. (little backstory) I went to college and did my level 1,2 and 3 but struggled to find an apprenticeship when I finished college at 18/19. So, I worked at asda for a few years and was over the moon when I was offered a job at 22 years old. I am so determined to be qualified I cannot put into words how much I want a career in this industry.

However, my job is maintenance. My college told me due to having a level 3 I am basically a portfolio and onsite student with my 18th coming soon and other few exams. They said I could probably be qualified within 2/3 years, but I am getting little electrical work. My college want to see some install work and some testing etc. and so far, I have wired up a few emergency lights done little to none install work have not worked with any containment and I have had no work with different types of cable like SWA fp200 etc and no testing I have painted walls more than working on electrics I was stuck PAT testing for about a month. My employer who is a plumber does not quite understand my position and what I need to do to complete my apprenticeship, college is not very open with him, so I know it is difficult for us both. Big electrical work gets contracted out.

I asked for some testing equipment like a megger to do my inspect&test and get familiar with it and learn it but he seems to think I only need to do it a few times which is not the case as I need to have it carved in my brain how to carry out all these tests he said that he don't think he'll be paying 1200 quid for a megger but maybe borrow one or send me somewhere to be able to use one which quite annoyed me. Our other maintenance electrician is not 18th edition however he is a great person and an excellent mentor. I was pretty much dropped on his lap and he was told to teach me which he did not seem to have a problem with, but he retires in a year. I want to put in all my effort and be ahead of my apprenticeship and be organised with it, but I cannot show my assessors at college much at all.

I am forever grateful to my employer for giving me a chance and be given an apprenticeship but it’s got to the point where I don't know what to do other than look for another job but like I said finding one is not easy in Leicester. And just to clarify I am in maintenance, so my employer (boss) does not own this big company. He is just the boss of the maintenance department. and I am signed on as an Electrical install/maintenance apprentice.

What would you do in this situation?

sorry for the long post but I have tried to shorten my story as much as I could for you.

Many thanks.

i=p/u · Mar 18, 2021

Plumber teaching electrics

What you put in, is what u get out , you need to find a spark to bounce off, domestic commercial, industrial, good to get blast at them all I say.

timhoward · Mar 19, 2021

Slight tangent - but recently my MFT had a fault and I needed to do some testing that couldn't wait. I had to dig out the old testing gear. (I later returned with a repaired MFT and the readings were all +-2% so not too far out considering these are analogue devices)

While multifunction testers are indeed expensive and very handy devices there are some ways of testing for very little outlay if you are willing to use separate devices and do a few calculations. You'd then at least be able to practise the techniques and start developing the "that doesn't look right" sixth sense.

These are the dear old friends I have which are still in working order and occasionally get used:
One of these sold for £28 recently:

[ElectriciansForums.net] Am I not getting enough work?

One of these sold for £5 recently:

Believe it or not with a little effort you could do quite a lot of the required testing just with these two devices.
The top device will do all the continuity and insulation resistance tests though you do have to measure the leads resistance first and subtract that from the results.
The bottom one can tell you the external earth loop impedance from which you can calculate prospective earth fault current. There are ways to obtain prospective short circuit current with it too.
An MFT could also loop test a final circuit and unless there are no RCDs this loop tester can't do that - but an alternative is to just add the continuity readings (R1+R2) to the earth loop impendence (Ze). This isn't as accurate but is good enough - usually slightly higher than measuring it directly.
That just leaves testing the RCD trip times. There are separate testers just for that if you wanted though I don't have one.
All that to say - there's a lot you can do with older tools that are now very cheap, and while learning they might be better than having no tester at all.

buzzlightyear · Mar 19, 2021

Me for a cheap tester I would look on fliebay and try and stay within you budget
You could pick one up.

telectrix · Mar 19, 2021

yep. plenty of mft's on ebay. if you are careful where you buy... seller with lodas of +ve feedback and a returns policy. pay with patpal. a good 1552/2/ can be got for 2-3 ton.

timhoward · Mar 19, 2021

OP do you currently work full time Mon - Fri?
Was just thinking if not you might find someone willing to let you shadow them for a few hours a week and do some hands on stuff for them.
You could ask if you can put an advert up in a couple of electrical merchants or either a job or experience.

Rather be Fishing · Mar 19, 2021

I feel your pain mate

I experienced something similar

I'm still have do my nvq and am2 but I'm a 1/3 through my 2391! Which is a backwards way of doing it.

I'm guessing I'm going to be an oddity once I've got it as I'll have

2330 level 3
2382 18th edd
And fingers crossed 2391

But will have to take the mature candidate route to complete my nvq and am2.

I to am in a maintenance role but it's well payed and local so it's a dilemma but it obviously comes with minimum install so I'm hopping my new tutor offers me to rewire his garage with various containment methods. It's optimistic but you never know. (What you say jimmy if your reading ?) I'll do it for free ? well cups of tea.

Failing that I'll just have to do bit around the house to satisfy the requirements of a nvq.

I'll be doing a practical testing workshop as I've got absolutely no experience

And I'll deffo be doing a workshop on am2 prep.

Age is on your side

Keep your chin up keep looking and stay positive

If you want it enough things will eventually come good.

I'm meeting more and more helpfull sparkys these days. Where as 10 years ago I was meeting more sparkys that didn't want to share there knowledge.

Good luck mate ??