Advice on becoming an electrician, please help!

[jamie_liverpool]

Hi everyone,
First post on here looking for some advice before i blow lots of money probably needlessly! Im 24 and currently work as a fork lift driver which i absolutly hate. I have a mortage and long term girlfriend, therefore i need to stay in full time work.

I have always regreted not doing an apprenticeship. I have been trying to get back to college for the last 2 years to get a trade but its always daytime courses and i need night school. I have come across a company called hybridtec (www.hybridtec.co.uk) which is close to me. They offer fast track gas and electrical courses which is endorsed by NICEIC and city and guilds. The course consists of around 80 hours of theory work and 5 weeks in a workshop, also they put you on work placements to gain a bit of experience.

After all that is completed you become a qualified electrician. I just cannot get my head round this! Most people do a 5 year or so apprenticship before they become qualified so how can they call you qualified after such a short time. I also think if i went for a job after i had completed this course the people would just laugh at me. Has anybody got any experience of these courses? This course is very expensive but i dont mind paying aslong as im not getting ripped off! I feel it is my only option as like i say iv got a house and my misses to provide for. But im a desperate to have a proper trade like you lads have.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks and sorry for waffling on.

Jamie

 

[i=p/u]

this course be fine if you had employment with mate, and id say domestic electrics would be the outcome, i feel without employment guarenteed thsi course would be high risk, just my opinion

 

[Des 56]

Its a good trade, but it is nowhere near the paradise the training providers portray
Remember its your money they want, and they will mostly gloss over any negatives that are evident
3,500 is a very large amount of money to gamble and without extensive research into the trade the training and the prospects, it is a gamble
So my advise is to search the topics on this site (which are many) that have dealt with this very same question

 

[steviespark]

Did my course with these guys a few years ago. Its a good set up you get all the certs you need to be a electrician. But certs dont make the spark experience does. I went round all the firms in Liverpool and advertised my self as a fully qualified usless get and ended up with a start.

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[jamie_liverpool]

Thanks for the advice everyone, so it does seem you can get a start from doing this just got to be persistant. I am very committed to doing this im proving that by paying £3500 quid. Im not expecting to get a job straight away im just going to try my best and be patient.

Thank you very much for the advice lads

 

[VoltzElectrical]

does it seem like there is one lonely guy sitting in his bedroom thinking up new identities and posting the same question every week? or is it just me?

 

[jamie_liverpool]

what you going on about mate iv got a genuine questions which iv been helped with, whats wrong with that?

 

[rmc86uk]

It's because the same people ask the same question day in day out. It may be worth doing a search on this forum to get answers before starting a new thread!

You do not state what quals you are getting with the training provider and you will not become a "qualified electrician" as you will not have any competency on site.

To be graded as a JIB graded electrician you will need

City & Guilds 2330 Levels 2 and 3
City & Guilds 2356 NVQ Level 3
17th Edition

What you do after that is upto you but the best way if you need to stay in full time employment is enrol at your local college on a part time course.

I am guessing that you will be paying 3500 for a domestic installer qual which by no means makes you an electrician it does what it says in the title!

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[jaythegooner]

hiya mate , im doing 2 nights a week at college , nearly qualified , its a gamble with the money and time , but who else is going to change your life if you dont, im nearly 40 and a similar job , you ,l only get out what you put in . just dont rush in theres plenty of guys who quit , its your future your planning . good luck either way , regards jason .

 

[vaughant]

Personally dude I`d go for the plumbing/gas side of it as there`s more domestic work available,plenty of gas fitters out there with the relevant electrical experience/qualifications as a lot of boiler installations etc are pretty basic electrically.
IMO there are a million domestic/5 week sparks out there and although a good one is a valuable commodity sadly most homeowners these days have just one comment "how much?".
To do say a proper rewire I`d guess its a £3-5 k job on say your average 3 bed semi, but to someone on the hobble who doesn`t pay his insurances/certification,taxes etc can probably get away with a 1/2 arsed :2guns:job for say £1500-2000 sadly a lot of homeowners just see the eventual price,especially when times are getting harder and harder.
The public IMO are still afraid of gas as a whole,meaning only the bravest will attempt things like replacing a boiler or moving a gas pipe etc wheras a lot aren`t afraid of adding in an extra socket or putting a new light fitting up.
Sadly,we should have pushed harder years ago like the gas boys did and really forced the issue of electrical safety,after all elecricity is just as dangerous,yet I think cos we don`t see or hear it like gas,it`s almost regarded as perfectly safe.
I`d say plumbing wise,you could probably get something pretty much straight after qualification however you`ve only got to read how many people on here are struggling to find jobs even with quals and experience particularly in the domestic game to see that it could be a bit of a waste of money right now.
I`m really sorry to put a dampener on it but £3500 is a hell of a lot of money and only really the start of your spending for what maybe little reward.
I`m in the industrial control game myself and have to say its great,but it took me a four year apprenticeship and REALISTICALLY about the same to feel really confident in my own abilities and to say I`m still learning everyday is an understatement.
I did a high voltage course last week and that was a hell of an eye opener,scary stuff that 11KV.
There was a lad on the course that I`d have had to give a slap to if I worked with him,dangerously confident,wouldn`t listen and the type that would drop you in it as good as look at you,been out of his time 5 minutes and thought he knew it all,my point about still learning I`m really trying to make,I wouldn`t be the least bit surprised it`ll take a big mess up for that boy to realise nobody knows it all.
Good luck with whatever path you take mate and should you decide to go through with it then I`m sure you`ll get massive support on this forum.

 

[cbw]

In his defence the search is not as good as it used to be..................

Do you think I should do a course????

 

[Liamsparks]

Well said Vaughant I totally agree. Whilst your bringing up the plumber subject...... How comes theirs no 5 day course how to work on gas? same principle to me.. Shouldn't be such thing on either trade. 5 day courses should be stuck to plasterboarding / plastering etc.

 

[cbw]

I think there is a five day wonder for gas safe......going to look now

 

[Mr.Si]

The public IMO are still afraid of gas as a whole,meaning only the bravest will attempt things like replacing a boiler or moving a gas pipe etc wheras a lot aren`t afraid of adding in an extra socket or putting a new light fitting up.

It's also illeagal to do any gas work in your own home now... Gas Safe Register (and any alternatives, don't think there are though) is the only qualification that will let you do gas work in a domestic setting.