Advice on becoming an Electrician..

[KF81]

Hi there, I am nearly 33 years old and earn just over £7p/h, it may go up to £8.50p/h in the future with the grounds maintenance company i work for. I have started to realize that living on this low income is a struggle and i do not see things getting any better.


My mum passed away last year and has left me some money, so i was thinking about paying for collage or something along those lines to become a qualified electrician.


The thing is, i would like to work for an electricians company at the same time as i am attending collage.


I am confident i have the intelligence to do it and i am a good worker.


At the moment i do not know how to go about any of this so i was hoping for some advice. What sort of course should i go for ? What company's do you think i should try to contact ? Or, would it be better to go with a smaller outfit, like a self employed electrician ? Do you think this is a good idea given my age ?


Many thanks, Kevin

 

[moospark]

I am gonna be number #1 kunt here .... save the sob stories, we all have our problems - that stays away from the forum.

That's clear, not having a go just saying

Right matey, As howard says - ring up the college, go to the interviews pass CV's around as much as possible in the hope of experience. It's a struggle at first but well worth it. This forum is a great resource for people, stick around and you'll learn valuable knowledge Looking forward to more of your posts.

I wish you all the best.

Well I found that quite encouraging, And not number 1 punt at all, and you're from Yorkshire?

 

[markc123]

Well I found that quite encouraging, And not number 1 punt at all, and you're from Yorkshire?

Aye, sorry for my bluntness lol!

Yorkshire Born and Bred, Strong in Arms and awesome in bed.

Now, someone like tel, mdj, biff, trev, archy will come along and change the wording to that lol.

 

[trev]

Also, start touting CVs round agencies looking for a job as a mate, it might be ages before you land one but the sooner you start the sooner it will happen. This will give you a bit of an insight into what a spark really does and will also allow you to take photos for building up your portfolio.

The pay probably won't be much more than you're on right now but the experience will be invaluable.

- - - Updated - - -

Aye, sorry for my bluntness lol!

Yorkshire Born and Bred, Strong in Arms and 2 pumps and a funny face in bed.

Now, someone like tel, mdj, biff, trev, archy will come along and change the wording to that lol.

Well the invitation was there.

 

[markc123]

It's a good job you're a friendly mackem trev...

:leaving:

 

[johnsparks23]

33, never to old mate, when I qualified in 1999 there were loads of blokes in there late 30s & 40s.
the pension age will be 150 in a few yrs. so you've got a long career ahead! Good luck.

 

[KF81]

Thanks for all the reply's, it is much appreciated. I would think having a mature adult who wants to learn and is willing to pay for collage would be rather attractive to potential employers, not to mention all the other attributes, life and work experience i have.

It may be a few months until i receive the money but it is definitely in the pipe line. I have done carpentry work before and have always done a manuel job. I think i would enjoy sparky work and believe i could do it. I will have a re-read and put some action in.

I wont be one of those that posts once and disappears, i will keep you updated !

Cheers all, Kev

 

[Andiwoo]

You want to complete the Level 2 Level 3 NVQ 2357 Diploma. Other courses such as the 2394/2395 Initial verification and periodic inspection and testing as well as 2382 the 17TH Edition are all extra courses you do on top of your 2357 so don't go doing these first thinking you'll be a fully qualified electrician, but that said they're worth doing as you will need them.
　


You can do a home study course for the 2357 with a reputable college, this is a hard way to learn but it does allow you to keep doing previous jobs if you need that to fund the course, although they do require you do 16hours a week as an apprentice. Or ideally work as an apprentice but try for electricians mate so your pay isn't so bad. This will allow you to attend college 1 day a week and work for the rest, you'll learn a lot more. The system changed on funding and often the college kitty which is what is allowed to be spent on apprentices under the age of 19 is allowed to be used on adult learners if this has not already been used up by the young apprentices, so that would be definitely worth finding out about, I know this because I was lucky to get this funding myself. If you have to pay for it yourself however you'll be looking at between £4-6k for the 2357 I'd say. Look for a decent college, ask around or ask an electrician in your area.

 

[KF81]

Great advice, thanks.