Another Wanting Career Advice

[hightower]

For the past 2 years or so I've felt like a change in career, and becoming an electrician has always been top of the list. Anyhow, I'm 30 so need to do it the mature student way.

First up, let me apologise about asking this question - you guys must have to answer it so many times. Secondly, let me apologise if what I'm about to ask is so stupid it makes your head want to explode - it just seems electrical qualifications are a bit of a mine field to someone on the outside looking in.

As someone who has a mortgage to pay, I would need to continue working while I trained. I can take holidays to go to a certain number of workshops each year, but couldn't go to college full time. So my thoughts were:

Start off with a course like this, which would allow me (according to them) to work as a domestic installer.

=

This would allow me (and give me confidence) to go help friends who are electricians on weekends (working at current job Mon-Fri) and evenings, to build up my experience, and then train for a C&G L3 once I am confident enough.

So I suppose my question is:

Is this a viable route to the industry? I don't want to fast-track by any means - I'm willing to do my time as an electrician's mate (on weekends and when time allows), but I am conscious of cost (ie doing a L2 if I can go straight to a L3) and the time it would take with only being able to study part time. So, if I do that PASS course, and then get experience working with mates while then progressing to a L3, would that land me in good stead in the industry?

I'm perfectly happy with putting the hours in - for the past 10 years I've had one year where I didn't go to college part-time. I work in IT, and am quite confident with the tools - I lay cable here (albeit Cat5e) so am confident about routing and drilling and things like that.

Once again, apologies if I've missed something totally obvious - I appreciate your advice in anticipation.

 

[hightower]

Morning all, so after a full day searching the internet yesterday I managed to find a localish college (that I didn't even know exists) that offers the 2365 L2 and L3 as evening courses.

So my new revised plan is to do some personal reading (got my hands on a few different books) and then to begin the L2 in Sept 2015, followed by the L3. I thought the 2365 wasn't offered locally. I found somewhere 50 miles away that did it day-release, no good for me. A bit more searching and I eventually stumbled on this college that offers evening, so ideal for me.

Then after the 2365 it's a hop over to whatever the equivalent NVQ units would be come 2016, and the AM2?

So, my new question: is my new plan a better way than I suggested above? If so, is there anything I could be doing between now and next September to prepare myself a little better? I do have some reading materials (eg Intro to Electrical Installation, and Basic Electrical Installation), but anything else I could do? I'm planning to go out with a mate a day or two in the near future - not to lay my hands on wires, but to shadow him and see what his day to day entails etc.

 

[telectrix]

the evening course over a couple of years is the correct way to go, followed by NVQ. the link in your first post has been blocked, but if it was for a short ( few weeks) costing £****'s, forget it. these corses are not recognised by the indusrtry, only by the scams thast rake in your fees as domestic installers. as you progress through thew course, try and get practical experience weekends.

 

[hightower]

Thanks, yeah as I started to read other threads the consensus was "don't be an idiot, do it the right way" lol

I definitely want to do it the right way, I just thought my options were limited without having to study away from home - that is until I found this college.

I currently work in IT and deal with a few companies that install power for us - I might get in touch with them (as well as going out with my mate) and see if they'll take me for a practical experience weekend.

 

[hightower]

The course I'll be enrolling on doesn't start until September. Is there anything I can do to help prepare myself in the meantime or should I just sit tight?

I've been reading various books, and even trying to plod through the regulations a little, but much of the content doesn't make sense and I fear it won't until I start the official training.

 

[andyelectric]

the evening course over a couple of years is the correct way to go, followed by NVQ. the link in your first post has been blocked, but if it was for a short ( few weeks) costing £****'s, forget it. these corses are not recognised by the indusrtry, only by the scams thast rake in your fees as domestic installers. as you progress through thew course, try and get practical experience weekends.

There are 6 week full-time C&G 2365 courses availabl. I expect they woul be accepted?

 

[hightower]

There are 6 week full-time C&G 2365 courses availabl. I expect they woul be accepted?

Possibly so but they don't fit my current situation. I work full-time so a part-time course is the only one to suit me, plus I'm quite happy for this thing to progress quite naturally so I can build up experience as I learn.

Plus! Have you seen the price of them. The trade skills one is like £8k! My local college is gonna cost me £1400 for L2 and £1400 for L3.

 

[telectrix]

Possibly so but they don't fit my current situation. I work full-time so a part-time course is the only one to suit me, plus I'm quite happy for this thing to progress quite naturally so I can build up experience as I learn.

Plus! Have you seen the price of them. The trade skills one is like £8k! My local college is gonna cost me £1400 for L2 and £1400 for L3.

that's the way forward. if. as you say. you'll get hands-on practical experience as a helper/mate, then that will complement your college course as you go on.

 

[shanky887614]

Possibly so but they don't fit my current situation. I work full-time so a part-time course is the only one to suit me, plus I'm quite happy for this thing to progress quite naturally so I can build up experience as I learn.

Plus! Have you seen the price of them. The trade skills one is like £8k! My local college is gonna cost me £1400 for L2 and £1400 for L3.

have a look on swindon-massive to test yourself on the knowledge etc.

it would be worth waiting till the new textbooks are updated then getting one from say

Trevor linsey
nigel harmen


they wont cover everything but its a very good start.

i havent used this book myself as i did the 2330 level 2/3 and im now use jtl supplied books

 

[hightower]

Thanks buddy, that's one of the books I've made my way through. Another one was something about domestic installers, and that went right back to basics and showed how ring circuits are done etc. There seems to be quite a step up from those basic books to say "Wiring regs explained" though.

 

[shanky887614]

Thanks buddy, that's one of the books I've made my way through. Another one was something about domestic installers, and that went right back to basics and showed how ring circuits are done etc. There seems to be quite a step up from those basic books to say "Wiring regs explained" though.

it will be, dont bother with the regs yet.

after you have finished the level 2 get thr level 3 book.

by that time it wont be long till the next amendment toto bs7671 anyway

 

[hightower]

Just popping back in to give everyone (who's interested) an update. It's about 10 months since I first posted, and I haven't even started college yet (I missed out by about 6 weeks on last year's enrolment). However, I start college Tuesday coming, and I can't wait. It's been a long 10 months as all I've wanted to do is get myself stuck in, but the fact I haven't opted for some "2 week wonder" course over this affirms me wanting to do this the right way.

I've been working with my uncle a lot over the past 10 months, and have taken about 4 weeks off work so I can pick up work with him on the domestic side of things. My experience and confidence has grown massively, and the onset of college next week is going to boost it to another level.

Now, I've waited a long time to start college, and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but if these last 10 months have taught me anything it's that I'm not happy in my current job and that I think I want to go down the domestic side of things (at least to start). This next question is going to be a matter of opinion more than anything I guess, but when can I realistically start making the transition across? I would like to build up my domestic electrical work while I'm still working full-time, however, I'll obviously not be able to do notifiable work as I'll not have the qualifications to join a body like Elecsa. Do people recommend doing my L2 & L3 before even trying to pick up work domestically, or can I start and pick up simple jobs (faceplate/light changes etc) while I'm learning which would allow me to start and build a customer base. Would I be able to pick up notifiable work (box changes etc) before I'm fully qualified, ie while I'm on with my L3 in a years time?). Would be great to start and build up a customer base, but can't see too many wanting a bit easy work like faceplates changing.