apprentice spark, what should you expect

[chopper]

hi ,people im an 3rd year apprentice spark, on my 3rd year at college and been doing the trade for about 3 years.my company are sending me out by myself 3 days out of 5, doing repairs on domestic housing,and also doing PIR on the empty houses, work isnt that hard but they always pushing with time limits etc,
just wondering if this is the norm for apprentices or are they taing the ****, talking to me as though i should know everything , and getting -------ings when wiring stuff wrong before testing,
i feel they are expecting too much but i wont do anything i am not sure with. but as work is hard to come by i have to stick to it,as this is very good experience if the least, i dont have my 17th or 2391, also what is the normal rate for a 3rd year adult spark. any advise please

 

[Phil]

do you feel confident and competent doing the pir`s ? and whose name is going on the cert?its all about experience and competency when doing pirs and also being able not only to do the test but code it correctly and know what the results you are getting are telling you. I know what you mean about them constantly loading extra on you. I had something similar a few years ago, yeh go out and do it by yourself then we can b****k you when you get back for taking too long. ?

 

[chopper]

yeah thats the one phill, yeah feel confident with pirs just could do with an hand some time on doing r1r2 pfc and ze on supply to flats etc, (when fed fom seperate isolater if you know what a mean)
its all good experience but they expect 2 much, then they want more,

 

[marksparky]

my old company was the exact same but its all good experience for ye, i now work for myself and now understand why i was pushed so hard, in order to make money u need everyone to pull their weight, hang in there and remember - things can only get better

 

[Davey101]

Maybe all my apprentices have been useless, but it would seem a bit early to be sending you out on your own doing the work you've described. I dont think you should be doing PIR's either. I guess if you are working for a small firm, they perhaps cant afford for you to have an easy life.

I think our 3rd years take home about £300 for a flat week.

 

[chopper]

taking home £6.45 HOUR moneys not that goog and it is a small firm aswell, but as you say things can only get better, you cant buy this experience, i know people what have all the quals but have never done any practical work,im sticking inand looking for light at the end lol

 

[ian.settle1]

Don't forget it will be your signature on the PIR cert so if something goes wrong it's your arse on the line.

 

[Davey101]

Don't forget it will be your signature on the PIR cert so if something goes wrong it's your arse on the line.

Even if his boss has failed to train him properly, or make him aware of his responsibilities?

 

[Risteard]

Even if his boss has failed to train him properly, or make him aware of his responsibilities?

Agreed. It is his boss who will be held liable and not him.

 

[chopper]

whos fault would it be mine or his, they got me by the town halls

 

[bugsy]

Your boss is taking the p***,
I have been resposible for training about 50 apps over the years
1: Iwould never send them on their own without first sending them out with a fully qualified spark but letting them take the leading role.
2: He's not doing much for your confidence by telling you you got it all wrong he should be confident in himself you know what your doing , if your doing things wrong he should'nt be b******* you he should put you with a qualified sparks and sort your deficences.

Don't take it to heart , he's proberbly charging £ 200.00 a PIR and paying you peanuts
I really dispise little ****'s like him who exploit people like you . I'd like to give him a piece of my mind

 

[chopper]

thats probly exact what they doing bugsy, but like i say theres F.A. i can do i need a job and theres none going at min.

 

[bugsy]

Just hang in there grin and bear it, tell him your doing your best remind him your not actually qualified,
things will get better come May

 

[Jason Smith]

I will find it, but its in print somewhere, "The level of supervision should be proportionate to the persons skills who is being supervised ". Any good employer will identify its workers weeknesses and address them as a training issue. If a person has a weak area, it should be given an action plan, these start with training, and should be SMART, i.e Specific, Measurable,Achevable, Realistic, and Timed. So if you got a weak area mate, you should be given help and support in that area with a experienced Sparky untill you are on par with the area. That way you get beter, your company gets highly skilled workers, you benefit enormously. I would if I were you keepa note ofwhat you consider your weak areas to be, and times dates etc that you asked for help, and the companys reaction. Keep these notes at home. If the company uses their lack of training of you to give you the poke when work gets slack, you have a good chance at a tribuneral.
However, In a previous life, If I screwed up the cheif constable got sued and it cost me nothing, however, I got a -------ing that was it. Screw up twice and I got an action plan, as above, untill that particular issue was signed off
The cheif however got fed up with being sued, as there wee 3500 oficers who regularily did it to him. He therfore passed the liabilty on to each officer (vicarious liabilty ) and we all had to take out personall insurance to cover us. Bit like public liabilty I suppose. The point is, if he didnt train us properly, he still got sued. Hence why we had to sign that we had recieved training.

 

[lockhes]

im in same boat as you but done my 3 years just need to finish nvq off

i think its shocking what we have todo and pressure we get

im also on less £ aswel but like you say nothing out there well isnt around here