cant seem to get in the electrical industry :(

[erolosman]

Hey guys and girls.
Im 18 want to be an electrician but cant seem to get into it . I have my City and Guilds level 2, NVQ Performing Engineering Operations, Key skills level 2, All recieved from college and now i want to take the apprenticeship route and complete my Level 3 on day release but i cant seem to get an apprenticeship in this day and age. Im from east london

Well basicly what i was wondering is how did you get into an apprenticeship, any tips for me?.

At the moment, What i do is ring companys out of my local yellow pages, search jobsites like gumtree, jobseekers site, apprenticeships.org. but theres never any opportunitys. Im on jobseekers allowance and there tips was to gather a list of all the electrical companys i can find and apply too the apprenticeship schemes, which alot of them have happening during this time of year.

I've come close to gettin an apprenticeship twice in about 7 months lol one of them told me i had the job but i never got to start because of contract problems was gutted.

 

[Dean182]

Have you sat the JTL aptitude test? Once passing you get put on a list that JIB companies access on there apprentice intake, and if your lucky enough, they contact you. Either way, i'd take it as you'll need to to get the chance with a larger firm.

 

[erolosman]

I've been thinking about taking that, but many people i know that have done it never heard anything from them after they passed there tests so it put me off but i probably will give it a go soon

 

[Dean182]

The point is. All big firms will only use JTL apprentices. It costs nothing, and is definatly worth doing.

 

[ian1511]

keep sending letters to same companies once every month shows your keen,this is how i started.its not going to be easy because of the way things are at the moment.jus keep trying an dont give up.try smaller firms aswell i served my time with a small firm an gained a good range of knowledge.

 

[erolosman]

thanks I'll give it a try my family are also telling me too apply as a volunteer and then maybe one day they make give u a job and if not you've got some knowledge and something to make my cv look better then others

 

[simpson93]

well working as a volunteer is a good way to show someone your desperate to work whoever after afew nightmare days at work im sure you will regret it, try contacting people you no or your family noes or your sisters frinds mums sun in law noes ^^ direct.gov sometimes post apprenticeship jobs aswell. also try and widen your search a little i had to travel 2 hours every day back and forth from work for my first job.

 

[DomCallear]

I used to send my cv with a cover letter saying why i wanted to be an electrician, i always had good feedback from the cover letter from companies who were nice enough to call me back to let me know they had no places available due to the economic climate. I used to send a batch of 70-80 letters once a month or every 2 months to the same companies in my area, and after i had no luck with that i started pestering companies further a field from my area (had the use of my own car), whilst doing this i also got in touch with my college that i had studied level 2 at full time and asked if there was any way of me studying level 3 of the 2330 to which they replied yes and let me study level 3 2330 in a mature class one day a week. I managed to get a job at my local wickes store shortly after starting my level 3 and whilst i was there anybody who looked like they were an electrician (coming in to the store in the day with workwear on, thought it would be a fair assumption ha) i would ask them if they had any jobs and just got chatting to a few of them to try and get in with them. After all this (looking for an apprenticeship for nearly 2 years i finally got a job with a local company i had been pestering.

So i'd say effort and perserverance is key, plus been a little bit cheeky. Also its not how much you know its who you know (well thats very true in terms of trying to get into the game)

 

[Dave_]

Well done Dom!

I had a tough time as an apprentice (maybe not as tough as you though - well done!) Moving from firm to firm, plus i took a wage drop each time ( 4 times...) I made it though And in hindsight im Better from it, broader range of experience basically.. Sometimes you really have to want something to get it!!!!!

 

[DomCallear]

Its hard times at the moment isn't it Dave. Our company hasn't got much on this week which is abit crap but we have good gaffers who don't lay anyone off as such just cut everyones days down so we have 3-4 day weeks, so everyone still has an income.

 

[Dave_]

Im not working in the trade at mo Dom, in Spain with the missus (spanish) but i worked on the tools for 5 years with my last firm and we were really lucky. We got paid a 45 hour week, 40 hours plus 5 hours travel. If times were quiet we milled around the office or got sent home on full pay. Never less than 40 hours regardless. An example of my tough experience (and learning basically) of being an apprentice would be that the other lads on my last firm simply didnt (and still dont!) realise just easy they have it, as they know nothing else but that firm, having been there since day one. A good example of lack experience, as one guy always liked to say ´in the real world´

Sometimes i went in for 8am, got sent home on full pay then had a call out at say 7pm that would take say 2 hours and get 4 hours double time plus another hours travel. 18 hours pay for 2 hours work. And they still moan...... !

 

[DomCallear]

Hows the spanish economy?
Wow thats a real nice job you had there. Yeah some people have no idea how easy they have it as most of them have been given jobs and never had to work for it. I feel that because of how much i worked for my job and you'll know where i'm coming from, it makes it alot more satisfying when your getting your qualifications and your pay packet at the end of each week.

 

[i=p/u]

aint eazy. ive been looking last 12 weeks to get out with someone, and ive put it down to that an electrician only really needs 1 more person with them 2 at most, but as a trainee we can do like for like fittings etc. and thats route im at , at present.

 

[Dave_]

Im off the tools at the mo Dom, but i worked for the same firm for 5 years previously. We had it really easy. The lads still moaned though! Got paid a 45 hour week (5 hours travel) instead of the usual 40... and if there was nowt on we got sent home on full pay. Also used to get call outs in the evening, say a two hour job, and got 4 hours pay double time plus another hours travel. 18 hours pay for 2 hours work.... Because i had a tough time as an apprentice i really appreciated it - i was the only one as everyone else had been there from day one, they would get a shock on a different firm! Just shows that experience as an apprentice helped basically!!