Electrician Starting

[KJBO]

Hey everyone, i hope this is the right place for this thread, i was looking for some advise and feedback. I'm currently 18, i left school at 16, jumped into a media course because at the time i used to use the computer alot and thought that it would suit me the most, however 3 of my friends were doing electrical installation level 2 course, 2330 level 2 or what have you. I decided i had to get out of my course and tried jumping into that, but where i started the year late, i had to do the basic course (level 1), so i completed that, and i completed level 2 last year, now im on my final year (level 3) - inspection and testing. I haven't really done much electrical work, had some site experience from work with my dad but that's from painting, not electrical or anything, and i just feel like i know NOTHING, literally, if i was asked to do something electrical, id mess it up or wouldn't know where to begin. And i keep hearing about it's all experience, today i started a job with someone to do with the family, and it was such a poor job, in a loft, covered in dust and all, no where to move just hell, but im guessing you get bad jobs, it's just i felt like most of the day i was doing nothing, i was asking questions and all, but none of it sinks in or seems to interest me at all.

When i did some work on the boards in level 2 pratical, as long as i knew what i was doing, then i enjoyed it, if i know what to do in terms of wiring and all (don't have a scooby) then id enjoy it more, but i don't know what im going to do, i feel as if ive wasted the past 2 years?

My dad says to stick to it, but to be honest im really not finding it enjoyable, i know work isn't fun, but as least be able to get on with things and find it ok.

 

[brucelee]

Hi mate,
dont get so disheartened the job is hard work. I had a apprenticeship and gave it up for the very reasons or similar to how you are feeling your not learning enough and be used as a lacky. I gave up on it the only job i have ever wanted to do
then I woke up after working in factories being a window cleaner a yts doing building work maintainance etc etc and all the jobs i have ever done since giving up were very low paid and a lot worse than crawling around in a loft such as cleaning drains etc then returned to new build electrical installation until last recession ie 1990s
I have regretted this for the last 24 yrs and have tried many times to get some quals similar to apprenticeship but always been told there was no funding for training or to old for training

I am a full time carer for my mrs who was left disabled in 2005 since this i have had to pay for a rip off course just to get back into doing the job that i have only wanted with no help of the government and just recently even though I am not in the game paid to do 2391 at college and studied every day for about 12 hours for over 4 months and passed first time
you may think your not learning but you will be soaking information up without realizing
I have been trying everthing to either get a job or go self employed and so far its taken ayear of spending nearly £5000 and studying relentlessley and i have still not earned a bean if you give up now then you really have wasted 2 years at least if you finish what your doing and still dont like it then move on but at least you will be qualified if you wish to return to it later DONT make a stupid mistake YOU will only regret it just like I

and as far as £26,000 if someone paid me that i would work all day every day mate as to
me thats a great deal of money
YOU HAVE TO PUT THE EFFORT IN TO GET THE REWARDS

 

[KJBO]

Hey again, it's just i think i should at least finish my 3rd year at college, as next year they're not running the course and if i want to do level 3 - testing and inspection then i'll have to pay for it and i'll have to do it in whole as there changing the course so it'll be an extra 3 years. So hopefully if i manage to get through this year, i'll have my 2330 level 1, level 2 and level 3. But i think there's more to it than that as even if i was a qualified electrician after that, i would no way be able to wire up a house or anything.

It seems like a lot of work both training and actual work to be a spark, and i thought the wages were pretty decent and that electricians were the highest paid in the building trade, i spose i could always go back to it if i qualify after this year if i really didn't get on with doing it, but Ive been told that electricians earn £200 a day all year round and all, and that minimum wage was around 35k, surely this seems reasonable with all the training you have to do and all, i mean a painter is pretty much the same wage and there's so much more involved in electrical than painting?

 

[brucelee]

hi mate
I understand what you are saying mate but think of the economic climate there are ot that many well paying jobs unless your a banker lol
after you have completed your lv 3 you only need the NVQ 2356 which can be completed between 100 weeks and 2 years and if you wish the 2391 then you can get graded as a jib electrician
all the Quals you have can be transferred over to the new qualification C&G2357 which will have the 2330 and nvq 2356 combined
Try to stick at it the more your gaffers can see you can do the more they will let you do
I dont have the 2330 you have i just tryed to get on a course for the lv3 ad i missed out again 24yrs of trying and still not there lol
I just did the 2391 with no experience of testing three phase and passed first time wasnt easy especially the written exam as you have to learn basically everything to do with inspecting and testing and put it into words ie the correct terminology my brain hurt for about 6 months
Keep your chin up mate it can only get better
wiring a house is fairly easy you could be shown in no time by a good sparky
you will learn more of the practical side of wiring a house etc of a good spark than you will in the books or rigs at college ask questions and watch how they do things and if you have to force the issue for them to show you
good luck dont stop now

 

[AlanWirral]

Doing the 2392 should be on your list before the 2391.

Also you don't need the 2356 to be a qualified spark.

 

[AlanWirral]

Also 100 weeks??? Lol I could do it in a week if I wanted too

 

[MNR]

Yeah my college mucked this up I was not signed up for the nvq 3 so had to wait ages for mine folder just sat there until the minimum time was up.

Just keep at it man, I'm newly qualified on my companies lowest electrician rate, for the first year. I can tell you I'm doing alot better than most of my friends with there boring office jobs etc.

 

[KJBO]

Thanks again for the feedback, surely electricians can expect to earn £200's a day?

I know there's good and bad of all jobs too, just would like more information about an actual electrician job.

 

[KJBO]

Surely Sparks aren't as bad as you guys are making out, i had a leflet through the post about wanting electrician saying there is high demand for some with a lot leaving the trade and not many joining, saying the average wage was 37k?

 

[Guest123]

Just who was that leaflet from?????

 

[wurm]

lolz well theres a mixed bag of responses,,,,,,,,,

tbf id say if the original is 18 how the hell is he yet to know whathe wants to do with his life? . how many of us knew what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives at 18 ? .. i know i didnt .... stick at it m8 nothing is ever easy to begin with once youve learned ther trade it'll be a breeze ... a wise man once said to me "you cant be good at everything straight away." .. that was a lie btw i made it up .. but its true tho .......

stick with it give it 6 months if youre still not happy ... cough it off... but at least give it a fair go

 

[Des 56]

I feel the same way as yourself,its a crappy job and when I get the chance I'm out of it

I started out 40+ something years ago making tea,carrying tools and doing all the crappy tasks
Because there are many sectors,I have tried them all. (I haven't decided yet which to go for)

All its done for me is encourage friends and familly to respect the ocupation I have,pay me descent money,give me work that occupied my time ( work is the curse of us in the drinking class you know ) and the freedom to choose not to "clock on" and be "someone elses lacky" or a number on a list or "a unit of labour "

Electrics, also being an interesting subject,it meant "learning" and using up valuable brain cells, just for the hell of it

Why didn't I pack it in when I saw that first teapot

 

[sparksafe]

If I was you I would try your best to stick with it.

10 years ago when I was 18, I had to try everywhere to get an apprenticeship after already spending 2 years in college.

I managed to get one with with a big multinational chemical company and my first years wage was 6k, 8k the 2nd year and 11k the 3rd so the 26k a year you are on is massive in comparison.

I finished my appreticeship and got made reduntant as the company moved production abroad.

Im now working elsewhere as a process operator on good wages but am desperate to get back into the electrics game and am looking to update my skills and qualifications.

If you at least finish your qualifications nobody can ever take them away from you and if you do give it up then tthey are always there to fall back on in the future

 

[malcolmsanford]

Thanks again for the feedback, surely electricians can expect to earn £200's a day?

I know there's good and bad of all jobs too, just would like more information about an actual electrician job.

Some electricians earn far more than that, the majority if they are lucky will earn less but enough to make them get up everyday and go to work.

Bottom line is like life you only get out of it what you put into it, unless your born in the upper 10% of our countries wealth.

After nearly 40 yrs, with perhaps 10 of them studying in my own time, working for companies and having my own contracting company, crawling in lofts, working down sump pits, being so cold it hurts, being so hot you can't see for the sweat, being in a factory with production stopped and the managing director screaming at you it's costing money, being in the pitch dark at 8pm with a family that have no power and you have no idea what it is.

This is what our industry is about. But after all that and working hard you may get to be able to sit in an office, earn vastly more than that 26k a year and think it wasn't such a bad ride.

You now after all these years it's still a little satisfying when you turn on a switch and the light works. Possibly sad I know but that is what a Sparks is being about.

 

[Guest123]

You now after all these years it's still a little satisfying when you turn on a switch and the light works. Possibly sad I know but that is what a Sparks is being about.

Know exactly what you mean.

 

[High Tower]

Know exactly what you mean.

I'm normally more amazed than satisfied !! Lol