Employed/Self Employed?

[robsparky1975]

I will keep trying,im filling the van up with diesel and im gonna do exactly what you said,worth a try.cheers nick

 

[freddyarsner]

HI Friends!!!!!!!!!!

I am self employed, and I am too happy with the growth I have in my self employed business. Well but still looking for more and more.

 

[alexllever]

S/E is a dream for everyone i think. before that we need experience for life and business as well. i'm curious that is every S/E person super busy? too busy to contact others or even to stay in a relationship?

 

[Octopus]

Friends i need guidance on insurance options for self-employed electricians. Do we require Professional indemnity, public liability and accident insurance coverages? Your replied will be well appreciated. Thank you!

What do your scheme ask for?

 

[Octopus]

What do you mean by scheme here? i dont understand. i dont have one yet, so i guess i am here for the purpose of asking for a scheme, an insurance deal,which to get and are there any pakaged insurances available covering for one or all of the covers i shall require?

I'm working on the basis that you are in England or Wales and intend doing domestic work - if this is the case you'll need to be registered with a Part P scheme (Elecsa, Napit or NICEIC) and they all have mandatory, minimum levels of necessary insurance defined in their membership schemes.

 

[Octopus]

Murdock, could you be kind enough to give me an idea what quotations are these three insurers stating? approximately

Elecsa, Napit and NICEIC are not insurers, they are the 3 main Part P organisations and their fees are likely to be your highest or 2nd highest bill of the year. Google them. Sounds like you've some way to go before you are ready to go self employed.

 

[Swicade]

Been self employed too many years now...abit too long in the tooth and set in me ways to be employed now i reckon.

Presently getting the cash together (in these bleak times) to get me Part P sorted and all requirements met to join one of the scams out there (annoy's me i need to join some jumped up bunch of scammers trying to tell me that if i dont shell out the money i cant possibly be any sort of electrician but ho-hum).

Work is pretty short on supply around here in south lincs area due to ALOT of new vans appearing by the week (many being short coarse retrainers) doing work for next to nothing (then adding the dreaded extra's) but repairing thier dodgey work does keep things ticking over, just apity the scammers have taken the cream of the jobs really.

BUT always remember whatever is going on that glas is indeed half full.....'onest guv...

 

[Chris_Harvey]

Self employed now for coming 3 months. I was previously S/E before for two years before going back into employment and hated being told what to do and having next to no input into what we were doing so, Here i am again!! Work is slow as you would expect but, i am remaining positive. I know how long it takes to build a reputation and how short to damage it.

About to sign up for Part P with NAPIT so, more cost. Hey ho you have to speculate to accumilate.

Would i suggest it to others? Yes but only if you have done your homework (and your not on my patch ;-P)

 

[katysparks]

hey Ash,

I'm just training now, and really want to go self employed, did you do an apprenticeship beforehand and how did you get the capital together? Questions to everyone really,

Cheers

 

[Dave 85]

hey Ash,

I'm just training now, and really want to go self employed, did you do an apprenticeship beforehand and how did you get the capital together? Questions to everyone really,

Cheers

Hi Katy
I started 2330 at night college when I was 20, started working as a self employed electricians mate during my first year. Worked for 3 different guys on a casual basis as and when they need me, which was quite a lot. Bought a van and tester at 22 and had accumulated all the tools I needed by then, once I had the van I was usually working on my own doing jobs for these guys, testing and all.

During this period I started doing any private work I could get, building up a customer base, once I'd finished my 2330 (age 23) I did the 17th edition and became registered with Elecsa soon after. I now started to do more and more of my own work (£200+ a day) while cutting down the subcontacting for other sparkys (£150 a day).

I landed on my feet when I got in with a local kitchen and bathroom showroom about 3 years ago and have been doing all their jobs ever since which has probably brought in over £75k to date. Unusually, I am technically recommended and not subcontracted by this firm so I deal direct with the end client, which also brings lots of new clients in. I still do a lot of work for other customers but the kitchens/bathrooms take up well over half my time these days and I give them absolute priority, no matter how short the notice as I like to remain the only electrician they use.

Nowadays I no longer subcontact for other electricians, as I have no time to, and sometimes try and price myself out of jobs as I am so busy.

If you are serious about going self employed I'd highly recommend it but its important to try and gain some contacts before you take the plunge. Also worth mentioning that there is no work for even established contracters in some parts of the country so take this into account. (what region are you based in?)

Nice to see its not just blokes becoming electricians these days.

 

[Tommy C]

Self employed, like the freedom.

 

[Rob Smith 643]

Recently self employed but still have a part time job outside of the trade to provide a base income though it is sometimes difficult juggling the two. Not looking to take on the world and fortunately don't have to. This is making the transition easier for me. I will leave the part time job in due course when I feel able to consistently earn. I'm no spring chicken so my time as s/e may be limited by health and the ageing process. Always wanted to try, so I have. Good luck to all.

 

[KB Electrical]

Employed at the moment working offshore adhoc. Im also on the books for a plumber whos a good friend of mine doing heating systems etc for him. Hoping to go s/e soon and drop offshore as it not for me, just saving up at the moment, looking at getting a small van and slowly building a costumer base when im onshore

 

[jharrington]

Hi all, I'm new on here but I've been looking around and I'm getting mixed remarks about s/e or not.. I'm thinking that people saying there is nothing out there either generally have no work our they have work or don't want competition so try to pot them off.that's just my opinion though..anyway I'm training atm and i also have a buisness and management qualification so i think getting started should be ok (he hopes) however I'm curious as to what is better advertising what people have found word of mouth or leaflets..also any advice on starting up would be greatly appreciated aswell thanks

 

[Rob Smith 643]

Be wary of so called scam advertisers. If you list with Yell, a reputable company, you'll get battered by other advertisers offering you space in various charitable publications. Agree to nothing over the phone or better still hang up. Have a look at what Internet business forums think of companies like vardis, vision, sigma etc. eye opening or eye watering. Make your own mind up...

 

[Lefke Lad]

Have to say Self-Employed in my case, as being in my mid 50's I have been unable to get a job since losing mine in 2010. My only choice was to go SE or starve.

Started in Feb this year and it's been hard. Still not getting enough work, but anything is better than nothing.

Jobcentre wouldn't pay any more, so went on New Enterprise Allowance scheme. Even with that they only paid for 3 months instead of 6, so I am having to chase them for balance.

 

[markc123]

I'm just training now, and really want to go self employed

Cheers

I wouldn't get too excited about self employment just yet if you're only just training....just been truthful.

After you're apprenterships been long complete you'll still be learning, everydays a school day in this trade. So make sure you've got a vast amount of knowledge covering a wide range of the electrical industry and not just for example house-bashing.

I know this is not always the case, and not meaning to offend anyone on here, but, more often than not an electrician with a "damaged reputation" is because hes took on work that he's not competent in.

For example, if you're a domestic based apprentice/electrician and you decide to go self employed....and you get a call from someone in the factory industry with a dodgey motor, you accept the job turn up and have no idea whats going on. Word then spreads that you have no idea what you're doing and thus work starts to die off. ....AND if you don't take the call, and refuse to go then that client will most probably never ever use you again.

All im saying is make sure you're confident in your own ability across many areas of the trade before contemplating the idea of going S/E. I hope it all works out for you, and good luck with your training - its a long hard path, but at the end, very rewarding.

Mark.

 

[MattMartin]

Been self employed for 7 years after working for a company for 6 years, it has been very hard, just got old job back , so glad to be employed again with a regular wage and no niceic fees !

 

[mankman2012]

like most people. self employed

 

[marty88]

Self employed here...but been subbying for the same firm for the past 2 years!! Iv been offerd a job but I'm undecided weather to give it a go on my own. The freedom sounds nice but I also have a mortgage to pay so it's difficult. I think there's alot of money to be made if you succeed, my only issue would be steady work like most by the sounds of it!

 

[amo]

Self employed is the way to go. Be your own boss. Downside costly to get started, no holiday/ sick pay, and no constant work. Once you have the client base you're laughing.

 

[jjjinx]

Got made redundant in 2005 from an office job, did my 2330 lvl 2&3, 2391 & regs 17th during 2006 - 2007. Started working for a guy in 2007 for free (i'm 44yrs old now) to get started & then got paid 3 days a week while I worked 5 days. Eventually got to being paid 5 days @ 16k per year. Just got a rise to 17.5k but getting fed up with long hours for little money (no O/T pay but expected to work). I've been buying tools, van, software basically everything I need to do my own work & getting jobs in the evening & weekends. I'm the only employee & the boss does unrelated work because he gets better money than doing domestic, so I kinda look after it all (certs, invoices, data base entry, stock purchase) except major quoting & accounting. I get on really well with the letting agency & 99% of all the customers we work for and if I leave.... well no one will be there to pick up the slack, but at the same time, I get on well with my boss & wouldn't want to burn any bridges.... but I can't live on that salary forever. I'm thinking of going part time & doing Fridays & Sat's of my own work till I have enough to go alone. Talked to a book keeper recently to set up my own Ltd Company in the future and all that this will entail. I'm hoping I'll be able to earn a better wage?

 

[brightspark11]

I liked the idea of being my own boss, and after being made redundant retrained as a domestic installer. setting up the business was a real thrill and I enjoyed every minute of it. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get started. The customers that I did work for have mostly given me repeat business so I know I do a good job. After six months I ran out of credit and was forced to take paid employment in a factory and now I work only part time as a domestic installer. I renewed my part p registration and continued the business part time into a second year because I was asked to do a 3 bedroomed house rewire for a colleague. The job fell through and now I am running the business at a loss. I am only continuing because almost all the costs (insurance, van part p registration) are paid for a year in advance. Next april when the bills for renewals arrive for my third year I will almost certainly stop trading.

 

[robelee]

Hi All, just signed up!

I've been self-employed since 1976 and can honestly say I've had a great working life. I served a 5yr apprenticeship with South Eastern Electricity Board. Wasn't kept on after completing my apprenticeship and it was probably a good thing as it turned out. My first 'proper' job was working at the Tower of London installing flood lighting around the White Tower - incredibly fascinating place to work. Other places were The Royal Mint, National Gallery, Various London Hospitals and Ministry of Defence establishments.

Stayed there for 2 years and then I had probably the most boring job - Street Lighting Electrician. Only lasted 6 months and then ended up working for a small Father and Son business in Wimbledon - fantastic people to work for! Great hours too, 9 till 5 unheard of! and good money to boot:yesnod:

One day sad to say we fell out over something really trivial and I quit. Rushed up the road to a Teacher Training College where we used to do a lot of work and informed the Chief of Works I was now SELF-EMPLOYED. The college kept supplying me with work on quite a regular basis and I slowly built up a customer base as I went along. I should say I was still living at home with parents so wasn't pressurised with too many financial commitments.

Anyway all the years later still doing it. I don't do so much any more - just job around - dodgy knees!!!

Looking back I wouldn't have changed a thing - life's been good. Good luck to all of you who take the plunge.

Rob

 

[Essexboy7]

Welcome mate.

A 5 year apprenticeship is a great start in life that no youngster is lucky enough to get now.All the industry seems to want is blokes who have done 6 months at night school who can throw a load of twin and earth in rough as you like for crap money.You come from an era where being a spark meant something

 

[mannex]

Hie guys i am a self employed domestic electrician, i started towards the end of last year and am looking for advice. business is very slow to pick up, at the moment i am just relying on rated people which is proving to be expensive. is there anything i can do to get noticed by customers apart from leaflet drops i am doing. your help is most appreciated thaknx

 

[Octopus]

Hie guys i am a self employed domestic electrician, i started towards the end of last year and am looking for advice. business is very slow to pick up, at the moment i am just relying on rated people which is proving to be expensive. is there anything i can do to get noticed by customers apart from leaflet drops i am doing. your help is most appreciated thaknx

Success at self employment is down to developing a good reputation and word of mouth referals. You don't give any idea of where you are in the UK - so its anyones guess how best to advise you what to do next.

Try perusing the business threads as this has been done to death on here.

 

[stimpy]

Got made redundant in 2005 from an office job, did my 2330 lvl 2&3, 2391 & regs 17th during 2006 - 2007. Started working for a guy in 2007 for free (i'm 44yrs old now) to get started & then got paid 3 days a week while I worked 5 days. Eventually got to being paid 5 days @ 16k per year. Just got a rise to 17.5k but getting fed up with long hours for little money (no O/T pay but expected to work). I've been buying tools, van, software basically everything I need to do my own work & getting jobs in the evening & weekends. I'm the only employee & the boss does unrelated work because he gets better money than doing domestic, so I kinda look after it all (certs, invoices, data base entry, stock purchase) except major quoting & accounting. I get on really well with the letting agency & 99% of all the customers we work for and if I leave.... well no one will be there to pick up the slack, but at the same time, I get on well with my boss & wouldn't want to burn any bridges.... but I can't live on that salary forever. I'm thinking of going part time & doing Fridays & Sat's of my own work till I have enough to go alone. Talked to a book keeper recently to set up my own Ltd Company in the future and all that this will entail. I'm hoping I'll be able to earn a better wage?

Good on you for putting that commitment in. But shame about the situation, if I was you I'd talk to your boss about this mate, he'd be a fool not to up your wage.

 

[Jimmy Moore]

Hi Guys - just reading all the threads here - Not sure if this may be useful or not but I was a self employed Electrician and you can find all the available Electrician jobs in the UK on

https://www.hardhatjobs.co.uk/

- Good to have all whats out there in one place!!

 

[callan]

Made redundant early 2007. Did agency site work for a while. Picked up regular sparks work with a kitchen fitter friend of a friend. Registered with ELECSA. Self employed ever since. Mostly domestic/ light commercial work in the Thames Valley area. Can't see me going back to a PAYE job but never say never. Over the past seven years work has steadily picked up. Mostly word of mouth and some selected leaflet drops are a good way to start. A professional looking web site also helps. Links to a facebook page, google+, twitter etc should be an integral part of your website as social media, so I am told, is the way to pull in the customers. So far I am not so sure.

 

[happydundee]

I think the main thing about being self employed is having a good client list. I worked for a large electrical contractor, but was the only engineer doing the offshore work. Spoke to a few clients about leaving and they all said they would continue to use me.

Took the plunge in 2005 and have never looked back. I have built up a good client list and work too many hours. You have to keep clients happy. I don't do domestic, and only work for oil/marine companies. Mainly offshore, but do a bit of industrial for them also.

I actually don't do much electrical work now as I have found fibre and data comms more profitable. As a Ltd Company I do all roles, but wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Paul D B Elex]

I'm employed solely working on new builds, money isn't the best at the moment £12.40p/h employed or £16p/h self-employed.....

still registered self-employed you just never what's around the corner

 

[shanky887614]

I'm employed solely working on new builds, money isn't the best at the moment £12.40p/h employed or £16p/h self-employed.....

still registered self-employed you just never what's around the corner

thats better than what ive been offered when i get my gold card....

 

[jjjinx]

Got made redundant in 2005 from an office job, did my 2330 lvl 2&3, 2391 & regs 17th during 2006 - 2007. Started working for a guy in 2007 for free (i'm 44yrs old now) to get started & then got paid 3 days a week while I worked 5 days. Eventually got to being paid 5 days @ 16k per year. Just got a rise to 17.5k but getting fed up with long hours for little money (no O/T pay but expected to work). I've been buying tools, van, software basically everything I need to do my own work & getting jobs in the evening & weekends. I'm the only employee & the boss does unrelated work because he gets better money than doing domestic, so I kinda look after it all (certs, invoices, data base entry, stock purchase) except major quoting & accounting. I get on really well with the letting agency & 99% of all the customers we work for and if I leave.... well no one will be there to pick up the slack, but at the same time, I get on well with my boss & wouldn't want to burn any bridges.... but I can't live on that salary forever. I'm thinking of going part time & doing Fridays & Sat's of my own work till I have enough to go alone. Talked to a book keeper recently to set up my own Ltd Company in the future and all that this will entail. I'm hoping I'll be able to earn a better wage?

well took the plunge & started my Ltd company 5th April. It's going well very busy but the moneys not coming quick enough. Just had enough to pay myself for the first time lol. Very strange! Next month should be better, so far a rolling 2 weeks worth of jobs.

Ive been looked after & I hope it continues.

 

[joel89]

Employed as a Maintenance Electrician working on big 3 phase forging machines !