First Steps To Becoming A Domestic Electrician?

[davelee]

So guys I'm looking into becoming a sparky, domestic installer to start with to be precise, now I know a lot of you will be time served and shoot me down for asking but I'm 32 now and want to change my life plans regarding my job.

Now I've some experience in helping my buddy who did an apprenticeship and I'm about to purchase and study the yellow bible 17th edition regs book

what at would be the choice for the theory course you guys would recommend me look into first? I am currently working and I am not in the electricians trade so I have cash to put in and could book a few weeks off to do smaller courses

I have seen a combination of courses for example...

city and guilds 4141-01 looks basic but it's a qualification
city and guilds 2392-10 inspection and testing

i value all your help and input but I'd like to know what the minimum would be to get me into a job and then I would increase my knowledge and training further


thanks guys

 

[telectrix]

if you are currently in a reasonably secure job, consider doing the 2356/7 at college, evenings. OK, it will take you some time, but at the end of it, you'll get a JIB card which will enable you to gain employment on the industrial side. far better work than breaking you back and crippling your knees doing domestic crap.

 

[davelee]

Haha nice advice mate. I am in a pretty secure job currently yes

I have looked at that course only downside is.....

If you have previously completed the City & Guilds 236 Part 1 and 2, 2360 Part 1 and 2 or the 2352 Certificate in Electrical Installation and have electrical experience we can now offer this brand new NVQ qualification.

You must, of course, be working in the electrical industry to be a position to gather evidence of work you completed. The pace of completing this portfolio record of evidence is down to each individual candidate’s working circumstances and in some circumstances can be completed as quick as 3 months.


I do not work in electrickery currently. Nore do i have a previous qualification

From what i have read i could get 17th ed passed pretty quick. And another basic course to get onto the one that you suggested. But then i would need to be in employment. Now i have no problem starting out as a electricans mate on minimum wage as long as i am learning and getting where i want to be...

without blowing my own horn i have gotta be able to sell myself better than a kid who left school surley only there minimum wage is a bit lower than mine

 

[telectrix]

so you could do the 2356 9level 2 and 3 ) at college. it's only after that when you want to progress to the nvq3 that you need to be working in the industry.

 

[hightower]

2365 L2 & L3 Tel

 

[davelee]

Ya killing me hightower... £7300 for that one.... i could warrent the £1200 for the 1st suggestion

 

[hightower]

There's no easy path. I've laid out over 10 grand of my hard earned this past 18 months, and there's more to come still.

 

[davelee]

I do understand that bud. Im looking into student loans right now... pretty good to be fair if im eligible as i dont earn the 21k thats required to pay it back at the min anyway. 10k for me right now is 7months wages before tax ��

Just found a sat course for the one you sugested too and night school neer me too. Id just have to convince work i neeeeeeeed the time off for 2 years

 

[hightower]

I do understand that bud. Im looking into student loans right now... pretty good to be fair if im eligible as i dont earn the 21k thats required to pay it back at the min anyway. 10k for me right now is 7months wages before tax

Yep, if you really want to make the trade you've got to do what it takes - £10k wasn't easy for me or my wife to part with, but we're looking to the future and class it as an investment. Not sure how the loans work, but I know people who have gone on these domestic installer courses, and are no further forward. My college lecturer says he gets loads on the 2365 after they've done a domestic installer course, saying it was a waste of money and that they'd wished they'd have done it right to begin with.

My advice, £7300 is a lot of money. Find a local college, mine was £1500 for Level 2 and ~£4000 for Level 3, so £5500 total. You'll have one reasonably near you that offers it on a part time basis.

 

[telectrix]

good advice from ht there. 2365, level 2 and 3, don't be suckered in by these short corses. all you'll be good for is as a self-employed house basher competing with all the other hundreds that have parted with their hard-earned for a short course and are now working for peanuts dragging the industry into a rat race to the lowest common denominator. e.g. replacing CUs for £150. ............yes ht, it was a typo. my excuse being i've had no ale yet.

 

[davelee]

£150 quids not bad im currently on 8.50ph and work all sorts of shifts :lol:

 

[davelee]

I do want to better myself but looking online whats the basics you need to rewire install consumer units test and self cert

17th ed
Nic comp person part p
And a testing cert?

Surely it cant be that simple and i would NEED the bad boy for the gov bodies exam for part p?

 

[hightower]

I'm not sure you'll find somebody on here that will give you advice on taking the short cut. You said it yourself, most sparks here are time served and frown upon the 5 day courses. As for the £150 that Tel mentions, that price is including materials, so take £80-£100 out for those and tell us it's still a good wage.

 

[telectrix]

£150 quids not bad im currently on 8.50ph and work all sorts of shifts :lol:

out of that £150 ytou buy the CU, £100. van cost for the day £ 20. PL insurance, tools, Scam membership, meter, etc. equate to around £10/day. so a full days work for £20. better off at mcdonalds.

 

[davelee]

:1eye:
I dont want to "short cut" but if i can gain enough qulifications to become a electricans mate for a year or 2 id be sorted while i continue to train and gain more papers

You know as well as i do theres enough cowboys out there... shoulda seen my electrics here when i moved in came with a rewire new cu and a part p.... the lectrics wouldnt stay on more than a day without tripping ...