Help, advice and kind words needed please.

[MichaelYC]

I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to be an Electrician on the domestic side of the field. Doing servicing etc.
I work in Electrical Wholesale and attend an evening class at college, studying City & Guilds 2365.

My problem is I can't get a job in what I want to do due to the lack of qualification at the moment, I can't afford to live on an apprenticeship wage (even if I could get onto one) as I barely manage with what I am on now! It really puts me down to deal with a crap day at work, then put in another 3 hours for college. I work on the counter/warehouse so I do get a chance to talk to people in the field and really envy them. I just don't know where to go from here.

Am I on the right course? Will I need further qualifications after or during the course?

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[jaypp]

feel for you and remember well. no matter how much i wanted to giv it a miss i went. dont see it as a chore, see it as a goal to get where you want. truth be told, you'll look back n think 'weren't that bad'. keep harassing customers on the qt, maybe one will give u a break. good luck.

know a guy worked at builders merchant and kept asking one of their customers for a job. he got what he wanted and is happy whenever i see him on site. his new boss even matched his pay.

your knowledge of materials and the fact that you are studying in your own time and at(i guess) own expense will prove you're an asset to contractors. again, all the best!

 

[Richard Burns]

Good luck with the course, keep at it, but do give yourself some breaks to relax.
I believe that once you are on the level 3 you should (if you are lucky) be able to get employment at a low grade, if you are very lucky someone may be able to use you as occasional assistance around your current job.

The 2365 is correct, once you have completed that then I believe you need to consolidate the prior learning to the 2357 to complete the NVQ3 section of the training (whilst employed) and complete the AM2. After this point you can get a ECS gold card.

Crossing the gap between learning and employment is always the problem area and you will need patience, money and luck to get to where you want to be, but you will get there if you stick to it.

 

[MichaelYC]

Thanks so much Richard! That is a big relief after reading about all of the qualifications and getting confused. What about Part P though? Or is that included in what im doing?

 

[AA410]

If you get on well with some of the sparks at the counter arks them if they need a hand on any jobs i worked for no pay for a while to show that i was keen to learn it worked for me

 

[dingledong]

unfortunately your not alone that seems to be the way of it nowdays
what area are you in ? that might help

 

[derek]

Thanks so much Richard! That is a big relief after reading about all of the qualifications and getting confused. What about Part P though? Or is that included in what im doing?

Part P is part of the building regulations and says what work is notifiable to LABC and what can be done by a competent person without notifying. Planning Portal - Part P (Electrical Safety)
Most people who do domestic work join a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, ELECSA, NAPIT or STROMA and a few others, this allows them to self certify their work rather than paying a fee to LABC to inspect it. There is no Part P qualification although there is a pretty useless IMHO qualification on the building regs C&G 2393. As an electrician you should read pretty much all the building regs and be familiar with them.

 

[MichaelYC]

unfortunately your not alone that seems to be the way of it nowdays
what area are you in ? that might help

I had a chat with a customer who I get along well with. He has done the same course before it became 2365 and also done AM2. I was just worried i might be wasting time on the wrong course, guess I just had one of those days!

Thanks to everyone for your replies it really put my mind to ease! Just need to power on through

 

[VoltzElectrical]

I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to be an Electrician on the domestic side of the field. Doing servicing etc.
I work in Electrical Wholesale and attend an evening class at college, studying City & Guilds 2365.

My problem is I can't get a job in what I want to do due to the lack of qualification at the moment, I can't afford to live on an apprenticeship wage (even if I could get onto one) as I barely manage with what I am on now! It really puts me down to deal with a crap day at work, then put in another 3 hours for college. I work on the counter/warehouse so I do get a chance to talk to people in the field and really envy them. I just don't know where to go from here.

Am I on the right course? Will I need further qualifications after or during the course?

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Is there any way you can adjust your lifestyle to accommodate lower wages in the short term?