Qualified but not much experience, what to do?

[Rampage]

I could do with some advice please
I am going to start looking for electrical work soon. I am qualified but lack experience.
I have the following qualifications:


2382 17th Edition
2391-10 Inspection & Testing
2391-20 Design & Verification (passed exam, just waiting for project to be marked)


Although I have done electrical work in my own home, I have never been employed in it. I am competent at DIY and have most tools (electrical related and other) required. I also have my own test equipment.
I am good at fault finding electrics as I started my electronics hobby at primary school (built a remote control car for a primary school project), started soldering and programming EEPROMS when I was 11/12. Although this was just a hobby, I have never been employed in electronics.
I would consider myself mechanically minded.


Also, before I did the courses above, I was going to do the 2330 level 3. When I found out you have to do level 2 first I changed my mind as it would have taken 3 years. I have read the level 2 &3 books (Heinemann), I knew a lot of the content of both books already, but after reading both of them I now believe there is nothing in them that I don't understand.


Please don't think I'm boasting about things I've done, I'm just trying to get across where I am with regards to ability.


So, where do you think I should start?! And what sort of wage would I be looking at?


Thanks very much,
Chris

 

[UNG]

I havn't read this thread but just thought I'd add my 2 cents. Wether you need 2330 entirely depends on what you plan to do as a job. If you're looking to work for a large company or do big site work, then I'd say yes. If you want to be self employed and take on your own (mainly domestic) jobs then no.

I thought the job was "qualified" electrician. How you can differentiate between employed and self employed as to whether a core electrical qualification is needed or not is beyond me. I wonder how this would be viewed in a court or by an insurance company should an incident occur

Personally, having done it myself, I think the 2330 teaches you very little that is relevant to domestic electrical work. I will admit that people who are incapable of passing 2330 should probably not be doing any type of electrical work but you seem to have your head screwed on and Im sure you would have no difficulty passing it if it came to it.

So if you believe you can pass any exam it then you don't need to do the course and the exam then as you can self certify your competence, I wonder how many thought that when they took the exam and failed.

What annoyed me at college was that I was forced to learn at the same rate as the least acedemic guy in the class which can be very frustrating and mind numbing.

It's an unfortunate side effect of learning within a group and happens in all areas of learning

 

[supasparxs]

It appears that this industry has been turned on it's head.....

I left school and started a Tool Maker apprenticeship and went to atraining centre in Hounslow (near Heathrow) because I couldn't work to 5 thou (there are 1000 thou in 1 inch, 40 thou in 1 millimeter) Iwas kicked out after the April.

I started in this industry late.

I started at the age of 17

Through a friend of the family I started in this game as anelectricians mate and I put myself night school 4 nights a week aftera days work on site (I was doing my C&G 236 Part 1).
Thesecond and third year the company I was working for realised that I was serious so they gave me the day off unpaid so I could go tocollege (I took my C&G 236 part 2).

the work I was doing on site started off being a goffer, on Saturday and Sunday mornings I was the one to go to McDonalds to get the breakfasts.

I learned about this industry by being shown what to do.
By people who were doing this for a living not just being shown how tobend 20mm steel conduit to make handlebars for an AM1


I was shouted at for being thick when I cut the 50mm trunking in thewrong place, to make a bend. But it's ok you don't make bends anymoredo you !!


I think it's really dangerous where you can get a company will take£1000's of the gullible saying that they can do 4 or 5 years oftraining in 4 or 5 weeks.


In my opinion you don't really start to learn how to be an electrician until you have had that 3 or 4 years and then you actually startworking as an electrician. As the responsibility of the work, theability to think ahead and plan what you are doing as all apart ofthis trade.

To my mine if you want to be an engineer, go andget your HND and sit in your office and complain that theelectricians who work for you are earning alot more money than you(and forget that you are working 9.00am-5.00pm five days and they areworking 7.00am-7pm seven days)

If you want to be an electrician you learn it on site and get trained on-site, if you want to be an engineer you learn it in a classroom.

 

[trev]

I havn't read this thread but just thought I'd add my 2 cents. Wether you need 2330 entirely depends on what you plan to do as a job. If you're looking to work for a large company or do big site work, then I'd say yes. If you want to be self employed and take on your own (mainly domestic) jobs then no.
.

So by that reckoning if I want to use my St John's Ambulance Cert In Public First Aid to perform abdominal surgery I'm good to go but if I want to do neurosurgery I'll have to do another course?

 

[mechelec]

Reading this thread it seems to me that those who brag about knowing it all already and say the 2330 is not worth getting are the ones who havnt got it!!
Argue all you like most companies looking for electricians will want qualifications and experiance.
I just hope the 2360 is still recognised?

 

[supasparxs]

Yes the C&G 2360 and 236 and any previously recognised qualification is still valid