Retraining to become a self employed Electrician - HELP REQUIRED PLEASE

[HJ_180]

Hi Everyone,

New to the forum so please excuse any stupid questions which may come below. Sorry if this is long winded but I want to give a good overview of my situation to ensure I get the best advice.

I have very basic electrical knowledge and experience but I enjoy and get satisfaction from doing hands on DIY electrical work. I can change light switches, plug sockets etc - Generally very hands on and have a basic understanding of the science behind electrical work.

I'm only 24 and want to change my professional career to become a self employed Electrician. The problem is that i'm currently working in an a complete different industry (office work). I really do not enjoy it but it pays for my mortgage and other bills. I ultimately want to work for myself as an electrician (maybe start working in evenings and weekends and eventually take it on full time)

I've researched quite a bit and it seems I have some options available to get qualified but i'm keen to get some advice to see which is best suited to my situation

1) There is a fast track (20day) 'domestic' electrician course near me which i've heard mixed reviews about - I understand that this not qualify my as a fully fledged 'electrician' but could I complete this and join a Part-P Scheme so I can start getting some small jobs & experience locally? Could I then potentially use training providers to get fully qualified over time? FYI this course offers Part P Course City & Guilds 2393,18th Edition Wiring Regulations 2018 City & Guilds 2382, Inspection and Testing City & Guilds 2392.

2) There is also a 16 month college evening course which will give me a Level 2 EAL qualification - this seems like a more legitimate qualification to have and would go on to do Level 3 afterwards but does this mean I won't be able to get hands on experience until fully completed?

3) There is a training provider that offer full C&G Level 2/3 course which goes on for about 4 months - This is not really viable as it would require me to leave my job to attend and have no source of income for a fairly long period of time. This also applies to the traditional apprenticeship route.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[JAWS]

@diced carrots yes the L3 is defiantly a step up from the level 2 I think we worked it out the other week its around 10 exams in the level 3 which include practical's, couple of written exams & the usual multiple choice its non stop.

They will throw some regs in but it will mainly science and inspection and testing, much of the cable calculations etc you learned on the level 2

 

[Curtis123]

Hi Everyone,

New to the forum so please excuse any stupid questions which may come below. Sorry if this is long winded but I want to give a good overview of my situation to ensure I get the best advice.

I have very basic electrical knowledge and experience but I enjoy and get satisfaction from doing hands on DIY electrical work. I can change light switches, plug sockets etc - Generally very hands on and have a basic understanding of the science behind electrical work.

I'm only 24 and want to change my professional career to become a self employed Electrician. The problem is that i'm currently working in an a complete different industry (office work). I really do not enjoy it but it pays for my mortgage and other bills. I ultimately want to work for myself as an electrician (maybe start working in evenings and weekends and eventually take it on full time)

I've researched quite a bit and it seems I have some options available to get qualified but i'm keen to get some advice to see which is best suited to my situation

1) There is a fast track (20day) 'domestic' electrician course near me which i've heard mixed reviews about - I understand that this not qualify my as a fully fledged 'electrician' but could I complete this and join a Part-P Scheme so I can start getting some small jobs & experience locally? Could I then potentially use training providers to get fully qualified over time? FYI this course offers Part P Course City & Guilds 2393,18th Edition Wiring Regulations 2018 City & Guilds 2382, Inspection and Testing City & Guilds 2392.

2) There is also a 16 month college evening course which will give me a Level 2 EAL qualification - this seems like a more legitimate qualification to have and would go on to do Level 3 afterwards but does this mean I won't be able to get hands on experience until fully completed?

3) There is a training provider that offer full C&G Level 2/3 course which goes on for about 4 months - This is not really viable as it would require me to leave my job to attend and have no source of income for a fairly long period of time. This also applies to the traditional apprenticeship route.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[timhoward]

1) There is a fast track (20day) 'domestic' electrician course near me which i've heard mixed reviews about - I understand that this not qualify my as a fully fledged 'electrician' but could I complete this and join a Part-P Scheme so I can start getting some small jobs & experience locally? Could I then potentially use training providers to get fully qualified over time? FYI this course offers Part P Course City & Guilds 2393,18th Edition Wiring Regulations 2018 City & Guilds 2382, Inspection and Testing City & Guilds 2392.

Just to comment on this bit. 20 days study might get you the exams passed but is a world apart from using the theory on real installations.
My understanding is that you won’t get into a part-p scheme on the strength of those qualifications. They used to require 2 years experience plus 18th edition, but things have changed now and they are wanting NVQ/EAL for new applications.

One approach to consider might be finding an electrician to shadow, see if you can change your job to 4 days a week and gain some practical experience as a mate for the other one, and take evening classes to build your qualifications.
All the best for your journey.

 

[Curtis123]

Hi Everyone,

New to the forum so please excuse any stupid questions which may come below. Sorry if this is long winded but I want to give a good overview of my situation to ensure I get the best advice.

I have very basic electrical knowledge and experience but I enjoy and get satisfaction from doing hands on DIY electrical work. I can change light switches, plug sockets etc - Generally very hands on and have a basic understanding of the science behind electrical work.

I'm only 24 and want to change my professional career to become a self employed Electrician. The problem is that i'm currently working in an a complete different industry (office work). I really do not enjoy it but it pays for my mortgage and other bills. I ultimately want to work for myself as an electrician (maybe start working in evenings and weekends and eventually take it on full time)

I've researched quite a bit and it seems I have some options available to get qualified but i'm keen to get some advice to see which is best suited to my situation

1) There is a fast track (20day) 'domestic' electrician course near me which i've heard mixed reviews about - I understand that this not qualify my as a fully fledged 'electrician' but could I complete this and join a Part-P Scheme so I can start getting some small jobs & experience locally? Could I then potentially use training providers to get fully qualified over time? FYI this course offers Part P Course City & Guilds 2393,18th Edition Wiring Regulations 2018 City & Guilds 2382, Inspection and Testing City & Guilds 2392.

2) There is also a 16 month college evening course which will give me a Level 2 EAL qualification - this seems like a more legitimate qualification to have and would go on to do Level 3 afterwards but does this mean I won't be able to get hands on experience until fully completed?

3) There is a training provider that offer full C&G Level 2/3 course which goes on for about 4 months - This is not really viable as it would require me to leave my job to attend and have no source of income for a fairly long period of time. This also applies to the traditional apprenticeship route.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Can I ask how you got on with it in the end?