UK Scottish electrician potentially moving to London

[RobertLow]

Hi all, I'm an fully qualified electrician based in Dundee, Scotland. I have just completed my BS 7671 Amendment 2 course and my 2391-52 Inspection and Testing course.
There's a chance i may be moving to London some time in the near future and i am looking for any information and advice on a few things. Such as, whether i need to get any different qualifications to work in England/London? How easy will it be to find work? Should i try and find employment or should i start up my own business? Are there any areas of the city where driving a van is particularly difficult and expensive? Can you recommend which neighbourhoods i should avoid for living and working in? How much can i expect to earn as an employee? Will my 2391 qualification make any difference as to my likelihood of finding employment?
You get the idea! There are a million questions i could ask! If anyone can answer any of these or suggest any further topics i should consider it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[littlespark]

I think London is the wrong place. It’s saturated with electricians charging silly money and doing half assed jobs… (if past forum threads are to be believed)

I would expect driving anywhere would be very costly, with the pollution charges and parking. Accommodation will be sky high too…. So don’t go there with Dundee hourly rates in your head. Double it, and add some.

Get your SJIB gold card…. It might not be needed, but it’s a small expense that could get you into a big construction job.

 

[Diddy]

Get your SJIB card as stated above. This will enable you to transfer over to the english version of the same card. Then you can simply find your feet working for agencies/firms for a few months or longer if you wish. The ecs/cscs card is worth adding when you are down south which you will need to get on any major sites.

The testing qualification is needed for an approved electrician on the gold card, it is also required to register with one/any of the Schemes such as NICEIC if you want to go it alone and work in domestic then you WILL need to register with one of these for domestic work in England and wales.

As for where to work/avoid. Well personally I used to work on sites all over london and especially on sites you are as safe as you are anywhere else.
Don't sweat anything mate it really is "easy". There is more money but the cost of housing reflects that so don't think because you may earn £10 an hour more than dundee that equals that you will have more left at the end of the month....
I live in East Kent, and am fortunate that my housing is sorted and paid up...but ---- is tough for those who are trying to rent, I don't even know off hand london prices but you will pay >£1300 a month for a 2 bed down here in Kent....well at least you will if you want somewhere that isn't a mini beruit lol

 

[LukeD]

work it all out first...its lunatic expensive to live here and might even frighten you when it comes to crime and the types living here

 

[westward10]

I've spent the last 30+ years in and out of London and can probably count on one hand the days I actually enjoyed. Considering I was bought up in West London but long since moved away I hate the place, traffic, cost of parking if you can find any, charges for going about your daily business and the general dire attitude of the people that populate it. I know most cities have their homeless issues but early morning it is depressing to see people sleeping in doorways and seeing them use the side of the road for their toilet, ladies included. Most of these people are in situations they never envisaged would happen but working in London can thoroughly depress you.
My girlfriend always says you change when you have been back in London, not for the better even my driving manner completely changes.

 

[RobertLow]

I think London is the wrong place. It’s saturated with electricians charging silly money and doing half assed jobs… (if past forum threads are to be believed)

I would expect driving anywhere would be very costly, with the pollution charges and parking. Accommodation will be sky high too…. So don’t go there with Dundee hourly rates in your head. Double it, and add some.

Get your SJIB gold card…. It might not be needed, but it’s a small expense that could get you into a big construction job.

Hi Littlespark, thanks for your reply. I'll definitely be looking into the SJIB gold card, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[RobertLow]

Get your SJIB card as stated above. This will enable you to transfer over to the english version of the same card. Then you can simply find your feet working for agencies/firms for a few months or longer if you wish. The ecs/cscs card is worth adding when you are down south which you will need to get on any major sites.

The testing qualification is needed for an approved electrician on the gold card, it is also required to register with one/any of the Schemes such as NICEIC if you want to go it alone and work in domestic then you WILL need to register with one of these for domestic work in England and wales.

As for where to work/avoid. Well personally I used to work on sites all over london and especially on sites you are as safe as you are anywhere else.
Don't sweat anything mate it really is "easy". There is more money but the cost of housing reflects that so don't think because you may earn £10 an hour more than dundee that equals that you will have more left at the end of the month....
I live in East Kent, and am fortunate that my housing is sorted and paid up...but ---- is tough for those who are trying to rent, I don't even know off hand london prices but you will pay >£1300 a month for a 2 bed down here in Kent....well at least you will if you want somewhere that isn't a mini beruit lol

Hi, thanks for the suggestion about the Gold card i'll definitely look into that.
Yeah I'm getting the idea that the cost of accommodation is going to be absolutely mental. I suppose it's going to be quite likely that i will have to start of living quite far away from the city to be able to afford it!
Thanks again for your input.

 

[RobertLow]

work it all out first...its lunatic expensive to live here and might even frighten you when it comes to crime and the types living here

Ha yeah it does seem a bit scary in terms of both of those things. Definitely need to consider them both! Thanks for your input!

 

[RobertLow]

I've spent the last 30+ years in and out of London and can probably count on one hand the days I actually enjoyed. Considering I was bought up in West London but long since moved away I hate the place, traffic, cost of parking if you can find any, charges for going about your daily business and the general dire attitude of the people that populate it. I know most cities have their homeless issues but early morning it is depressing to see people sleeping in doorways and seeing them use the side of the road for their toilet, ladies included. Most if these people are in situations they never envisaged would happen but working in London can thoroughly depress you.
My girlfriend always says you change when you have been back in London, not for the better even my driving manner completely changes.

Hi, yes i can understand how this could be the case. I am sure it can be a very difficult place to be successful. Big cities bring out the best and the worst in some people i suppose.
Thanks for your input, brutal honesty very much appreciated.

 

[pc1966]

You have to do really well in a big city to have a comfortable/happy time. It is really easy to end up in a grim situation on any sort of normal pay.

Out of curiosity, why are you moving? It seems unrelated to a job otherwise you would not be asking here!

 

[Diddy]

Most of us are really saying avoid trying to live in London itself. If for whatever rason you have your heart set on a move south then you can "easily" make it work.
There is zero need to live in the City. You don't need to even live in one of the more expensive postcodes in the surrounding areas.
As an example, you could have a 2-3 bed rented for £1k a month in some areas of kent. There will be properties for less. Maybe the difference in the price of said property will leave you with MORE spare cash.

It's all down to what your circumstances are right now. If you are earning £14 per hour on a 38 hour week and paying £500 a month rent then moving south will give you more money left at the end of the month. But you WILL work longer hours for it.

I was "lucky" lol coz 1. I had family in Canterbury...lots of it !! 2. I was such a great looking guy and was such a catch that I married a local lass who already had a council house just praying to be bought for a can of lager and a packet of cheese n onion...
But I have watched many young guys come down and basically work their backsides off and make some decent money. You free and single you can do what you want really. some of my old "team" used to house share. 5 hairy assed guys all sharing a 5 bed house in Canterbury was a sight to behold. But it enabled all of them to save lots of money and then decide where and when to buy their own properties. That house does bring back "fond" memories lol. Each room with their own flat screens, One guy thought he was a DJ and had decks and the like, One was a very big hit with the ladies, one simply worked 100 hour weeks (think Channel Tunnel days)...The main thing was ALL of them really worked very long hours, So nobody was getting in each other's way..all of them sparks...all of them including myself looking out for the next "good" earning job. Oh to be young again.
But I still wouldn't move to London itself lol. Driving up there is heartbreaking and that was before they started charging for the pleasure.

 

[LukeD]

There is Money here... Today's meeting with a client would shock many who are not up to speed with what money is around in London and how they have no issues spending it . The cost of living for anyone earning under £45 is a KILLER . it strips away the possibility of saving etc .But if you can crack through and find somewhere to live that still allows you to save 30% of your income etc .Then LOndon can be amazing .Just get stuck into the wealthy high end mob .