Self employed - Quals

stoke123 · Dec 30, 2010

Hi, was wondering what (if any) certificates/qualifications are 'neccessary' to go self employed as an electrician ?

I have got my C&G 2330 levels 2 and levels 3 and my 17th edition but have not got my NVQ 3 or anything else. My experience is limited and I am not experienced enough to go on my own, no where near. I am aware that as from 2011 you will not be able to do the NVQ3 unless you have already signed up for it (which i havent) as this is being combined with the 2330 to form the 2357 and as I understand it if you arent working in the trade you'll have little or no chance of doing so if your not a school leaver (im 26). Im not sure if the 2330 will be worthless when these new changes come into place and as im sure you can all appreciate I dont like the thought of these going to waste and the last 3 years all been for nothing.

Im currently working with a sub contractor and have been for a few weeks and was hoping that after I've gained more experience with him and gained more confidence Ill be able to go on my own once he lays me off (wont be for a good year yet) ? Am I right in thinking that to go on your own you dont 'legally' need any 'formal' quals or am I way off the mark ? My boss only has the same quals as me and has been doing his job for 20+ years so im guessing so, but I'd like to know for sure. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Paul.M · Dec 31, 2010

Stoke you are spot on, you don't need any quals to set up an electrical company. Sounds daft doesn't it but its true. It all boils down to "competent" person doing the work. Now on the other hand I don't think you would get many suby jobs with no quals. You wouldn't be able to become a member of a scheme (nic) and you would have to notify all your work to the LABC and pay for them to test and cert your work. On the business side you would need PLI and that's it. That's why there are so many cowboys out there and the reason why part p has been introduced. The cowboys and customers that want it on the cheap are the winners in the short term but stops qualified people like you and me doing a little bit at the weekend because it would cost £150 for the LABC and we wouldn't break the building regs but that man down the pub will do it. Sorry rant over and hope it helps. BTW, the 2330 will never be useless, it shows that you passed a certain amount of knowledge at the time of that qual and will still be a reputable qual for many years to come. Over this next year whilst working Di the 2391 inspection and testing, continue your nvq 3 and get registered with a scheme to go self employed.

thekingiam · Dec 31, 2010

Paul.m

am I correct when i say that nvq3 is not required when joining a scheme provider ie nic etc
therefore you could join and sign off your own work as a new buiseness,
also 17th edition is not a requirement for joining as long as you promise to complete the course by the end of the year.

ezzzekiel · Dec 31, 2010

the only requirement is the 17th within first year and a basic di cert but your current quals surpass that, book onto a nvq course now then you have 2 years to complete which can be completed while self employed contrary to popular belief.

stoke123 · Dec 31, 2010

Thats for the info fellas, very much appreciated.

Id sign up for the nvq if I could but Ive been told by my lecturers and from what i can gather from the limited information available on Google the nvq will cease to exist and will be combined with the 2330's to form the new 2357 as from 2010/2011. I could be wrong and things could of changed since I last checked but I thought unless you had already signed up for and started the nvq then it was too late as the cut off date had already passed ?

VoltzElectrical · Dec 31, 2010

as far as i know, you might be able to enrol for the 2357 and have your 2330 quals count towards the theory units of the the award, leaving you only to complete the 'practical' side of things, i.e. the bits that would have been achieved had you done the nvq 3. However, this is a new qualification, and how it actually works in practice remains to be seen (and perhaps amended). That said, you would think that this scenario would be allowed for by city and guilds. As regards setting up on your own, most of the posts here seem to be correct. I would add that you would be able to qualify for a domestic installer scheme (self-cert) as a 'defined scope' practitioner. There are quite a few limitations with this as it is intended for people who carry out electrical work as part of their trade e.g. kitchen and bathroom fitters. In order to register as a 'full scope' practitioner, you would, i believe, have to hold the NVQ3 or equivalent to appoint yourself as the 'qualified supervisor'. Under the defined scope you would not be able to certify new circuits or consumer unit changes. All this can be found by going on the NICEIC or ELECSA websites.

thekingiam · Jan 1, 2011

I can't find a requirement for nvq3 on elecsa website?
ELECSA - Requirements & Costs
are you sure you need nvq3? Surely the testing procedure ensures you know what you are doing?

VoltzElectrical · Jan 1, 2011

Looks like you are correct. I have looked again at both the ELECSA and NICEIC websites 'requirements for qualified Supervisors' and it seems that you can do pretty much anything with the 17th Edition and the 2391. If you have these, and some work that you can use for assessment then i suppose there is nothing stopping you from applying to be either: Domestic installer (defined scope) or (full scope), or a fully approved 'contractor'. The only limitation you would have is getting your gold card from the JIB allowing you entitlement to the full going rate on site. Good luck. Don't hesitate to ask if there is anything else i can be of help with.

Voltimax · Jan 1, 2011

The NVQ3 requirement for qualified supervisors of membership schemes isn't here yet, but it is coming.

thekingiam · Jan 1, 2011

Here's a question I have 2360 1/2, 2391 jib wants nvq someone on here says if I do am2 jib might grade me with electricians card. Can't complete nvq3 as no work.
Could do am2 or join elecsa and become self employed then get nvq.
Which would you do in my position ? And why? And which could get me more work?

VoltzElectrical · Jan 1, 2011

i don't want to be the one responsible for what you do. You have to judge for yourself where you think your main income will come from. If you think you can set up on your own and generate sufficient income, then go down the self certification route and join a scheme. If however you don't want the hassle of generating your own income source through advertising, tendering/ quoting and all the encumbent hassle e.g. spending loads of unpaid time doing this to end up not getting the job etc.. then you want the hassle free option of someone else doing all the legwork for you. I.E. you want to turn up on site with your tools, do the job and go home. For the second option to work you MIGHT need a card to say that you can deservedly charge the going rate for a spark.

It is only a question that you can answer.

thekingiam · Jan 2, 2011

Cheers would rather comercial ,industrial as what i am used to but am2 may still not give me jib card.howether more chance of work with am2 I would imagine as there are firms and electricians out there without jib.
Howether part p registered would let me sign off my own work without the cost and hasle.
I could use my girlfreinds house as just replaced and moved sub board
cost of test equipment would be expensive though
pricing jobs etc is a bit daunting at the moment.

As you can see I am still undecided
am2 sounds good but still might not get me work without nvq3
registered gives me the opertunity to test and inspect.
Would like to do both!