What is a Domestic Installer ?

[Dave Buchan]

Hi guys,

Here's an interesting one for you, if you look at the attachment on this post from the IET they define a domestic installer as " not an electrician "

If you go to the niceic website and click the 'FIND ELECTRICIAN' tab and select 'ALL ELECTRICAL WORK' it will display various domestic installers and approved contractors in your local area.

So is the domestic installer an ELECTRICIAN?

According to the people who write the national safety standards apparently this is not the case.......

Yet the guys who regulate them for crucial safety reasons seem to know otherwise.....

So who is right?

The IET

or

NICEIC

 

[Electricalserv]

Wade personally I think its bad news that you don't really understand much of the game and you are free to go and sign up to a part p scheme. Having said that you seem to have a good head on your shoulders and have more sense than to go & do that! Others though are doing it!

 

[wade88]

I know Serv and although i have done the fast track scheme and have been a somewhat liberal to my approach, i am quite reluctant to just run out and crack on, for several reasons, 1. i dont fancy dying though lack of knowledge,exp 2. i dont fancy killing anyone else for the same reasons 3. it just isnt practical for me in my position to assume that i can do everything with the exp i have. so i take on jobs i KNOW im happy to do...i change a lot of light bulbs lol.

I think the long and the short of all this, is that the fast track scheme will never stop. Its seen as a helping hand not a hinderance despite the dangers, so it simply needs to be made more thorough and the exams made more difficult. i was frankly disgusted along with lots of the others guys on my course, at the NO FAIL policy they have. in fact it made me furious, that when i was back in my hotel room reading up on my notes, doing extra work etc, the others were out getting drunk, acting the arse and scraping through with 45% compared to my 100% test results but were leaving there on the same grounding i was when they quite literally didnt have the faintest idea what was going on.

All our modules were competed in a week via 180 power point slides, and we did 2 weeks of mild practical finished up with exams you couldnt fail. its comical. but thats the way that is, and the focus needs to be on making that harder and dividing those that worked hard in those 7 weeks and who wanted to learn and removing the waste that was there like you say, to just get the right to slap a sticker on their vans and call themsevles electricians.

 

[pushrod]

If a driving instructor puts you in for a driving test and the tester passes you is it your fault if you are still not very good at driving? Or is it the fault of the people who trained you and said you are now ready to assessed for driving unaccompanied and the person who said yes you are now a good enough to be a sole driver. Will you become more confident and better at driving - will you ever make mistakes?
The answer may well be more regulation and assessment - do we want more regulation and assessment... you tell me.

 

[Big n Daft]

All the trades have become easy to get into, except gas because that kills you.
I always thought electric could kill, must have been wrong..............

 

[gibo]

you can do a short course to be a gas fitter too. you have to get 100% on each exam but you get 3 attempts (according to my gas fitter friend)

 

[gibo]

the EAL Part P course is being phased out in 2012 and replaced with a City and Guilds Level 3 qualification. So it looks like they are toughening it up

 

[Adam W]

The 2377 and 2382 are also level 3 qualifications, and they're easy open book multiple choice tests.
Changing the level is just ticking a box.

 

[leesturgess]

peoples life choices change over the years. I ended up in retail management after my A levels. I should be entitled to change careers if I wish and not be excluded from something if I didn't choose it when I was 16, ill advised and unwise.

you stick to your guns gibo its never to late

 

[gibo]

they are level 3 in PAT testing and wiring regs not installation. can't be sure til details are released but it's meant to be much more involved than what's available now. I'm a domestic installer but not interested in doing the bare minimum. at the moment the system is open to abuse and as with everything it will be abused

 

[Adam W]

This is what my college lecturers and I can't understand - you get a level 3 for doing 3 years in installation involving several practical tests, 2 written exams and several multiple choice tests, yet you can get a level 3 from a multiple choice test in reading a book.

 

[gibo]

the level 2 part p at the moment is multi choice and completed modules. not open book tho. I believe they are addressing concerns that it's too easy to do 5 weeks and set up on your own with the new course. however, I'll reserve judgement til it's all announced properly. I am a domestic installer and defend others on here but its because most will be continuing their training in the workplace. there are only a minority that think they can go it alone as soon as courses are finished. unfortunately we are all tarred with the same brush

 

[sbrown2]

For what its worth I think peoples(average mans) exposure to technology has vastly improved fromthe times of the original apprenticeship. I go into B&Q now and my lad (7 years old) is asking me about consumer units, switch, taps, boilers. Thus any part intelligent person will have given thought to how they could integrate this exposure and knowledge into entering a trade or career. Underpinning knowledge is important but not massively at craft level. Its more about doing a good job and knowing your limitations. Initially it surprised me that you could be trading as an installer/electrician so quickly but now I tend to look at the resources available to complete tasks. You can get online walk throughs for fitting a consumer unit and doing the tests. There will always be a place for the technicians and the engineers/managers and for many that feel they are being queezed they will have to consider moving into these roles.

 

[dandb]

I have to agree that I am against people who do 4 week course and then start their own company. But I studied for 6 years. I am extremely hard working and ensure that the work I complete safe and too a standard where I would be happy if it were in my own home, and I have an OCD.

Anyway I chose to become a DI as thats all I need to be. I have contracts with major house builders and I am a 1 man band. I will agree I might not have the experience than most of you chaps here but I work to the regs and isnt that what we all need to do?

I have carried out PIR's on new installations where someone works for a large electrical contractor and there have been numerous faults. I have also seen corners cut by the employees of the larger companies because its 4:30 on a friday and they want to get home.

I do this job because I love electrics and love building circuits. But I find it upsetting that fellow electricians, 50% of you, would say that I am not a proper electrician. Are we all not trying to do the same job.

:aureola:

 

[Engineer54]

You sound OK to me dandb!! And to prove it, here's your first ''Thank You!!!

 

[pauljpickering8]

I do this job because I love electrics and love building circuits. But I find it upsetting that fellow electricians, 50% of you, would say that I am not a proper electrician. Are we all not trying to do the same job.

:aureola:

I'd probably say more like 80% lol.

Just one question, if you studied for 6 years why would you no do the correct technical exams and become a "properly qualified" electrician. Although you only do houses at the minute you never know when you might want to expand. To me you are not a "proper" electrician unless you can show me your JIB card, or have the quals required to get a JIB card. No offense.