Is it worth training as an electrician? Your honest opinion, please!

[Masood]

Hi,

I'm a new member, and found this forum whilst looking for feedback on a training provider. It's been interesting reading some of the comments, and I would love to have your honest answer to the question - is it worth training to become a sparky? I'm looking at doing the full package at Able Training, which costs about £8,500. Obviously it's a lot of money, and I'm a little concerned by the comments about there being no work out there. Are things really that bad?

I'm neither greedy nor unrealistic, and don't for a minute believe the adverts claiming that there is an immediate requirement for 37,000 sparkies, and that I could earn 50K a year straight off, but I have a mortgage and child, and I do need to earn around 30K a year to make it worthwhile. I'm intelligent, well-educated and a quick learner, so have no fear of the training or exams, and I'm a hard worker, so will put the hours in. Is that kind of money still available? I'd be looking to work for a firm initially, and do private work on the side until I've built up a reputation and gained some real-world experience, then go fully self-employed.

Secondly, I'd be really grateful for your opinion on whether this set of qualifications would be what's needed to enable me to do site work, domestic, as well as commercial installations, and to issue testing & inspection certificates. The full details are:

1. City & Guilds 2330: Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology level 2
2. City & Guilds 2330: Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology level 3
3. City & Guilds 2382: Certificate in the Requirements for Electrical Installations (BS 7671: January 2008) level 3
4. City & Guilds 2391: Certificate in Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical Installations level 3
5. AM 2
6. NVQ/Diploma in Electrotechnical Services - Electrical Installation (Building and Structures)
7. City & Guilds 2392: Certificate in Fundamental Inspection, Testing and Initial Verification level 2
8. City & Guilds 2393: Certificate in the Building Regulations for Electrical Installations in Dwellings level 3
9. City & Guilds 2377: Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment level 3

Leading to JIB Gold Card.

Full details here: City & Guilds Commercial, Industrial and Domestic training to level 3

Please advise. I'm currently out of work as I've been made redundant, I have enough savings to do the course, but that's it - I'd need to be working by the end of it, and preferably during the course if possible. I'm not looking for an easy ride - I'm willing to graft, but if I spend that kind of money and time, I need to know whether it's worthwhile.

If any sparkies in the N.E. London / West Essex area need an intelligent, hard-working helper for a couple of days a week, I'd love to come and work with you for free, in return for relevant experience. I have good all-round DIY skills, including electrical wiring, plumbing, woodwork, etc. (my Dad was a builder), and am genuinely keen to gain real-world experience. It would also keep me from getting bored whilst job-hunting!

Thanks in advance,
Masood

[Big n Daft]

Look around this Forum.
Dont do it!!!!
Try joinery instead, thats a trade for life. Not like this game, the authorities move the goalposts every 5mins

[Des 56]

Any training in any trade or subject is always worthwhile
You are asking about a very expensive route to becoming an electrician

If you decide,an "electrician" is your desire, not an assured lucrative occupation, then by all means spend the money and do the time, an occupation that will always be required is yours

The downside to your interest, if it is looking at an assured well paid occupation,is that there are changing going on that have altered the goal posts of the occupation, they have been and are being forced on the trade, they are making the occupation much less attractive to those already practicing

For a newcomer there will be changed trade standards,with probable de skilling of many of the skills used by electricians, segregation and reduction in income of whats left

It is changing times and maybe not the ideal time to spend a small fortune on a precarious occupation.but its your choice and good luck,but do your homework well in first deciding and later in training if your decision is to go for it

[edward cooper]

hi

i started training two years ago at college two evenings per week. i completed the first two years work in twelve months so started year three of the course in my second year if u understand on day release. i then sat my regs cousre at the same time over then evenings one night per week.

so i now hold the 2330 level 2and 3 and the regs 2382 and i am going back in september to do the 2391 over ten weeks one evening per week.

year 1/2 cost (450) year 3 (750) regs (250) 2391 will cost about (400) total over period £1850
for your comparison

[Tony]

If you want to do it go for it. BUT as these lads have said:

• With qualifications you’ll struggle without experience.
• The goalposts are being constantly moved.

It costs to get registered with a Accredited body.

I hold umpteen electrical qualifications but all from 1980’s, non-seem relevant now. Except for the bit of consultancy work I do I’m retired at 56

[timo1]

I think every trade / job is going through a tough time at the moment. An electrician will always have work, but the balancing act of pricing jobs part labour etc..can take some time to master. I work for myself with a friend and after about 18 months am starting to make some profit and I have earned enough to pay for the course that I took. Im sorry to hear you are out of work, but could this be used to your advantage? maybe you can get college courses for free or at a reduced rate. I spent over £4000 on my course and it was too much, the key is working with someone experienced getting your quals and then registering with a scheme (if you want to do domestic installation) i would never put anyone off working in the trade as I really enjoy it, as always good luck. Tim

[Engineer54]

I hold umpteen electrical qualifications but all from 1980’s, non-seem relevant now. Except for the bit of consultancy work I do I’m retired at 56

Only to those spotty nosed kids, that actually know nothing of your qualifications, or that they were/are ''Real'' and not gained by multi choice exam papers. Nor were they taken after short courses, but yearly, so you had to know what you were taught a year ago, not one, two, or three months ago...


But far more important than that, ...you were gaining your experience from other qualified electricians while you were training... These day's that's a rarity, now they think, that holding a few qualifications, and your qualified to go out there and and practice a trade they only know on paper!!!

[Masood]

Well, thank you all for taking the time to reply. A lot of food for thought here!

To sum up my feelings -

I'm not after an easy life, nor unrealistic money.

I love electrics - as mentioned, Dad was a builder and I helped him a lot, and know a fair bit already. What I don't know are the regs, as Dad retired over 20 years ago, so my experience is 25 years old. I can still wire up a ceiling rose, 2-way lighting circuit or a ring main, though! I'm a motorbike mechanic by trade and have always enjoyed troubleshooting the electrical systems.

Yeah, I'd love to go to college part time, pay £500 and do it over 3 years whilst gaining real-life skills as an apprentice, but that's not realistic with a kid and a mortgage. I need to retrain quickly and get back to earning money.

Serious thinking required! Thanks again for all your input.

[Mr Mike]

Masood, you seem a very level headed guy. I would not detere you in any way from becoming a spark. Aswel as the points already made I would add this; after your course/training that's not it. Every day, every job, has a new experience and new problems, which will need experience to solve those problems. So its not about getting through anexam and that's it, it is a career of many years.
Good luck in your chosen path.
Mike.

[alarm man]

dont waste your money,there's not much work around,good sparks are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring,the industry is going through a really bad situation regards skilling,the market is flooded with new sparks with no experience the list goes on,if you have money to spend on training,be a plumber/tiler/plasterer there's more money in that

[pmac10]

just a thought Masood, but perhaps you could further your career in the direction of auto vehicle electrics as your already a time served bike mechanic and maybe save yourself 8 grand along the way (personally i think your mad but i'm not a domestic spark), in your line of work there are many possibilities to explore before jumping into the "be a spark in 5 weeks" race, a simple search of this forum will show what you're up against.

[sbrown2]

Masood

did you say your dad is a builder? If so, and you've built up a of using your craft skills and want to add the technical knowledge relating to electrics then go for it. But as said and not said in this post...don't knock what your dad must have taught you. You must have building, tiling, knowledge. Mix them with the electrical knowledge you have and you will make an attempt at a living.
I am well educated but this is not what has kept me employed, its my ability to except, that although I am a time served sparky, that employers want a shifts worth of work. The best way to get that out of the trades is for them to be multiskilled. In your case it sound like do the electrical qualifications but aim to become a building services craftsman/technician/engineer.

good Luck

[Murdoch]

The OP suggests you need to earn £30K immediately, to put in perspective that means you need to gross, on labour about £800 for 50 weeks of the year.

That figure includes about £200.00 per week overheads, which may seem high but it you're starting off it all adds up.

My advice to you is do a business plan and see how the figures pan out...........

[bugsy]

Now you have to do it because you love it, not for for money unless you get into a specailised field
and the qualifications need experiance to go with them,
If you were single I would say yes go for it but you have a wife and kid's to think about and it could be two years before you start making good money

[linsaband]

I tend to agree with most of the above posts about the cost of electrical training in one go against what you can immediatley go out and earn. I did the £3500 plus training route about 4 years ago but then worked for 6 months for a time served sparks on labouring money to get some on the job training. Times are tough at the moment and without my regular builders and commercial work I would struggle to make a decent living.
I would hate to have to go out quoting cut throat domestic jobs or occupied rewires where the customer is getting half a dozen quotes!
Saying that, I do reasonably well but pay a fortune for insurances, Napit reg. MCS fees etc...
Good luck to you mate, I reckon you will need some at the moment.