Advice needed for Starting up

[caffienatedsparks]

Hello all,

First of all I apologise if this is in the wrong forum, I figured the general forum may be the best bet


Thank you for taking the time to read my post, I apologise this may be a bit detail heavy but I figure if I can explain my situation then someone who has been/or is in my position can relate and offer advice, or use this as advice. My ultimate aim is to get set up my own business / sole trader and whilst I have experience in the industry I am trying to find out what would be the best way to accomplish this with the certifications & experience I have.

I worked for over 10 years at sea as an Electro-Technical Officer in the Merchant Navy, where I was awarded a Foundation Degree in Marine electrical & electronic engineering, this was during my cadetship which was a 3 year training of college & sea phases with workbooks to complete (the equivalent of an apprenticeship) and then eventually final exams for the FD and a final exam to get my ticket to work at sea

At sea I was responsible for the electrical department so, PMs, fault finding, installations, repair, all over the ship (bridge to bilges!). Since leaving sea nearly 4 years ago I have worked as a service engineer. However this was still in the marine side primarily for fault finding, installation and repair of radios, RADAR and battery systems and also some time as a radio surveyor. I now currently work as an electrical engineer for a manufacturing company but the role is predominately office based, cad drawings, system design etc.. but want to eventually strike out on my own as I miss being on the tools.

I have in the past few years attended training courses through TS4U for domestic electrician so have:

17th Edition wiring (soon to update to 18th Edition)
Level 3 in Requirements for Electrical installations BS 7671:2008
Level 2 in Fundamental Inspection, Testing & Verification
Level 3 in Building Regulations for Electrical Installations & Dwellings
Part P Building Regulations

I have also recently completed and passed COMPEX 12 - design application engineer course

My main issue is translating all of this so I can get registered with a certification body and/or get an ECS Gold card etc, so I can look to set up and trade. Ideally I would stick to marine work still and offer sub-contracting services for ships/marine installations and would also like to potentially work in domestic/commercial/industrial installations. However the majority of my experience has been on either ships (and rigs) with not much in the way of actual shore based experience and I have managed to convince myself that I am not ready/able to go it alone.

I appreciate that I am probably wrestling with a lot of the same issues as everyone else when it comes to going self employed for the first time, however I am struggling to know where to begin to get set up, or even who to speak to, to accomplish this. So I guess, this is where I am really asking for help, if there are any other experienced leccys out there who have had experience but then wanted to go it alone, how did you go about this? What should I be focusing on training wise (I know 18th ed. is right at the top of the list).

Are courses like the White-Goods academy worth doing so that I can offer appliance repair, or PAT Testing courses etc? What kind of scheme should I be looking to register with?

Again, I'm really sorry for all the detail and questions if you've made it here, thank you! I hope that other than the useful advice I will get that others in a similar position will also find this helpful as I have found that the way back from Sea is not as simple as it would appear to be.

Thanks in advance for your help,

- J

 

[Dave5678]

I think that some of the reason you’ve not had any replies is that people don’t really know what qualifications you have so can’t tell what you still need to do. Looking at what you’ve said I think your qualifications are:

17th Edition wiring (soon to update to 18th Edition)
Level 3 in Requirements for Electrical installations BS 7671:2008

C&G 2382-08 - As you have figured out you will need to upgrade this to the 2382-18 / 2382-22 (for amendment 2) in order to register on a competent persons scheme or to get an ECS Gold card (maybe even for an ECS Electrical Labourer card)

Level 2 in Fundamental Inspection, Testing & Verification

C&G 2392 - I think this was offered as an option to qualify for a domestic installer scheme, however, it is not listed as a suitable qualification by the NICEIC anymore. You now need the 2391-50 for the Domestic Installer or the 2391-52 for the Approved Contractor. The 2392-52 is also a requirement for an Approved Electrician gold card. This is usually regarded as a qualification you would take after other qualifications and gaining on site experience.

Level 3 in Building Regulations for Electrical Installations & Dwellings
Part P Building Regulations

C&G 2393 - Again, I assume this is something that was used for Domestic Installer schemes in the past but I’ve not heard of it before and it doesn’t count towards a CPS or gold card.

What I don’t see in your list of qualifications is a base electrical training qualification, which these days is the C&G 2365 level 2 and 3. You may be able to do this and the NVQ as an apprentice but you may find that having a foundation degree makes you too qualified to sign up as an apprentice in which case you will have to do this as an adult learner. In this case the normal thing to do is to sign up at a local college and then take the course one day or two evenings a week. Doing it this way I think it will take two years to gain the level 2 and then a further year to get the level 3. Alternatively, I see that TS4U offer this as a 14 week course, but I assume that is an intensive every day course which will require you giving up your current job.

Once you have the 2365 level 3 you can then start the C&G 2357 NVQ. For this you need to be working in the industry as it requires building a portfolio from work you undertake and on site visits from the NVQ assessor. After you have your NVQ and 2382-18/22 you can get an Electrician Gold Card and sign up to the NICEIC Domestic Installer scheme. After two years and getting your 2391-52 you can get an Approved Electrician Gold card and sign up to the Approved Contractor scheme.

 

[MDJ]

apart from what has been said I would add this.

My experience in being self employed was that forming a limited company was better than being a sole trader, a sole trader pays 6 months in advance of next years tax bill which is calculated from the year before and can be costly if your always paying out and then waiting for weeks for the money to come in, A limited company doesn't have to do that and you can take the basic 12,750 quid salary without paying tax and then take a dividend at a very low rate compaired to normal income tax. The liability is also with the company and not yourself if limited, you will has some liability but not like the liability you will have if things go pete tong lf a sole trader. That may ruffle some feathers, Also if you get bigger and more customers you will find a lot of larger businesses prefer to deal with a limited company rather than a sole trader.

Make sure all monies go through the limited account, keep every reciept, and keep copies of every invoice sent, never cut corners and get a decent accountant.

I learned this during my time as an employer and business, I learned that if you want to grow then this is the way forward, if you want to stay a one man bad just ticking over then maybe sole trader is more appealing.

 

[caffienatedsparks]

I think that some of the reason you’ve not had any replies is that people don’t really know what qualifications you have so can’t tell what you still need to do. Looking at what you’ve said I think your qualifications are:


C&G 2382-08 - As you have figured out you will need to upgrade this to the 2382-18 / 2382-22 (for amendment 2) in order to register on a competent persons scheme or to get an ECS Gold card (maybe even for an ECS Electrical Labourer card)


C&G 2392 - I think this was offered as an option to qualify for a domestic installer scheme, however, it is not listed as a suitable qualification by the NICEIC anymore. You now need the 2391-50 for the Domestic Installer or the 2391-52 for the Approved Contractor. The 2392-52 is also a requirement for an Approved Electrician gold card. This is usually regarded as a qualification you would take after other qualifications and gaining on site experience.


C&G 2393 - Again, I assume this is something that was used for Domestic Installer schemes in the past but I’ve not heard of it before and it doesn’t count towards a CPS or gold card.

What I don’t see in your list of qualifications is a base electrical training qualification, which these days is the C&G 2365 level 2 and 3. You may be able to do this and the NVQ as an apprentice but you may find that having a foundation degree makes you too qualified to sign up as an apprentice in which case you will have to do this as an adult learner. In this case the normal thing to do is to sign up at a local college and then take the course one day or two evenings a week. Doing it this way I think it will take two years to gain the level 2 and then a further year to get the level 3. Alternatively, I see that TS4U offer this as a 14 week course, but I assume that is an intensive every day course which will require you giving up your current job.

Once you have the 2365 level 3 you can then start the C&G 2357 NVQ. For this you need to be working in the industry as it requires building a portfolio from work you undertake and on site visits from the NVQ assessor. After you have your NVQ and 2382-18/22 you can get an Electrician Gold Card and sign up to the NICEIC Domestic Installer scheme. After two years and getting your 2391-52 you can get an Approved Electrician Gold card and sign up to the Approved Contractor scheme.

Hello Dave,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the info, I haven't updated this post yet, but I have since been talking to some providers and, as you say the "base" knowledge is what I need to work towards. The general consensus is that I need to apply for the Experience Workers NVQ Level 3, with a view to completing that online portfolio. I have the requisite over 5 years in industry, I will be talking with my employer if I can get any practical experience I need or portfolio work should I be able to progress this route.

I'm currently talking with some providers who are helping me assess my current level and my eligibility for the Experienced worker route, and if not they will suggest the courses I need to do to get there.


Thanks again, and will update in the future when I have more info.

- J