Plenty of jobs out there?

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Plenty of jobs out there?

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Hi all,

I'm looking to become an electrician (career change). Looked into various training centres like OLCI, RFTraining, New Career Skills etc. They all claim that there's a massive shortage of electricians at the moment in the UK, that there should be plenty of work for a qualified sparky. But of course they would say that.

I want to hear it form you guys already in the industry (so that I can get some real info instead of a sales pitch), whats the market like these days? Is it easy for you to find work? Is there plenty of it out there? I'm talking about working for a company and/or working for yourself. Or are most electricians leaving the industry due to lack of work, or sitting at home twiddling their thumbs?
 
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VoltzElectrical said:
mates put up light fittings, make off sockets, put up trunking, yada yada yada. Stuff you can learn in 5 mins flat. The stuff no one is gonna pay more that £10 an hour for. Simple stuff. Simples. The big sites are made up of mates. It's a good start for someone to understand how electrical installations work. From there you learn about distribution, switching, organisation, deliveries, hierarchy, everything.
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that is true , im not saying your wrong on it , but the bare minimum they want you to have is at least to be on the course
 
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like the time that one of the workmates at this place we were at got a job in the effluent plant they had at the pack of the factory......so we goes out to wakefield on a friday night...and he`s tellin this bird that he`s a forensic scientist with a ferrari....
 
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GLENNSPARK said:
like the time that one of the workmates at this place we were at got a job in the effluent plant they had at the pack of the factory......so we goes out to wakefield on a friday night...and he`s tellin this bird that he`s a forensic scientist with a ferrari....
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I told the bloke who gave me the start in electrical that i could more or less rewire a house. he still take the **** out of me to this day
 
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GLENNSPARK said:
surely an electricians mate is all about pulling cable/s in...go get this....fetch us that....support this while i fix it etc etc...general mule......and at the end of it you might....just might get to terminate/make off.....and basic stuff like that......if you are at college on day release..whatever...then you aint a `mate`...more an apprentice....`mates` are just donkeys to fetch n carry.....
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NO. the only difference is that an improver or apprentice has hi sight on higher academic goals.

I've worked with 'mates' who are doing a sparks job, day in, day out. They are flippin good, but they are never gonna do college. They started out at the bottom and learned it as thy went along. There is no economic space for people to fetch and carry. On all the jobs I've been on, everyone fetches and carries on deliveries, and loading out.


'Mates' are the butter on the sandwich. Essential to make everything go smoothly, and worth every penny.

You can't run successful jobs, with all sparks thinking 'I ain't doing that (never been on one yet) and all apprentices with their tongues up sparks bumholes.
 
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VoltzElectrical said:
NO. the only difference is that an improver or apprentice has hi sight on higher academic goals.

I've worked with 'mates' who are doing a sparks job, day in, day out. They are flippin good, but they are never gonna do college. They started out at the bottom and learned it as thy went along. There is no economic space for people to fetch and carry. On all the jobs I've been on, everyone fetches and carries on deliveries, and loading out.


'Mates' are the butter on the sandwich. Essential to make everything go smoothly, and worth every penny.

You can't run successful jobs, with all sparks thinking 'I ain't doing that (never been on one yet) and all apprentices with their tongues up sparks bumholes.
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perish the thought....
 
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VoltzElectrical said:
NO. the only difference is that an improver or apprentice has hi sight on higher academic goals.

I've worked with 'mates' who are doing a sparks job, day in, day out. They are flippin good, but they are never gonna do college. They started out at the bottom and learned it as thy went along. There is no economic space for people to fetch and carry. On all the jobs I've been on, everyone fetches and carries on deliveries, and loading out.


'Mates' are the butter on the sandwich. Essential to make everything go smoothly, and worth every penny.

You can't run successful jobs, with all sparks thinking 'I ain't doing that (never been on one yet) and all apprentices with their tongues up sparks bumholes.
Click to expand...

they learned it practically

do they know all the risks , the cable calcs, the regs

they will only know what people have told them on site , and how often do you spend the whole day talking about electrics to the person you work.
 
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GLENNSPARK said:
surely an electricians mate is all about pulling cable/s in...go get this....fetch us that....support this while i fix it etc etc...general mule......and at the end of it you might....just might get to terminate/make off.....and basic stuff like that......if you are at college on day release..whatever...then you aint a `mate`...more an apprentice....`mates` are just donkeys to fetch n carry.....
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Surely you are contradicting yourself here Glen. In one statement you are saying that 'mates' are fetch and carry merchants, and in another that they are installing cables (the backbone of any electrical installation) and second fixing?

Hear this one and all, and hear it now.

ELECTRICAL MATES, LABOURERS, IMPROVERS WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM, ARE IN DEMAND, ALWAYS WILL BE.

BECAUSE BIG JOBS DON'T NEED PEOPLE TO KNOW CABLE CALCS, AC THEORY, OR ANY OF THE OFFICE STUFF.

THEY JUST NEED CHEAP(ISH) RELIABLE LABOUR TO INSTALL TO A REASONABLE STANDARD.

THIS DIVISION OF LABOUR INTO MATE/ IMPROVER/ LABOURER IS NONSENSE. YOU EITHER HAVE A GOLD CARD OR YOU DON'T.

THE PEOPLE EMPLOYING EITHER WANT CARD CARRYING SPARKS OR THEY WANT 'MATES' ( USED TO DESCRIBE UNQUALIFIED OR PARTLY QUALIFIED LABOUR)

THERE IS NO OTHER DISTINCTION.
 
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op, look into maintenance electrician, i have to do industrial electrical installation, but its usually a punishment for being bad, motors,controls,networks,plcs,projects where you do everything from design to install, and not much bitchin'....:hurray:
 
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pmac10 said:
op, look into maintenance electrician, i have to do industrial electrical installation, but its usually a punishment for being bad, motors,controls,networks,plcs,projects where you do everything from design to install, and not much bitchin'....:hurray:
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thats what im sort of doing at the moment , a bit of building managment , it is really good money , im not even qualified and am on 110 a day (although he never pays on time) most of the jobs i get are to change lightbulbs and replace fittings, a lot of driving though ,all over england
 
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VoltzElectrical said:
Surely you are contradicting yourself here Glen. In one statement you are saying that 'mates' are fetch and carry merchants, and in another that they are installing cables (the backbone of any electrical installation) and second fixing?

Hear this one and all, and hear it now.

ELECTRICAL MATES, LABOURERS, IMPROVERS WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM, ARE IN DEMAND, ALWAYS WILL BE.

BECAUSE BIG JOBS DON'T NEED PEOPLE TO KNOW CABLE CALCS, AC THEORY, OR ANY OF THE OFFICE STUFF.

THEY JUST NEED CHEAP(ISH) RELIABLE LABOUR TO INSTALL TO A REASONABLE STANDARD.

THIS DIVISION OF LABOUR INTO MATE/ IMPROVER/ LABOURER IS NONSENSE. YOU EITHER HAVE A GOLD CARD OR YOU DON'T.

THE PEOPLE EMPLOYING EITHER WANT CARD CARRYING SPARKS OR THEY WANT 'MATES' ( USED TO DESCRIBE UNQUALIFIED OR PARTLY QUALIFIED LABOUR)

THERE IS NO OTHER DISTINCTION.
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i said you might get to do a bit of making off......hardy regular second fix is it voltz......further more in referance to cable pulling....i was refering to the heavy stuff......
 
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piratebillybob said:
I dont know why you need to capitalize your messages as well as if putting them in caps is going to articulate your meaning any better.
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because voltz is clearly one of those that likes to imprint his views on others.....and capitals are a means of achieving this....i bit like the various dictatorships that sprang up in the 20s and 30s.....
 
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VoltzElectrical said:
WITH RESPECT, I agree, but this is a separate issue about competition for jobs. Some here are stating that you can't get on site with only a CSCS card.

YOU CAN.
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Ok then, I'll rephrase on their behalf(Please forgive me guys) you can get on site with only a CSCS card.

(My words now though) However unless you know someone who will put a word in for you it's extremely unlikely
 
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pmac10 said:
the very thought fills me with dread!, a job as a maintenance spark in a good factory/company can be hard to beat
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definetly especially if you want the holiday pay , a mortgage and a van ,

but i do find it easy cash, the only downside is peoples filthy houses chasing out and lofts, but it is also a relaxed atmosphere , none of this health and safety crap they have on big sites
 
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wellshocked said:
definetly especially if you want the holiday pay , a mortgage and a van ,

but i do find it easy cash, the only downside is peoples filthy houses chasing out and lofts, but it is also a relaxed atmosphere , none of this health and safety crap they have on big sites
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agree , but i've never done site work, full time maintenance engineer with a global company, my focus is keeping production lines running, but like i said, i may get allocated installation work for being naughty,
as the great band Slipknot said People=Sh*T, at least in a factory, People =Clock Number, nothing else!
 
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