Qualifications needed for self employed electricians

[RossB46]

I am currently going self employed. I was never put through any 18th edition courses, so have booked myself onto my 18th wiring regs.

I want to be able to complete minor works, eicrs etc in my new role, and looking to see what courses i need to take to do this. Reading online is a little vauge.

Currently hold 17th edition inspection and testing.

Any help on this be greatful.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Why do you think you need to pay for an 18the edition course rather than reading up what changed and inwardly digesting, all someone on the course will do is read the 18th edition at you.

 

[westward10]

Strictly speaking you don't need any qualifications to provide certification in our trade however, should you decide to join a scheme to enable yourself to self certify under Part P then they will be required. The 18th Ed would be one of them.

 

[RossB46]

Why do you think you need to pay for an 18the edition course rather than reading up what changed and inwardly digesting, all someone on the course will do is read the 18th edition at you.

Hi mikey, i was under the understanding that with only having outdated 17th ed, 18th is needed to legally continue installation work legally. Course i looked at has city and guilds 2hr exam included.

 

[RossB46]

Strictly speaking you don't need any qualifications to provide certification in our trade however, should you decide to join a scheme to enable yourself to self certify under Part P then they will be required. The 18th Ed would be one of them.

So going by what you said, I personally can still go about my work, installation and test certs being outdated on 17th edition inspection and testing?

But if i wanted to get say a nic creditation i would then need to update to 18th etc

 

[westward10]

So going by what you said, I personally can still go about my work, installation and test certs being outdated on 17th edition inspection and testing?

But if i wanted to get say a nic creditation i would then need to update to 18th etc

There is nothing stopping you from doing this however should the worst happen and you needed to defend yourself then qualifications may well be considered as evidence of your competence.

 

[DPG]

So going by what you said, I personally can still go about my work, installation and test certs being outdated on 17th edition inspection and testing?

But if i wanted to get say a nic creditation i would then need to update to 18th etc

As a professional electrician you really ought to update to the current regs.

Whether you do that with a course, or just take the exam is another matter.

 

[RossB46]

As a professional electrician you really ought to update to the current regs.

Whether you do that with a course, or just take the exam is another matter.

I agree mate, i do intend to do so, more just wanted to know for the time being, if im still okay to go about my work.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Hi mikey, i was under the understanding that with only having outdated 17th ed, 18th is needed to legally continue installation work legally. Course i looked at has city and guilds 2hr exam included.

There is nothing statutory that says you have to take any course to enable you to work, so whatever you do is not outside the law, saying that the C&G are a respected source of learning and would be adequate defence in the very, very highly unlikely situation that you had to prove competence, unlike the other made up course's offered on line and by most that have jumped on the bandwagon of providing a room for you to sit in and be talked at for money. For some reason an LBC require an electrician to be a member of one of the made up schemes available to notify Part P or pay a supplement to notify, this notification as far as I know is the responsibility of the home owner, not the person carrying out the work requiring notification, happy to be put right if that is not the case, I have been retired longer that the requirement for Part P notification.

 

[westward10]

The onus is on the householder to notify so this needs to be made clear if you are not able to self certify.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Without going into too much detail get hold of this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-...lectrical-Installations/dp/1138613320/ref=asc All the C & G question and model answers are in it.

 

[DMElec.1]

Technically all correct however perhaps put it this way - who will you be up against? What quals do they have to show? how is the 'market' representing professionalism to the uninitiated? Is stating that you 'technically' don't need these going to seamlessly allow you to move from one job to the next or will people choose the chap with the scheme and the certs and the insurance.... or you. That's all that would concern me. Quals are never something that reduces how professional you appear, lack of them...?

I do hope this helps, sometimes what is technically correct and what is expected are different things entirely.

Yours

D

(p.s I am aware this is an old thread, I fancied doing some typing)

 

[oscar21]

Unless you are a fully paid up member of the JIB gold club with every qualification going then as far as I know you will need to complete the AM2 before the part P scammers will even take an interest in you.

 

[Charlie_Don't_Surf]

Just to clarify, as I am also curious about what qualifications are needed to conduct and issue an EICR.

According to the thread here, it suggests anyone can produce an EICR as long as they are competent, irrespective of what qualifications they have (with notable caveats being employers likely wouldn't look at you for a testing/inspection role unless you had relevant qualifications, and also that if you did need to prove competency i.e. if something went wrong, then quals are certainly going to help your case (Assuming you've acted in accordance with BS7671)).

In terms of the Part P aspect, surely a person would not need to certify an EICR? If there's been no physical changes made to an installation, and all you've done is inspect and test, and issue a certificate. Or would Part P still apply?

I'm asking because I have lvl 2 EAL Elec Installation diploma, will be booking my 18th edition exam shortly having completed a course of study on it, and given that I can't at the moment afford to fund myself to do the level 3 Elec Installations course, but I could stretch to funding 2391-52 Inspection and Testing course (with a proper college), I'm considering enrolling on that, I'm kinda wondering about what benefit getting 2391-52 would bring me.

I've got almost a year's worth of practical experience in the field, currently working as a sub-contractor/trainee for a local firm and doing minor works jobs which I sometimes pick up from local trade websites. I'm wondering what I would need to enable me to start taking jobs where customers are asking for EICR's to be done etc, rather than looking for an employed job in inspection/testing.

Could anyone clarify about whether Part P / certification is needed for EICR completion? (Tbf that info is probably in BS7671 somewhere.. my brain is jam packed full of so much info right now though, and tbh even reading the regs, sometimes it's not that clear/would help to have other sources of confirmation about what is correct here)

 

[PS Electrics]

Just to clarify, as I am also curious about what qualifications are needed to conduct and issue an EICR.

According to the thread here, it suggests anyone can produce an EICR as long as they are competent, irrespective of what qualifications they have (with notable caveats being employers likely wouldn't look at you for a testing/inspection role unless you had relevant qualifications, and also that if you did need to prove competency i.e. if something went wrong, then quals are certainly going to help your case (Assuming you've acted in accordance with BS7671)).

In terms of the Part P aspect, surely a person would not need to certify an EICR? If there's been no physical changes made to an installation, and all you've done is inspect and test, and issue a certificate. Or would Part P still apply?

I'm asking because I have lvl 2 EAL Elec Installation diploma, will be booking my 18th edition exam shortly having completed a course of study on it, and given that I can't at the moment afford to fund myself to do the level 3 Elec Installations course, but I could stretch to funding 2391-52 Inspection and Testing course (with a proper college), I'm considering enrolling on that, I'm kinda wondering about what benefit getting 2391-52 would bring me.

I've got almost a year's worth of practical experience in the field, currently working as a sub-contractor/trainee for a local firm and doing minor works jobs which I sometimes pick up from local trade websites. I'm wondering what I would need to enable me to start taking jobs where customers are asking for EICR's to be done etc, rather than looking for an employed job in inspection/testing.

Could anyone clarify about whether Part P / certification is needed for EICR completion? (Tbf that info is probably in BS7671 somewhere.. my brain is jam packed full of so much info right now though, and tbh even reading the regs, sometimes it's not that clear/would help to have other sources of confirmation about what is correct here)

Part P is only concerned with electrical installation work within dwellings. Nothing to do with an EICR. Also yes technically there is nothing written in law other than 'being competent' in order to produce an EICR. The accepted industry take on that would be a Qualified Electrician with 18th Edition and with a 2391-52 qualification and Indemnity Insurance (because you are giving advice). The only aspect where Part P will come into play is, If you are not in a scheme (Part P) and want to do the remedials you could be in the situation of not being able to fix the very thing you have coded!

 

[DPG]

Part P is only concerned with electrical installation work within dwellings. Nothing to do with an EICR. Also yes technically there is nothing written in law other than 'being competent' in order to produce an EICR. The accepted industry take on that would be a Qualified Electrician with 18th Edition and with a 2391-52 qualification and Indemnity Insurance (because you are giving advice). The only aspect where Part P will come into play is, If you are not in a scheme (Part P) and want to do the remedials you could be in the situation of not being able to fix the very thing you have coded!

I would say the main essential thing for carrying out EICRs is plenty of experience!

 

[PS Electrics]

I would say the main essential thing for carrying out EICRs is plenty of experience!

Absolutely! Was going to add that but experience is rather subjective and difficult to quantify.

 

[Yellowhammer]

On the original topic here, I'm currently attempting to join a scheme as realistically, I think as soon as you explain to someone they're going to have to self notify LBC and pay for it, they'll go with someone else.
Having been assured on the phone (by the chirpy sales chap) that my gold card with listed qualifications would cover all they wanted to see... It isn't. I've had to send all my certs, which is proving difficult as I have my 2330 cert and my JIB certificate but cannot find a specific AM2 cert. I did my AM2 and got my JIB cert after as it was the last exam to pass my apprenticeship.

As far as I can tell though am2, 18th and 2391 are the bottom line of what you need.

Also fun fact is apparently my c&g L3 2330 is now worthless, so that was a bit annoying.

 

[nicebutdim]

I'm asking because I have lvl 2 EAL Elec Installation diploma, will be booking my 18th edition exam shortly having completed a course of study on it, and given that I can't at the moment afford to fund myself to do the level 3 Elec Installations course, but I could stretch to funding 2391-52 Inspection and Testing course (with a proper college), I'm considering enrolling on that, I'm kinda wondering about what benefit getting 2391-52 would bring me.

I've got almost a year's worth of practical experience in the field, currently working as a sub-contractor/trainee for a local firm and doing minor works jobs which I sometimes pick up from local trade websites. I'm wondering what I would need to enable me to start taking jobs where customers are asking for EICR's to be done etc, rather than looking for an employed job in inspection/testing.

Not sure if others have failed to notice that you have one year's experience and a lvl2 diploma, but I'd strongly advise against carrying out EICRs.

As others have mentioned experience is probably the single greatest asset in any tester's arsenal, but the basic qualifications expected of an electrician would also rank quite highly.

 

[davesparks]

Just to clarify, as I am also curious about what qualifications are needed to conduct and issue an EICR.

The intention/spirit, or whatever you want to call it, of the regulations is that EICRs would be conducted by a fully qualified person who has a detailed knowledge of the regulations and a lot of experience of the type of installation that they are inspecting and testing.