Want to become an Electrician advice needed please

[atmadden]

I am stuck in a crap office job and want to become an electrician need advice on how to go about it such as what courses to take. I am 33 now so think an apprenticeship is out.

Cheers

[GrahamGarside]

Scope your local college/university out. They'll do a NVQ or something for it

Learndirect is also a good online resource.

Hopefully these links will offer you some help as well

http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/...s/profile1457/

http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/...iles/profile7/

http://www.electricianscareer.co.uk/index.htm

[g8ina]

Good start there from Graham ! More or less what I would have said.

[baileyddoo]

Actually, you could try the open course offered by MIT, oops I cant post any link at the moment, but just search 'open course MIT' then

Hope this helps

[BEANFro Elite]

I'm a sparky! Damn I've been dying to say that since I got my qualification

It depends on which sectors you want to work in...

I did a C&G electro-techno technology 2330 which is a level two course; this doesn't cover live circuit testing but is enough to prove that you are a competent "engineer" this is escentially the same as the below certification.

Then theres a 16th edition (C&G 2381) this covers inspection and testing of live circuits, most employees will want you to have this certification and you need no electrical experience to enter to take the exam.

C&G 2391 deals with the inspection and testing of live circuits this is done in a 3 day course or over the course of two years, this wil lenable you to work independantly as a maintenance electrician etc; you can earn MEGA, mega bucks with this certification.


To work on dwellings (homes) you need a certification to the standard of Part P.

I'm still not sure about what exactly the Part P certification is so a Google search will surely deliver you some information from the administering body's site.


I'm going to do my 16th edition this summer, I suggest you nip on over to City & Guilds' website as you'll obviously get the full details there...

http://www.city-and-guilds.co.uk/cps...hs.xsl/UK.html

[Gerschwin]

Part P only applies if you live in England and Wales - not sure where your located.
I had served my apprenticeship, was fully qualified etc, then took a break from it - was going to go back a few years back, resat 16th edition but would be very hard (mostly ££ wise) to get the foot back in the door. Smaller companies would probably take you on no problems but will not pay a good wage - they may even want to take you on as a labourer to watch the time served sparkies.
You could go the self employed route but with no practical experience it's surely a recipe for disaster!

Good luck in doing it though!

[Mr Pants]

Basically for qualifications you can get (In order of difficulty and time from easiest to hardest):

Part P (Allows domestic work but hard to join a approving body with just that)

City and Guilds Regulations 2381 (Approving bodies want to see people have this to join with them)

City and Guilds Inspection and Testing 2391 (This allows you to access better work)

Edit: This is solid the 2391 has a national pass rate of about 40% to 45%

City and Guilds 2330 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology (Level III)
(That means you can work in commerical buildings and you can call your self a electrican while the previous 3 are just domestic electricans)

[BEANFro Elite]

Basically for qualifications you can get (In order of difficulty and time from easiest to hardest):

Part P (Allows domestic work but hard to join a approving body with just that)

City and Guilds Regulations 2381 (Approving bodies want to see people have this to join with them)

City and Guilds Inspection and Testing 2391 (This allows you to access better work)

Edit: This is solid the 2391 has a national pass rate of about 40% to 45%

City and Guilds 2330 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology (Level III)
(That means you can work in commerical buildings and you can call your self a electrican while the previous 3 are just domestic electricans)

Well put, and nice name Mr. Pants

[Bradybrunch]

This is also a good resource site.

Electrician FAQ

I hope that will help!!!

[IBM]

Rrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeesssssssssuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrreeeeeccccctttttiiiiiiooooooonnnnnnnnnn!!!

[greenalien]

Before committing yourself to the expense and time involved in retraining, you should take a long, hard look at the marketplace for your potential new skills. The housing market in the UK is grinding to a halt and building companies are facing a bleak future. The credit crunch looks likely to cause a recession in the USA which may well spread to Europe, and this may take several years to sort itself out, possibly as long as a decade. Probably not the best time for a career change unless you have guaranteed employment at the end of the training, as you could end up out of pocket and unemployed. If your present job is secure you may be a lot better off trying for promotion in your existing position.