Joiner vs Electrician

Nate Silvers · 14 Aug 2011 at 20:56

Since there's no way i'm going to find a job I'm thinking of applying for one of these two trades at my local college. Which ones easier to get work?

Dr House · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:00

I don't know about the above 2 but I can not find a plumber, non of them are interested as they are all fully booked.

one wanted 550 pounds to fit a shower screen and a shower cubical (no plumbing just fitting of the try and glass)

arknor · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:05

electricians probably get more work and i would imagine it needs a lot less skill than beeing a joiner

Samueltastic · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:06

I did an Apprenticeship with a company which involved doing Engineering, Fabrication, Joinery and electrical in our first year and then specializing in one for the remaining 3 years. It was between electrical and joinery. I chose electrical as I thought there will be more opportunities later in life, better pay, more jobs available. Most of all I enjoyed it more than I did joinery. Best thing is to try each and see which you prefer. Try and get some work experience with a company in each trade.

Sinny · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:07

I've just finished 3 years of Electrical training, be prepared for people putting you down all the time if you did. 3 of my friends are employed now as a trainee yet most of the companies I've contacted tell me to give up and they only hire 16 year olds...

If you're still young (like me) or have no ties then go for whichever you seem to like doing more. despite what they say, both trades are equally good to get into and the work is out there, sadly not for me yet lol.

I've been told it's like this.

Plasterer - 90% skill / 10% knowledge
Joiner - 50% skill / 50% knowledge
Electrician - 10% skill / 90% knowledge

Dr House · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:08

Moses said:
Do you need a specialist plumber to put a shower together? Surely that's a general building task? (If actual plumbing isn't part of the job).

Yah this is what I was thinking. Its for my dads house so I will see if I can find a builder to do it for him.

Nate Silvers · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:39

Sinny said:
I've just finished 3 years of Electrical training, be prepared for people putting you down all the time if you did. 3 of my friends are employed now as a trainee yet most of the companies I've contacted tell me to give up and they only hire 16 year olds...

If you're still young (like me) or have no ties then go for whichever you seem to like doing more. despite what they say, both trades are equally good to get into and the work is out there, sadly not for me yet lol.

I've been told it's like this.

Plasterer - 90% skill / 10% knowledge
Joiner - 50% skill / 50% knowledge
Electrician - 10% skill / 90% knowledge

I just turned 24 :eek:

Why do they put people down? How are you finding looking for work then?

Maccapacca · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:46

Neither, bricklayer £200 a day for a top notch bricky, joiner is dwindling as we simplify carpentry, door sets that take 6 screws and come pre assembled with ironmongery, stairs in kits that need fixing top bottom only, the only reason we need a proper chippy is for mitreing worktops. Sparks are just getting cheaper and cheaper regardless of quality, I can wire a flat for £1500 inc materials plumbing is treble that and more.

Bricks are coming back, clients are fed up of failing facades.

Sinny · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:47

Nate Silvers said:
I just turned 24 Why do they put people down? How are you finding looking for work then?

Still young enough mate, I started when I was 19 and I'm 22 now. It's just a lot harder if you have ties like mortgage, kids etc. a lot of people left because it required a lot of revision and effort.

Generally what happens is electrical companies headhunt people leaving school and sign them up, however after been talking to various people in the trade they've known people in their mid 30's to start training, so it just goes to show how utterly horrible some people can be, I have 2 friends employed as trainee's now, on minimum wage but getting training payed for so it'll increase eventually.

You just have to be very optimistic, maybe require to work for free for a year or two. I'm very lucky I guess, even though I hate having no money I'd gladly work for free and my parents support me.

also depends where you want to go, yes as above brick layers get payed a nice lump, but they cant really go any further, I can go into Photovoltaics, PLC's, Industrial, Motors, Design etc. depending on the company, I know someone who earns a massive whack as an electrician at Jaguar, he gets around £900 for a few days overtime.

Nate Silvers · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:48

I dunno. I know a bricky who has moved between jobs in the last year and was out of work for months. His old company has taken him on again but come October I bet he will be out of work again like last year.

Maccapacca · 14 Aug 2011 at 21:59

Sinny said:
I can go into Photovoltaics, PLC's, Industrial, Motors, Design etc. depending on the company, I know someone who earns a massive whack as an electrician at Jaguar, he gets around £900 for a few days overtime.

If you can punch in to those sectors then yes yes yes, PV is going mental at the moment, but the OP was asking Joiner vs Electrician which is a world apart from a Jaguar electrician, if you can bridge the gap and specialise the go for it.

NS, depend on your location as well, in the SE there is little trade unemployment.

lewism · 14 Aug 2011 at 22:11

For the love of god do not go with something that you think gets more work. Go for something you have a passion for, or at least an interest. Good tradesmen get work because of thier quality, drive and enthusiasm. These are the people that get work through word of mouth and never have to advertise because they are good at what they do. People get fed up with trades because people want easy money and the amount of bad work thats been done over the last god knows how many years because people think they can get away with it sickens me. What are your skill sets? what do you enjoy the most? Where do you want to be in 5/10 years?

People will always want work done, no matter what trade nor financial climate but now they are more reluctant than ever to hand over thier money. The work is there, people now just bicker over every invoice and query everything.

UK-AL05 · 14 Aug 2011 at 22:21

If you go on the electrician forum(I needed to know how to wire something) they're all complaining about their wages been driven down.

I don't know about joiners.

Kutter · 14 Aug 2011 at 22:25

I dont know if it still happends but when i went back and did carpentry and joinery, you had to do a week of each trade first, plumbing, joinery, bricklaying and painting and decorating. Then you choose your trade after that.
Myself i started with a furniture course, then when i couldnt get work as a cabinet maker, i went back and got some more skills in Carpentry and joinery. then i worked for a shop fitting company. After that i got a job as a bench joiner for the UK's top salon furniture manufacturer. Move up into management, got put on Lean manufacturing courses, risk assessment courses and other management courses.

You can start and learn a basic trade, but you can then take these trades in different directions as you develope your career. You don't have to be hanging doors, fitting kitchens all your life.

Maccapacca · 14 Aug 2011 at 22:50

UK-AL05 said:
If you go on the electrician forum(I needed to know how to wire something) there all complaining about their wages been driven down.

For some reason sparkies costs are low and getting lower, I can only imagine it's about outlay, a plumber has to buy boilers, pipe and pumps where as a sparkie has to buy cable only till they get a payment, with some firms now on 90 - 120 days that's a lot of cash laid out if your a plumber and not a great deal if your an electrician.

lewism · 14 Aug 2011 at 22:54

UK-AL05 said:
If you go on the electrician forum(I needed to know how to wire something) there all complaining about their wages been driven down.

I don't know about joiners.

Margin is being driven down by people/companies putting jobs out at cost just to keep thier guys busy and employed. It's playing havoc because the installs are messy, corners are cut and in the end the customer still ends up paying more. However clients are unfortunatley blinded by price. They will go with the cheapest price. Always.

When you start getting down to the single figure margins I don't even bother looking at it. I quite happily pass it up and wait for the phonecall after it goes wrong and they get charged for extras.

lewism · 14 Aug 2011 at 22:56

maccapacca said:
For some reason sparkies costs are low and getting lower, I can only imagine it's about outlay, a plumber has to buy boilers, pipe and pumps where as a sparkie has to buy cable only till they get a payment, with some firms now on 90 - 120 days that's a lot of cash laid out if your a plumber and not a great deal if your an electrician.

Costs are relative and no ones cost are low. Especially one a full 30 day invoice.

UK-AL05 · 14 Aug 2011 at 23:01

Isn't it simply that their is too much competition?

I expect it too get worse given that people have started to re-evaluate their university ambitions.

Nate Silvers · 14 Aug 2011 at 23:05

lewism said:
For the love of god do not go with something that you think gets more work. Go for something you have a passion for, or at least an interest. Good tradesmen get work because of thier quality, drive and enthusiasm. These are the people that get work through word of mouth and never have to advertise because they are good at what they do. People get fed up with trades because people want easy money and the amount of bad work thats been done over the last god knows how many years because people think they can get away with it sickens me. What are your skill sets? what do you enjoy the most? Where do you want to be in 5/10 years?

People will always want work done, no matter what trade nor financial climate but now they are more reluctant than ever to hand over thier money. The work is there, people now just bicker over every invoice and query everything.

I would love to be a Mechanical/Electrical Engineer or working with computers. I read about how things like circuits, transistors, binary etc work. I can read for hours it's so fascinating.

Since I'm never going to be an engineer I figure a trade. It's not me at all, I'm like a nerdy no good with my hands person but being 24 living at home gives me enough motivation to do this!

UK-AL05 · 14 Aug 2011 at 23:07

Nate Silvers said:
I would love to be a Mechanical/Electrical Engineer or working with computers. I read about how things like circuits, transistors, binary etc work. I can read for hours it's so fascinating.

Since I'm never going to be an engineer I figure a trade. It's not me at all, I'm like a nerdy no good with my hands person but being 24 living at home gives me enough motivation to do this!

Why can't you be an engineer? If its what you really want to do, and can't do anything else. Can't you just go back to school? Or is there some finance problems here?

Joiner vs Electrician

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