To become an electrician (advice please)

tigerstyle

tigerstyle

tigerstyle

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Well not to become an electrician, but to 'call' yourself one, and I use that term loosely to not offend the fine tradesmen here with lots of experience and otherrelevant qualifications:

Do you really just have to do a 2 hour long open book multiple choice exam?
aka - City and Guilds 2382

Surely anyone with half a brain (again no offence to anyone) could buy the book, read it for a few months solid, then jump feet first into the test having never wired a plug?

Is the test that easy? If you work through it methodically and carefully of course.

Obviously one single qualification won't get anyone a job, I'm not looking to do that, but I've years of hands on experience doing this work and similar and need some good stuff to add to my CV, and hopefully secure better jobs in the future.

First result from Google, £375 + 4 days and it's yours? http://www.deltaelectricaltraining....lds-2382-10/?gclid=CPTj2MXzs6wCFcKGpAodg1-eFg

Anyone done similar here?
 
you mean so you can do home wiring without having to get it signed off?


but lol if it's only a single exam i might do it at the end of this apprenticeship after we've done our electronics qualifications :p

Would be great to be able to do all the home wiring legally without paying :p
 
tigerstyle said:
perhaps posted at the wrong time of day...
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There are several assessments and then multiple exams needed through your career.

Unless you are doing the work day in and day out, you will probably find these quite challenging.

My Dad is an electrical engineer and has the certification to do some jobs but not others.

The best advice is to speak to your local college.
 
To gain the single 17th Edition accreditation though that is great to put on a cv no practical test or assessments are needed? Is my understanding?

Again, I'm not looking for a shortcut into the industry, just some gold stars to add to my cv for other jobs.
 
To be an electrician takes time, college an apprenticeship etc. Then if you wish to do any domestic wiring testing etc you need to be part P registered read about it here......

http://www.partp.co.uk/assessment_help.aspx

www.partp.co.uk/downloads/GuidetoPartP_August2009.pdf

I work offshore as an electrician and you don't need part p but that's a different story out there, it's an explosive atmosphere so you need a further course ie Compex

http://www.compex.org.uk/about.php

Speak to your local college they will help you out :)

Slipperz
 
tigerstyle said:
Surely anyone with half a brain
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You've answered your own question right there, domestic electics isn't difficult anyone who says otherwise is bonkers the same goes for fitting central heating boilers and systems. You can indeed self study some electrical certificates or do them as an evening class in college very cheaply, they haven't managed to make it quite the same crzy closed shop environment as Corgi/Gas Safe yet at least.
 
Tefal said:
you mean so you can do home wiring without having to get it signed off?


but lol if it's only a single exam i might do it at the end of this apprenticeship after we've done our electronics qualifications :p

Would be great to be able to do all the home wiring legally without paying :p
Click to expand...

But in order to do that you need to get qualified, pay the annual membership fees for one of the Competent Persons schemes (NICEIC, etc) and have calibrated test equipment. Cheaper just to pay the building control fees if you want to DIY major work. A pain in the bum if you want to DIY something very minor but still 'notifiable'.
 
OP to become a proper sparks you need:

C&G 2330 Pt1 & Pt2 to 17th edition (easier than the old C&G 2360)
AM1 & AM2 NVQ (although this isn't exactly required for employment apparently)
C&G 2391

Neither have many open book exams and when I took my 2360 it was all written exams with no multi choice stuff.

You are thing of just a 17th ed course. Which will teach you nothing practical and no one would employ you as a sparks.

Apparently they don't even teach how to make of MICC in the 2330 is this true??
 
dirtychinchilla said:
You irritating people...he doesn't need that stuff because he can already do it! He just wants a certificate because it'll look good on his cv. odious.
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Even in his first post he mentions being able to call him self an electrician.

I gave the requirements to call your self an electrician.

OP what do you actually want to do with the qualification and having a cert to say you understand the 17th ed regs isn't exactly going to impress anyone with regards to electrical work, as I seriously doubt you would be classed as a competent person with just the 17th.

You may find the 2377 PAT testing quali better if you are going for a maintenance/building support job.
 
If you want to get on Site you need 17th edition (which I'm currently studying at the minute, 10 week course £420), if you want to be an electrician you need your 2330 which is a 2 year course minimum and then progress onto an NVQ3 (which I'm trying to get on now with no luck).

It's hard becoming an Electrician if you want to go higher than domestic, you have a better chance when your 16-18 as you're cheaper to employ, which is silly as I have paid for 4 years of tuition, passed all my exams and yet they'll still take the risk with some kid's.
 
Thanks for all the replies :)

I know it's a tricky subject, the different paths of actually learning/training/actually calling yourself an electrician.

From the info here I'm happy that just a solid 17th edition qualification is enough to go down as a solid benchmark of competence. When I was actually in the UK a few years ago there was also a safety card and some other hoops to jump through too? but those aren't needed for my current quest.
 
MeEsH BaKkA said:
Apparently they don't even teach how to make of MICC in the 2330 is this true??
Click to expand...

They did when I took it back in 2006, although that has possibly changed now as I know its been removed from the AM2 as its a "specilist or outdated skill"..... (so when the sparks who are training today end up on a job where MICC is specced for fire alarm alterations it might cause a problem!!)

I'm actually grateful that I had an old semi-retired guy for workshop at college who insisted on teaching us how to go it the old school way with ringing tool and slotted bar.... I get on better with that than I do a joist stripper as the blade in the latter is normally blunt....
 
MICC will rarely be installed fresh now, The problem comes when they have to alter a installation which already has it in place (many churches)

17th edition is stupidly simple to pass tbh and no one in the UK would hire someone as an electrician with only having the 17th edition. The electrical improvers at my company are expected to have 17th edition.

On a side note, I love doing a bit MICC work now and then, Feels like you are actually using a skill :)
 
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