If you’re considering whether becoming an electrician is the right career choice for you, then you should know by now that being an electrician is a very rewarding career.
You will not find yourself stuck behind a desk or stuck in a factory all day, it is financially very rewarding and comes with a job security that is getting rarer these days, one of the few jobs for life that are left.
It also gives you options. You can become employed with a firm, you can do contract work on projects or become self-employed, and because of the high demand for electrical skills you could even emigrate to places like Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
And once you’re qualified as an electrician nobody can take that away from you. So you’re sold, you want to be an electrician, but how do you go about becoming one?
One option (and probably the best one if you’re just left school) is an Electricians Apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is the traditional way in which people would learn their craft whether they are plumbers, carpenters, electricians etc…
You’ll be Earning as you’re Learning on an Apprenticeship
An electrical apprenticeship would usually last up to 4 years. During which your time is spent between the classroom of your local training college where you would learn the technical theory of electrical systems, and out on the job where you would work alongside an experienced electrician. Where you’ll be shown a lifetimes worth of practical knowledge that cannot be taught with a textbook.
Along with being taught tried and tested practical skills, being around an experienced electrician for this length of time you will get to know a network of tradesmen and construction workers and suppliers that makes getting work that much easier. During the course of your Apprenticeship you would be paid a basic salary of at least £90 per week (often more that this).
At the end of your apprenticeship you would be a fully trained electrician and have an NVQ Level 3 to show for it.
How to get on an Apprenticeship Scheme?
There are no formal entry qualifications to start an apprenticeship, but if you are over the age of 25 you may struggle to get on an apprenticeship scheme (click here if you’re over 25).
There are a limited number of spaces per year and competition for them is fierce. A good Idea is to ring your local electrician firms (or even your local electrician) and ask if they would be interested in taking on an apprentice, you may get lucky!
To find out more about Apprenticeships, including how to apply, call the government’s free national Apprenticeships helpline.
- APPRENTICESHIPS HELPLINE: 08000 150 600
Or you could visit the Apprenticeships website. Where you can get further information and request an information pack.
https://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/
Best of Luck!