Interested in how to become an electrician? It’s a great idea! A career filled with new exciting challenges and can hold truly amazing rewards financially. Once you become a fully qualified electrician, finding work will become increasingly easier as your experience in your respective field will help dictate how much you can charge for specific jobs.
Your Career Goals
Before becoming a licensed electrician, you will want to try and narrow down what exactly you’ll be looking to do with your career. I know this may seem daunting, especially if they are a part of the yearly school leavers as some of these paths can take years to complete. However, if you can decisively choose what type of electrician’s work is suited to what you want to accomplish then you can hone your skills and knowledge with a training course and the correct work experience.
There are several avenues you can take when becoming a certified electrician. With the right training in your respective field, along with health and safety regulations, you can set your sights on becoming a highway systems electrician. Which includes the building and repairing of street lighting and management systems. If that doesn’t take your fancy, an installation electrician fits power systems, lighting, fire protection, security and data-network systems around the home and businesses. Taking this path will require an education more tailored towards electrical installation which can be completed via an installers course or other means. Another option is an electro-technical panel builder which focuses on assembling and fitting control panels that run electrical systems. Machine repair and rewind electricians tend to the repairing and servicing of electrical motors and machinery such as transformers. Finally, there are maintenance electricians who check that systems are running efficiently and safely.
How To Start Your Career As An Electrician
The first step for your career path is by getting the correct training and qualifications. The Trades College offers an electrician course which can be completed at your own pace alongside practical learning centres but also virtual reality software which you can use from the comfort of your own home. This is where you’ll also be able to learn about the different career paths you can embark on along with which feels right for you. Whether it be domestic installation, inspection testing, or how to correctly operate a heat pump, we’ve got you covered.
You’ll also be required to accumulate hours as you become an electrician. For example, if you want to be certified as a residential electrician you will need to work 4,000 hours and pass an exam in order to obtain that license. This may sound grueling but let’s break it down a bit. If you work a 40 hour week that becomes 100 weeks. When you add in vacation time that’s really only about two years of work. It will of course be longer if you’re working on a part-time basis. To become a general electrician you will need to have 8,000 hours of work experience which equates to roughly 4 years of working 40 hours per week.
Become An Electrician At 40 In The UK
Whether you are looking to build on existing skills or if you want to learn a brand new set of tricks, there is a whole world of possibilities. Consistently looking for improvement is a key skill for electricians and highly sought after when looking for employment (but also proves greatly beneficial for independent contractors). It’s never too late to change your career path though and develop a brand new set of skills.
First things first, don’t feel like you’re the only person around the 40 mark that is interested in learning to become an electrician. There are thousands of people in the same boat. With all of the new emerging technologies such as virtual reality, you can competently be trained (even from your home) before having to begin any practical work.
You can work independently and work for yourself which has become significantly easier by using job websites to help market yourself locally and you will be able to choose the clients you want to take whilst having full control over how many hours per week you work.
Alternatively, you can look for a more traditional structure such as working for any of the big brands operating in the energy field today. This includes:
- British Gas
- EDF
- E.ON
- Npower
- Scottish Power
- SSE
These are just some of the companies that are constantly on the prowl for new talent on the market. Electricians are consistently in high demand and they need to make sure they’re offering the right amount of support for their customers. They don’t have an age limit on employees so you can find a position in any of these companies even after the age of 40. Once you have the correct training and achieved the right skillset, you will be able to earn over £32,000 per year (on average).
