Becoming an Electrician!

beebaw

Hi,
Interested in becoming an electrician, what is the correct stage i need to go through to qualify etc etc. Have a good knowledge of wiring etc as have own business and do small jobs already. I rewired a house for myself.
Cheers!!!!

Stoner

well you will need a basic passed junior cert that must include english and maths. (or else be over 23)

you also need a colour eye test , even if you think you are not colour blind, you might be.

you will also need someone to offer you a place in their company as I'm 99% sure that all the old FAS one year pre apprenticeships are finished now as they could not fill the classes.

carchaeologist

How do you mean you have your own buisiness?Are you like a handyman?

beebaw

Yea, registered as a sole trader, do all sorts of work, plumbing, carpentry, tiling, electrics etc etc..... I'm in my 30's also.

carchaeologist

You would have to be registered as an apprentice under an employer, i dont know how that would affect your buisiness, and you would also have block release in fas(6mths) and a colllege(two 3mth sessions).

Sparky

You can do the standards based apprenticeship through Fàs.
For me I needed to have an employer first before fas take you and it works in stages.

Phase 1 - On the job training (working with your employer as normal)
Phase 2 - 20 weeks in a Fas training center.
Phase 3 - On the job training with your employer again
Phase 4 - 10 weeks training in an IT. I was sent to Kevin St DIT
Phase 5 - On the job training with employer
Phase 6 - 10 weeks training again in an IT. Kevin St again for me
Phase 7 - Your last phase with your employer.

In all the phases you get tested before you can progress onwards.
Fas pay you while in phase 2,4 and 6. But if you fail any of those phases, you will need to go back and do night courses at €300

When all is completed you get a National Craft Cert. Last time I was there that was apparantly changed to a fetac cert.
Although it has been a yr since I am qualified, I am still waiting for my cert. So im not 100% on wheater or not its the later.

Mobooo

do you regret it? it seems to be one of my only career choices left that i have any interest in. well until im 23 (gonna have one very bad leaving cert)

fishdog

do you regret it?

I dont. But I do regret how naive I was. I thought that after 4 years as an apprentice that I would never have to do any more courses or training. Now I find myself on a full time degree course which is not easy at my age (39)!
If I knew then what I know now I would have gone staigt to college and I would have done a degree instead.

On one hand becoming an electrician has many advantages and is still my favorite trade, on the other it is often hard work, sometimes dangerous and often very repeditive and boring (for me). I think that there is alot of electrical work that many would not physically be able for once they 50, which for me is too young to retire. The only other option without retraining is to run/manage jobs which is generally long hours and not for everyone.

I am not trying to knock the trade, or the people in it, this was just my experience.

it seems to be one of my only career choices left that i have any interest in. well until im 23 (gonna have one very bad leaving cert)

That is what I felt! I got a bad leaving cert myself!