Setting up as an electrician

aido79 · 28-11-2018 5:19am #1

I am an electrician returning to Ireland next year to study engineering. I'm just wondering if it would be worth my while doing the testing and verification course, getting insured and registering with reci to do the small jobs on the side that full time contractors don't seem too interested in doing.
I would not be seeking to earn a full time wage from it just a little extra money to supplement my wifes earnings.

Baybay · 28-11-2018 6:54am

Based on my experience as a customer, few want to do the smaller jobs. I’d say you’d be kept as busy as you’d want to be. Depends on how much time & money to attain certification but I suppose the worth of that’d be down to you to decide.

kramer1 · 28-11-2018 10:45am

It's expensive to get started up and the small jobs can be tricky to price , you have to have a load of them lined up to make any money out of it, I would think that it would be very difficult to do part time and make it worth your while. If you're going down this route I would recommend trying to get in with letting agencies , landlords and a few homeowners.

aido79 · 28-11-2018 1:14pm

kramer1 wrote: »

It's expensive to get started up

What are the biggest expenses?

kramer1 wrote: »

and the small jobs can be tricky to price , you have to have a load of them lined up to make any money out of it, I would think that it would be very difficult to do part time and make it worth your while.

I'm not talking about making a living out of this. It really just for some extra money while studying. By small jobs I just mean stuff like the type of jobs people ask about on here that full-time contractors wouldn't be interested in.

kramer1 wrote: »

If you're going down this route I would recommend trying to get in with letting agencies , landlords and a few homeowners.

It would most likely just be for friends, family and acquaintances so I could do the jobs legally. I wouldn't be actively seeking out work.

tomplate · 28-11-2018 3:55pm

I'm getting registered again shortly

Tbh it's probably not worth your while,you'd be better off unregistered doing repairs etc.

There's too much paperwork and regulation now to be doing it as a sideline

kramer1 · 28-11-2018 6:20pm

Costs are insurance , safe electric membership , meter calibration , buying meters ,tools , van , testing and verification course, im sure I'm forgetting quite a bit here , it's not crazy money for all this but it does add up .
It's interesting work though and the money is pretty good In the small jobs these days as a lot of lads don't want them , best of luck with it anyway.

aido79 · 29-11-2018 12:10am

tomplate wrote: »

I'm getting registered again shortly

Tbh it's probably not worth your while,you'd be better off unregistered doing repairs etc.

There's too much paperwork and regulation now to be doing it as a sideline

Paperwork doesn't bother me. I just want to be able to do things legally.

aido79 · 29-11-2018 12:14am

kramer1 wrote: »

Costs are insurance , safe electric membership , meter calibration , buying meters ,tools , van , testing and verification course, im sure I'm forgetting quite a bit here , it's not crazy money for all this but it does add up .
It's interesting work though and the money is pretty good In the small jobs these days as a lot of lads don't want them , best of luck with it anyway.

Any idea what insurance would cost? I'm aware of the other costs you mentioned. I won't need a van or anything more than basic tools which I already have.

Thanks

Risteard81 · 29-11-2018 12:19am

aido79 wrote: »

Any idea what insurance would cost? I'm aware of the other costs you mentioned. I won't need a van or anything more than basic tools which I already have.

Thanks

At a minimum north of €650p.a.

endacl · 29-11-2018 12:25am

If you can do and are happy to do other stuff (putting up shelves, hanging curtain poles, fixing bits and pieces etc...), and have access to an auld lassie network, you won't have time left over for studying!

My mother gets Gerry in to do all sorts, when she can get him. He's a plumber by trade, but does a bit of everything. She got Gerry's number from another auld lassie in the bridge club. Word spread like wildfire that Gerry was 'great for doing jobs around the place, and now she has to ring a fortnight in advance to get him in.

Effects · 29-11-2018 10:24pm

tomplate wrote: »

You'd be better off unregistered doing repairs etc.

There's too much paperwork and regulation now to be doing it as a sideline

Isn't this illegal these days? People used to get away with this in the past, when it was just evading tax.

aido79 · 30-11-2018 4:57am

Effects wrote: »

Isn't this illegal these days? People used to get away with this in the past, when it was just evading tax.

That's the main reason I'm thinking of getting registered.

Effects · 30-11-2018 10:46am

aido79 wrote: »

That's the main reason I'm thinking of getting registered.

I'm in a similar boat. I don't work as an electrician anymore but get asked to do a lot of smaller jobs. I've been turning them down, but I'm thinking or registering again so I can pick and choose.

30-11-2018 11:56am

Effects wrote: »

I'm in a similar boat. I don't work as an electrician anymore but get asked to do a lot of smaller jobs. I've been turning them down, but I'm thinking or registering again so I can pick and choose.

As was highlighted in an email from CER (see link in the charter) non-RECs are legally permitted to carry out quite a bit of electrical work in domestic installations.

tomplate · 30-11-2018 12:01pm

How is a non-rec permitted to extend the fixed wiring on circuits without testing

It's a mystery

The Rec then has to compete against this with tax and paperwork and fees

30-11-2018 12:08pm

tomplate wrote: »

How is a non-rec permitted to extend the fixed wiring on circuits without testing

I did ask that as you can see in my email.

The Rec then has to compete against this with tax and paperwork and fees

That’s easy.
RECs are not interested in small domestic work. Any REC looking for this work will go out of business rapidly in this climate.

tomplate · 30-11-2018 12:11pm

2011 wrote: »

I did ask that as you can see in my email.

That’s easy.
RECs are not interested in small domestic work. Any REC looking for this work will go out of business rapidly in this climate.

That's my thinking ,how can you compete on small jobs

It's only a matter of time before the loophole on extending circuits is closed off

30-11-2018 1:02pm

tomplate wrote: »

That's my thinking ,how can you compete on small jobs

My point is that RECs are not interested in pricing small jobs as they simply don’t pay. If a REC prices in such a way that they will make a profit the customer simply won’t pay. End result? The customer would rather do without than pay to get the job done properly.

It's only a matter of time before the loophole on extending circuits is closed off

I don’t think so. I talked to CER about this. They want non-RECs to be able to connect boilers and heating controls. They also want alarm installers to be able to connect alarm panels and electric gates.

My personal view is that almost any work on mains voltage systems should be by qualified electricians but I don’t make the rules.

tomplate · 30-11-2018 1:30pm

I'm talking about the loophole on extending circuits and not testing the fixed wiring

Not about connecting items of equipment

30-11-2018 1:32pm

tomplate wrote: »

I'm talking about the loophole on extending circuits and not testing the fixed wiring

Not about connecting items of equipment

It’s all part of the same thing. An extra socket is an extra point, the same as adding a spur for a boiler.

micks · 02-12-2018 1:32am

aido79 wrote: »

I am an electrician returning to Ireland next year to study engineering. I'm just wondering if it would be worth my while doing the testing and verification course, getting insured and registering with reci to do the small jobs on the side that full time contractors don't seem too interested in doing.
I would not be seeking to earn a full time wage from it just a little extra money to supplement my wifes earnings.

I looked into similar a few years back

- Van - €5000
- Tools - €1000
- Test equipment - €1500
- RECI membership €75
- Safe Electric Membership - €295
- Van Insurance €500
- Public Liability Insurance - €500

PSA licence would be another avenue to do CCTV etc

TBH i'd be more interested in justifying switching to engineering

hard to see this switch being financially viable

02-12-2018 10:45am

micks wrote: »

I looked into similar a few years back

- Van - €5000
- Tools - €1000
- Test equipment - €1500
- RECI membership €75
- Safe Electric Membership - €295
- Van Insurance €500
- Public Liability Insurance - €500

I wouldn’t get the van if it was only a part time gig as the OP suggested.

PSA licence would be another avenue to do CCTV etc

The PSA license is only a requirement for CCTV that are installed for security, many cameras are installed for other reasons. Also no license is required for wiring CCTV, many PSA installers don’t like wiring. You could team up with a PSA installer.

TBH i'd be more interested in justifying switching to engineering

[Edit]Exactly.
It is very easy to justify

aido79 · 02-12-2018 12:21pm

micks wrote: »

I looked into similar a few years back

- Van - €5000
- Tools - €1000
- Test equipment - €1500
- RECI membership €75
- Safe Electric Membership - €295
- Van Insurance €500
- Public Liability Insurance - €500

PSA licence would be another avenue to do CCTV etc

TBH i'd be more interested in justifying switching to engineering

hard to see this switch being financially viable

I have most of the tools I would need and won't need a van. Using your figures as a very rough guide and taking a simplified look at it anything over €60 a week in earnings over the year would be profit. As said before I'm not looking to make a living out of this, just extra money.

The switch to engineering has nothing to do with finance but why do you think it's not financially viable?

02-12-2018 12:32pm

aido79 wrote: »

The switch to engineering has nothing to do with finance but why do you think it's not financially viable?

I misread micks post and thought he was recommending switching to engineering.

I switched years ago and never looked back. There is considerable work in this area and the future is looking bright too. Unlike working on your tools engineers are highly employable in their old age. When work goes quite in ireland there are opportunities to work on projects in other countries from ireland (I am doing this at present).

aido79 · 02-12-2018 1:07pm

2011 wrote: »

I misread micks post and thought he was recommending switching to engineering.

I switched years ago and never looked back. There is considerable work in this area and the future is looking bright too. Unlike working on your tools engineers are highly employable in their old age. When work goes quite in ireland there are opportunities to work on projects in other countries from ireland (I am doing this at present).

I kinda thought that as I've had a discussion with you about it before.

There is no way I could continue working on the tools into old age as my body especially my knees are feeling the effects already of being on the tools.
By all accounts you are right that the future is bright for engineers which is one of the reasons I think it's financially viable.

Bruthal · 02-12-2018 5:01pm

aido79 wrote: »

There is no way I could continue working on the tools into old age as my body especially my knees are feeling the effects already of being on the tools.

I go off them for spells. Going back on them then is fairly hard on the rested body. On the Bim and cad all this year and semi back on the tools some days. Its harder physically in domestic in general imo.

02-12-2018 5:31pm

^^^ BIM is where it is at. Big opportunities there too.
2D CAD layouts have gone out with the Indians on many sites.

jetsonx · 02-12-2018 5:39pm

kramer1 wrote: »

It's expensive to get started up and the small jobs can be tricky to price , you have to have a load of them lined up to make any money out of it, I would think that it would be very difficult to do part time and make it worth your while. If you're going down this route I would recommend trying to get in with letting agencies , landlords and a few homeowners.

Excellent advice.

If you don't have the volume, it will just end up being an expensive exercise in frustration while diverting you form your studies.

Bruthal · 02-12-2018 5:45pm

2011 wrote: »

^^^ BIM is where it is at. Big opportunities there too.
2D CAD layouts have gone out with the Indians on many sites.

Yea it was all 3d. A bit different drawing trunking than clocks though:D

micks · 02-12-2018 8:17pm

2011 wrote: »

I wouldn’t get the van if it was only a part time gig as the OP suggested.

The PSA license is only a requirement for CCTV that are installed for security, many cameras are installed for other reasons. Also no license is required for wiring CCTV, many PSA installers don’t like wiring. You could team up with a PSA installer.

[Edit]Exactly.
It is very easy to justify

I'm just throwing in the figures to give an idea depending on the scale one wants to operate at

There is at least 10 lads I work with that have gone down this road to basically legitimise their nixering

All after a year or so have a van on the road and all are doing it part time also but obviously personal choice

PSA - you could well be correct I havent done it but again lads in work several got PSA mainly for CCTV but also alarms
Very good money on a saturday installing CCTV in a house

02-12-2018 8:26pm

micks wrote: »

I'm just throwing in the figures to give an idea depending on the scale one wants to operate at

Understood.

The only remark of yours that I disagreed with was this one:

TBH i'd be more interested in justifying switching to engineering

Why do you think it is difficult to justify?

Setting up as an electrician

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