Electrician Red seal Exam

breno69 · 08-01-2013 2:19pm

balisimo wrote: »

Hows it going everybody?
I got a visa and I am moving to Vancouver. I recently got approval to challenge the Red seal Construction Electrician Exam. Im sitting the exam on the 25th of January and I have been studying the last few months but I have just been told by a lady at the ITA that I will need to produce a Canadian ID on the day of the test such as a driving license or national ID card. My problem is I do not land in Canada till the 21st of January which only gives me 4 days to get an ID or I cannot sit the exam, a national ID card takes 4 to 6 weeks to be posted out to you.
Does anybody know if its possible to get a Canadian ID on the day by bringing my passport ect with me?
Has anybody else encountered a similar problem? I have my passport and driving license but the ITA will not accept these. It is a bit ridiculous considering the amount of foreign people that sit their exams.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi,
Im thinking bout going to Vancouver in the next few months seeking work as Electrician. Just wondring how you got on out there and how you found it workwise ? Also what papers do you need bring out with you to prove Qualifications. Basically what I'm asking is what is best thing for me to do here in Ireland before I head out in order to improve my chances of work, also with red seal exam any advice on it would greatly help plus it's cost.
Thanks again and hope you read this soon and can reply..!!

pig88 · 08-01-2013 3:23pm

I am an electrician aswell and I am heading over to Vancouver on the 16th of Jan,I got the sheets for challenging the red seal off this site> http://itabc.ca/applying-challenge-certification ,I will post here again and let you know what its like

breno69 · 08-01-2013 4:44pm

Cheers thanks, Ya do keep in touch on this cas any bit of info will be a great help. Did you have post any papers to prove your qualified or anything like that.?

el diablo · 08-01-2013 7:55pm

breno69 wrote: »

Cheers thanks, Ya do keep in touch on this cas any bit of info will be a great help. Did you have post any papers to prove your qualified or anything like that.?

Not sure how it is for BC but for Alberta you need to show them 72 months and 8775 hours of experience as an electrician. They also need original trade certs etc.

el diablo · 09-01-2013 5:28am

JustRoss23 wrote: »

"Yea i no someone who had been working in the electrical game for years never done an apprenticeship as such and he got recognized in Calgary without papers. but he had probably proof of 200 months and was able to get counted that way. i am in the same boat was an apprentice electrician have 9000 hours but short few months to get my cert. i am going to chance it and maybe tell a few white lies;)"

I'm 100% sure you've no chance of getting recognised as a electrician in Alberta without your trade papers.

breno69 · 09-01-2013 2:05pm

el diablo wrote: »

I'm 100% sure you've no chance of getting recognised as a electrician in Alberta without your trade papers.

Ya i would say trade papers very important alright, but by papers i presume you just mean the Electricial Cert sheet you get at end of training or is there wore sheets needed.??

el diablo · 10-01-2013 6:48am

breno69 wrote: »

Ya i would say trade papers very important alright, but by papers i presume you just mean the Electricial Cert sheet you get at end of training or is there wore sheets needed.??

You need your National Craft Cert./FETAC Cert that proves that you served your time as an electrician. Then you need 72 months experience and 8775 hours experience and they do actually call your previous employers for proof. Not sure what you mean by wore (work?) sheets. That's for Alberta, not sure about other provinces.

Good luck.

tevion1 · 13-01-2013 9:19am

Im looking into going to Canada too, only getting short term jobs here at the moment. I'm qualified with 5 years post apprenticeship time done, ive worked in industrial, commercial, domestic, oil and gas and mining sectors. I signed up with pivot but have not received anything back. I would love the challenge (and the money) of working in the oil sands, fort mcmurray, alberta area. Are there any Irish sparks on here working out there?

Also I remember seeing a link for a forum for Irish people in Canada, can't find it now though! Anyone know it?

s14a johno · 13-01-2013 5:16pm

hey all anyone still waiting on there papers to clear?
ive send my paper work over but got no email confiriming they
got them, send over in december...............

stuff sent to alberta app borad, to get my liance to sit my exam

s14a johno · 13-01-2013 5:34pm

anyone know how many weeks the back log is with alberta app borad, still waitn on papers to clear

m.j.w · 13-01-2013 6:45pm

I read somewhere earlier that the back log is 6-8 weeks!

s14a johno · 14-01-2013 10:25pm

m.j.w wrote: »

I read somewhere earlier that the back log is 6-8 weeks!

thank you good sir

s14a johno · 14-01-2013 10:30pm

does anyone know if there another book, apart from the rules and regs regarding motor's, and general stuff ............

Pac1Man · 27-01-2013 3:26pm

Hi, I thought I would ask in here instead of creating a new thread. Regarding the X amount of hours required, does your apprenticeship count towards that? Also, would documentation from FAS be enough as proof of these hours worked during the apprenticeship?

My reason for asking is I have worked for 6-7 companies solely throughout my time, some of which are not in business anymore. I can imagine trying to get written proof from these companies would be nothing short of a nightmare.

Thanks in advance.

m.j.w · 27-01-2013 7:23pm

Pac1Man wrote: »

Hi, I thought I would ask in here instead of creating a new thread. Regarding the X amount of hours required, does your apprenticeship count towards that? Also, would documentation from FAS be enough as proof of these hours worked during the apprenticeship?

My reason for asking is I have worked for 6-7 companies solely throughout my time, some of which are not in business anymore. I can imagine trying to get written proof from these companies would be nothing short of a nightmare.

Thanks in advance.

Yea the time in your apprenticeship counts alright. By the looks of things the letters from employers are needed just as much as the cert if not more so. Can you get a couple of employers to say you done longer stints with them? Are you long out of your time? Where are you thinking of heading?

bucket and spade · 27-01-2013 8:35pm

Hey i sent of my application to AAIT in edmonton to get my electrical trade recognised. i sent it on the 7th of Dec from ireland and they only received it on the 4th of Jan and at that stage they said they were very busy and it would take 2 months to process.

Pac1Man · 27-01-2013 9:36pm

m.j.w wrote: »

Yea the time in your apprenticeship counts alright. By the looks of things the letters from employers are needed just as much as the cert if not more so. Can you get a couple of employers to say you done longer stints with them? Are you long out of your time? Where are you thinking of heading?

Thanks for your reply. I got on fairly well with my past employers so there shouldn't be that great a difficulty asking one or two of them to extend my duration with them (hopefully).

I am out of my time since last August however I decided to go back to college in September full-time for a year to finish a level 7 course I was doing part-time along with my apprenticeship. I'm trying to deside whether to continue with that or set the wheels in motion for a trip abroad.

It's a fairly big decision, one which would force me to live the student life for another two years or else finally start earning some decent money. At this early stage I am just trying to get all of the facts together so I will have a better understanding for when the time comes.

Regarding location, I have heard good stories about Calgary although I am not sure what employment is like for sparks down there. Ideally I would like to avoid the big Irish contingent if possible so that may rule out the larger cities. This is all just homework so far though.

m.j.w · 27-01-2013 10:11pm

Pac1Man wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I got on fairly well with my past employers so there shouldn't be that great a difficulty asking one or two of them to extend my duration with them (hopefully).

I am out of my time since last August however I decided to go back to college in September full-time for a year to finish a level 7 course I was doing part-time along with my apprenticeship. I'm trying to deside whether to continue with that or set the wheels in motion for a trip abroad.

It's a fairly big decision, one which would force me to live the student life for another two years or else finally start earning some decent money. At this early stage I am just trying to get all of the facts together so I will have a better understanding for when the time comes.

Regarding location, I have heard good stories about Calgary although I am not sure what employment is like for sparks down there. Ideally I would like to avoid the big Irish contingent if possible so that may rule out the larger cities. This is all just homework so far though.

There is loads of work in Alberta and thats where I wanted to go but to get your trade recognized there you need to have 72 months work experience.If your only out of your time in August you wont be able to work there, I emailed them and said I had the 9000 hours experience but didnt have 72 months and they said I need the 6 years experience. In Ontario and Brittish Colombia you only need the 9000 hours so thats why im heading to toronto first. Did you get your certificate of fas yet and if so how long did it take. Im heading to toronto in may and hoping to have my cert by then. I finished there in December.

JustRoss23 · 27-01-2013 10:15pm

but wont ye guys have an issue when you go to transfer your journeyman cards issued in bc or ortario to alberta they will still see you have not the 72months done? unless you spend 2 years working in torento?

m.j.w · 27-01-2013 10:18pm

JustRoss23 wrote: »

but wont ye guys have an issue when you go to transfer your journeyman cards issued in bc or ortario to alberta they will still see you have not the 72months done? unless you spend 2 years working in torento?

The 72 months experience is only to register with them to get a temporary license and then to chalenge the exam. As fas as im aware if you sit the red seal and pass it in toronto you can work anywhere in Canada and then the 72 months doesnt matter as your already qualified.

JustRoss23 · 27-01-2013 10:20pm

jeez that's handy soo

pig88 · 03-02-2013 7:21am

just an update from what i have experienced so far,my friend and I are both after getting jobs with a company in richmond without challenging the red seal yet,we start off at 90% of journeyman rate until we do challenge it,if anyone is coming to vancouver there is a company that prepare you for the red seal for free in surrey called divercity.

s14a johno · 04-02-2013 8:39pm

anyone here based in calbury? :cool:

el diablo · 05-02-2013 2:44am

s14a johno wrote: »

anyone here based in calbury? :cool:

Where's that?

tevion1 · 08-02-2013 9:11pm

pig88 wrote: »

just an update from what i have experienced so far,my friend and I are both after getting jobs with a company in richmond without challenging the red seal yet,we start off at 90% of journeyman rate until we do challenge it,if anyone is coming to vancouver there is a company that prepare you for the red seal for free in surrey called divercity.

Is it a standard 5 day job or shift work? Are diversity a state owned body to provide that service?

pig88 · 09-02-2013 10:00pm

tevion1 wrote: »

Is it a standard 5 day job or shift work? Are diversity a state owned body to provide that service?

Its a standard 5 day a week job,not sure what diversecity are but another irish guy on the site started the course 2 weeks ago and he is getting a grant to pay for the red seal challenge and $200 towards tools

captaingulay · 18-04-2013 5:09am

hello , I am going to challenge the Red seal Construction Electrician, here in AB , exam , does any one know where to get sample exam questions ?? thanks glen

zweton · 18-04-2013 11:01pm

Taught someone may be interested in this.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=791226

pig88 · 25-04-2013 4:10am

http://www.dcrs.ca/index.php?section=home&page=home
this is the link to diversecity,I am half way through the refresher course for the red seal,this crowd paid for it and it is $1200 to pay yourself,the red seal is 70% code book and the canadian book is all over the place:rolleyes:.
you can download a bank of questions for $100 off csa
I downloaded the code book off csa and got it printed and binded in staples,it works out bout $60 cheaper

cianwalsh89 · 12-06-2013 6:37pm

hey im an electrician and is moving to Canada with my girlfriend this time next year, I know about the red seal exam i have to sit, was just wondering is it possible for me to do this exam in Ireland before i leave? if someone can give me some info would be much appreciated

Electrician Red seal Exam

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