Choosing a new career

[Toby Nairobi]

Hi all, I've been doing event and studio lighting for fifteen years, then moved into management for the past ten years and away from the tools. I'm now being made redundant and need to start again in a job that I can be self employed. I see lots of electrical short courses, 16 weeks for City & Guilds 2365-02/03, 2382, 2377, 2394/95, NVQ, AM2. seems like a lot of learning in a short time. Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and what kind of living can be made if i do this? any help appreciated

 

[Tony S]

Q1/ what qualifications do you currently hold?

Q2/ what do you want to achieve?

Several people I know use general electrical work as a back up to theatre and event work, not as a substitute.

 

[Toby Nairobi]

Hi Tony, my only electrical qualification is C&G2382 17th ed, but I've been doing event power distribution for years, so have worked with switchgear and lighting systems. I also have my NEBOSH which may be relevant. My industry tends to require travel away and with 2 young kids I was hoping to find something I could do closer to home in South London. I'm used to calculations and tech plans, problem solving etc and like working with my hands. Just wandered if these 16 week courses are a bit of a conveyor belt all certificates and no understanding. not sure how "entry" level I would need to be with transferable knowlage.

sorry didn't answer second question. Ideally self employed, self certifying, picking up my own clients.

 

[New Venture!]

Hi Toby and welcome. I was made redundant in 2014 and decided to go self employed.

My first question to you would be how much do you realistically need to earn to keep yourself and family afloat? 

 

[Toby Nairobi]

Ideally I would work towards 50k gross ( living in London two kids etc) but I can get to that by still doing event lighting while I transition over. Is that realistic as a self employed contractor?

 

[New Venture!]

Hi Toby,

This is not what you'll want to hear. 50k gross as an unknown sole trader (in my opinion, someone else might disagree) is pretty much impossible. 

Consider your first year. What tools do you have already? Test kit alone will run into four figures. Then you have all the other bits and pieces that you will need that at first might not seem obvious. 

If you want to private message me at some point I can give you more detail of my experience and earnings over the last two years. 

I'm not trying to discourage you but to help you make an informed decision.

 

[Toby Nairobi]

Thanks Advice appreciated, I'm trying to make an informed choice weighing up lifestyle, security and transition costs. I'll PM you

 

[binky]

£50k, I wish! It can be done, but you will see even less of your family than you currently do....

 

[Toby Nairobi]

Thanks Binky useful to know

 

[binky]

the only time I've earn't that sort of money was during the height of the solar boom, and that was employing 5 or 6 guys to do the  work whist I knocked out quotes all day long. Around £30k is more realistic unless you happen to be good at persuading people to part with money, and as a new venture, it will take you quite  a bit of time to build a customer base to get to that level even. Might be different in London, everything seems to be dearer, so I could be talking rubbish.