Self employed or employed

[leccyman]

Hi All

Some of you may be aware I have recently passed all the relevant exams to become a full scope domestic installer(not electrician). My predicament now is do i go self employed or work for someone else. I am fully aware I know nothing with regards to the industry so employed might be the right way to go, but , If i dont try I will never know if I can make it on my own or not. I am worried if I go alone I may be running before I can walk. :C

 

[Marc]

Hi AllSome of you may be aware I have recently passed all the relevant exams to become a full scope domestic installer(not electrician). My predicament now is do i go self employed or work for someone else. I am fully aware I know nothing with regards to the industry so employed might be the right way to go, but , If i dont try I will never know if I can make it on my own or not. I am worried if I go alone I may be running before I can walk. :C

Depends what sort of experience you have. If you're worried about running before you can walk then I think you know the answer already.

 

[ProDave]

I went straight from an employee in an industrial environment to self employed mostly domestic 7 years ago. It was a steep learning curve at the start. Not because there was anything difficult about the wiring, but you had to very quickly learn a lot about how buildings are put together, so you can take them apart so to speak and know how you can and cannot route cables, where you can and cannot drill holes etc etc.

Prior to going self employed my only experience of domestic work was rewiring my old house then extending it, then building a new house from scratch. I think without that prior experience it would have been too much to go straight to self employment alone.

Perhaps a spell as an employee to gain practical experience first might be the best idea.

 

[bengie]

i'd say get a job and learn at someone elses expense, sounds mean and selfish but it might mean the difference between failure and success.

by the way what is the difference between a full scope domestic installer and an electrician? i am quite niave on these things as i went into an apprenticeship at 15 and wasn't even aware of other ways to get qualified.

 

[bengie]

i've just googled and seen the napit full scope domestic installer course and i can't believe it, sorry but it makes a mockery of the trade

 

[leccyman]

Theres always someone to make a demeaning comment on this site. Why cant you people keep your unwelcome comments to yourself.

I have already said I admit to knowing nothing in reality compared to an electrician who has been doing the job for years. But dont we all have to start somewhere. headbangheadbangheadbangheadbangheadbang

 

[Dambo]

Hi AllSome of you may be aware I have recently passed all the relevant exams to become a full scope domestic installer(not electrician). My predicament now is do i go self employed or work for someone else. I am fully aware I know nothing with regards to the industry so employed might be the right way to go, but , If i dont try I will never know if I can make it on my own or not. I am worried if I go alone I may be running before I can walk. :C

I'm in the same predicament as yourself leccyman. I've just recently qualified as a domestic installer and only this week passed my NICEIC domestic installer assessment.

I originally looked into going with a firm first to gain some experience before going it alone but to be honest there weren't many firms recruiting and the ones that were wanted at least 2 years experience. :_|

So my hand was forced in a way and instead I decided to take the plunge and go it alone. I've done some work for friends already and i've also done some voluntary work with a local electrician (a friend of a friend) to gain some added experience whilst waiting for my NICEIC assessment date.

Now that i've passed that it's time to try to make a go of it on my own. It's quite daunting (as i'm sure you'll already be aware!) but the way I look at it is i'm a qualified electrician, the NICEIC are happy with the work i've done so far and i'm determined to work hard and learn quickly.

There are things that i'll come across which i'll be unsure of but there's always people on hand to help

 

[Evans Electric]

I'm not sure what a "Full Scope Domestic Installer " is either . I am aware that if you pass all the exams for electrical installation you are , on paper, a qualified electrician.

I assume you have done a practical course for domestic work and if you have passed all the exams , do you feel confident to ,say, start a job on Monday with a builder ,refurbing a row of empty houses, on your own, working for yourself as Leckyman Electrical.

Or ,on Monday, start rewiring an occupied house , full of furniture ,carpets everywhere , lts / power /cooker and shower working each night for customers use.

If the answer is " Let me at 'em" then its the self employed route.

If the answer is " I don't think I can handle it" then gain some experience with another sparks.

Sorry if that sounds brutal , its not meant to.

 

[Evans Electric]

I hope people are not ready to "have a go at you" Leckky , on this site. I can only say that to many of us , we have no experience of guys suddenly appearing from college courses as electricians . If we are ready to assist the DIYers, some of whom you wonder if they will survive the project, then we shouldn't be harsh with guys starting out.

If you have passed all the exams for domestic installer, you are most probably more qualified than I am.

Its a strange thing with quallifications, I know two people who hold much higher qualifications than I do but merely breezed through them as part of greater things.

My older brother with a Ph.D Metalurgy could teach us all about the electrons, neutrons , photons and croutons spinning round the atom .

A mate is a mechanical eng, did electrical theory as part of it ,treated it as pure maths ,doesn't know his amp from his elbow. As with my brother they are a million miles away from being an electrician ... as we are a million miles from what they do......................but on paper ...they qualify.

The transverse is a highly qualified design and project engineer for local NHS who was once an apprentice with us years ago. Not allowed to install a socket in his own house because he is not registered as a competent person under Part Bleedin' P .

 

[leccyman]

Evans electrical.....I loved your reply....gis a job lol.

 

[Evans Electric]

Hmmmm.....Staffordshire Eh! not too far away either , we shop in Lichfield ,you know, safer than Brum , no barmy barstewards shooting at you.

If I had any decent work in I'd be tempted . We did a nice 16 unit housing trust site in the Black Country , would have suited you.

 

[steptoe]

I hope people are not ready to "have a go at you" Leckky , on this site. I can only say that to many of us , we have no experience of guys suddenly appearing from college courses as electricians . If we are ready to assist the DIYers, some of whom you wonder if they will survive the project, then we shouldn't be harsh with guys starting out.If you have passed all the exams for domestic installer, you are most probably more qualified than I am.

Its a strange thing with quallifications, I know two people who hold much higher qualifications than I do but merely breezed through them as part of greater things.

My older brother with a Ph.D Metalurgy could teach us all about the electrons, neutrons , photons and croutons spinning round the atom .

A mate is a mechanical eng, did electrical theory as part of it ,treated it as pure maths ,doesn't know his amp from his elbow. As with my brother they are a million miles away from being an electrician ... as we are a million miles from what they do......................but on paper ...they qualify.

The transverse is a highly qualified design and project engineer for local NHS who was once an apprentice with us years ago. Not allowed to install a socket in his own house because he is not registered as a competent person under Part Bleedin' P .

I agree wholeheartedly,

and, not for the first time Ive been known to shoot down 5week wonders,

but,

Ive been taught the error of my ways,

(apache keep the cattle prods away!!!)

its the people that know it all that I cant stand,

not the people that are willing to learn, ask questions, and absorb,

even if I do seem to be short, its only cos Ive probably just read a totally stoopid post elsewhere,

or Aggie has had me last Guinness

 

[Evans Electric]

Now you mention it Steps, you do look a bit short peering through that window.

 

[sellers]

I went straight from an employee in an industrial environment to self employed mostly domestic 7 years ago. It was a steep learning curve at the start. Not because there was anything difficult about the wiring, but you had to very quickly learn a lot about how buildings are put together, so you can take them apart so to speak and know how you can and cannot route cables, where you can and cannot drill holes etc etc.Prior to going self employed my only experience of domestic work was rewiring my old house then extending it, then building a new house from scratch. I think without that prior experience it would have been too much to go straight to self employment alone.

Perhaps a spell as an employee to gain practical experience first might be the best idea.

+1 Same as moi.

TBH you need decent experience out the field before you go self employed, it will make you a better sparky if you wait. The amount of tips and tricks I've learnt off the 40 or so sparky's I've worked with in the past was invaluable. You can't teach those things yourself.

 

[leccyman]

Well, thank you all for your views. I think you have confirmed what I already suspected. I will go and gain experience with an employer,although it may be easier said than done to find the job in the first place......wish me luck :run

 

[Apache]

Well, thank you all for your views. I think you have confirmed what I already suspected. I will go and gain experience with an employer,although it may be easier said than done to find the job in the first place......wish me luck :run

:good luck: