If you’re a school leaver or you’ve found yourself at a career crossroads in your life, you may well have stumbled across the JLM Electrical website after an Internet search. The fact is, if you want to be an electrician, you’ve got to start somewhere – and doing a spot of research is the best place to begin.
A career in electrics can be a rewarding and well-paid one, but it takes hard work as well. Electricians fit and repair electrical circuits and rewire people’s homes and businesses, and when it comes to this potentially very dangerous skill it’s important to ensure you receive the right training.
If you consider yourself to be good at practical work and you can follow technical plans, becoming an electrician could well be a good move for you. It’s also ideal for people who are looking for a varied and busy job – there’s never a quiet day here at JLM Electrical, for instance, and we can be working on anything from commercial businesses to domestic properties.It’s a job that takes us up and down the country, too. We may well be based in West Yorkshire, but with easy access to the major motorways we can be at most homes and businesses within a day.
So what other skills and traits might you need to become a good electrician? You need to be well organised and understand the importance of industry safety regulations. After all, an unsafe electrician is not a very professional one.When it comes to qualifying as an electrician, you’ll need to complete an industry-recognised qualification, or relevant training. Why not start as an apprentice? It’ll help you learn valuable skills while earning a wage, too.
Once you’re qualified as an electrician, you could find yourself working on any number of projects, from bringing power to someone’s home to working with wind turbines in the renewable energy field. You might also install, inspect and test equipment, as well as fixing any potentially-hazardous faults.Working hours are generally 37.5 a week, Monday to Friday with the possibility of overtime. You might also find yourself working shifts, or you could even be on call, which means you’ll have to attend to a job or project as and when you’re needed. Due to the nature of a role like this, there is, of course, a certain amount of travel involved – so a good, clean driver’s license is a must.
As far as income goes, a newly-qualified electrician could earn up to £22,000, which can rise to £30,000 in very little time. There’s also the possibility of earning overtime and bonus pay, too – keep an eye on the industry for relevant training, qualifications and roles.Want some more advice? You’ll find plenty more here on the JLM Electrical blog; bookmark it and tell your friends – it could prove a great resource to you if you’re hoping to make it into the industry.
