Electrical Apprenticeship
Discussion
Im 16 years old, i know some of you dont like young'ns like me coming on the site but anyway, iv just left school with pretty good grades and im going into a electrical apprenticeship. But iv got a problem.
Iv been working at a college doing electrical maintenance for a large business for a week and a half now, its £80 a week which is ok but not great. Its been going well and im starting to set in fine.
But today i got a phone call from another company that i went for a interview a while ago, electrical installation, and they said iv got the job with them. But that job pays £150 a week which is a lot better! The thing with the company im with now is that its very large and they take on a lot of apprentice's and your not really very close to the company. And at the end of the 4 year training if your not the best apprentice out of the group then you may not get the job that you were training for, a lesser job.
Where as with the second company they only take on the amount of apprentice's they need, 3 this year, and can keep on through the 4 year training. They have been going for 20 odd years now and most of their staff have worked there all their life. They are all very friendly people and you are much more closer to the company over the 4 years. You spend 3 weeks at college and 3 weeks out in the field as a contractor with other workers. The other company though only has me working with them for once every couple of months for the first 2 years.
A bit more about both the jobs. The first company; the one im working with now is electrical maintenance which is in theory better than the new job, electrical installation as you know how the thing works and how its fitted while as a fitter you just know how to put it there. The current job though is industry work in a dirty grimy factory while the new job could be anything from a house to a hospital.
So i don't know, im in between the two at the moment. Your wise wisdoms are needed please.
Iv been working at a college doing electrical maintenance for a large business for a week and a half now, its £80 a week which is ok but not great. Its been going well and im starting to set in fine.
But today i got a phone call from another company that i went for a interview a while ago, electrical installation, and they said iv got the job with them. But that job pays £150 a week which is a lot better! The thing with the company im with now is that its very large and they take on a lot of apprentice's and your not really very close to the company. And at the end of the 4 year training if your not the best apprentice out of the group then you may not get the job that you were training for, a lesser job.
Where as with the second company they only take on the amount of apprentice's they need, 3 this year, and can keep on through the 4 year training. They have been going for 20 odd years now and most of their staff have worked there all their life. They are all very friendly people and you are much more closer to the company over the 4 years. You spend 3 weeks at college and 3 weeks out in the field as a contractor with other workers. The other company though only has me working with them for once every couple of months for the first 2 years.
A bit more about both the jobs. The first company; the one im working with now is electrical maintenance which is in theory better than the new job, electrical installation as you know how the thing works and how its fitted while as a fitter you just know how to put it there. The current job though is industry work in a dirty grimy factory while the new job could be anything from a house to a hospital.
So i don't know, im in between the two at the moment. Your wise wisdoms are needed please.
I'm sorry; I can't read a lot of that. What you need is a mix of maintenance and installation.
You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Ganglandboss said:
I'm sorry; I can't read a lot of that. What you need is a mix of maintenance and installation.
You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Sorry, yes as you have probably noticed im crap at English. You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Basically what im thinking now is that if i drop my current job and go to this new one il have a more varied job where as if i stayed id be just concentrated on industrial work.
Kurtblythman said:
Ganglandboss said:
I'm sorry; I can't read a lot of that. What you need is a mix of maintenance and installation.
You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Sorry, yes as you have probably noticed im crap at English. You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Basically what im thinking now is that if i drop my current job and go to this new one il have a more varied job where as if i stayed id be just concentrated on industrial work.
What does the maintenance job consist of? PLCs etc? If you are going to stay in maintenance, try and learn a bit about HVAC too. Many maintenance companies want multi-skilled technicians.
Ganglandboss said:
Kurtblythman said:
Ganglandboss said:
I'm sorry; I can't read a lot of that. What you need is a mix of maintenance and installation.
You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Sorry, yes as you have probably noticed im crap at English. You'll make more money contracting but the work's not always there. Money isn't as good in maintenance but if work for a large company/organisation, you get the security and pension etc.
Again I stress; make sure you learn how to do both and you're laughing.
Basically what im thinking now is that if i drop my current job and go to this new one il have a more varied job where as if i stayed id be just concentrated on industrial work.
What does the maintenance job consist of? PLCs etc? If you are going to stay in maintenance, try and learn a bit about HVAC too. Many maintenance companies want multi-skilled technicians.
Sorry i dont know much about PLCs and HVAC. Infact i dont know anything at all.
From what you've written I'd say the new job offer is the better option.
Seems like it'll give you decent scope for working for yourself in a few years maybe?..... also 80 quid a week is a bit cr@p isn't it? Maybe I'm out of touch but that's what I was on over 12 years ago working for an M&E consultants.
Seems like it'll give you decent scope for working for yourself in a few years maybe?..... also 80 quid a week is a bit cr@p isn't it? Maybe I'm out of touch but that's what I was on over 12 years ago working for an M&E consultants.
Kurtblythman said:
Sorry i dont know much about PLCs and HVAC. Infact i dont know anything at all.
PLC - Programmable Logic Control - controls production machinery etc.HVAC - Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning - as I said, most maintenance contractors want people who understand both. Also maintenance sparks have to sort out heating controls etc., so it helps if you know how the systems work.
dave_s13 said:
From what you've written I'd say the new job offer is the better option.
Seems like it'll give you decent scope for working for yourself in a few years maybe?..... also 80 quid a week is a bit cr@p isn't it? Maybe I'm out of touch but that's what I was on over 12 years ago working for an M&E consultants.
It's under minimum wage, isn't it?Seems like it'll give you decent scope for working for yourself in a few years maybe?..... also 80 quid a week is a bit cr@p isn't it? Maybe I'm out of touch but that's what I was on over 12 years ago working for an M&E consultants.
dave_s13 said:
From what you've written I'd say the new job offer is the better option.
Seems like it'll give you decent scope for working for yourself in a few years maybe?..... also 80 quid a week is a bit cr@p isn't it? Maybe I'm out of touch but that's what I was on over 12 years ago working for an M&E consultants.
You've got the same idea as me. Thats what i thought when i started thinking of going into an electrical idea, progress onto working for myself and creating a business of my own. Seems like it'll give you decent scope for working for yourself in a few years maybe?..... also 80 quid a week is a bit cr@p isn't it? Maybe I'm out of touch but that's what I was on over 12 years ago working for an M&E consultants.
I suppose £80 is pretty good for 16, i mean some of my friends that dont qualify for that £30 of the EMA arn't getting a penny. But another lad is getting £200 a week for being a mechanical fitter.
I used to earn £2/hr as an apprentice in 1989 so yes your wage is pretty poor.
I did a mechanical maintenance apprenticeshipe and have since done electrial and PLC course (only fault diagnosis).
The electrical engineers that i've worked with in the past have usually preferred the maintenance side, mainly because they get to program and fault find automated machinery (robots). But they had 16th edition (now 17 I believe) so they also did electrical installation if the company require them to. On that basis, i'd be tempted to go for the maintenance course with a view to changing to installation later, if you really want to.
I use a electrical installation engineer to supply 3 phase power to new m/c's....and he admits that he wouldn't have a clue where to start if an automted line went t1ts up. Not saying that that's the case for all electrical installation enginners because it isn't, but I would expect that if you want to do both at some time in the future, you'd be better off doing the electrical maintenace apprenticeship.
I don't know how salaries compare, but with either qualification you could easy go on to pass a Part P certificate to enable you to wire, test and certify house electrics.
I did a mechanical maintenance apprenticeshipe and have since done electrial and PLC course (only fault diagnosis).
The electrical engineers that i've worked with in the past have usually preferred the maintenance side, mainly because they get to program and fault find automated machinery (robots). But they had 16th edition (now 17 I believe) so they also did electrical installation if the company require them to. On that basis, i'd be tempted to go for the maintenance course with a view to changing to installation later, if you really want to.
I use a electrical installation engineer to supply 3 phase power to new m/c's....and he admits that he wouldn't have a clue where to start if an automted line went t1ts up. Not saying that that's the case for all electrical installation enginners because it isn't, but I would expect that if you want to do both at some time in the future, you'd be better off doing the electrical maintenace apprenticeship.
I don't know how salaries compare, but with either qualification you could easy go on to pass a Part P certificate to enable you to wire, test and certify house electrics.
Ganglandboss said:
Kurtblythman said:
Sorry i dont know much about PLCs and HVAC. Infact i dont know anything at all.
PLC - Programmable Logic Control - controls production machinery etc.HVAC - Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning - as I said, most maintenance contractors want people who understand both. Also maintenance sparks have to sort out heating controls etc., so it helps if you know how the systems work.
To the OP.
The new job sounds a better option. An Apprenticeship is a great way of starting your working life. I did a mechanical engineering apprenticeship when I left school and it gave me a great grounding for all things mechanical and electrical.
It also helped me on my way in the big wide world. I am no longer in engineering however the stuff I learnt then I still use regularly in my current work. Go for it and stick with it, good luck.
Edited by cjs on Friday 12th September 20:13
Kurtblythman said:
Im 16 years old, i know some of you dont like young'ns like me coming on the site but anyway, iv just left school with pretty good grades and im going into a electrical apprenticeship. But iv got a problem.
<snip>Drop me an e-mail via my profile. As you're in the North East i might know this other firm and be able to offer advice.
My first instinct, given that you say you want to work for yourself is to go with the new job.
There aren't many self-employed maintenance sparks so you'd be looking at going down the Engineer / Consultant (etc) route and spending time in an office...Not my cup of tea even though both my Employer and the College Lecturers tried to steer me that way when i was an apprentice. I was never much good at Maths & Physics at School but for some reason the Theory side of things just clicked into place very easily at College.
my mate works with a firm who dont let him get any onsite experience, im in my 2nd year and have wired up a few houses and extensions by myself... im pretty proud of that all kept to a high standard and i get my fair share of pay out of it too, you will have more fun on site than a company who barely know you exist..in 4 years youll be laughing with money so dont worry about crap pay right now, my first 2 months were £2 an hour but stick in and youll achieve what you want.
hope i helped
any more info you want just drop me a message
hope i helped
any more info you want just drop me a messageFrom what I know, I would go with the new company. A smaller company, a much wider variety of work, and a better balance of work/college - these all really do make a difference! That they have so many staff within the company that have been there for a long time, tells me that they are a good company to work for. The extra money is the icing on the cake. I can understand why you are reluctant to move, but I can't see any major drawbacks.
By the way, Ohm's law really is that simple. If you need any clarification, let me know!
By the way, Ohm's law really is that simple. If you need any clarification, let me know!
go for the new company, what you will learn with them in the next 4 years means you could do maintainance work standing on your head. it will be boring at times, just threading conduit, pulling cables etc but the collage work and site experiance will teach you no end of skills, if you just go maintainance route you will miss out on so much,good luck whatever route you choose, enjoyed every day of my elec apprenticeship (in insallation btw)
mark
mark
Sorry i don't think i made it clear in the first post
My current job is electrical maintenance
The new job is electrical installation
Well anyway iv spoke to a family member who's a sparky and hes said that the new business isn't very good. Apparently they have a high worker turnover as the boss has a bit of a temper. He knows a few lads that have worked their and it wasn't a good place to work. He continued on to say that the company im with now will teach me more things as its maintenance and in the end il have more qualifications.
Well i think il ring up the offered job and say no thanks today.
Thanks for you guidance
My current job is electrical maintenance
The new job is electrical installation
Well anyway iv spoke to a family member who's a sparky and hes said that the new business isn't very good. Apparently they have a high worker turnover as the boss has a bit of a temper. He knows a few lads that have worked their and it wasn't a good place to work. He continued on to say that the company im with now will teach me more things as its maintenance and in the end il have more qualifications.
Well i think il ring up the offered job and say no thanks today.
Thanks for you guidance
Edited by Kurtblythman on Saturday 13th September 11:45
If you're being offered a 4 year apprenticeship at a major company (blue chip?), you'd be daft not to take it. Not only are they going to foot the bill for a lot of invaluable training, experience and hopefully formal qualifications (make sure you ask if they do that), but you'll also then have their name on your CV.
I work in a totally different industry but always stuck with small companies in the past. Now I work for a company which is a household name in the UK and as a result I average about two calls a week from headhunters now that I'm not actively looking for work elsewhere, compared with managing to get two responses from a good 20-odd job applications per month previously when I was actually looking. It's not just about the work. It's about other people taking you more seriously. Experience is experience, true enough, but where you get that experience does seem to have a massive effect on how seriously other people will take you. Daft but true.
Edit: I've just realised I didn't read the OP properly and have spouted pearls of wisdom (WISDOM, I TELL YOU) about the wrong thing. My apologies. Ignore me.
I work in a totally different industry but always stuck with small companies in the past. Now I work for a company which is a household name in the UK and as a result I average about two calls a week from headhunters now that I'm not actively looking for work elsewhere, compared with managing to get two responses from a good 20-odd job applications per month previously when I was actually looking. It's not just about the work. It's about other people taking you more seriously. Experience is experience, true enough, but where you get that experience does seem to have a massive effect on how seriously other people will take you. Daft but true.
Edit: I've just realised I didn't read the OP properly and have spouted pearls of wisdom (WISDOM, I TELL YOU) about the wrong thing. My apologies. Ignore me.
Edited by missliv on Saturday 13th September 11:57
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff