Posted: 10/5/2011 12:03:48 PM EDT
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I'm looking to change career change.
How do I become an electrician apprentice? What do I have to do to get my toes wet? |
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Get a job with an Electrical company has a helper. You have to have a Master sign the license application for you. Thats all it takes to get your apprentice license. Costs about 26$. I just recently got my Journeyman License and have been trying to get an oil rig job. The electrical industry is a great one, electricity will never go out of style.
The problem is, so many people are trying to do contractor work and have been flooding the industry with bad workmanship, low quality help, and all around bad workers. Which has made it a little difficult to get a GOOD job. There are plenty of people looking for Electricians, apprentices and journeymen. I have been an electrician for almost 12 years now. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an IM. |
| Don't know where your located but in Houston I went to night school at IEC. It's a four year thing for commerical and 1 years for res. to get your J card. It was a good school, the cool thing was a bunch of companies were members so if you quit or got fired you call the school and they sent your app to all the co. I had jobs on the machine before I even got home when I was there. |
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You dont need to go to school to be an apprentice. I worked with so many apprentices who went to school that didnt know anything. The IEC is different, they actually teach you stuff, but its not needed to be an apprentice.
When it comes to trades, school does not teach you anything. You learn the skill of trades from hands on work, nothing else. Anyone can do good at school, but may not learn anything useful at all when it comes to work. School only teaches you so much. No where near enough when it comes to skilled trades. If you can find a job without your license, or if you know a Master Electrician, you can have him sign for your license. Thats all you need. That will atleast get you in the door, then you can explain that you want to change career and need to learn the ropes. Some people will give you a shot, but most wont. Thats whats tough, finding someone to give you a shot when you dont have the stupid pieces of paper to vouch for you. |
| Why limit yourself to that one field? Have you though about getting on with a utilities company? I started right at a year ago with a GREAT company and had no experience going in. They pay for us to go to Abilene for 2 weeks 3 times a year for training and after almost 4 years you take your journeyman test and if you pass you become a class A lineman. If you are not afraid of heights its a REALLY good job plus you don't have to deal with climbing through a subfloor or through an attic. If you can get on with a big company the pay and benefits are VERY good but even a COOP job wouldn't be that bad and it might get your foot in the door for a better job later. Plus the average age right now of electric utility workers is getting pretty high up there and in the next few years lots of guys are going to be retiring so they will be looking for fresh faces to take over. Also i agree with the guy above me about going to school, they at best to show you a small part of the job but mostly they showyou how to interview for a job. |
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Quoted:
The SKY is the limit in the electrical trade. You can learn residential/commercial and roll into just about anything else you can learn after that––control work, Motors,drives,PLCs.....go for it, beats being a plumber. Amen to that, you can make a good living being a sparky Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The SKY is the limit in the electrical trade. You can learn residential/commercial and roll into just about anything else you can learn after that––control work, Motors,drives,PLCs.....go for it, beats being a plumber. Amen to that, you can make a good living being a sparky Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I have made a metric F-ton working in the energy industry ...Nat. gas side doing automation and electrical work. |
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the licensing and Apprenticeship Program in Texas has gone through some significant changes over the last few years. Part of it was to stop each and every local government from requiring its own license and fees. My facility has about 15 electricians, everything from apprentice, sign and signal, journeyman, and master...they usually come to me to find CEs in the local area. Here's the link to the application http://www.license.state.tx.us/electricians/applications/apprentice%20training%20program.pdf
Also...what's the going rate to replace a residential breaker box that is full of Firey Pacific breakers? 200 amp at the meter, 60 amp main breaker in the box. mm |