If you enjoy working with your hands, becoming a resident electrician might be the right choice for you. A licensed residential electrician is a highly trained technician. Some of the services of these electricians include installing, repairing, and maintaining electrical systems in residential properties, ensuring electrical systems function properly and are safe for the residents. However, there’s a process to becoming a licensed home electrician.
And this article will guide you through the process. From the licensing requirement by your region, the steps to become a licensed home electrician, and the training involved.
Who Is A Licensed Residential Electrician
A licensed residential electrician is an individual who introduces, fixes and keeps up with electrical frameworks of lofts and homes. The electrical technician can be a representative of an organization or independently employed.
This sort of circuit repairman should likewise adhere to severe rules and construction regulations to guarantee that residential electrical frameworks are working accurately. They are frequently called to homes to make fixes and substitutions and investigate any electrical issues. However, a licensed electrician should not be confused with a certified electrician. There’s a distinction you want to comprehend if you decide to seek after this profession.
As opposed to a licensed electrician, a certified electrician seeks specialization in a specific area. Both of these electricians are skilled and capable of performing electrical duties.
Duties Of A Residential Electrician
These are some of the tasks you are likely to do as a home electrician.
- Repairing and installing wiring
- Laying cables
- Installing home security systems
- Mounting fuse box
- Fitting circuit breakers
With the duties come the skills you need to accomplish the above tasks.
Skills Required To Become a Residential Electrician
You need certain expertise to be able to successfully be a resident electrician. They include:
- Proficiency to read and understand blueprints and technical diagrams
- Stable handle as you will be working with small tools and cutting electrical wires that need precision
- Detail-oriented and ability to focus
Steps To Becoming A Licensed Residential Electrician
There are tiers to becoming an electrician.
Apprentice Electrician
The licensing you get determines the level of electrician you will be. If you want to get into this profession you need to acquire a license. This starts with getting the necessary training. You don’t need formal education such as a college degree to get into this profession. You can start training after finishing high school. Your training will start with an apprenticeship program which generally takes about four years to complete. The program also includes doing classroom work and hands-on experience. To finish your electrical apprenticeship, you want to have somewhere around 2000 hours of occupation preparing and 144 hours of classwork. In addition, you need to do a test specific to the region you want to practice in.
Journeyman Electrician
Then, you want to become a journeyman. A journeyman is a talented electrical technician who has finished no less than two years of an apprenticeship program. And demonstrates proficiency and skills to do electrical work. Once you become a journeyman, you can be able to work independently without any supervision and on complex projects. However, to reach this milestone, you must first pass a journeyman electrician certification exam.
Master Electrician
A master electrician is the most advanced level of this profession. To turn into a master electrician, you need to be a specialist in your craft. You likewise need to have a couple of long stretches of work insight after which you can enroll in a class to specialize in a particular area. For example, you can specialize in advanced troubleshooting techniques or renewable energy.
What’s more, you want to have something like eight years of work experience being regulated by an expert electrical expert. A few regions may likewise expect you to have worked for no less than two years as a journeyman before applying for a master’s license.
If you become a master electrician you will be able to work independently, oversee junior circuit testers, and partake in conceptualizing projects.
Electrician Licensing Requirements By Region
If you are planning to be an overseas electrician here’s what you need to know. Most states require you to have education and job experience. Each state has strict licensing requirements you need to adhere to. In Australia for example, you are required to complete an Australian apprenticeship which takes four years for you to get a state license.
Residential Electrician Training And Licensing Requirements
Although specific requirements can vary by state and region, there are some general guidelines for one to become a licensed home electrician.
Education And Training Requirements Of An Electrician
The initial step to becoming a licensed home electrician is to finish a conventional apprenticeship program. The program as a rule requires around four years. The number of hours required for hands-on experience and classwork varies according to the apprenticeship program of your region. Some may require 3000 hours of job training and 500 hours of classwork. But others may require 8000 hours for the former and 800 hours for the latter. In addition, you may also be required to have a high school diploma or a G.E.D. in some cases.
Certification Exam For An Electrician
After completing the required program, you must take a certification exam and pass. This exam is meant to test your hands-on skills and knowledge of electrical theory. The exam is administered by your region’s licensing board. It can likewise be overseen by the National Electrical Contractors Association. To Progress through the test, you need to have a strong grasp of code requirements and safety practices. However, information alone is insufficient.
You likewise should be able to apply the information in a practical situation. Furthermore, there are preparation courses that you can take to help you in planning for the certification exam.
Licensing Requirement For An Electrician
Once you have completed the educational requirements and certification exam, you can apply for a residential electrician license. The license varies by country. Although if you are planning to work abroad, you should know a few states in the U.S. don’t expect you to have one. For instance, Illinois doesn’t expect you to have a state permit. This is on the grounds that the permitting is finished at the metropolitan level. Likewise, if you intend to work in Indiana, you don’t need to bother with a state permit. However, you must be educated in the electrician license requirements at the local level. Once you have gotten your residential electrician license, make certain to stay aware of the most recent guidelines. Although in the UK, most counties require you to have a license. And renew your license every one to two years.
Benefits Of Being A Licensed Electrician
- Good salary – the median wage of a licensed residential electrician is roughly £48,210.
- Job security – most homeowners lack the knowledge and skills to operate an electrical system. This means that the probability of you lacking a job is lower compared to other professions.
- Job variety – there’s no dull day at work for this type of electrician. You may be installing a fuse box on day one. The next day you might be installing a security system and the following day supervising junior electricians.
Conclusion
Becoming a residential electrician is an extraordinary vocational decision. A portion of the duties you can hope to do incorporate installing and fixing the wiring, troubleshooting electrical problems, and laying cable links just to make reference to a couple.
There are steps to becoming a resident electrician. Furthermore, you need to take the necessary training and licensing requirements according to your region to qualify as a home electrician.
These include education training, completing a certification exam, and accomplishing the licensing requirements.
