June 8 2015 - Being an electrician is a very practical and good career to choose because there will always be work to do either for yourself or for others. Unlike other careers that seem to be abstract, such as most white collar jobs, learning to be an electrician through an apprenticeship will give you skills that you can use anywhere in the world and earn a living from.

Below are some of the things that you need to consider if you want to have a good career as an electrician in the UK or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

1. Are you well suited for the job

Just like with most careers, being an electrician is best suited for a specific personality type. For starters, as an electrician, you will be dealing with different people throughout the day and you will therefore need some people skills. It will be important for you to have a personable and approachable character in order to deal with all the different personalities that you will come across while on the job.

It will also be important that you are able to inspire confidence in the people that you deal with, so that they have an assurance of the quality of your work. Furthermore, it is important that you are able to concentrate and focus on minute details and have a technical mind in order to be able to diagnose and solve all sorts of electrical problems.

2. Educational and training required

In order to trade as an electrician in the UK, there are various electrician training courses that you can take. In all of them, you will need to have attained a Level 3 diploma in different electrician disciplines including:

• A Level 3 Diploma in buildings, structures and the environment or in installing electro-technical systems & equipment
• A level 3 diploma in electrical maintenance or electro-technical services
• A level 3 diploma in electrical installations in buildings and structures

The most popular way to achieve and attain a diploma in the disciplines mentioned above is to take up an apprenticeship course or scheme that enables you to learn, practice and earn while on the job. The main official body that would endorse that a student or apprentice has qualified in a particular discipline is the City & Guilds.

Another way to get the required technical skills and accreditation to legally trade as an apprentice in the UK is to take a college course on a full time or part time basis. The skills that you learn will still need bolstering by doing some on the job apprenticeship. Crash course programs are also available through some learning institutions to help students learn the skills that they will need at a fast pace.

3. Useful accreditation for electricians in the UK

As a qualified and trained electrician, you should make as your next goal gaining of accreditation with professional bodies for electricians. The most common professional bodies in the UK include NAPIT, ELECSA and NICEIC. These bodies officially certify that a person is a competent electrician who has undergone the required training.

Author Bio:

Jerry L. Goodman has been an electrician for the last 25 years. He currently also teaches electrician training courses to young people interested in building a career as an electrician. Visit his blog for more information.