If you live in the UK, you are bound to do periodic testing and inspect the electrical system every 5 years. The building regulation requires every homeowner to do this to ensure the safety of their electrical system. Therefore, every UK citizen must be familiar with the routine of calling electrician near me.
But the question that most people ask is, do I need to hire a certified electrician to do the work? Is it okay if I just contact a certified electrician near me with no certification? In this article, I'm going to outline the difference between a certified electrician and a non-certified electrician. So the next time you need to call the local electrician companies, you know which one you want to do the electrical job for you. But before we get there, let's first talk about different types of electricians based on their certification levels.
3 Types of Electrician Based on Certification Levels
In total, there are 23 types of electricians divided by their specialization and certification. But if we talk about the certification levels, there are 3 types of electricians: apprentices, journeyman electricians, and master electricians.
- Apprentice
- At the very beginning of their career, every electrician must go through an apprenticeship. To start an electrical apprentice, they need to have at least high school diplomas or equivalent. The day-to-day task of an apprentice electrician involves 4 weeks of classroom training a year. They also need to participate in 2000 hours of on-the-job training for around 4 years to graduate as a journeyman electrician.
- Journeyman Electrician
- Once an electrician graduate from their apprentice and become more experienced in their field, they can take a test to become a journeyman. This level can be obtained by completing 2 years of work as an apprentice and finishing the required coursework. Journeyman electricians are eligible to work on a larger and more complex project without supervision. They're also credible to train new apprentices who are chasing the chance to get a journeyman certification.
- Master electrician
- Primary electrician, also known as a master electrician, is the highest level of electrician certification. This level of qualification can be achieved by having a total of 7 years experience in the field and pass the written and practical exam. Master electricians can work on the most complex electrical job on commercial and industrial projects.
Difference between Certified Electrician and Non-Certified Electrician
The obvious difference between certified and non-certified electricians is the knowledge they have in performing the electrical job. Even to be an apprentice, a certified electrician near me must complete a four-year program that involves weeks of training and thousands of hours of direct experience.
If you need an electrician to handle minor electrical issues like fixing broken switches or light fixtures, having a certified electrician to do the job might not be necessary. However, any new installation or upgrading service, like adding circuits or replacing a fuse box to a circuit breaker, needs to be done by a certified electrician.
The requirement in electrical installation is also regulated in the UK national standard. That's why it's essential for the electrician near me to have certification when offering their service. Hiring a certified electrician to do a major electrical job will be beneficial for you since you can ensure the safety of the work they perform. If somehow, the work they carry doesn't meet the requirement from the Building Regulation, you will be able to file a complaint.
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Grip Electric limited is a company that offer professional and trained Electrician near me with excellent quality of work. You can contact them if you need to hire a Certified electrician near me.
