Most people think when they have a problem or a small job that needs fixing with wiring or lighting at home immediately they need an electrician to come out. So they will often look up electrician’s in their yellow pages. However it may surprise most people to know that the majority of people who come to work in their homes are not officially an “electrician”. They are in fact known as “domestic installers” or could be referred to as “Domestic Electricians”.
So what’s the difference?
In terms of the knowledge required to do the job there is no difference. This is because a Domestic Installer is qualified and has complete knowledge and training to install, fix and adapt anything within a domestic setting. Essentially they are electricians who specialise in homes and for pretty much any job in your home they will be fully competent.
An electrician will have trained for much longer than a domestic installer, however they can work on both domestic and commercial projects. They have much deeper knowledge of things such as three phase installations which you will only find in commercial settings or extremely large buildings.
The thing to check whenever using any electrical installer is that they are registered on a part P scheme. This will ensure that their skills are up to scratch and ensure the work carried out will be acceptable and can be signed off.
How long does it take to train?
For a Domestic Installer it is possible to get trained in a couple of months. For a fully qualified electrician there is much more to learn and full NVQ will need to be taken. As such usually a fully qualified electrician will often spend about 3-4 years studying and completing their apprenticeship.
Both electricians and domestic installers have to be registered on a Part P scheme with someone like ELECSA, NAPIT or NICEIC before they can work in a domestic setting.
For most people they will never know the difference between the two and always refer to both as electricians. However if you are looking to start a career in the field of electrics it is very important to understand the key difference between the two disciplines and how these will limit or increase the range of work that can be taken on.
Most electricians will work both on small domestic projects and will also take on longer commercial contracts. However the majority of the demand for electrical installation is from the domestic market and most Domestic Installers will have no trouble finding jobs to work on.
Christos Panayiotou writes on behalf of Trade Skills 4U. He has access to a number of electrical and renewable energy teachers and experts. Trade Skills 4U offer Electrical Courses and Renewable Energy Courses from their centres based next to Gatwick Airport in West Sussex.