For those with the necessary skills, setting up as a freelance electrician promises to be a lucrative move. With potential annual earnings of over £40,000, flexible hours and the chance to dictate your workload, being an electrician has both financial and lifestyle benefits.
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This highly technical job involves installing, checking and fixing electricity systems, primarily in houses and workplaces but also in public property such as street lamps and traffic lights. Electricians can also branch out into repairing circuits in cars, heavy-duty machinery and power tools.
The diversity of tasks, places and objects involved means that no two days are the same for electricians, so it’s a great option for those who are easily bored and respond best to physical jobs. It also ensures consistent demand, so you’ll rarely have to worry about work drying up.
Being freelance gives you complete freedom over when you work and how quickly you build your career. However, being on call all the time can make it challenging to keep up a routine and achieve a regular work-life balance.
Finally, even the most experienced electricians are not resistant to the potential health and safety risks of working with electricity. While low shocks will just create a gentle tingle, serious shocks can stop your heart from beating properly and electrical burns can be permanently disabling. Thankfully, accidents are rare.
So, there you have it: the advantages and potential challenges of a career as a freelance electrician. If this sounds like the job for you, read this guide for details on how to start your business.
Freelance Electrician Qualifications
First and foremost, you must have the necessary knowledge to do most specialised electrical tasks. This ensures that you can perform tasks correctly to earn yourself an excellent reputation and, more importantly, complete tasks safely to protect your physical well-being.
The main qualifications required for electricians working in the UK include:
- Level 2 Diploma in Access to Buildings Services Engineering (Electrical)
- Level 2 and Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installation
- T Level in Building Services for Engineering Construction
You can take a college course to study for these qualifications or do an apprenticeship with a relevant company to gain experience while studying part-time. There are many benefits to doing an apprenticeship including a salary to offset course costs and hands-on experience, but this will slow down your journey.
Creating A Business Plan
Planning is essential to building an accomplished business. It might be tempting to dive right in but you’re much more likely to have long-term success if you take the time to plan first.
Firstly, balance your expenses and earnings with a budget. Create a spreadsheet with your costs including how much you need for the initial set-up and approximate monthly figures for equipment maintenance and petrol. Check this against how much you have to invest and your predicted earnings to ensure you’re likely to be profitable – or at the very least break even.
Remember to be pessimistic with your costs and earning predictions to avoid spending beyond your means and leave a safety net in your savings so you can stay in the black if spending starts to spiral.
In contrast, don’t be afraid to charge a decent fee for your time – your specialised knowledge is valuable! Look up the going rate for electricians in your area and ensure that your prices are competitive.
Other essential research to do before you launch your business includes checking tax laws and potentially enlisting an accountant to help you handle your finances. You’ll need to set up a business bank account and put together a payment system with clear schedules and invoice templates.
You should also put together detailed Terms & Conditions which outline the agreement between and rights of you and your clients. This will protect you if legal action is taken against you. Finally, create a calendar to track jobs to stay organised and safeguard against double-booking appointments.
Essential Tools for A Freelance Electrician
Once your business plan is in place and you’re sure you’re ready to go, you’ll need to invest in professional-standard electrical tools so you can do quality work at a decent pace.
Essential equipment includes:
- Approved Voltage Indicator (AVI)
Used to check for electricity to ensure power has been disconnected before beginning work.
- Multi-Functional Tester (MFT)
Verifies that installation components meet specified regulations and should work correctly.
- Pliers (various)
For cutting wires to certain lengths, stripping wires, and pulling wires through tight spaces.
- Insulated screwdrivers
Protect yourself against shocks when screwing or unscrewing live electrical components.
- Cordless battery-powered drills
You’ll need a choice of unrestricted drills to create precise holes in wood and concrete walls.
- Electrical wall chaser
Designed for cutting clear channels into walls to enable the installation of cables in buildings.
- Head torch
Most simply, you need a head torch for optimised visibility when working in dark spaces.
Marketing Tips
Finally, you need to spend time getting the word out. You can’t generate business if no one knows you’re there!
Word-of-mouth recommendations work brilliantly for local businesses where many seek the advice of friends and neighbours when searching for reliable providers of home servicing and repair like electricians and plumbers.
Place adverts and business cards in trusted local shops like the Post Office and spend time cultivating custom in your immediate area. Concentrate on gathering written reviews as well as evidence of jobs that you have completed successfully.
This all goes towards a portfolio that proves your competency and helps to build trust with new customers. You can display this, alongside evidence of your expertise, on a website which will further solidify you as trustworthy in the eyes of potential customers.
Social media is worth investigating too. Increasingly people use Facebook forums to find local services, Instagram to verify businesses, and apps like WhatsApp to get in touch. It’s therefore worth having an active online presence to help get the word out to a wider range of people.
