Do Electricians Work A Lot?

Do Electricians Work A Lot?

So, you’ve chosen to take the road towards becoming an electrician. Let us first congratulate you on your choice of work. Being an electrician is certainly a job that will challenge you and keep you on your toes and it can be incredibly rewarding, especially for those who are passionate about it. But what puts a lot of people off is the potential for working long hours so one of the first questions that people ask is do electricians work a lot?

As an electrician, your working week will typically be 9-5 Monday to Friday. But you can’t expect not to have to work some overtime. This is because many jobs that you start cannot be left until they are completed so you may need to stay behind to get things done even after your official clocking off time. 

In order to make sure that you finish on time as often as possible, it’s important to have excellent time management skills. But the number of hours you work each day and each week will vary from one job to another. There are times that electricians need to start work much earlier to ensure they get everything done which could mean your day begins as early as 6 am!

How Many Hours Do Electricians Work In A Week?

The number of hours that any electrician works in a week will vary dramatically. This may depend on whether you are working for a large company or for yourself as well as the type of work you are completing on any given day. 

If you’re working for a company, you’ll usually be contracted to a 40 hour week, as standard. But you should always expect to have to work some overtime owing to the fact that there may be jobs that simply cannot be left incomplete before you return home. 

While most electricians will work a typical 9 to 5 week, doing an average of eight hours a day, this will largely depend on the project. There are some jobs that may require you to begin your eight hour day much earlier in the morning with typical times being between 6 and 7 am. 

But it isn’t just the long hours that can be off putting for a lot of people who are considering becoming an electrician. These long hours can also be spent working in some uncomfortable and often confined conditions which may take a toll on your physical health. 

What Are The Typical Working Hours For An Electrician?

As we have discussed, the typical working hours for an employed electrician is around around 40 hours per week. You would normally break this down over the course of five days, doing eight hours each day. 

However, you may decide to set up a self-employed business and this would mean that your hours may not be as reliable. For many starting out as a self-employed electrician, working hours may be significantly more as they gain clients and a reputation. What’s more, if you are working alone without any employees, some jobs may take longer so you’ll have to stay at work until it is done. 

That said, once you have established yourself as a self-employed electrician, you may be able to plan your time more efficiently. Many people work as a part time self-employed electrician but of course, you must take into account that this means you won’t earn as much money. 

Do Electricians Get Weekends Off?

Generally speaking, electricians do not work on the weekends. Their 40 hours a week are typically spread across Monday to Friday. But, as with anything, there are variables on this and, from time to time, you may find that you have to pull a Saturday or even Sunday shift. 

For example, there may be jobs that were scheduled to take place during the week but could not be done owing to environmental factors, weather, a lack of equipment and so on. In this case, you may then be asked to do the job on a weekend. 

Moreover, whether or not you work weekends will depend on the kind of electrician you are. If you offer emergency services then these could come in 24/7. Working for a company would mean that you were given regular on-call rotas so you would always know if there was a chance of being called into work as you take your Saturday morning lie in. 

How Many Hours Do Apprentice Electricians Work?

If you are currently completing your electrical apprenticeship then you will be expected to work the same number of hours as those who have already qualified. However, the key difference is that within those 40 hours a week, you will spend one full day at college or another education provision.

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Conclusion

In the UK, a typical electrician can expect to work around 40 hours per week. This is based on working five eight hour days. However, these hours may not always be spread over normal office hours. While a lot of the time, you will be able to work 9 to 5 hours, there may be jobs that require you to start your day much earlier so this is something to consider when deciding whether this is the right job for you. 

Moreover, you must keep in mind that electricians do end up working a considerable amount of overtime owing to the fact that there are some jobs that cannot be left unfinished. In this case, you would be expected to stay behind until the work was safely completed.