In this article
What does an electrician do?
Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical systems in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. They work from technical drawings to wire entire buildings, diagnose faults in existing systems, and ensure everything is safe and compliant with regulations.
Key skills & knowledge
Hard skills
Soft skills
- Safety discipline β following lockout/tagout procedures without exception, every time
- Problem diagnosis β tracing faults through complex systems methodically
- Attention to detail β a wiring error can cause a fire months later
- Communication β explaining technical work to clients in plain language
- Physical stamina β working in confined spaces, at height, in all weather conditions
Typical responsibilities
- Installation β wiring new buildings from scratch, installing sockets, switches, and lighting
- Fault finding β diagnosing and repairing electrical faults safely and efficiently
- Testing & inspection β periodic electrical inspection and testing (EICR reports)
- Distribution boards β installing and upgrading consumer units and fuse boards
- Smart systems β smart home wiring, automation, security system integration
- Renewable energy β solar PV systems, battery storage, EV charging points
- Industrial β motor control, PLC systems, 3-phase power (industrial electricians)
Responsibilities by seniority
Apprentice / Junior
0β3 years
- Cable running and containment
- Assisting qualified electricians
- Learning regulations and theory
- Studying toward qualification
Qualified Electrician
3β7 years
- Full installation and fault-finding
- Signs off on own work
- Works independently on sites
- Possibly self-employed
Master Electrician / Contractor
7+ years
- Runs large project sites
- Manages teams of electricians
- Holds contractor licence
- Tenders for commercial contracts
A day in the life
On site by 7. It's a new-build housing development, 40 units. Your team of three is first-fixing the wiring β running cables through the wall cavities before plastering. You work from the layout drawings, marking out socket and switch positions. It's methodical but satisfying when a room comes together cleanly.
A call from your other van: a fault at a commercial client's premises. Lights in the server room are flickering. You head over at lunch. Twenty minutes of testing traces it to a loose neutral at the distribution board β a common fault, dangerous if left. Fixed in 45 minutes, invoice raised.
Back to the development. Meeting with the site manager about the EV charger spec for the car park. It's a β¬40,000 contract add-on. You've done six similar installs this year β it's becoming your niche.
Day done. You update job sheets on your phone app, reply to a quote request for a solar installation, and check tomorrow's schedule. Three jobs. Calendar is solid for the next month.
Pros & cons
β Advantages
- Among the highest-earning trades
- Structural, decade-long demand surge (EVs, solar, heat pumps)
- Cannot be outsourced or automated
- Strong self-employment and contractor potential
- Globally transferable qualifications
- Clear qualification pathway
β Disadvantages
- Genuine safety risk if standards slip
- Apprenticeship pay is low for the first 2β3 years
- Physical work β crawling, lifting, working at height
- Regulatory updates require ongoing training
- Call-out work disrupts evenings and weekends
Salary potential β global rating
Career paths
Self-employed Electrician
Set your own rates, choose your clients, work your own hours. Most experienced electricians go this route.
Solar / Renewables Specialist
The fastest-growing niche. PV installation qualifications add a premium and open a pipeline of subsidised work.
Industrial / Automation Engineer
Add PLC programming and 3-phase experience. Industrial electricians typically earn 20β30% more than domestic.
Electrical Contractor / Business Owner
Scale to a team. Win commercial tenders. The highest earning ceiling in the trade.
Electrician vs related trade roles
Deciding between trades? Here's how electricians compare to adjacent skilled professions on key dimensions.
| Role | Core focus | Key skills | Pay vs electrician | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician You are here |
Wiring, installation, fault diagnosis, compliance | Electrical theory, schematics, safety regs | Baseline | Medium |
| Plumber | Pipework, heating systems, drainage | Pipefitting, boiler systems, leak diagnosis | Similar | Medium |
| HVAC Technician | Heating, ventilation, air conditioning install & service | Refrigerants, ductwork, system controls | Similarβhigher | Medium |
| Solar PV Installer | Photovoltaic panel installation & battery storage | Electrical + PV-specific certs (MCS / EU equiv.) | Higher niche rate | Medium |
| Industrial Automation Tech | PLC programming, motor control, factory systems | PLC coding, 3-phase, instrumentation | Higher | Hard |
Solar PV and industrial automation are the highest-earning niches for qualified electricians β both reachable with additional certification on top of the base qualification.
Future outlook
The green energy transition is a structural tailwind for electricians that will last at least 20 years. Every heat pump, every EV charger, every solar farm, every battery storage system requires a qualified electrician. Meanwhile, the existing workforce is ageing β in the UK alone, an estimated 10,000 electricians retire each year. Supply cannot keep pace with demand.
Fun facts
Myths busted
Reality: A qualified electrician reads technical drawings, designs electrical systems, calculates load capacity, diagnoses complex faults, and signs off legal compliance certificates. It is an engineering-adjacent profession with significant technical depth.
Reality: Physical installation, fault diagnosis in real-world environments, and compliance sign-off cannot be automated. The tools get better, but the human on the end of them remains essential β probably for the next 50 years minimum.
Is it for you?
You'll thrive if you...
- Enjoy technical, problem-solving work
- Like visible, tangible results from your work
- Want excellent earnings without a university degree
- Are comfortable with ongoing training and regulation
Think twice if you...
- Are risk-averse about physical safety
- Dislike working outdoors or in messy environments
- Want predictable, office-based hours
How to start
Find an apprenticeship
In Czech Republic: electrical apprenticeship (uΔebnΓ obor elektrikΓ‘Ε). In the UK: JIB-approved apprenticeship. 3β4 years of earn-while-you-learn training is the standard route.
Get your qualification
Czech VyhlΓ‘Ε‘ka 50 certification (Β§6 or Β§7). UK: City & Guilds 2357 / NVQ Level 3. These are the legal requirements to work unsupervised.
Add renewable energy certs
Solar PV (MCS in UK, relevant EU equivalents). EV charger installation. These are growth niches with premium rates today.
Consider self-employment early
Many electricians go independent after 3β5 years. Overheads are low (tools + van), and self-employed rates are significantly higher than employed rates.
πΈ What it actually costs to start
The apprenticeship route means you earn while you learn β the financial commitment is time, not tuition. Major costs come later when going self-employed.
What electricians wish they'd known
Hard-won perspective from people already in the trade β on the apprenticeship, self-employment, and the green energy opportunity.
Everyone asks if AI will replace electricians. I ask them to explain how a robot is going to squeeze into a ceiling void at 7 AM in February to trace a fault in a 50-year-old installation. The work is in the real world β and the real world doesn't cooperate with automation.
Qualified electrician Β· 9 years in, residential & commercial
I added the solar MCS cert two years ago and updated my van livery to focus on renewables. My day rate went up 35% and my calendar has been solid ever since. The green transition is the best thing to happen to this trade in decades β electricians who skill up now are positioning themselves for a decade of premium work.
Solar specialist electrician Β· 6 years in
The apprenticeship wages are genuinely tough, especially year one. But by year three I was earning more than most of my friends with university degrees, working for myself, with nobody telling me what hours to keep. The investment window is short compared to the career you get out of it.
Master electrician & contractor Β· 14 years in