1. What is an electrician?
An electrician is a skilled trades man or woman who installs and repairs the power supply for buildings, homes, equipment, and lines. The electrical field provides a variety of opportunities for career success.
2. Why should I go to electrical school?
Since working with electricity can be dangerous, the trade requires licensure. There are two types of licenses you can earn: master and journeyman. The highest level of licensing is Master electrician, and they are considered experts in the field. Master electricians can work completely independently. The Journeyman license is a level below; this role still requires some supervision.
But before you can work partially or fully on your own, you must be trained through an apprenticeship or a school program. In this stage of your career, before earning your Journeyman license, you'll be considered a registered electrician apprentice.
Find local electrical programs.
3. What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is an alternate form of training. Instead of attending a school program, you could apply for an apprenticeship position and learn the trade under a qualified Master electrician.
Apprenticeship training has little to no cost, and you'll get paid while you learn. There are usually a limited number of available openings for apprentices since the field is highly competitive. In addition, apprenticeships take closer to four years to complete.
Read: What You Need To Know About Apprenticeships
4. How long will electrical training take?
Trade school: Training to become an electrician at a trade school could have you career-ready as a registered electrician apprentice in as few as 10 months!
Apprenticeship: Again, if you start an apprenticeship instead of attending a school program, your training will take approximately four years. You'll complete 144 hours of technical training and 2,000 hours of work experience per year of training.
5. How much will electrical school cost?
Tuition will vary by school and training program, but you can expect a range from as low as $749 to approximately $25,000.
6. Do electrical schools offer financial aid?
Yes! Financial aid and student loan services may be available to those who qualify, lowering the total cost of school and lessening your immediate out-of-pocket expenses.
7. What do courses look like in an electrical program?
In both school programs and apprenticeships, you'll have book work combined with hands-on training. In your core classes, you'll cover things like electrical theory, load calculations, and more.
Read: What’s An Electrical Training Program Like?
8. Is online training available?
There are some schools that offer online electrician training programs, and more schools are making a temporary or permanent switch to online education.
9. What are the requirements for electrical school?
To start a training program, many schools will require you to have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. No previous experience is necessary to enroll!
After training, you'll work as a registered electrician apprentice until you have enough hours to meet Journeyman requirements and earn your license.
10. How much does an electrical license cost?
After you have 8,000 hours of work experience, you can apply for and take your state-approved electrical licensing exam. Your training program is designed to prepare you for the exam.
Electrical exam fees tend to range from $30-$75. The fee for licensure varies a little greater, ranging from $30-$300.
11. What jobs are available after electrical training?
As an electrician, you can choose to work in the residential and/or commercial fields. You could become a lineman and work outside running power lines. Other electrical career options include electrical systems technician and electrical engineers.
Read: What's The Difference: Inside Wiremen, Outside Linemen, and Electricians
12. How much do electricians earn?
In 2023, electricians earned an average annual pay of $67,810 (bls.gov). The top 10% earned $104,180. (bls.gov)
Reference: BLS
