Lauterbrunnen

Hi Everyone,

I will arrive in Calgary on the 14th of April and will be looking to pick up some Electrical work. I am coming with a work permit through the International Experience Canada, which is valid for 1 year, I can then reapply for a second year. During this time I would like to sit the Interprovincial Red Seal exam. I understand that to sit the exam I have to apply to the AIT, showing my Electrical certificates here in the UK and also prove nearly 9000 hours of work, post apprenticeship by way of letters from previous employers. I have been a self-employed Approved Electrician here in Scotland for the past 8 years, working through agencies. I have all my certificates but am finding it difficult to get together proof of hours from companies. I am self-employed after all and not employed by these companies. I have contacted the agencies I worked through but they don't seem too helpful and I think any proof they do provide won't suffice. I did see a mention somewhere about preparing my own breakdown of hours and getting a solicitor to sign it, unsure about this though. I'm wondering how strict they are about the proving hours part and whether there is any way around this or any other kind of proof I could show, I do have all my payslips since I started working. Any help relating to this is hugely appreciated. Please help me get that Canadian dream

Thank you very much!

Siouxie

Hello and welcome to BE!

It's good to see you have researched

BC have a self employed statutory declaration so it 'might' be worth your while sorting out your Red Seal endorsement there. It's an inter-Provincial certification.

http://www.itabc.ca/program/electrician-construction

I couldn't see a self certification option for Alberta but hopefully someone will be able to advise.

Aviator

his is the Alberta requirement
https://www.albertacanada.com/WIA_electrician.pdf

The hours are not a guideline, they are rigidly enforced. On IEC you would go though the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

For the ITABC self dec. you would need three professional references (not friends), a supplier, customer, accountant etc.

Lauterbrunnen

Thanks for your help.

I'm not looking to be self employed in Canada. They ask for letters from employers which is near impossible for me to produce. I'm going to collect as much paper work as possible from pay companys, agencies, bosses etc. All this put together does provide proof of me working those hours as an Electrician.
Do you think they would accept this? I doubt i'm the only person they will have come across with this problem as this type of work arrangement with tradesman in the UK is quite common.

Thanks

Aviator

BC may accept it, AB may not. You would be best to talk to the training authorities before gathering the documents, so you know exactly what to get and the format they are going to want it in.

Lauterbrunnen

I've contacted the AIT to get some further info and will get in touch with the ITABC also. Cheers for all the help

LOUISE_K

Hi i know this post is few months old but was wondering if you could update how you got on with getting your 9000 hours approved and if so, how? My husband is having same problem contacting old employers and agencies thanks in advance for any info

MrHyperPants

Which province are you looking at moving to?

christmasoompa

Welcome to BE.

The OP hasn't been on the forum since May last year, so is unlikely to see your question. Maybe start your own thread and hopefully other electricians will be able to advise you better, and it would be great if you could have a read of the 'Newbies' Wiki articles (link in my signature).

Good luck.

LOUISE_K

Thanks for your replies, sorry for delay but visiting family over Easter.

Yeah I thought was long shot in hearing from original poster would've been interesting to hear what happened even if not a positive result for him.

We are visiting Vancouver and Toronto first week of september for research as not 100% where to focus on moving to but BC and Ontario are our top two. And were hoping to perhaps fit in red seal/provincial exams while we were there if my husband got his hours verified etc.

Will call ITA in BC and Ontario College of Trades on tuesday for more information and will look through other posts on here.

Thanks again and will post an update as and when for others with same problem

MrHyperPants

I would recommend that your husband gets an understanding of the Canadian electrical codes before sitting the exam.

LOUISE_K

Yeah we got the electrical code book thanks as I read one of your replies i think to someone else lol so i went and immediately bought it hes studying it every night getting to grips with it slowly but surely

thanks again

R08

Hi Louise_K
I moved to Canada in February on a two year work permit as a commercial electrician. I got my hours approved by my past employers, but they didn't contact them at all. If your husband knows anyone else with their own company maybe he could put he worked for them and get them to sign his hours off. I too have to sit the red seal exam sometime this year and have purchased the ESAT Canadian electrician C of Q practice tool app (shop.csa.ca). I hope this is some help.

LOUISE_K

Hi thanks for that advice we have considered that to be honest. He's got so many hours but employers he's not talked to in years simply don't have the time to fill out the form. One employer told him to just fill it out himself and he would vouch for him if contacted.

So i think we are almost ready to send it all off. Did you send off all your certificates too by any chance?? We cant seem to find out if they need that too or just the forms.

And well done for the move hope its all working out for u in saskatoon.

veejay.

ITABC doesn't require certificates, they just want the signed application forms only but AIT requires them