Electrician
 

Hi I'm inquiring about transferring my English electrical qualifications over to the USA equivilant, which I have read up on and assume it's the journeyman qualification, will I be able to do some exam to be able to work as an electrician in the states

Re: Electrician
 

Electricians are licensed at the state level. You will pretty much have to start over, finding a licensed electrician to take you on as an apprentice. The exams will be quite easy for you, but there is no alternative to "putting in the hours" to get a full license. You could work for/ under the supervision of a licensed electrician without ever becoming licensed in the US.

You realise that you can't get a work visa based on an electrian's license, don't you? :unsure: So unless you have an alternative route to a visa, or are already a dual citizen, you are barking up the wrong tree.

Re: Electrician
 

Yes I realise that I can't get a visa just from being an electrician, I am getting married to an American, and just wanted to see how to go about changing my qualifications over. So what your saying is that I will pretty much have to start again and redo- basically do a electrical journeyman course in the states??

Re: Electrician
 

That is my understanding. I had considered trying to get an electrician's license myself (I wasn't an electrician in the UK either), but while the exams are fairly straightforward, the time commitment, of a minimum of two years of full-time practical experience, isn't realistic for me.

While researching for my own information, and considering that we get questions on BE a couple of times a year, I have looked and have found no way to get prior experience outside the US to be recognized, not least because such work isn't "under the supervision of a licensed [US] electrician."

Re: Electrician
 

This is so unfair

Re: Electrician
 

I don't think the US cares, actually, I'm certain they don't. They see it as a safety and standards issue (which is a bit of a joke considering some of the work I have seen! :rolleyes:) and aren't interested in evaluating each country's electrician licencing protocols so that they can allow electrians from the UK to work in the US but not those from say, Kenya or Bangladesh. Everyone is equal - they all need to start over. :nod: