olivia

I know what you are saying and there are still plenty of cowboys and qualified electricians doing foreigners here but one day it could just bite you on the bum!!
Insurance claim perhaps, or in terms of a commercial enterprise it could be a licencing issue where you need to produce a certificate for the work done.
No English electrician can produce a certificate in Spain. No matter how good he is unless he has passed a Spanish aptitude test and become registered in Spain.

Fred James

I thought Ryanair gave them to you when you stepped off the plane - another £10 option.

Have they been misleading me?

olivia

Sorry to disappoint! If they could it would be more than £10 don't you think?

Rosemary

My husband is a fully qualified English electrician but when we were renovating our house here he employed the local Spanish electrician and we have never regretted it. His price was reasonable, he worked hard and fast and he did the job to a professional standard.

Rosemary

Fred James

Well that about says it all I think!

olivia

So is mine. He has found many faults for people in Spain and not yet found a competent Spanish electrician able to fault find. One guy changed the entry phone twice. When my husband was completely fed up with this guy he took charge of the problem and found the fault for him. Vermin had eaten through the cables. The Spanish guy was most impressed with his logic and proceeded to make a good job of the repair.
Another fault 3,000 euros to rewire a circuit to the swimming pool. The Spanish electrician claimed the cable was inadequate. When challenged to justify his diagnosis he couldn't he didn't have a clue how to calculate cable size. The fault was a bad joint in construction. Repaired in a couple of minutes. My husband has saved our community a lot of money.
He would however never undertake new projects in Spain.

missile

Would you choose a spanish electrician in the UK

Rotor

If he had equal qualifications as a Brit but a better price then yes!

lynnxa

and there's the rub - do Spanish qualifications count in the UK any more than British ones count here?

Rotor

I was assuming the Spanish sparky had qualified in the UK where as if he only had Spanish qualifications for a UK job then no I would not use him and vice versa in Spain.

lynnxa

my feelings exactly - yet so many Brits here employ Brit qualified 'because it's better'

Rotor

No No I think its because they are to lazy to learn Spanish ,they take the easy route and get stitched up!

lynnxa

that too of course............


I once asked a Brit 'tradesman' why he charged more than a Spanish one


he said it was cos he spoke English...........

missile

That was my point. I would want to use an electrician trained and qualified in the regulations pertinent to the country working for a reputable company.

There are many electrical qualifications available in the UK. I would not trust some "self employed" (= illegal) YTS trainee who has done a two week tops course practicing in my home. If and when something goes wrong - he does a runner and all you have is a disconnected mobile phone number

heath1974

I'm a British tradesman who lives in Granada province. Interestingly, most of my clients in the last twelve months have been Spanish. Speaking the language is a great help with that of course. Word of mouth recommendation in any language though, is always usually a good thing.

I've also known and used a British electrician, for the last five years. His prices are fair, his work is excellent, he's fully qualified and registered in both the UK and here in Spain. We're both here in Spain to stay, we're settled and well integrated. Most other tradesmen I employ though, are all suitably qualified and experienced Spaniards, or South American Spanish residents.

I can sympathise with those who have had poor experiences with different tradesmen. It's also very common for people to suggest that it's a "British" or a "Spanish" problem. The problem, more to do with the individual, though granted, you see the same problems with non-resident, non-registered, non-qualified tradesmen, here in Spain, the UK, or any other country for that matter.

Essentially, nationality should have no importance whatsoever. So long as you can communicate your requirements to the tradesman, that they can provide checkable references from clients, provide evidence of their professional qualifications and registration, that they are fairly and competitively priced, they can provide fully detailed quotations... these are the most important things.

As for not trusting someone who is "self-employed", myself and all those who I employ, are all legally registered, tax and insurance paying "autonomo" residents or citizens of Spain. Suggesting that a tradesman is incompetent or "illegal" because they are self-employed, is ridiculous.

With the economic situation in the last few years, I've seen far more "reputable" big companies go under, than I have independent "autonomo" traders, who don't have the same high overheads to consider. Size isn't everything, certainly not when considering the repute or quality of a tradesman. For example, I would never take my van to be serviced at a large company. I use a small, independent local mechanic who has years of experience behind him, is completely reliable and great value. He's earned the opportunity to start his own business, he cares more, because it's his own business. His business will live or die, based on the quality of his work and reputation. Most of the staff at the larger mechanics locally, are usually young, inexperienced trainees. They have just started their careers and have much to learn. Some are keen and interested, for others, it's just a job... they get paid at the end of the week.

All things considered though, it's a question of trust. Many people are more comfortable and trusting of a tradesman, simply because they speak the same language fluently. That's understandable, because it's a matter of communication regarding something that might be extremely difficult to explain to someone in another language.

Trust though, is something that should be earned, not given. So always do your homework and ask for references, qualifications, etc, as I mentioned earlier.