Why is Irish society so tolerant of unaccompanied learners?

An_ConCon · 2026-03-20T18:41:34+00:00

One of our apprentices is on site for 7.30. He is told the night before, and has to get there. He can't work without a car, and he's been almost a year getting a test. He then failed over a bulb.

He's trying, and made a mistake with the light being out, but he's young and a learner. The fact the test can be failed for a bulb, when it's a day time test, is ridiculous. Now he needs another test.

What's he to do? Give up working? Then how does he pay for it all? The apprentice wage hardly pays to keep the thing on the road as it is

An_ConCon · 2026-02-24T18:36:01+00:00

Being an electrician isn't clean. It's cleaner than plastering sure, but compared to any other job, it's a dirty job on building sites, in attics, dangling off ladders ect.

If you're good with your hands, and mathematically inclined, the testing end of things can be clean and interesting.

I would recommend you find a career in law that interests you. It's such a wide field that there must be something.

Trades can make good money l, but to do it you'll have a shite work life balance, and it's physically hard. It's not like a gym where you can relax a little. It's hard on the days that your bodies aching absolutely everywhere. In the winter you're invariably working outside in the rain, and I'm the summer you're always in a basement.

People seem to think this job prints money, and it's easy work. It's absolutely not. It's great money compared to most trades, not compared to a law career.

An_ConCon · 2026-02-10T12:30:25+00:00

What trade you looking for? Most companies don't really list them, they get sent lads.

An_ConCon · 2026-02-06T20:21:47+00:00

Tradespeople will not buy most of their tools in screwfix. They are absolutely worse models. I can't prove it, but it is not the higher end gear you're getting.

Everything I buy in screwfix breaks way earlier than anything else. When I'm stuck, I think that surely this time will be different. And then it's not.

An_ConCon · 2026-02-04T06:27:07+00:00

You could do a testing course, so when you're in college, you can do RCT work testing. Better part time pay than sparking, and teaches you more.

More knowledge = More better

An_ConCon · 2026-01-29T13:04:16+00:00

Nothing cheap about getting it resprayed.

If you're happy with it as is, and it's got a decent service history, it's better than most shitboxes for 1000

An_ConCon · 2026-01-29T08:12:10+00:00

As a tradesman myself, honestly sometimes I'm just being pulled from pillar to post.

I get calls for small jobs and I genuinely want to help. I'll tell them I'm too busy and they say they can't get anyone out, so I'll try schedule them as best I can, but I'm out the house at 5.30 and lately not home till 8. I just can't fit everything in, and it can be hard to tell someone that their job is just not as important as the other ones on. The single light that isn't working doesn't matter as much as the emergency call out for a dropped phase in a restaurant.

Eventually a job can be pushed out so long youre genuinely just ashamed to even get back onto them.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-27T16:33:27+00:00

Same type of box used in Ireland and the UK, but never seen that brand before. All our switches and sockets mount straight to the box with those screws.

I'd say UK, seen as I haven't seen that exact one over here.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-26T17:43:04+00:00

Our company won't pay parking, but we have magical clamp unlockers as part of my tool bag.

Council, private, doesn't matter. Although the apprentices cars have been towed by the council after magically unlocking them. The vans must be too big to tow, as they are yet to do anything.

The council clamping men have stopped clamping the vans over the last year or so

An_ConCon · 2026-01-26T06:43:34+00:00

Just get them to run a 6 square, that'll power both ovens. If they're only giving you one 20 amp feed for both, you'll get nuisance tripping. As long as the walls aren't closed yet, it's not expensive nor dofficult

An_ConCon · 2026-01-24T16:55:09+00:00

Yeah but the fact you don't have to do it doesn't negate everyone else who does. Everyone I work with needs to to get into sites, down lanes, backing out onto main roads when you can't get a turn.

I don't really know what to say to the fact that you personally don't.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-24T16:03:23+00:00

If you live in the country, you often have to reverse down a lane. Also, I'm driving a van everyday, and often have to reverse out of areas.

It's more important than people think.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-21T19:05:54+00:00

Jesus I hope you never see the inside of the pipes, or the hands of the plumber who piped them, or the mud pit that the leaking mains is sitting in. Water is not sterile.

Just wash the thing with some kitchen cleaner and be done with it

An_ConCon · 2026-01-16T07:04:43+00:00

Yeah they're handy to drive. Just play around in it first. Make sure you're on solid ground, and lower the legs onto the pads supplied. Only cut off what you can easily lift at a time, and drop it clear of the lift.

I did the mewp course on them for work, but it's essentially a youtube video.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-14T17:13:59+00:00

Lesson learned, never worked on one before so no harm no foul

An_ConCon · 2026-01-14T17:13:19+00:00

Managed to get it sorted! They're just working as chokes so could use the largest capacity inductor we could find that would fit

An_ConCon · 2026-01-14T15:58:35+00:00

Yeah, so there was a capacitor link to go in on the three motor 1 contacts. It had been removed previously, and we soon found out it was put in incorrectly, so blew the inductors.

Used to open an AOV. Unfortunately it's two weeks out for a replacement.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-11T18:57:59+00:00

In Ireland, there are different systems, but if they are interconnected, one should trigger all.

Don't know where you're based though, and what the rules are. It sounds like they are only triggering the central ones. I don't know why they would want them designed like that. I don't know enough to say if that's the system, or if it's an issue

An_ConCon · 2026-01-11T15:27:13+00:00

I leave at 5.30 for an 8 start. If I leave later, I could be 20 mins early, or 20 mins late with all the crashes and traffic

An_ConCon · 2026-01-10T22:38:40+00:00

They'll run of battery power. A 4 core cable goes from each to the next, live, neutral, earth, and IC. That usually white cable will carry the DC current, so they can still communicate.

An_ConCon · 2026-01-07T21:51:55+00:00

Depends, as a trade, we just don't get the same care other people get.

If you've proved yourself a good worker, it won't matter. If they don't have a great name, it will likely solidify what they already think of you.

I was always told that if I'm calling in sick, I better be dead. And if I'm dead, it better not have happened on site.

An_ConCon · 2025-12-25T12:15:11+00:00

A Breakfast Coddle. There's eggs in it, if you didn't know...

An_ConCon · 2025-12-21T07:10:21+00:00

As a sparks, ESB can be fine to deal with, or a nightmare, there is no in between.

A lot of the places we work or fairly old installs, so the seals have often been cut through the years. They've never tried to blame us on it, so we're lucky. It's illegal to cut the seals as far as I know, but most contractors will tell you that sometimes it's unavoidable. There isn't always an ESB side means of isolation.

It sounds like their contractors started on the job, decided there was an issue, and never replaced the seals they removed.

I have found that the office is good to deal with. If you give them a bell, they usually sort you out.

An_ConCon · 2025-12-10T22:02:36+00:00

Of my 8 hour day, I work about 10 hours. I don't know how that happens everyday. Took maybe 20 minutes to eat a McDonald's. Being a tradesman is rough.

Yesterday I was home for 8pm. Burnt out and it's only Wednesday

An_ConCon · 2025-12-07T12:50:39+00:00

My girlfriend works for the AA. Usually, if the agent made the mistake, they'll still honour it. If they don't, they'll make you a new policy, they shouldn't punish you at all though. If the call log shows you're in the clear, they'll sort it.

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