Career change to security systems engineer

[Nero]

 Can anyone give me their opinion on what sort of average wage I would be looking at as a trainee? Also, how many years would it take to train up to a good level?

[PeterJames]

It really depends on what the pay is in Essex for a good engineer. Expect anything between 16k and 21k as a trainee wage, you can pick it up quite quickly I have a mature engineer (28yrs old) started on £20k been with me a year/18 months and he is on £26k plus OTE (about £30k overall). His money started going up quite quickly once he started installing on his own.

 

It really depends on how fast you can pick it up, couple of years I would expect to see a reasonable engineer. Some I know have been doing it from years and are still useless.

 

 

[Amps]

1 minute ago, PeterJames said:

 I have a mature engineer (28yrs old) 

 

 

 

 

I know this is mainly a young mans game but jeez 28 mature engineer?

 

It's refreshing to read that the OP is 37 and still prepared to have a go at something new. Best of luck to you mate.

 

 

[Nero]

56 minutes ago, PeterJames said:

It really depends on what the pay is in Essex for a good engineer. Expect anything between 16k and 21k as a trainee wage, you can pick it up quite quickly I have a mature engineer (28yrs old) started on £20k been with me a year/18 months and he is on £26k plus OTE (about £30k overall). His money started going up quite quickly once he started installing on his own.

 

It really depends on how fast you can pick it up, couple of years I would expect to see a reasonable engineer. Some I know have been doing it from years and are still useless.

 

 

That's great. Thanks again, Peter.

53 minutes ago, Amps said:

 

I know this is mainly a young mans game but jeez 28 mature engineer?

 

It's refreshing to read that the OP is 37 and still prepared to have a go at something new. Best of luck to you mate.

 

 

Thanks buddy!

[Nero]

Can anyone recommend any good companies Essex/London way?

[PeterJames]

53 minutes ago, Amps said:

 

I know this is mainly a young mans game but jeez 28 mature engineer?

 

It's refreshing to read that the OP is 37 and still prepared to have a go at something new. Best of luck to you mate.

 

 

Compared to 16 he is mature, especially as he previous career wasnt related to this history. Anyone over 25 is considered mature trainee, but is cheaper on vehicle insurance for older

[PeterJames]

do a postcode check on the NSI.org website and the SSAIB website, these are approved installers so theoretically should provide good training 

[MrHappy]

4 hours ago, datadiffusion said:

Disagree that Gal is the best place to start for an absolute beginner but at the same time .

 

if you've no preconceived ideas of how something should work why waste your efforts with a 9600 ?

 

If you learn the most commonly used commercial panel you'll most likely get a start on servicing at a regional or national co.

 

If a certain national can train ex bus drivers or employ "2 screw" the Forest Gump of alarms, I'm certain Nero the Sky Man will do just fine

[Nero]

2 hours ago, PeterJames said:

It really depends on what the pay is in Essex for a good engineer. Expect anything between 16k and 21k as a trainee wage, you can pick it up quite quickly I have a mature engineer (28yrs old) started on £20k been with me a year/18 months and he is on £26k plus OTE (about £30k overall). His money started going up quite quickly once he started installing on his own.

 

It really depends on how fast you can pick it up, couple of years I would expect to see a reasonable engineer. Some I know have been doing it from years and are still useless.

 

 

What can a fully trained top end engineer look to earn in the industry? And do you cover alarms/cctv/ access control or would an engineer generally specialise in one area?

[datadiffusion]

1 hour ago, MrHappy said:

if you've no preconceived ideas of how something should work why waste your efforts with a 9600 ?

 

30 pages vs. 300 in the manual, most of which not relevant to a basic installation and could easily overwhelm a newbie perhaps?

Maybe 9600 not the best example, but something like a 9651 is better. Additionally the manual explains basic concepts not just the actual system.

The basics of circuits and bells are still the same whether it's a Logic 4 or a Vanderbilt SPC 5000. Better to learn the basics at basic level.

 

1 hour ago, MrHappy said:

If a certain national can train ex bus drivers or employ "2 screw" the Forest Gump of alarms, I'm certain Nero the Sky Man will do just fine

 

There's my point. Button pushers and screwdriver operators vs. people who understand the concepts of a system, not just how to follow a flowchart.

If the OP can get one step ahead of the game, whilst still being paid at Sky, so much the better.

Edited April 18, 2017 by datadiffusion