If you like working with your hands, solving problems and not sitting at a desk all day, electrical work is one of the steadiest trades you can pick. Here’s how people actually get started on Long Island, whether you’re just out of high school or switching careers.
Start as an apprentice
Almost every electrician starts as an apprentice. An apprenticeship is a job: you get a paycheck while you learn on real job sites, working under experienced electricians. New York State calls this “earn while you learn.”
In a New York State registered apprenticeship:
- You’re paid from the first day, and training is usually free to you because your sponsor covers it.
- You also take classes, usually in the evening at a trade school, community college or BOCES.
- Training takes one to six years depending on the trade.
- You need to be 18, or 16 to 17 with a parent’s approval, and most programs want a high school diploma or equivalent.
On Long Island there are two main ways in.
The union route: IBEW Local 25
IBEW Local 25 is the electricians’ union for Nassau and Suffolk counties, based in Hauppauge. Its apprenticeship is run by a Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC). According to the JATC, to apply you must:
- Be at least 18 when you apply.
- Have lived in Nassau or Suffolk for at least 12 months.
- Have a high school diploma or a New York State high school equivalency diploma.
- Have passed a high school algebra course, and bring your transcript to prove it.
- Pass the NJATC/AIR aptitude test and a personal interview.
- Pass a substance abuse test, and possibly a physical exam, before you’re accepted.
The JATC only takes applications during an active New York State Department of Labor recruitment period, in person, on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 10 a.m. to noon. To find out when the next recruitment opens, the JATC says to call (631) 434-3939, ext. 1.
Union spots are limited and many people apply. Brush up on algebra before the aptitude test, apply every time recruitment opens, and keep working toward a non-union job in the meantime.
The non-union route: an electrical contractor
Many electrical contractors on Long Island hire apprentices and helpers directly and train them on the job. Some run state-registered programs, and others train informally. This route can be faster to get into, because you’re applying to a shop, not waiting for a recruitment window.
If you go this way, ask the shop:
- Is the apprenticeship registered with the state? If not, how will my training be documented?
- What’s the starting pay, and when does it go up?
- Will I go to classes, and who pays for them?
- What kind of work do you do: houses, commercial buildings, service calls?
Whatever shop you join, keep your own record of every day you work. Those hours are what count when you go for a license later.
What about a license?
You don’t need a license to start. Apprentices work under licensed electricians. A license matters later, when you want to run jobs or your own business. On Long Island it depends on where you work:
- Suffolk County licenses master electricians through its Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs. Under the county code, applicants must be at least 21 and have seven years of experience in the trade within the past ten years.
- Nassau County doesn’t issue one county license. Its towns, cities and villages license electricians, so the rules depend on where you work.
More detail: master electrician licenses in Suffolk and who issues licenses in Nassau.
What you can do this week
- Find your high school diploma and transcript, and check that you passed algebra.
- Call the Local 25 JATC to ask when the next recruitment opens.
- Visit an electrical shop in person. Seeing a real crew at work tells you more than any article, and it’s how a lot of people get their first job.