Self-test: Is the "Electrical safety consultant with federal certificate (BP)" course suitable for me?
Analysis of the functions/activities of electrical safety consultants
For whom is the "Electrical safety consultant with federal certificate" course suitable?
- Persons whose work involves inspection tasks on low-voltage electrical installations
- Persons who are aiming for the specialist certificate as an electrical project manager and would like to add the specialist certificate as an electrical safety consultant as an intermediate step
What does the day-to-day work within these functions look like? Which activities are carried out and how often?
Electrical safety advisors are usually out and about checking electrical installations at private or corporate customers' premises. For new installations, they check whether the devices and installations comply with legal standards. Using schematic drawings and circuit diagrams, they assess whether the circuits and electrical circuits can function efficiently and safely. And they use the appropriate devices to measure whether the installations are safe and correct. They document their measurement results in a measurement log and if everything is in order, they issue the safety certificate. If problems are found, they determine the need for action and order the necessary measures. In the case of planned conversions or new buildings or if safety deficiencies have been identified, they advise their customers on possible improvements or alternatives and draw up safety concepts.
Job descriptions in job advertisements for electrical safety consultants:
| Main tasks | Frequency in % |
|---|---|
| Independent acceptance and periodic electrical installation checks in private, commercial and industrial properties and at festive events in accordance with legal and company regulations and standards | 50 |
| Administrative work such as preparing inspection reports, ordering necessary measures in the event of safety deficiencies, monitoring any deadlines, invoicing and issuing safety certificates | 30 |
| Recording of customer and system data, customer advice, contact for installers, architects and planning offices | 20 |
The weighting of the individual areas of responsibility can vary greatly depending on the company.
Typical requirements in job advertisements:
- Completed training as an electrical fitter and recognized further training as an electrical inspector, electrical safety consultant or electrical fitter
- Good knowledge of all relevant legal regulations and standards
- Good knowledge of German
- Ability to work independently and responsibly
- Team player, customer-oriented personality with very good manners and assertiveness
- Car driver's license and willingness to occasionally work outside normal working hours
- Good IT skills (FileMaker, Mac OS X, Office)
Question 1:
Do the activities of electrical safety consultants meet my expectations?
Yes, if you like the actual job, you can assume that you are on the right track thematically. The next question is what type of training is right for you to acquire the relevant skills.
If you have marked "Partly" or "No", you should consider another job within the industry or check what other further training is possible following your basic occupation.
Course description "Electrical safety consultant with federal certificate"
The most important key points of the "Electrical safety consultant with federal certificate" course are described here:
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Question 2:
Are you generally interested in this course?
If you are interested in this course but answered "Partly" or "No" to question 1, you should try to find out whether there are other types of jobs that you could do with this training and that you like better than the job profile described in question 1. Or find out about the professional examination "Electrical project manager with federal certificate".
If you have already answered "Yes" to question 1, then this course seems to fit your expectations.
If you like the job description under question 1 and you have marked "No" here, you should try to analyze which contents of the course would appeal to you and which would not. And with what you find out, you can look at the following further training opportunities in related fields to see if you can find something that better suits your interests:
- Electrical Team Leader VSEI
- Electrical foreman (certified)
- Electrical Project Manager (BP)
- Industrial electrician (examination by the Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations ESTI in Fehraltorf/ZH)
- Telematics Project Manager (BP)
- Electrical engineering HF
- Communication technology HF
- Telecommunications HF
Requirements at the time of the federal final examination
- Federal certificate of competence as an electrical fitter, electrical planner, telematics technician or equivalent training
- Proof of at least two years of practical experience under expert supervision in accordance with the NIV
- Vocational trainer certificate
Question 3:
Do I meet the requirements?
If you meet the requirements, you can start your training at the earliest possible date.
If you do not meet the admission requirements because you have learned another profession, look for similar further training courses in your sector. This could be in the area of construction management or construction planning, for example, or project management in another area or senior network fitter or further training in the area of electronics, IT, telematics.
If you still lack the relevant professional experience for admission, you can use the remaining time to gain practical experience with installations in your day-to-day work. This can make it easier for you to continue your training afterwards.
If you have not completed the vocational trainer course, ask your cantonal vocational training office about the next courses. It should be possible to complete the course at the same time as your further training.
Financing of further training
The course fees for the "Electrical Safety Consultant" course are to be paid either at the beginning of the course or by the semester. However, in individual cases it is also possible to agree individual installment payments.
Since January 1, 2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination.Further information is available here.
Question 4:
Are you in a position to pre-finance between CHF 6,500 and CHF 9,000 for the course fee, depending on the provider and other general conditions, until you are reimbursed the federal contribution after taking the final examination?
If you have marked "Yes" and would even be able to pay the full amount upfront, many schools will give you an additional discount.
If you have marked "Partial" or "No": Ask the schools about the possibility of individual installment payments. Or try to get your employer to make a contribution to your further education costs or find someone in your private social circle who will support your specific further education project with a loan. There are also banks and credit institutions that grant educational loans.
Time spent on classroom teaching and learning (homework)
The part-time course lasts two to four semesters. Depending on the duration of the course, attendance is 8-12 hours per week (there are different course models, such as evening courses or Saturday courses).
The learning effort (homework) amounts to around 6-12 hours per week in addition to school lessons
Question 5:
Can I cope with the time and effort required for the face-to-face lessons and homework?
If you can manage the effort very easily, you could consider completing a more intensive version of this course in two semesters.
If you are short on time, look for courses that extend over a longer period of time and require fewer lessons and less time for homework each week. And if that's still not enough, you should check whether you can free up more time in another way. Perhaps someone close to you can take on certain tasks for you for the limited period of your training?
Conclusion
Will I graduate?
Sound exam preparation significantly increases the chances of success. And other general success factors for successfully passing a further training course are:
- Interest in the topic
- Active participation in lessons
- Preparation and follow-up of the lesson material at home
- Regular practice to get into the routine of solving tasks
- Contact and exchange with other participants, lecturers and successful former graduates of the course
Question 6:
Do I have the confidence to pass the final exams?
If you are confident that you can pass this qualification, the most you can do is consider whether you would like to achieve even better results using suitable learning and working methods or whether you would like to achieve the same results with less effort.
If you are very unsure, you could check which vocational subjects you may have struggled with at vocational school. If these are subjects that will be repeated in this final examination, you should find out about possible preparatory courses, fill in any gaps in your knowledge with the help of tutors or discuss with the school whether there is the possibility of internal tests. If you have intense exam anxiety, you could look for a different type of course that works more with learning achievements, mid-term exams or semester papers. External help from learning therapists, kinesiologists, autogenic training providers or mental training providers can also be considered.
You can find suitable providers here:
Receive course or training documents from suitable schools immediately
Under {#CourseLink#} you will find an overview of schools that offer the "Electrical safety consultant with federal certificate" course. You can request detailed documents with just one click and usually receive them directly by e-mail. You can also use the area search to find providers in your immediate vicinity.
Conclusion:
Before you want to complete the "Electrical Safety Consultant (BP)" course, you should be convinced that you really enjoy a job that essentially consists of checking and measuring. You should also like the course description. If you have answered these first two questions with a clear "yes", you can continue to look into this course. If you are unsure about these questions, you should consider which other further training courses are also suitable for you.
If you do not meet the admission requirements because you do not have a federally recognized apprenticeship qualification, there are various options. If you have a foreign apprenticeship qualification in the field of electrical installation, find out directly from the association www.vsei.ch whether your profession is recognized as equivalent or how much additional professional experience you would need to prove. If you do not have an apprenticeship qualification, but have a high school diploma, find out about your options for a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. And if you do not have a recognized basic education, it is best to find out from a careers advisor whether it is possible to obtain an apprenticeship qualification in the field in which you have professional experience.
Financing further training is not always easy. Several thousand francs have to be paid over 1-2 years. In individual cases, many schools offer the option of semester or even individual monthly installment payments so that the entire amount does not have to be paid at once. In addition, it is helpful for part-time courses that participants continue to work during the course and thus earn money for the entire duration of the course. If this is not enough to finance the training alone, it is sometimes possible to obtain a loan from a private source. Banks and credit institutions sometimes also offer educational loans. A good argument for financing further education is the relatively quick amortization of costs through wage increases. Do the following calculation: How much would a wage increase of 10% per year amount to? How many years would you need to recoup the costs of the course? How much more will you earn over your entire working life as a result of this pay rise? In most cases, this is a six-figure sum, which confirms that training or further education is the best personal investment there is.
The time required for training or further education should not be underestimated. Going out, vacations and spontaneous wellness weekends often fall by the wayside. However, this time usually passes relatively quickly. The prospect of better job opportunities and more pay should be motivation enough to get through this time. It often helps to organize yourself into study groups. It also makes sense to stick with it right from the start and schedule fixed study times. Good learning effects can be achieved by creating summaries and mind maps. Flashcard systems help with memorization. There are many tools and ideas to make learning easier. You can obtain the guide "The personal learning strategy" free of charge if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch.
If you have doubts about whether you will pass the final exam, you can expect that every school has an interest in ensuring that as many of your students as possible pass the final exams. Talk to your head teacher or course leader and ask about support options. But with good motivation, perseverance and hard work, it is generally possible to pass these exams. If you suffer from exam anxiety, good preparation, various practical tips, therapeutic treatments or, in severe cases, even medication can help. You can obtain the guide "Overcoming exam anxiety" by registering with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch.
The benefits of further training are usually measured in terms of a higher salary, more challenging tasks or promotions. This presupposes that you make an effort to change your professional position accordingly and, if necessary, are able to assert your demands. If you have already experienced that this is not always so easy for you, you could also check whether personal job coaching could be of benefit to you in addition to further training.
Now it's up to you to decide. If in doubt, seek personal advice from a school or external advice center. If you enquire about course or training documents via www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch, you will receive a free educational or school consultation worth CHF 150.00 on request.
You can find a list of providers here: {#courseLink#}
We wish you all the best in your professional and private lives and a bright and exciting future!
The team of Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch
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