Highest Paying Electrician Jobs

What is the highest paying electrician job? (2023 Update)

The highest paying electrician jobs in the UK can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and the specific employer. In London, the highest salary for an electrician is reported to be around £47,518 per year. 

According to Leverage Edu, London pays the highest salary for electricians in the UK, with an average salary of £38,900 per year, followed by Bournemouth with an average salary of £38,079 per year. Additionally, the salary provided by different companies can also vary, with some offering significantly higher pay.

For example, TICS Global Limited reportedly offers a salary of £79,626 per year for electricians. It’s important to note that these figures are based on various sources and may be subject to change.

What are the different types of electricians?

• The domestic installer is the electrician who works in and around your home.
• The maintenance electrician is found working across the industry, keeping electrical systems in good working order.
• Electrical machine repair and motor rewinding.
• Instrumentation electrician found working on large systems in commercial buildings.
• Electrotechnical panel builder.
• Highway electrical system electrician.

These are a snapshot of the different types of electricians working daily across the UK.

Note: That salary does change depending on location. 

Domestic installer

Most of you associate the professional electrician with the person who works on construction sites, and wiring houses and is ready for occupancy.

The same electrician works in the residential field, adding to existing wiring and maintaining ageing electrical systems through upgrades and even rewiring residential properties.

This electrician is known as a domestic installer. The name does not indicate his skill sets and qualifications as he is indeed highly qualified and competent to make your home electrically safe.

The average qualified electrical installer has trained to a high level and gained an NVQ Level 3 diploma which has culminated after 4 years of technical theory training and four years of practical training.

The same electrician has then to work for a further two years before he can apply to become accredited to work alone on your property and sign off his work.

The domestic installer has many skills and has to have a decent level of fitness and agility to perform their job well.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 3 Electrical installation

Salary of a domestic installer

While training the domestic installer, if an apprentice will earn around 20k per annum, the salary rises with experience to around 35k at qualifying.

With overtime, the employed domestic installer can earn around 50k per annum.

Because of the nature of the domestic installer’s job, the transition from being employed to self-employed is relatively easy.

A self-employed domestic installer can increase his earning potential exponentially, dependent on the hours they are prepared to work.

A self-employed domestic installer working in the country’s south could see earnings around the 100k per annum mark and possibly more for a one-person outfit.

Maintenance electrician

Maintenance electricians work across a vast industry sector and can be found working with high voltage electricity.

The typical maintenance engineer will be part of a crew. It may be employed by a facilities management company that undertakes the maintenance of a large building like an office block or a shopping centre.

The name gives away the responsibilities of the maintenance electrician, and the electrician will be working on-site, maintaining control panels through to faulty wall sockets and replacing lighting.

The qualifications of a maintenance electrician are slightly different from a domestic installer but still require the same amount of time to complete.

The maintenance electrician will have the following.

 Qualifications

• An approved electrical apprenticeship focusing on electrical maintenance
• NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Electrical maintenance ( Electrical or Electronic pathway)
• ECITB Level 3 NVQ in maintaining plant and systems-Electrical

Salary of a maintenance electrician

The salary of a maintenance electrician does vary depending on the company you work for, but from surveys with Glassdoor, the salary is a solid 32,848 pounds per annum.

The scope for overtime is there, and join a contracting company that can place you in multiple locations.

The path to becoming self-employed is a little more complicated, and you will indeed always be working through the main contractor.

Electrical machine repair and motor rewinding

Again the description is in the job title. Electrical machine repair can be working on large industrial machines diagnosing faults and repairing the machine.

Motor rewinds can be from enormous motors running hydraulic systems on shredders and granulators to small fan motors.

The job is predominantly based on one sight, and you maybe work as part of a crew who sees jobs through from inception to completion.

In some companies, there is a little cross-over with electrical engineers as you will find yourself running trunking and cables in some cases.

Qualifications

C&G Level 3 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology – Electrical 

Machine Repair and Rewind Jobs by Salary

The qualifications are very similar to those of a domestic installer, but the scope of work can be on heavy plants that are often manufactured overseas.

Salary for Electrical machine repair and motor rewinding

The average salary for this position is 24k per annum. Overtime can be expected when required.

Becoming self-employed is difficult as companies either directly employ or use a main contractor to supply the services required.

Instrumentation electrician

An instrumentation electrician will spend most of the day monitoring systems such as outputs from probes and sensors.

Diagnosing faults and rectifying issues that keep the machinery running. Invariably the instrumentation electrician will be site based in a production facility.

Instrumentation electricians frequently work in the oil and gas industry around the world.

The instrumentation electrician is frequently engaged in other roles that support the electrical function of the facility and may work as part of a much larger team.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 3 Diploma a degree in an engineering discipline may be required. OPITO/ECITB safety passport.

Salary for an Instrumentation electrician

The instrumentation electrician can expect a salary of around 55k per annum and rise if working offshore in the oil and gas industry.

Instrumentation electricians are in demand, and significant salaries are offered to those prepared to work offshore or even overseas in the oil and gas industry.

Certification is ongoing and strict.

Electrotechnical panel builder

The electrical technical panel builder will be well versed in reading detailed drawings to build electrical control panels from start to finish.

The electrician will be used to working in fine detail and with a range of electrical switchgear such as relays and sensors.

The main role of the electrical technical panel builder is to assemble control panels from drawings and modify and test them.

The electrical engineer is mainly site based unless installing equipment on site for a client.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 3 2365 Diploma. Unlike other electricians, the panel builder can continue the modules to cover all aspects of panel building from inception to installation and commissioning.

Salary for an Electrotechnical panel builder

Once qualified, the electrician can expect a solid salary of 28k per annum with overtime and other expenses when working off-site can rise to 35k per annum.

The pathways to self-employment are difficult.

Highway electrical system electrician

The highway electrician will be installing lighting systems such as overhead lights, sign lights were needed and traffic lights along with the road network of the country.

Invariably working as part of a team typically for a contractor who has a contract with local councils.

Obviously, the work is mainly outdoors on the highways.

Highway electrical system electricians can be recruited through an apprenticeship program.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 3 Diploma in highway electrical systems.

Salary of a Highway electrical system engineer

Once fully qualified, you can expect a salary of 39k per annum plus overtime payments.

The path to becoming self-employed is difficult unless you retrain in another discipline and further educate and upgrade your qualifications.

How much do electricians make?

From the snapshot above, UK electricians have similar training, and the salary range is from 30 to 50K per annum for qualified electricians.

The highest-paid electricians are the ones who have the biggest potential for overtime and other benefits. Still, if you are looking to earn big in the electrical industry, you will need to consider becoming self-employed.

If being self-employed is the route you wish to take, then the domestic installer is the best and easiest way to become self-employed.

A self-employed domestic installer can earn 100k plus if based in the country’s south and is prepared to work unsociable hours.

What should you choose?

It depends on what you look for from your working day. If you prefer job satisfaction, you may opt for an instrumentation diagnostic job where your skills and knowledge will be tested daily.

Suppose money is the ultimate goal, and you can set aside some of your work-life aspirations. In that case, a self-employed domestic installer is an ideal job for the entrepreneur electrician.

The excellent news is electricians are in demand, and whatever career path you take within the industry, you will make a solid income for years to come.

What is the best type of electrician?

The best type of electrician depends on the specific needs of a project:

• Residential Electricians are ideal for home electrical issues.
• Commercial Electricians specialize in electrical systems in commercial spaces.
• Industrial Electricians are suited for factories and industrial environments.
• Journeyman Electricians are licensed to work independently across various settings.
• Master Electricians have the highest certification and often manage projects or businesses.
• Maintenance Electricians focus on keeping electrical systems running smoothly.
• Installation Electricians handle the setup of new electrical systems.

Choosing the right electrician involves considering their specialization, experience, and certifications relative to your project’s requirements.