What does a domestic electrician actually do?
Most of the work is in occupied houses and flats. You do full and partial rewires, add new circuits for kitchens, extensions and garden rooms, swap out consumer units, wire showers, and do the fault finding and small jobs that keep a diary full. Everything has to be designed, installed and tested to BS 7671, and you hand over a certificate at the end. You will spend a lot of time lifting floorboards, chasing walls and working around furniture and families.
In England and Wales, Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical work in dwellings. Some jobs are notifiable. NAPIT lists full installations, new circuits, full or partial rewires, consumer unit replacements, and adding to or altering a circuit in a special location such as a room with a bath or shower. Swapping a socket or switch on an existing circuit does not have to be notified.
Do you need the gold card?
No law requires a card to work in someone's home. The ECA, which runs the ECS contact centre, notes that ECS cards are often required on construction sites, and that house builders, councils and social housing organisations recognise them. If you plan to work for a contractor, on new-build estates or on social housing contracts, expect to be asked for one.
The ECS Domestic Electrician gold card is for Level 3 competent people who install and maintain electrics unsupervised, and it covers a domestic setting only. To get it you need either the Level 3 Domestic Electrician apprenticeship (England) or the Level 3 Electrotechnical in Dwellings Experienced Worker Assessment. You also need a current ECS Health, Safety and Environmental Assessment and a recognised BS 7671:2018 qualification. If you want commercial or industrial work as well, aim for the Installation Electrician gold card. That one needs a Level 3 apprenticeship or NVQ.
Where the short domestic installer course stops
For years people retrained through a short Level 3 Certificate in Installing, Testing and Ensuring Compliance of Electrical Installations in Dwellings, then joined a Part P scheme. That route has closed. Under the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification, which scheme operators use, the certificate stopped counting for new scheme applicants on 1 January 2026. If you passed it before that date, you can still apply under the route for older qualifications.
New entrants now need the domestic apprenticeship, a full Level 3 installation qualification, or the experienced worker route. The EAS guide says the dwellings experienced worker route needs at least 3 years full time working as an electrician, with on-site evidence. Even when that short course was accepted, it only ever covered work in homes.
Scheme membership and working for yourself
Most domestic electricians end up self-employed, and that is where scheme membership counts. A firm registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify notifiable work. If you aren't registered, the job has to go to building control before you start. The ECA points out that the competent person is the firm. It can be a sole trader, but an employee can't be one.
NICEIC's Domestic Installer Scheme wants a Qualified Supervisor with at least 2 years' responsibility for electrical work, £2 million public liability insurance, and records kept for 6 years. You also need certified domestic work from the last 12 months to show the assessor. A consumer unit change on its own won't pass the application assessment. Joining costs £95 to apply plus £600 a year, before VAT.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Core qualificationThe Level 3 Domestic Electrician apprenticeship (England) or the Level 3 Electrotechnical in Dwellings Experienced Worker Assessment. A full Level 3 installation apprenticeship or NVQ also works and covers more types of work.
- BS 7671 qualificationYou need a recognised BS 7671:2018 (18th Edition) qualification for the gold card. It can be a unit within the apprenticeship.
- ECS HS&E AssessmentYou need a current pass on the ECS Health, Safety and Environmental Assessment before an ECS gold card is issued.
- Experienced worker timeThe dwellings experienced worker route needs at least 3 years full time working as an electrician, with evidence from site.
- Scheme Qualified SupervisorTo run your own firm in NICEIC's Domestic Installer Scheme, your Qualified Supervisor needs at least 2 years' responsibility for electrical work.
- InsuranceNICEIC's Domestic Installer Scheme requires at least £2 million public liability insurance in the trading name.
Across the UK
| England | Part P applies to electrical work in dwellings. The Level 3 Domestic Electrician apprenticeship behind the ECS Domestic Electrician gold card is an English standard. |
|---|---|
| Wales | Part P still applies, but Wales has made its own Building Regulations since 31 July 2014, so some details differ from England. |
| Scotland | Part P does not apply. NAPIT says electrical work outside England and Wales comes under the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification, and the Scottish Joint Industry Board handles ECS applications in Scotland. |
| Northern Ireland | Part P does not apply, and NAPIT assesses work there under the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification. The JIB runs ECS applications. |
How to get there
- StartPick your routeStart the Level 3 Domestic Electrician apprenticeship, or a full installation apprenticeship if you might want commercial work later.
- End of trainingPass the end-point assessmentThe domestic apprenticeship ends with the AM2D assessment of competence and the Level 3 Electrotechnical in Dwellings qualification.
- On qualifyingGet the cardPass the ECS HS&E Assessment, hold an 18th Edition qualification, then apply for the ECS Domestic Electrician gold card.
- First 2 yearsBuild experienceWork for an established domestic firm on rewires, new circuits and consumer units to build up evidence and confidence.
- Year 2 onwardBecome a Qualified SupervisorAfter at least 2 years' responsibility for electrical work, you can be the Qualified Supervisor for your own firm.
- When going self-employedJoin a Part P schemeApply to a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, with insurance and 12 months of certified work ready for assessment.
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Questions people ask
Is it illegal to do house electrics without a gold card?
No. No law requires an ECS card for work in a home. The work still has to meet Part P, and notifiable jobs must either be self-certified by a registered firm or go to building control first.
Can I still join NICEIC or NAPIT with a short domestic installer course?
Not if you passed it recently. The Level 3 Certificate in Installing, Testing and Ensuring Compliance of Electrical Installations in Dwellings stopped counting for new scheme applicants on 1 January 2026. If you passed it before then, you can still apply under the route for older qualifications.
Can a Domestic Electrician gold card holder work on commercial sites?
The card covers a domestic setting only. For commercial and industrial work, aim for the Installation Electrician gold card, which needs a Level 3 apprenticeship or NVQ.
How much does a Part P scheme cost?
NICEIC's Domestic Installer Scheme charges a £95 application fee and £600 for 12 months' certification, both before VAT. You also need at least £2 million public liability insurance.
Do domestic electricians earn less than other electricians?
No separate earnings figure for domestic electricians was available. Across all UK electricians, the middle half earns about £33,100 to £51,300, and if you're self-employed your income depends on your rates and how busy you are.
Sources
- ECS: Domestic Electrician gold card
- ECS: Installation Electrician gold card
- NICEIC: Domestic Installer Scheme
- NICEIC: Type of work for assessment
- IET: Part P, England and Wales
- IET: Electrotechnical Assessment Specification, October 2024
- IET: EAS Qualifications Guide, June 2025
- NAPIT: Schemes explained
- ECA: Part P FAQs
- ECA: ECS cards and assessments
