← Engineering and trades

ANZSCO 3411Skill level 3Engineering and trades

Electrician

Install, repair and maintain electrical wiring, fittings, switchboards and motors in domestic, commercial and industrial settings.

Registration: State electrical licence required

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$2000Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a electrician actually does

Most electricians start the day at a job site with a toolbox talk, a quick review of the day's work and a JSA. Domestic and commercial sparkies spend a lot of time pulling cable, terminating, mounting points, and running switchboards. Industrial and mining sparkies focus more on motor control centres, control cabinets, fault-finding and shutdown work. Apprentices spend the first year mostly on prep, conduit installs and learning to test. Once you have your A grade licence in hand the day flips toward taking responsibility for sign-off, testing to AS/NZS 3000, and managing apprentices of your own. Hours are typically a 38-hour week with some overtime. Mining and shutdown jobs can run 12-hour shifts on a roster. Sub-contractors often build a small business of their own after 5-10 years.

Typical tasks

  • Read and interpret electrical drawings and standards.
  • Install and terminate cables and switchgear.
  • Test installations against AS/NZS 3000.

Skills you'll use

  • Reading single line and circuit diagrams
  • Cable selection and termination to AS/NZS 3008 and AS/NZS 3000
  • Testing and tagging, RCD testing and verification
  • Fault-finding on residential and three-phase circuits
  • Switchboard and consumer mains installation
  • Working safely at height, in confined spaces and around live equipment
  • Customer communication and basic quoting

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 10 or 12. Most apprentices start straight from school, but a pre-apprenticeship Certificate II in Electrotechnology helps if you cannot find an employer
  2. 2Secure a host employer and sign an apprenticeship agreement through an apprenticeship network provider
  3. 3Complete a 4-year Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician (UEE30820) at TAFE alongside paid on-job training
  4. 4Pass the Capstone Assessment in your final year, which combines a theory exam and practical test
  5. 5Apply for your state electrical contractor or worker licence through your state regulator (for example NSW Fair Trading or Energy Safe Victoria)
  6. 6Optional steps include adding a Restricted Electrical Licence, an Inspector's Licence, or specialty endorsements like solar accreditation through the Clean Energy Council

Where you can work

  • Residential building sites
  • Commercial fit-out and shopfitting projects
  • Industrial plants including manufacturing, food processing and mining
  • Energy network and substation operators
  • Solar and battery installers
  • Maintenance contractors on commercial property
  • Defence facilities and shipyards

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Apprentice
    0-4 years
    Typical roles: First-year apprentice, Fourth-year apprentice
    Salary band: $30,000 - $60,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Licensed electrician
    4-8 years
    Typical roles: Domestic electrician, Commercial electrician, Industrial electrician
    Salary band: $85,000 - $115,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior or sub-contractor
    8-15 years
    Typical roles: Leading hand, Service supervisor, Sub-contractor running a small crew
    Salary band: $110,000 - $160,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Business owner or specialist
    15+ years
    Typical roles: Electrical contractor running their own business, Senior service technician, Electrical inspector

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You like practical problem solving with your hands
  • You can handle Australian climate extremes on construction sites
  • You are comfortable with maths up to Year 10 level for cable sizing and Ohm's law
  • You want to build toward running your own business
  • You take safety rules seriously, since shortcuts can kill you or a workmate

This might not suit you if

  • You want a seated office job from day one
  • You dislike early starts and physical labour
  • You have a vision impairment that prevents safe colour identification on wiring

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for electrician. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.