As an apprentice white goods engineer, you may visit customers to conduct safety inspections, install new appliances in their homes, respond to call-outs for emergency repairs, provide quotes for insurance purposes, arrange replacements when faulty equipment must be repaired, ensure there are enough parts in stock, record work details, prepare invoices, and handle payments.
Responsibilities
Throughout your apprenticeship, you may help:
- install new appliances in commercial premises or customers’ homes
- set up and check equipment connections to online networks
- find and fix equipment faults
- make sure appliances are working safely
- respond to call-outs for emergency repairs
- give quotes for insurance purposes
- arrange replacements when faulty equipment has to taken away for repair
- record work details, prepare invoices and handle payments.
Salary
- Starting salaries for an apprentice is £18,000 per year.
- Experienced white goods engineers can earn up to £27,000 per year.
Working hours
You will typically work 42 to 44 hours per week, working weekends and evenings depending on customers.
Working environment
You could work at a client’s home or at a client’s business.
Your working environment may be cramped and you’ll travel often.
Qualifications
Qualifications you can achieve as an apprentice white goods engineer include:
- Level 3 Electronic Product Service and Installation Engineer – Entry requirements for this level include 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship. This qualification will take 36 months to complete.
Skills
On a white goods engineer apprenticeship, you’ll learn:
- the ability to repair machines or systems
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- problem-solving skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to work well with your hands
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- the ability to analyse quality or performance
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device.
Career path and progression
You could move into management, regional services coordination, technical sales or training.
You could also set up your own installation and repair business.