Job type

Domestic appliance engineer

£17k - £28k

Typical salary

42 – 44

Hours per week

Domestic appliance engineers install and repair household goods like washing machines and fridges.

More info

  • Hands-on practical work repairing and installing household appliances
  • You'll need excellent problem-solving and practical skills
  • Evening and weekend work sometimes required, and you'll normally work independently

As a Domestic appliance engineer, your day-to-day work could include visiting customers to carry out safety inspections, installing new appliances in customers' homes, responding to call-outs for emergency repairs, giving quotes for insurance purposes, arranging replacements when faulty equipment has to be repaired, making sure there are enough parts in stock, recording work details, preparing invoices and dealing with payments.

DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES

  • Visiting customers to carry out safety inspections
  • Installing new appliances in customers' homes
  • Responding to call-outs for emergency repairs
  • Giving quotes for insurance purposes
  • Arranging replacements when faulty equipment has to be repaired
  • Making sure there are enough parts in stock
  • Recording work details
  • Preparing invoices
  • Dealing with payments

DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT

You could work at a client's home or in an office. Your working environment may be cramped and you'll travel often.

You'll need

This role would be ideal for someone with practical skills, excellent problem-solving skills, IT skills, the ability to write reports, communication and customer care skills.

There are no set entry requirements, but you'll usually need college qualifications in electronic or electrical engineering to get public liability insurance. You could do a course in Level 2 Diploma in Electrical Installation, Level 2 First Diploma in Engineering Technology, Level 2 Diploma In Repairing Module Faults in Consumer Electronic Products or Level 3 Extended Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

You may be able to get into this job through an advanced apprenticeship for electrical, electronic product service and installation engineers.

It might be helpful to gain experience or qualifications in electrics or electronics mechanical engineering, plumbing; or gas servicing, heating installation, or refrigeration.

You'll need colour-normal vision for electrical work and you'll travel between jobs, so a driving licence would be helpful.

It may help you to join the Domestic Appliance Service Association for product news and industry training.

CAREER PROSPECTS

With experience, you could move into management, regional services coordination, technical sales or training. You could also set up your own business.