# Houston Apprentices



## thirty (Nov 18, 2016)

Hi _electriciantalk._ I've been lurking this forum for a good bit. Great community and a wealth of experience on here, it's been very helpful. So I made an account.

There seems to be a good amount of Houston members here and I wanted to get some Houston-specific information. I will be starting my apprenticeship soon and am deciding between IBEW Local 716 and the IEC, and I simply want to be prepared, so I hope you all don't mind the questions.

For you all who are in either programs...



how is the current workload? Will I be able to work 40 hours a week or more since I am an apprentice and at a cheaper rate or is that not the case?


Are there any upfront costs for either? For IBEW, I have seen anything from completely free, to $400 a year for tuition/books. For IEC, the site say it is dependent on the contractor. If the contractor offers to cover the tuition, is this paid upfront then reimbursed, taken from pay, simply covered from the beginning, or negotiated with the contractor?


IEC shows a 4 year program, while IBEW states it has a 5 year program. Is the IEC program actually shorter, or is the IBEW referencing a school year and not a calendar year?

Thanks in advance.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Welcome aboard! 

The IBEW year is based on a calendar year.


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## thirty (Nov 18, 2016)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Welcome aboard!
> 
> The IBEW year is based on a calendar year.


Thanks! Any reason in particular why it is longer than the IEC program?


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

So the contractor has one more year to pay you apprentice scale. In states with licensing, you can still obtain your JW license after you complete four years but the contractor does not have to pay you JW scale until your apprenticeship is over.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

thirty said:


> Thanks! Any reason in particular why it is longer than the IEC program?


Union training tends to be more in depth and better overall.


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## thirty (Nov 18, 2016)

Ok, got it. Thanks for the information.


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