Bend conduit to the electrician's sizes
Measure first, then cut and bend wire or conduit to the sizes the electrician gives you.
Career profile
Electrician Helper
Electrician helpers ready supplies, form conduit, run wire, inspect gear, and keep work areas orderly.
On an electrical crew, plans and measurements turn into real paths for wire. Could you handle the pace, precision, and physical demands?
A day in the life
Drill holes and pull wire
You drill the holes first, then pull or push wire through walls, ducts, or conduit following directions.
Trace a short with a meter
Use a test meter to find shorts, or spot loose connections and damaged insulation within your duties.
Keep tools and supplies in order
Move, clean, maintain, and organize tools and materials, and some crews track supplies with spreadsheets or recordkeeping software.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States
$20.51/hr median
United States · May 2025
1% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobFormal education is not typically required, but an employer may prefer or require a high school diploma or equivalent. New helpers usually learn under experienced workers.
Pay
$20.51/hr medianThe May 2025 national median for Helpers—Electricians was $20.51 an hour, or $42,670 annually.
Outlook
1% projected growthBLS projects employment from 65,000 jobs in 2025 to 65,400 in 2035. That is a forecast, not a hiring guarantee.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like precise, hands-on work with measurements, tools, and materials.
- You can follow directions closely and speak up when an instruction or condition is unclear.
- You are dependable in a crew and can stay attentive during repetitive physical tasks.
- You are comfortable learning through observation, practice, and correction.
Things to weigh
- Expect standing, climbing, crouching, lifting, noise, awkward spaces, and regular use of protective equipment.
- Some jobs are outdoors in poor weather or involve heights, hazardous equipment, variable schedules, or travel between sites.
Where AI may help
Digital drawings, recordkeeping systems, and spreadsheets can help a crew organize layouts, materials, and job records.
What people still lead
People still position tools, move materials, drill, pull wire, observe site conditions, and coordinate face to face.
What we can’t predict yet
The tools a helper actually uses depend on the employer and project.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national median as a reference point, not as a starting wage or promised offer.
National median
Helpers—Electricians had a median wage of $20.51 per hour and $42,670 per year. Half earned more and half earned less.
The national spread
In May 2025, the 10th-percentile annual wage was $33,020 and the 90th-percentile wage was $58,340. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior salaries.
Getting started
Take a helper job
Paid
- What the route involves
- Apply for helper positions, then shadow experienced workers and perform assigned support tasks under their guidance.
- What it can lead to
- You gain jobsite experience assisting electricians, handling materials, and using trade tools; some helpers later pursue a skilled construction trade.
Apply for an electrician apprenticeship
Typically 4–5 years, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year plus technical instruction.Paid
- What the route involves
- The electrician pathway generally requires a high school diploma or equivalent. Apply to a sponsor; if accepted, you combine paid work with technical instruction.
- What it can lead to
- Completion leads to journey-worker status and a nationally recognized credential.
- What to check
- Requirements vary by state and locality. Confirm the sponsor's admission rules and whether it will credit prior helper experience.
A helper job gives supervised support experience. An electrician Registered Apprenticeship is a separate, structured path toward journey-worker status.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the crew's safety routines, keep materials organized, and complete assigned support work reliably under guidance.
Build capability
Become consistent at measuring and preparing conduit, pulling wire, checking work, and clearly reporting what you observe.
Choose your next move
If becoming an electrician is your goal, apply to an electrician apprenticeship and ask the sponsor how it treats prior helper experience.
- Where useful to the job, pursue task-specific training or optional certifications such as rigging or scaffolding.
Where you can work
Building and renovation sites
Work may happen in unfinished interiors or around existing structures, where the crew drills openings, installs pathways, and routes wire through tight spaces.
- Indoors
- Field work
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Outdoor and infrastructure sites
Projects may involve trenches, underground conduit, cables, poles, or equipment outdoors, with weather, heights, and travel between jobsites.
- Outdoors
- Field work
- Travel
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
On a simple room sketch, mark a route from a switch to a light. Use string to estimate the path, note each turn or opening, and list the tools and materials you think the crew would need. Then ask an electrician or construction teacher what you missed. Notice whether you enjoy the measuring, sequencing, and checking.
Stay safe: Keep this as a paper-and-string exercise. Do not open panels, outlets, switches, or energized equipment.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 47-3013.00 — Helpers—Electricians. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey by occupation, May 2025. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction Laborers and Helpers. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Apprenticeship.gov. Career Seekers. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Electricians. Accessed 2026-09-23.