What qualifications do you need to become a car mechanic?

Answer 1

To become a car mechanic, or technician as we like to be called, you need to obtain education in the field. If you are in high school you may want to ask your guidance councelor if there are automotive courses you can take. If this is not available, then you should graduate school and go to an accredited technical school. After twelve to eighteen months of training your school will usually help you to find a job. When you obtain one you will likely be an apprentice or helper. This is where you will get on the job training. After some period of time under other technicians you will be working to get you certificates. The largest certification program for auto mechanics is called ASE. Automotive Service Excellence is a series of tests that show to the public, and your employer that you are a competent mechanic and can understand and repair what you work on. There are eight basic tests and two advanced tests as of this writing. These are very desireable qualifications to have, and a large portion of what you can earn is based on possessing these certificates. Additionally, if you go to work at a dealership you will most likely be given training from the manufacturer of the product you work on. For example if you are a Jaguar technician you will spend a portion of each year going to school to learn the individual systems on all Jaguar products. After a given amount of school and several years at a dealership you become a "master" technician and this is the highest level of achievment. You will still train every year however, as you have to stay abreast of all the new technologies coming to the market. If you are already out of high school or if you are unable to go to a technical school then you may want to find a company who is willing to train you on the job. This would mean learning the craft through doing it every day. Another way is to look at a local community college or city college for automotive training. You can work a day job and then go to school in the evening. This route is usually longer but a little less expensive than the technical school path.