Apprentice path · Stage 5: Getting to journeyman · Lesson 18

The hours and supervision Texas requires

Your hours only count if your licence is current, the supervision was the required kind, and you can prove what you did.

Why this matters on the job

People work for two years and then find half of it does not count because nobody logged it, or the supervising electrician cannot be reached to verify it. The work happened. The record did not.

How to think about it

  1. Keep your apprentice licence current.
  2. Work under the required licensed supervision.
  3. Keep accurate experience records as you go.
  4. Obtain verification of those records.
  5. Check the current TDLR eligibility rules -- they are the authority, not hearsay on site.

Worked through

Log every day the same five things: the date, the employer, the tasks you did, the hours, and the supervising electrician. Five fields, written down the day it happened. Doing it weekly means guessing. Doing it at the end of the year means fiction.

Check yourself: You worked two solid years but kept no log. Is that experience going to count?

Answer: Not reliably. Unverified hours are hours you cannot prove, and the burden of proof is yours.

Eligibility is decided on records and verification, not on what happened. If it is not logged and verified, there is nothing to submit.

Watch out for: Taking the requirements from whoever is standing next to you. The rules change; check the current TDLR eligibility rules directly rather than relying on what was true for someone who qualified years ago.
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Written from the owner's poster for this lesson. Nothing added beyond what the poster states.

Written for Texas apprentices as free study material. The Texas apprentice licence is an application, not an exam (Occupations Code 1305.161), and nothing here counts as apprenticeship hours or continuing-education credit. VoltMark is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, PSI, TDLR, or any state or local licensing authority. Always follow your employer's safety programme and your supervising electrician.