Questions to ask an electrical contractor before you take the job

Before you take an electrician job, ask 15 questions in four groups: how long the job runs, what the whole check is (rate, OT, per diem and its unit), what the shop supplies (tools, truck, insurance start), and what they need from you before day one. Most interview question lists online are written for the employer. These are the ones a journeyman asks, with what a straight answer sounds like.

01Why ask at all?

Because the rate is only one line of the check. Two jobs at $45 an hour can end up thousands of dollars apart over a six-month job once you count hours, per diem days and how long the work lasts. The per diem table below shows $3,000 to $6,000 from one word.

A shop with nothing to hide answers all 15 of these in one phone call. If you're weighing two offers, put the answers side by side the way comparing two electrician job offers lays out.

02The job: how long, who runs it, who's on it

These four tell you if the job will still be there in three months.

1. How long does this job run, and what phase is it in?

A straight answer has a month in it: "Electrical wraps in April, we're halfway through rough-in." A big job in trim is a short job for you.

2. What's next when this job or phase ends?

Ask them to name the next job and when it starts. "We always have something" isn't a job. Getting laid off between phases has a name, and getting short-termed covers how to see it coming.

3. Who's the foreman, and can I talk to him?

The foreman decides your day more than the owner does. Ask how long he's been with the shop and whether he's on the tools. If they won't let you talk to him before you start, ask why.

4. How big is the crew, and how many apprentices per journeyman?

You want to know if you'll be running work or babysitting three green helpers on your card. A good answer gives a number: "Twelve hands, four apprentices, you'd have one."

03The money: rate, OT, per diem, travel

This is where two "same rate" offers come apart. Get every answer with a number and a unit.

5. What's the rate, and is it the same on every job?

Some shops pay a higher rate on travel or prevailing wage jobs and drop you back when it ends. Ask what you'd make on the next job, not just this one.

6. Is OT guaranteed, and how is it paid?

Under federal law, hourly hands get time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, and there's no federal daily overtime (DOL Fact Sheet 23). Some states add daily OT. California pays time and a half after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12 (California Labor Commissioner).

Ask if the 6-10s are the schedule or just the hope. As an example, at $45 an hour a 60-hour week is 40 x $45 = $1,800 plus 20 x $67.50 = $1,350, so $3,150. Drop to 40 hours and it's $1,800. That's $1,350 a week riding on one answer.

7. Per diem: how much, and is it per day worked or 7 days?

This is the question most ads skip. Two travel ads posted on RoadDogJobs on Oct. 19, 2026 offered $150 a day and $190 a day, and neither said whether it's paid 7 days or only days worked. A union wage sheet spells it out. IBEW Local 340's inside wireman wage sheet (its south area) sets $60 as the minimum meals and lodging expense "for each day worked" on qualifying out-of-town jobs (Local 340 wage sheet, June 1, 2026).

Here's what the unit is worth on $150 a day:

Our math, $150 a day as the example. Also ask what happens to per diem if you miss a day, and when it's paid (every week with the check, or later). More on how it works and when it's taxed is in how per diem works for electricians.

8. Hotel or cash?

Some shops book the room and pay a smaller meal allowance. Others pay cash and you find your own place. Ask if a company room is shared, how far it is from the job, and whether you can take the cash instead.

9. Do you pay travel time or mileage?

Your normal drive from home to the job isn't work time. Driving between job sites during the day is, and has to be paid (DOL Fact Sheet 22). Ask if they pay mileage or a trip home on long out-of-town jobs. Plenty don't, and that's fine if you know it going in.

10. Am I on a W-2?

If the answer is a 1099 but they set your hours, hand you the tools and tell you how to do the work, that's a problem. The IRS looks at who controls the work, who controls the money side, and whether the work is a key part of the business (IRS, independent contractor or employee). Wiring is the key part of an electrical contractor's business. Red flags at an electrical company covers what that costs you.

04Tools, truck and benefits

These don't show up in the rate, but they show up in your bank account.

11. What tools do I bring, and what does the shop supply?

The common deal is hand tools on you, and power tools, benders, threaders and meters on the shop. Ask for their list. If they expect you to buy cordless tools, find out whether they pay a tool allowance.

12. Is there a truck, and does it go home with me?

A take-home truck and fuel card can be worth real money on a long commute. Ask who pays for fuel, whether you can stop for lunch in it, and what happens to it if you leave.

13. When does health insurance start, and what does it cost me?

Get the day it starts and your share per week or month. Under federal rules, a group health plan can't make you wait more than 90 days (29 CFR 2590.715-2708). Day 1, day 31 and day 90 are three different jobs if you have a family.

14. What's the 401k match, and when do I vest?

A match you lose by leaving in 18 months isn't worth much to a traveler. Ask the match, the vesting schedule, and whether there's a pension or annuity instead. Union and open-shop packages are built differently, so compare dollars per hour, not labels.

05Before day one

15. What do you need from me before I start?

Drug test, background check, a copy of your license, OSHA 10 or 30, NFPA 70E, and on some sites a badge that takes days. Ask who pays for each and how long it takes. You don't want to give notice and then sit a week waiting on a badge.

06How to ask without sounding like a pain

Let them ask about you first. A contractor wants to know you can do the work before he talks money. One national electrical contractor told us what they want from a journeyman in one line: hand him the prints, "point A to point B. Knock it out." Show that first. What contractors check before they hire a journeyman covers what they'll ask you.

Then ask your questions in a block, in plain words: "Before I give notice anywhere, I need to know a few things." Nobody who's run a crew thinks that's out of line.

Listen for these dodges:

• "Competitive pay" or "DOE" when you asked for a number.
• "Plenty of work" when you asked for a month.
• "Per diem available" with no amount and no unit.
• "We'll talk about that after you start." That's the one to walk away from.

Once you have the answers, get the offer confirmed in a text or email from the company: rate, per diem with its unit, schedule, start date, and the day insurance starts. Don't give notice until you have it. How to quit an electrical job without burning bridges covers what to do next.

Know what your card is worth before the interview, so you can tell a fair rate from a lowball on the spot. Run your Pay Check to see what electricians with your license make near you. Takes about a minute and your boss never hears about it.

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