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IBEW apprenticeship

Inside wireman vs outside lineman: which IBEW apprenticeship fits you

By the nodiexam team Updated

An inside wireman wires commercial and industrial buildings and mostly works within one local's area. An outside lineman builds and repairs the power lines between the plant and the customer, outdoors and at height, often with travel. The national median pay in May 2025 was $63,190 for electricians and $95,320 for power-line workers, per the BLS.

Both are IBEW and NECA apprenticeships, and both pay you while you learn. They lead to different jobs, though, with different days, risks and travel. The electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) writes the national training for both. In its words, inside wiremen install the power, lighting, controls and other electrical equipment in commercial and industrial buildings. By contrast, outside linemen install the distribution and transmission lines that move power from the plant to a factory, a business or a home.

The two paths side by side

Inside wiremanOutside lineman
The workPower, lighting and controls inside commercial and industrial buildingsPower lines and their equipment between the plant and the customer
WhereJob sites in one local's area, indoors and outOutdoors, on poles, towers and underground lines, often far from home
Apprenticeship lengthFour or five years at the programs we checkedAbout three and a half to four years at the two line programs we checked
Entry extrasAn ordinary driver's license at some programsA Class A commercial driver's license and a DOT physical at Missouri Valley
Aptitude testThe etA test at many programs, the GAN test at someThe etA test at the line programs we checked
Median pay, May 2025 (BLS)$63,190 a year, or $30.38 an hour, in May 2025$95,320 a year in May 2025, for electrical power-line installers and repairers

The medians cover all workers in each job, union and non-union, across the country. Local contracts set IBEW rates, so look up your local's sheet before you compare.

What the days look like

Inside wireman. Boston says inside wiremen work outdoors in mud, cold and rain as well as in offices, hospitals and plants, and the work means crawling, lifting and climbing ladders and scaffolding. Most work is on job sites inside one local's area, and you go to class one day a week or on weekday evenings, depending on the program.

Outside lineman. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics' description, line workers work outdoors in all weather and at great heights, crews on transmission lines travel across a region, and after storms they may work long hours for days. One line program is just as blunt. Missouri Valley warns that linemen work outside in bad weather, climb high poles and travel a fair amount, which can mean many nights away from home. If heights or long stretches away from home are a problem for you, weigh that before you apply.

How long each apprenticeship takes

Line programTerm
Missouri Valley JATCnearly four years and at least 7,000 hours, in seven steps with a raise at each
NW Line JATC7,000 hours over about three and a half years, in seven steps, anywhere in its area across Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho and northern California

Inside programs run four or five years. The inside wireman page lists the terms at named programs.

For electricians as a whole, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says most electricians learn the trade in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year. For line work, it says line apprenticeships or employer programs may last up to 3 years, and apprentices reach journey level after 3 or 4 years of work.

Getting in

The baseline is the same for both paths: the etA lists typical requirements as age 18, a high school education, one year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score and being drug free. Line programs often add more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says entry to a line apprenticeship may require a high school diploma, a year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score, a substance abuse screening and a fitness test. For one program's list, Missouri Valley JATC asks for a Class A commercial driver's license, a DOT physical, a $30 payment and a pass on the ETA aptitude test given on site.

The aptitude test is often the same one. Missouri Valley gives the etA test on site ("the ETA aptitude test", as it calls it), and Pacific Power and IBEW Local 125 JATC, a utility program registered in Washington, sets its cutoffs on it: 5 for lineman, 6 for estimator, 7 for meter technician. That program's lineman applicants also come first from its own employees, as its standards say. The IBEW aptitude test page has the format and the cutoffs programs publish, and the free practice test runs both parts under the clock.

Inside and outside programs take applications through different JATCs, often in different cities. Both kinds are on one official list, since the electrical training ALLIANCE's training center locator lists the local JATC training centers for inside wireman and outside lineman apprenticeships.

Which one fits you

Some plain questions help:

  • Do you want to sleep at home most nights? Inside work usually stays in one local's area. Line work can mean travel across a region or several states.
  • Are you fine with heights and weather? Line work means poles, towers and bucket trucks in all weather, including storm work.
  • Can you get a commercial driver's license? Line programs we checked, such as Missouri Valley, want a Class A license before you apply.
  • What does your local pay? Compare your local's inside and outside sheets, not national medians.

Questions people ask

Who gets paid more, a lineman or an electrician?

Nationally, power-line workers earn more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the May 2025 median at $95,320 for electrical power-line installers and repairers and $63,190 for electricians. Those are medians across union and non-union work; your local's contract decides your rate.

Is the lineman apprenticeship shorter?

Usually. The two outside line programs we checked take about three and a half to nearly four years, while inside programs run four or five years. How long each apprenticeship takes has the line terms, and the inside wireman page has the inside ones.

Do linemen and inside wiremen take the same aptitude test?

Often, yes. Missouri Valley JATC gives the ETA aptitude test on site, and Pacific Power and Local 125 JATC sets its lineman cutoff on the same test. Many inside programs use it too, though some, such as Boston and Minneapolis, use the GAN test. Your program's letter names the test.

Do I need a CDL to be a lineman?

Often. Missouri Valley JATC asks for a Class A commercial driver's license before you apply, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics says workers who drive heavy vehicles usually need one. Inside wireman programs we checked ask for an ordinary driver's license at most.

Sources

Facts on this page come from these pages. We checked each one on the date shown.