Ga76apprentice,
I don't know the in's and out's of the law or of your state requirements, but the institution of licensing accomplishes two things. To the pessimist, it's another opportunity for government to bleed more money from you. And to the optimist, it is an attempt to regulate and set standards of competency to protect people and property.
Let's consider the optimist's view on licensing, and not view it as a superficial means to fund government (considering the amount of money involved, that's a hard argument to make).
Some of the standards of licensing are to establish qualification and accountability. Being able to pass the exam and meet the requirements shows in one way or another you have the skill and knowledge to do what you claim to your customers that you can do, and do it in a way that is up to par with state or local standards (NEC).
If you are not licensed and you are doing work that your area's law requires you be licensed, then that is a pretty clear violation of the law. It gets a little fuzzy when you are allowed to work under a licensed electrician.
To me, I think it is a little different if you are an employee of a company. Your licensed boss or supervisor may or may not see all of the work you do. But as they see more and more of it they will begin to see your strengths and weaknesses, and note what types of things they need to double-check, and what specific points of an overall job need extra attention (tricky grounding situations etc.). There is an implied sense of accountability if you are backed by an established company that is licensed and insured.
But in my mind it is a little different if you are paying a fee to someone else to pull a permit for you. I don't think that is the same as the above situation and I don't think that was intended to be acceptable. But I could be wrong. I think the true test of shadiness is if you can be absolutely honest to everyone involved at all times. Tell the clerk as you pick up the permit, "by the way, the guy listed here as the licensed installer probably won't ever see this job, but I'm going to kick a few bucks his way for vouching for me." If they smile and tell you to have a great day, well I guess you have yourself a side job.
But in all seriousness, no matter what, don’t do any work unless you are insured. Working without insurance is grossly irresponsible and IMO, very slimy.
For the sake of transparency, before I was licensed I did side work, and after I was licensed I pulled permits for other guys. But 15 years into this (which I find out every day is still a lot greener than I used think) my feelings on the subject have changed. Part of growing up I guess.
