liamjd76

Hi all you Sparkys trying to find employment in Aus. I moved to Brisbane from UK a month ago on PR visa189 I have an OSTR Cert which enables me to gain a training permit license,but I have to get a job first?? Does anyone know how that works with a recruitment agency? Ref Supervisor Electrical license No. required on license application? Seems odd that you have to find a job first in order to gain a training permit license? Can anyone recommend an RTO near CBD? Or an employer who is looking for hard working electrician or trade assistant😀 . Cheers Liam

old.sparkles

Not sure where they are based, but these have been recommended before for sparks in QLD - HomePage

Sorry, not sure of QLD licensing but general work advice is apply to advertisers not using recruitment agencies, make friends with your local elec wholesalers who will likely know who has a lot of work on and who may need an extra pair of hands, make friends with a recruiter who can sell you to employers, have a good linkedin profile.

liamjd76

Thank you for the info. I am looking at obtaining an NZ license so I can transfer that over to Aus. In the meantime I will look at trade assistant work. The cost of gap training is expensive, when you say advertisers like local newspapers?? Liam

old.sparkles

No, I mean who posted the job. If it is an employment agency, they will pre-screen you out for not having a license. If it is the employer advertising direct, you have more of a chance. And you don't need to apply just for assistant roles - you are an electrician doing gap training. Apply for those roles, and be ready to explain your position - employers may like the idea of getting a fully qualified electrician (who needs someone to sign off their work) for the cost of an assistant or a bit higher. That was how I got my job. How long have you been looking?

There is a past thread on going the NZ route here - http://britishexpats.com/forum/elect...-route-855448/

EDIT - also, are you applying for the right training permit? Cannot see the need to be already employed but I could be reading it wrong - https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/__da...apprentice.pdf

liamjd76

Hi thank you for your reply👍. I arrived on 14 April and been looking mainly online indeed and seek and applying also I looked up several local electrical companies and emailed my resumé but haven't received any feedback. On form 11 you have to enter your supervisors name and licence number for your "on job" training who would then fill out a log book of the my completed jobs provided by your RTO (college) but say your haven't got a full time position what happens then?? In my opinion Electricians from Overseas should be made aware of the cost of gap training and what's involved before coming over. I'm 40yrs old (the new 30😀) with over 20 yrs experience in my opinion i agree with learning about Aus regs but to be supervised for a year?? Im just disappointed in myself that I didn't have time to look into this in more depth before we came out ( moved house in England and renovated👎) Anyway onwards and upwards I'm looking more into obtaining a licence through NZ than transferring over to QLD licence (equivalent to a electrical mechanic licence), I knew before I came it would be a struggle for first few months and Brisbane doesn't have many jobs like Syd or Mel (wife prefers warmer climate😀) but will still persist in finding work here. Thank you for advice it's much appreciated 👍

old.sparkles

I don't have experience of the QLD system. Here in Adelaide, you complete the first part of the gap training with the RTO, who also later sign off your log book. I'm sure it's been mentioned on here before that the gap training cost is around $2500 to $3k (cost here in Adelaide was covered by migrant services, but I Google'd and it doesn't seem like you have anything similar.) Period of supervision varies here with the variety of work you can do. I managed to get my log book signed off in 3 months as my employer ensured I got a good variety, but I am industrial electrician carrying out maintenance, repair and improvements. As for how long it takes - that's not a new change. Nor is the cost.

Sorry I missed the bit about the supervisor for QLD license, but you have only been in Australia a little over a month - most guesstimates for finding work would be at least 3 months as hiring process is generally not quick. Again, on seek look for employers advertising direct. Find your local wholesalers and hang out down there. Don't just send resume's to companies - turn up on their doorsteps and see if they can use a second pair of hands. What type of electrical work do you do?

liamjd76

Hi old sparkies, I will start ringing advertisers directly and once I get a car I will start going to wholesalers and making myself a nuisance � ���� I've already spent 6k in total in getting a PR Visa and an OSTR(Future Skills Aus) through a migrant agency I'm a bit reluctant to spend out a further 3k � ���� but understand. I've done a wide range of work from Industrial(Quarry work) to commercial, domestic, and building maintenance engineer, my preferred role would be Install. Thank you. Liam � ����

old.sparkles

Yep, I understand the cost - I think I racked up around £20k all in all with assessment, visas, shipping, etc and getting settled. Trade assessments are the most expensive to begin with without the added cost of gap training.

When I say apply to adverts where the employer is advertising direct, this is the sort of ad - https://www.seek.com.au/job/33503263...55333&ref=beta
Don't know if you have already applied, but if the type of work suits, go for it.

One other thing, if you do get in touch with RTO, they may be able to help with the job hunting.