sparkyjames

Hey guys,

So i've got the OTSR out of the way and now for the long and winding road to become a licensed Electrician in Australia.

Firstly I've just had a read through the different licences. I know that I'm applying for a resticted license but i'm not sure which one. Electrical mechanic seems to be the most fitting but i've never worked on overhead power line... Any suggestions?

Secondly where do I go from here? I need to gap training but who with and for how long? Is there anyone in QLD who's been through the process and can give me some guidance? Also is there any loop holes I should be aware of?

Any help would be awesome.

Cheers

derren7

Hi James,
Congratulations on getting your OSTR.
I went through my gap training, here in Brisbane, last year and was granted my electrical mechanic's licence in November.
I paid $1500 to do a correspondence course with Queensland Electrical Training (QET) which is basically a 1 man band run by Chris Williamson who used to work on the Queensland Licencing Board.
Alongside this I had to find a job and fill in a logbook for 4 months and have it signed weekly by my supervising spark.
This was done having an ARTC. As you have an OTSR I think you may need to do more coursework (at more cost) and maybe fill in the logbook for a longer period of time.
In any event I would contact Chris at QET, www.qet.edu.au
Chris is very helpful and knowledgeable.
Also, a word of warning, things are very slow here at the moment and finding a job will be difficult. I was out of work for about 3 months and I sent my resume to at least a hundred companies as well as cold calling before I landed a job. Even with an unrestricted licence it's still hard to find a job.
And another thing, once you've completed your training then you will have to complete a first aid course (CPR/LVR) before your licence is issued and this must be done every 6 months thereafter.
Any questions, feel free to ask
Regards Derren

Jamieon

OTSR is a complete waste of time as it is nearly impossible to get employed with a restricted license. Work isn't as plentyfull as your here from the storys back in home so i recommend you sort it out before you come over. The other bad thing is that when you going down the OTSR route to gain your A grade your cant change your mind and go the ATRC route.
Did you do your OTSR with future skills through the TEEU by any chance??

sparkyjames

Hey all,

thanks for all your detailed responses. I am enrolling in my Tafe coarse today and already have a sponsorship through my employer so its all looking good.

Just one more quick question, what details were required for the log book? Tafe are being a little vague.

Thanks again
Sparkyjames

derren7

Hey mate,
When I did my log book, I was told to buy an ordinary school exercise book and fill it in and get it signed off weekly.
When I filled it in, I included the dates worked, the company I was working for, and the address of the location I was working at. Then, I gave a brief description of the type of work I was doing, i.e. "working in commercial new build installation that is intended for use as shops and offices".
Then, I went into detail of the type of work I did, i.e,

. installed 100M 20mm MD conduit
. installed 100M 300mm cable tray
. installed 500M 2.5mm Twin & Earth cable
. installed 25 x 10A 2 gang GPOs
. connected 10 x 20A power circuits to circuit breakers in 3 phase switchboard

and on and on. I think you should start to get the picture.
Also, I bought two books. One to use on a daily basis, as a rough guide to what I did, and obviously the other to write neatly at the end of the week. Get a supervising spark to sign it off weekly, and make sure he writes down his/her licence number.
This is how I did mine, and Chris at QET was happy with it but you may want to press with TAFE to see if they're happy with this format.
Another piece of advice Chris gave me was that the work had to be varied, it couldn't just be solar or any other specialization.
By the way, where are you working? I am in Brisbane and I've been out of work since Xmas. Is your company based in Brisbane and are they looking for sparks.
Regards , Derren

sparkyjames

Hey mate,

Thanks for the quick reply and the details on the logbook, was exactly what I was looking for.

I'm actually based up in cairns so can't help you on the job front. Hope you find something soon...

SparkyJames

Eltonb

Hi dudes

I am also going through the otsr route and doing my assessment in Brisbane with future skills at the end of the month, I am doing this as my artc got declined after tech interview (bull s''t) . I am currently living in Vic with full time job and my company will sponsor me but until I get a restricted licence they can not sponsor me. Who did you do your assessment with ??