stu:0

It makes you laugh dont it, they make so much fuss about you working over there and it sounds like the standard of work aint to clever???

steve`o

most of em dont know and would know m.i if you slapped em round the head with it

get your hands on a copy of the regs mate from sai global in pdf form
you`ll need regs 3000 3008 3017 3018 they realy are similar to bs 7671

Wendy

That's funny, that's just what G said as well

tony_russell

Mate i remember working in St Vincents hospital in Sydney 10 yrs back and they were taping singles into looms and slinging them over ceiling voids with no containment at all!! Always makes me laugh when you hear Aussie sparks banging on about how great their standards are! We got a couple working for us in London, Give em a bit of 25 galv conduit, lol, watch em struggle and as for SWA, jokers, rough as a badgers arse.

stu:0

Im begining to build a big picture here of oz sparkys and it aint a good un. I'l not knock em though till iv got out there and seen it for meself!
Its the little wee plastic bags with cable connections in that stevo was on about thats got me worried whats that all about????

steve`o

Ive also seen the singles lashed in over false ceiling
o and they let you use sdi cables here to single double insulated for strappers etc no earth mmmmmm

thewoodz

hey steve'o
how long have u been over there? i ask as MrW was wondering how you find working in the humidity? we are planning on being in queensland the middle of the year, we have our visas and we are just waiting for the house to sell.
thanks for your link to the ARTC - i didn't realise we could apply before we left the UK.
regards

stu:0

Im hitting cairns in june with me girlfriend, dont think it gets more humid than there! Im in touch with a sparky from cairns and he said you soon get used to it. I think the good thing is going middle of the year is winter so it gives you time to get used to the temp/humidity.

thewoodz

love your avatar
i think he is hoping that as well as he really likes the look of queensland. my mother used to live in Oz and she said the one place she would choose to live if she went back would be cairns!! she adored the place
we haven't decided anywhere specific yet - we keep throwing them at the dart board but nothing stuck yet

stu:0

I cant wait to get over there and make a start. My girlfriend wants eventually to move down to Noosa just up from Brisbane, she fell in love with it when she was over there a few years ago. The whole place looks great to me! Thats nice to here what your mother said about Cairns.
Wasnt sure if me avater was a little to naughty, made me chuckle when i found it!

jmistry

Hello
I've been on and off on this forum for a while, I applied 10 yrs ago but cicumstances changed and visa's lapsed but I still have the Elec Mech assesment from the TRA from last time, and thinking of applying again, my only worry is I have hit 40 and thinking I may have missed the boat a bit,I'm a maintenance elec since apprentice and thinking sydney NSW area but heard that the wages comparison with the uk is not as good ie $25 per hr compared with £12 to £15 an hr?
Anyone got any comments?

stu:0

Hi mate,
thought i may as well give you a shout. Im off to cairns in june, got friendly with a guy who is over there. He says there is plenty of work, well there is as far as domestic stuff goes. As far as money goes he says its around $20-$23 an hour till u'v got ur ticket then you looking at $25-$30. It is less than over here. It is gona be a shock going from £12 an hour to around £8 to start with but hey think of the sunshine
I think Wendy's fella is in maintenance so she'l prob give you an idea. Im maintenance meself but im just gona try get back to domestic stuff out there.
Stu

Wendy

If you have an ARTC certificate then there shouldn't be any need to re-apply, so you'll save yourself $300 there.

My hubby works in maintenance still here. In the UK his salary was 25,000 per year, here it is $56. I find we are better off with $56k here than we were in the UK, but then that's probably due to the fact all our bills have been paid off and we haven't got any here.

There is also a lot more overtime for him here, so in reality we are looking at around $65 - $70k a year take home pay.

The factory where hubby works have shut down's where all the staff get a week off, except the maintenance guys who work 12 hours a day while they are shut. Some really good money to be had if you're willing to work for it. (well I say work, it's more just turning up really! )

There is also such a shortage of people who will work shifts and overtime, so these jobs are quite easy to come by.

This is in South Australia, I don't know about NSW, but I'd guess that the cost of living is a lot more there. We are looking to buy a house just now and can get a fairly big 3/4 bed house with rumpus room, huge garden etc for about $230k

jmistry

Hello
Thanks for the replies Stu o and wendy the other thing is I went over xmas for hols (my brother is there) and did like the place but found the cost of living similiar to the uk and with the lower wages just wondering how I would manage?

stu:0

Hi mate, i think if your thinking of going to Sydney that seems to be the most expensive place in oz so i would say you wont be as well off. I guess alot of it is down to what you want out of life. If your still into party'n all the time then yes you'l prob be skint all the time. If you want to just chill a little more you'l prob be fine. Iv hit 30 now, all me mates are settled down and think its time for me to do the same but i fancy doin that somewhere nice and hot! Dont get me wrong i still like a pint!
Stu