rexlion

Hi was it worth the move and do you have a good standard of living.
What part of Oz do you live in???????????? and are the wages good?

paula&lee

Hi

My oh lee is plumber/gas fitter - early days for us been in Adelaide 3 months now

so far so good, bit difficukt to get a licence tho- lee has been iss'd with provenisonal licence so can work for a company direct or under a name , we have just brought a franchise ' the tap doctor ' and starts mon with his first job !

We have 3 kids and the life style so far is pretty good compared to where we left, but if you want a sunnier england you are not gonna get that here, some things are better some worse and some things more expensive !

But overall in the short time we have been here we know if was defo the right move - so many more opportunties

Good luck

Paula

paulhill

Hi,

My friends husbands are plumbers and from what they say the wages are terrible compared to the UK and basically you have to retrain! Also you need a licence which I difficult to get and timely. Dont come here for the money but the better lifestyle.

Hope this helps.

Dan the Plumber

Hi Rex,
There has been so much discussion about licences etc I guess it comes down to where you want to go in Oz as all states have different rules. I got my licence in Perth in 2003 and all it was was a one day course! This gave me a Tradesmans licence where I could only work for someone under a Plumbers licence. Will get Plumbers licence when we return next year, don't know what that entails but guessing it can't be that hard! Haven't got my Gas here but wouldn't matter there (in Perth at least) as it's not recognised but its only an 80 hour course to do it anyway.
Wages are generally crap working for someone else, but self employed the average is between $60 - $80 hour so pretty good. You have to learn their way of doing things as they only use oxy to solder, but I would say the plumbing systems there are so simple compared to here. Also the use of speedfit seems to be more and more popular too (dunno if thats good or bad!)
Anyway best of luck!
Dan
have a look at - www.mpaskills.com.au

Catch

,

to work for yourself in WA you need a contractors licence,first you have to pass 2 buisness courses , then you have to pass 3 modules,drainage sanitation and water supply, this will involve 400 hours at tafe.For a tradesman licence it is a weeks fulltime course,which is pretty intense but everyone passed ok.The gas has recently gone from a 3 week course to a 6 week course.I personally will not bother doing the contractors licence,after hearing how tough it is to pass.my young mate at work said last year only 17% passed it and they were all fresh faced aussie plumbers.The work here is much different here than uk all silver soldered ,mostly flared joints not compression . Also too much digging if you get with the wrong company .The money on wages here is not brill but there is plenty of work around if you fancy a change .Pm me for any advice

Bobcat

It was very much worth the move.............. no complaints whatsoever.

Did plumbing up the mines here in WA up the Pilbara for the first 15 months (had to work under a licensed plumber because Advanced City & Guilds not recognised).

Got a phone call from my mate in Blackpool who I had worked on a diamond mine with in Namibia prior to coming to Perth. He offered me a job in Gassi-touill as a pipefitter and it paid 4 times the Aussie wages and was tax-free, with frequent R & R flights thrown in for good measure! Needless to say; as quick as a flash I was over in Algeria slinging pipes earning film star wages tax-free.

It was a chancer's paradise over there so I was able to get our kid on as a painter......... despite the fact he had never held a paint brush in his life before! Once he had saved up enough spondoolies the two of us came over to Oz and back to civilisation.

Our kid got on the same minesite I was on as a TA in Paraburdoo; the same mining company sent me up to their copper mine in Papua New Guinea as a plumber and we spent 10 years up there; and would still be there now had war not broke out and the mine not been forcibly closed down by the terrorists........ or freedom fighters ....... depending from which angle you want to view it?

No regrets whatsoever about coming down-under!! It's magic

Catch

this makes good reading you sound like indiana jones anyone with doubts about comming here just read this thread and start your own adventure

tallboy21

what it needs is a plumbers forum, because the same questions come up again & again.
the sparkies have got one so why cant we have one ?

ive been here nearly 2 years & still have not got a full plumbing licence, but i managed to get a full gas licence so got my contractors licence with that, still trying to do the courses but find them hard work as i hate theory.

ive been told by peer tech that they are going to set a course up just like the sparkies one & ill think ill wait for that which they reckon they will have up & running by christmas

stil better than living in england

Bobcat

It wasn't all good............... one of my plumber/static plant operators went in to do a Sunday shift as per normal............ real nice guy........ family man with heaps of kids.... not one iota of trouble from him ever. The original all round good guy........ as soon as my wife got her visa and was able to join us on the island...... he was one of the first round to our place to bring a housewarming gift. A magic bloke!!

Case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time........... He'd gone up to the Birempa Sewage Treatment Plant on the Port Mine Access road halfway up to Panguna to do his maintenance check and to change a chlorine bottle.....

'Jordy' was an Awi....... a Highlander from up Mt Hagen way..... and local tribesmen lay in wait and the bastards killed him....... he had 15 or 16 arrows in his torso so he was dead anyway............ but they weren't content with that! The cowardly pack had to hack his arms and legs off with their machetes.....?

We had 10 fantastic years up there......... our three boys were born in Arawa. It was a great place but marred by events like that. The AUSTRALIAN mining company was in the wrong for the way they treated the villagers with contempt. They paid them beads and trinkets while they raped and pillaged the land........ and made mega million bucks in the process. But poor Jordy wasn't to blame for the fish dying........ or the wildlife leaving...... or the tailings poisoning everything........?

The AUSTRALIAN mining company was 100% responsible for that happening :curse: so why did the 'local' Bougainvilleans (who believe it or not....... are normally real nice placid people) have to take it out on our good mate Jordy Vessome ???? RIP

rexlion

how long does it take to get your gas licence, do you have a organisaion like corgi or institute of plumbing
thank for all your help

Bobcat

It's a great pity you guys don't have someone Like Bev on this site in the Australian section???

She has been a godsend to plumbers/gas-fitters venturing out to the land of the long white cloud!!! Anything would-be plumbers going to New Zealand need to know........ Bev tells them like it is and there's not a lot she doesn't know about her husband's profession. In comparison........ all the Aussie would-be plumbers get re advice about the industry is the odd snippet or two........ albeit useful info ......... but nothing compared to what Bev informs New Zealnd bound tradesmen/tradeswomen???

This is one of Bev's posts to a plumber seeking relevant info :-


"Kia Ora and welcome to this forum.

Are you hoping to emigrate or come out for a couple of years to see if NZ is for you. Are you coming with family?

"When did you gain your C&G ? Do you have the old-fangled C&G certificate 1 and also certificate 2 which is the advanced certificate which would have the three components on it.
Or do you have a later C&G. If so, what level please?
Are you a time-served tradesman with a three or four year apprenticeship under your belt or did you receive your training in another way.

When you say you have ACS, I take it you have your core gas and perhaps some other modules like heaters etc. Are you CORGI registered ? Do you hold a current CORGI card?


Which work visa you apply for will depend on whether you wish to remain and settle or simply just to work here for a few years.
Also, which visa you would chooose depends on what qualifications you have in your trade.

My husband is a UK C&G plumber gasfitter. C&G 1 and 2 [ advanced] with a four year apprenticeship. He held ACS core gas and lpg core plus 8 modules. He has been in the trade for over 30 years. We have lived in New Zealand for 3 years. He is currently an NZ registered plumber & looking to become an NZ craftsman plumber
.
We emigrated here and came over as skilled migrants. We gained points for my husbands UK qualifications and bonus points for the plumbing trade being on the log term shortage list with the New Zealand Immigration Service. We also gained points as my husband had an NZ job in plumbing to come to.
We did not start our emigration process straight away. The NZ employer wanted my husband to start work soon as possible and we needed to sell our house. So, we applied for a work visa first and once in New Zealand we started the emigration paperwork.

THere are no shortage of jobs for plumbers in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Immigration Service [NZIS] have lists which state all the skills which New Zealand needs more of.
There are two lists.

Long Term Shortage list - Plumber is on that
Immediate Shortage List - Gasfitter is on that.

If you are a fully qualified UK plumber , then that would be the trade skill to emigrate on.

With New Zealand Immigration, it is getting an NZ job offer first before you are issued with a work visa. Many people think it is the other way around.You cannot get a work visa without a job offer.

If you are looking to emigrate, then it is about how many points you have and whether your qualifications and work experience are wanted by New Zealand. Plumber is very much wanted. Gasfitter to a lesser degree.
If you want to emigrate and have the qualifications and work experience PLUS you also have an NZ job to come to , then you are in clover .

The plumbing , gasfitting and drainlaying trade in New Zealand is regulated by the Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying Board of New Zealand. PGDB. You are not allowed to work at the trade without a licence and the PGDB issue the licenses. There are several levels of licence.
To be seen as fully qualified New Zealand plumber or gasfitter, you will be required to sit exams . If you are thinking of becoming self-employer at the trade then that is a further two exams, one of which is a business paper. Until you sit the exams, you can work at the trade under a Limited licence.

Whether you wish to emigrate or just work in New Zealand for 2/3 years, your trade qualifications will need to be assessed under the ANZRA agreement. NZIS [ New Zealand Immigration Service] will want to know that you are skilled in your trade and to what level.

NZQA - New Zealand Qualification Authority , assess overseas qualifications.

For the plumbing trade though, it is the PGDB that would assess your qualifications. NZIS accept the decision of the PGDB and NZQA.

Rates of pay vary. I've known plumbers on just $17.50 an hour. $25 is more reasonable.

Some plumbing and gasfitting aspects do , of course, differ from the UK as you would expect. There is little reticulated gas here. If you want to work on that , then your choice of locations in NZ will be limited. Mostly gas is bottled.
Some say that the plumbing here is 30 years behind the times. My husband finds some of the methods old-fashioned and some make him smile but overall, he says ,plumbing is plumbing. You just have to get into the NZ way .

They use crox tools here and braze joints. Little in the way of fittings is used. Oxy-acetylene is the norm. Boss white wasn't seen three years ago, but it was shown to my husband a couple of months back at the plumbers merchants - new in ! They don't use it though as many don't trust it.
Water pressures are different here of course and pipe sizes also.

There are some companies operating in New Zealand that install central heating,if that is the line of work you are into. Not many ,but they are out there.
My husband works on new-build houses . Houses here are timber framed.

Take a good look around the PGDB web site. [click the link] Read the newsletters. Look at the exam questions and answers to give you some insight.

Also ONGAS.

Come back to us with your thoughts and we will point you in the right direction to get you started."

What a magic response eh.......

I've been out of the plumbing/pipe-fitting game now for far too long to offer any useful advise.......... but if it's real estate in Perth you want to know about.......... well that's a different story?
__________________
Gazee, gazaa, gazoo.

kez81

The wages are better if you sub contract or do your own work which requires a license, working for a company they can vary but the most i think would be $25 a hour.

it is a hassle to obtain a licence but not impossible different states have different ways i would find out all the info before you arrive so your prepared.

Brigall

I had a CORGI registered and Electrical company in the UK full ACS's in Domestic and Commercial plus LPG does not mean a thing here in WA. I had to sit a 3 day trade test calculating bend radius and throat angles of pipes, from a drawing then draw out a template and bend the pipe to fit. Flare joints and also oxy weld. Make a gas flue from a flat sheet of galv plate and a lead upstand.

May sound awarkd but the TAFE staff assist you.

Then done a 3 week course for my gas licence. Was also asked by TAFE if I would be intrested in teaching, as they are short of gas staff. Plenty of work around but money less than UK.

rocket01

http://www.payscale.com/research/AU/...ng/Hourly_Rate

pajones

Hi, I am a plumber and have recently moved to WA (living in Mullaloo) and the information I have been given seems to vary a lot. At first i was told that I could work as a plumber, without obtaining a licence, so long as i worked for someone who was licenced. I have also been told that I should not do any plumbing work until I have my licence. It seems that I could get a job as a TA, but would have to apply for my licence in order to stay employed. Do you know what the course for Migrant Plumbers is like? I was horrified to find out that I would have to travel to Fremantle for 13 weeks in order to complete it and at 45 years old, I hate the thought of college work anyway. I struggled doing my Corgi course in Britain, but passed OK in the end. What kind of work is involved in the Oz course? Is it mostly theory? I am really nervous about going through with all of this, and I am seriously thinking about changing my career. If you can give me any words of encouragement, I would be grateful.
Paul