jstaines

Self employed plasterer seeks work in Aus, don't mind where, we have no ties. Anyone have any suggestions where we should base our search+ any tips/advice on securing/searching for employment b4 we go? Any ideas what the wages r like for this type of work??
appreciate your help, thanks

WS

Do you already have a visa with work rights?

jstaines

not as yet, its just early days at mo, wondering how easy it would be for him to get work over there

Dorothy

You will need to work on the visa before you can work on the job side of things. Start by taking a look at www.immi.gov.au for what visa you could qualify for. Also check out the requirements for TRA to have your skills assessed. You will need that in order to qualify for a visa. Once you know whether or not you can get a visa you can start looking at www.seek.com.au or www.careerone.com.au for jobs.

jstaines

Hi, thanks for that. ive gone through our visa options and checked our points rating etc, seems that his skills are in demand and ive tried contacting TRA to find out about skills assessment, but no reply as yet.

Dorothy

They probably won't reply to you. To write your TRA, go on the website and download the forms and start gathering information. Pretend you are explaining your job to me and I have never heard of plastering. Tell me step by step what you have to do to be a plasterer (what you do every day), right from mixing compounds by measuring the correct amounts to what grit of sandpaper you use to do finish work. The TRA is the hardest bit, but once you get through that you're sailing.
My husband's TRA for engineering electronics was almost 100 pages long. He went into details including the heads on the screwdrivers he used to open control panels. As far as TRA are concerned, there is never too much information.
There is a building boom on in South Australia at the moment and yesterday they announced another deposit of uranium was discovered in SA so more jobs and housing needs in the future. It has a fairly low cost of living compared to the other states, but Adelaide is very small. I think you will find there is demand for qualified tradesmen all over the country. Do check out seek and careerone for where the most jobs seem to be. And don't forget that for every job advertised there are probably 10 more that are not.
If you want help with the TRA stuff, just shout.

jstaines

Thank you so much for your advice. Ive looked through the visa application form and it asks for relevant experience in the job for the past 18 months; howwever, the TRA website says 6 years experience - this could be a problem for us as he's only been self employed in this trade for 3 years. Would that count against us or would we be "fast-tracked" because his skills are in demand? Don't want to fall at the first hurdle!!

Dorothy

If he's not got formal qualifications then he will need longer in the trade to qualify for his TRA. There is no fast track unfortunately. Either they say you are qualified or not qualified. What you have to remember is that TRA and the visa are two totally separate entities. You have to pass your TRA to apply for a visa, but they have different criteria.
Your best option is to speak to an agent who deals with TRA issues. Glenn Newton has been mentioned by another agent as being a TRA specialist. You can google him. It will be worth the money you spend to know whether you are wasting your time. If he says wait another 3 years then it's only 3 years. Think of it as time to do your house up nicely for the sale, let your family get used to the idea you plan to emigrate, etc.

jstaines

thanks, ive tried glenn newton actually, but not heard anything back from him yet.does that mean that even tho his skills are in demand and his points came out at 130, if the TRA insist on 6 yrs experience, his visa application would be rejected? To be honest, I thought it would have worked the other way round - you apply for visa first. Glad ive cleared that one up! Oh, by the way I did hear back from the TRA, they refered me to their website but didn't say anything about his length of service

Dorothy

Yes, even if you have 130 points on your online assessment, if you don't pass the TRA you can't apply for a visa. Having your skills assessed is the first step.

amoverit

If i were you i would come over first and check it out. There is a lot of building work up here in the gold coast but the build quality is very inferior compared to that in the UK. It also gets very hot and humid in the summer, a lot of the time its too hot to work without aircon. You could try Melbourne but this defeats the point of moving to Australia. Im not trying to put you off just think it a good idea to try it first, if you haven't already done so that is. Ive made a big mistake coming to live here 18 months ago and should be back in the UK for summer. Can't bloody wait. Oh and if you do come out leave your stuff at home for a while incase you change your mind.
Good luck..

herveypom

Hi

My family and I have been over here for over 2 years now and will never go back to the UK.

Yes it is hot and humid in the summer and the further North you go the hotter and more humid it becomes. Queensland is one of the fastest growing States and the south east corner (Brisbane/Gold Coast) is growing quickly and there is building all year round not just in the summer. The work ethic here is different than the UK - if its too hot then they do not work. Just go to the beach.

It all depends on what you want from your move over here.

Go for it and good luck with your skills assessment and visa application.

Wendy

Hi

You don't say if you have a qualification in your trade. The criteria to apply to the TRA is 4 years if you have served a formal apprentiship, 5 years if it was informal and 6 years if you haven't done either (7 years if Electrical).

Full details can be seen here:

http://www.workplace.gov.au/NR/rdonl...ia4Oct2006.pdf


Once you qualify for the TRA you will then need to satisfy the recent work experience for the visa application.

I'd never visited Australia before we migrated and I too would never go back (not even for a holiday ). The summers in South Australia can get pretty hot and it's not humid at all here very often. Then again I was freezing when we arrived last winter but we did live on the coast.

amoverit

Hi mate
I totaly agree with you,but didn't sagest that there is only work here in the summer and did promote the gold coast to get building work.
I've not yet been sent home due to high temperatures but am aware of this.
I just dont want people to make the same mistake i did, that is to think the grass is greener.
Im glad you and your fam are happy here and wish i could say the same.
Generally most people seem to be happy here especially families with children.
Im not in the building trade but im a qualified mechanic, got a job here as vehicle customizer (converting American vehicles to comply with Au design rules) considering i was over qualified for this job i was treated like an apprentice and got payed less than younger inexperienced staff.

jstaines

Hi, thanks for your help. as hubby only been working 3 yrs self employed, looks like we have another 3 yrs to wait. I'm gutted!!! do you know anything about the "pool" mark for visas? I spose we'd have no chance of getting over sooner by just sitting and waiting in the pool? At moment we have no plans to visit to see if it would suit us, ive just always had a gut feeling thats what i'd want to do. Maybe I have got a case of "grass is greener" but im sure we'd have a better quality of life, especially for our kids.