Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Hi, can anybody tell me if there are any Aussie based carpet fitters using
this forum?

Just trying to tap them for some info :thumbup:

Steve

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Assuming you are after info on job front.

Currently only these two positions going in Australia on Seek, and two in Seek NZ.


http://www.seek.com.au/users/apply/i...JobID=14467595
http://www.seek.com.au/users/apply/i...JobID=14268101

www.carpetcall.com.au
www.andersens.com.au
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=e...cr%3DcountryAU

Contact a few of these suppliers to see if the have anything going.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Cheers for the info.

Not looking for a job as such (already got one) but rather considering going back to the tools as a bit of a sideline, or as a fall back if the day job doesn't work out.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

We are in South Africa at the moment and leaving for the Sunshine coast next year on a Business visa..........our businesses are a carpeting company and a ceramic tiling company.Anyway we did extensive research last year in the Gold Coast,Sunshine Coast and Brisbane on Business opportunities for the flooring industry.The general concensus was that carpet fitters in particular are like hen's teeth-rare ! The ones that are around have so much work they can pick and choose and if the surf is up then committments were broken in favour of the beach !Basically,if you are keen to work,you could make a killing.Good luck

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Many thanks for that. This is the impression I've got in the few carpet shops I've been into in Perth.
Would only be looking for 1 or 2 days work per week as I already work full time, but I would be interested to hear if the job over in Aus differs much from the UK.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Things have slowed considerably in the last 6 months or so. Blokes from the Sunny coast are now traveling as far as Bundaberg to the North & Brisbane to the South just to keep working. Builders are cutting their rates & many have stopped paying travel expenses.
I had a bloke ring me last week desperate for work, his rate with the builder he was working for on the coast was cut from $35 to $30. I'm finding that as things tighten up more & more blokes are going in at cost just to keep ticking over.
Now would be a good time to become a debt councilor or a repossession agent:(

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

I am a trained and experienced Flooring Installer/Carpet Fitter and at the beginning of the year I tried just about every carpet and flooring store in and arounf Brissie and Sydney trying to find one that was prepared to sponsor my visa in name only (ie no financial cost to them) and no-one was sufficiently interested so they can't be that rare!

We have now looking at the Perth area, but if anyone hears of a store (almost anywhere) looking for fitters I'd be really really grateful (if you know what I mean;)) if they could let me know!

and I'm not really into surfing either:)

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Hi,
It was my understanding that the fitters sub-contracted predominantly as opposed to being fully employed which is probably why you had difficulty in finding a sponsor.So,you would be your own boss in effect and work between shops and so pick and choose your workload.Best bet seems to be the PR route really but can't say for certain ?

www.carpetcourt.com.au is one franchise I can think of straight off !

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

That certainly is the case Shirlw, but PR is not the quickest or easiest route from what I can tell, plus it would be nice to have work lined up on arrival!

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Its that F--kin wanted down under program again aint it
a member of BEP has told it as it is but it just goes over there heads:eek:

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Explain please?

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Good luck Treganin.....

Also interested in what that comment was supposed to mean Hotton ??

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

My brother in law is based in Brisbane Alex hills he is a Carpet fitter
and has been in the uk and Queensland ,he earns a living,only Due to the
slowdown in the building industry and in general he does not have work
comeing out of his ears He has established contacts through good
work and long term contacts WORK HAS SLOWED DOWN :huh:

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Yes that's quite accurate, very few shops in the built up areas have a full time fitter. Quieter rural places do tend to have them though.
I occasionally install for the mob you mention above, not often as their rate is probably the lowest in town.
The trouble with a place like the Sunshine Coast is that there are several large well established retailers: Solomons, Norm Evans, Neuendorfs, Andersen's & Carpet Choice. Each shop have their favorite installers & it's very difficult to gain an inroad both as a recent migrant and as a non Australian.
We arrived at a time when the place was booming & managed to get a few jobs from one or two of the above. We were cheap, efficient, punctual and neat & tidy yet only one stuck with us with regular work when things slowed down, it definitely wasn't pick & chose even in boom time.
A lot of the other guys we know are struggling down there, the local Cash Converters store {pawn broker}has plenty of carpet fitting & tiling tools on the shelves, a sure sign that blokes are struggling to find work & moving on to other forms of employment.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

One of the infamously stupid dream life downunder shows had carpet layers earning $180,000 a year.

I guess it was as realistic as the people on those shows flying round Sydney harbour in a helicopter as an example of day to day life in OZ:D

On the real side as others have pointed out anything construction has slowed down big time.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Yeah, I know about the programme and have in fact contacted the guy from the programme (really nice bloke and very helpful):thumbsup:

I am very realistic about my chances of finding employement in this field before arriving and have done my research and am equally realistic about how much I could and probably will earn. Have NO exectations of earning anywhere near that figure, beside my knees wouldn't let me!

I was recently offered a very good position with a company north of Perth, but unfortunately the economic downturn and the effects on the building trade and their sales meant that they had to retract the offer, so it was back to the drawing board:curse:

Thanks Shirlw much appreciated.

Hotton, I still don't understand! Are you suggesting that I only want to emmigrate to the otherside of the world because of one TV programme? Just how ****ing stupid do you think I am? That I would do no research and go entirely on the word of one completely biased and one sided TV show?

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Not sure what wanted down under has to do with my original question :confused:

Just wanted some practical info regarding fitting over here

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

Just for your info

I called a carpet fitter who advertises in our local free paper a couple of weeks ago, just to get an idea on what fitters are charging here in Perth.
He quoted me $185 for a 4m x 5m bedroom, so $9.25 per square metre.

Spoke to the owner of a carpet shop in Joondalup at the weekend. He said
that fitters over here get paid by the linear metre rather than square metre.
He said his fitters average between 15 and 30 linear metres per day, depending on how much work they wanted and that he paid $25 per metre.

Now by my calculations, if his fitters are grafting and doing 30 metres per day 5 days a week over 48 weeks, thats $180,000 per annum.

I appreciate things are slowing down and this is bound to have an effect
on the amount of future work, but this is what I was told just a few days
ago.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

A different spin on those calculations: The two fitters get $25 per m or $12.50 each, they can get up to 30m per day, if they get lucky, though usually they only get 15. Your 180k suddenly became just 45k per annum.
It's no good basing calculations on the best probable outcome. If you can survive on the worst then anything else above is a bonus.
There are also the unforeseen dangers like having to spend all day avoiding the flying pigs.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

So are you saying that all carpet fitters work in pairs over here? if so, at last some practical info, which is all I looking for when I started the thread.

As far as the numbers go, he said he paid $25 per metre (linear) which is more than most places, so as to keep hold of good fitters.
He said some of his fitters worked 30m per day, whilst others only wanted 12m - 15m per day, so that's what he gave them.
Now of course, he may just have been feeding me bullshit, but I've no idea why that would be the case?

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

We as tilers often meet the carpet fitters on jobs, we're grouting off as they are nailing down smooth edge. They tend to be in either gangs of two or two & an apprentice. Sometimes as many as 5 turn up. That's only my experience though.

Re: Aussie based carpet fitters
 

On the avg new aussie house, 4 bed thingy around the 25 metres of carpet they send 2 guys, most of them are regular faces and seem to have been with the shops about 30 years:D Always 2 of them, but one guy we always requested would come with his apprentice son. Usually 2 days, SE and UL one day, carpet the next. Texture type patterns are very in here and the clients go furking nuts if every single tiny square and line does not match. Have seen some carpets done 3 times before the client is happy, they are right whingers here.

IF carpet layers really earnt 180,000 a year :rofl: there wouldnt be so many old guys working as fitters, they would have retired yonks ago.