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

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?

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

Just wanted some practical info regarding fitting over here

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 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 there wouldnt be so many old guys working as fitters, they would have retired yonks ago.