Shadwell

Hi,

I am currently looking at emigrating and understand that there is a large demand for skilled labour such as bricklayers, but when you search the jobs on the internet there never seems to be any vacancies so i was wondering whether it is all just a myth.

The areas we like the look of are Adelaide and Brisbane....has anyone got any experience of what the real situation is on the ground rather than the media hype surrounding plumbers in the UK

Also do schools have educational support staff. My wife is an ECO, which an educational care Officer who helps statemented kids who are dyslexix, dyspraxic, etc (hope I spelt those correct)

In UK they are low paid and not recognised very well (suprise, surprise). Is there a different attitude in Australia?
Thanks for any feedback.

Stoney

Hi Shadwell,
I am currently living in Mandurah which is about 80km south of Perth , the west australian newspaper and the Mandurah Mail are always stocked with bricklayers jobs paying up to $250 per day, hope this helps.

Shadwell

Thanks for that Stoney as no one else has responded

wombat

hi shadwell,
i do the same job as your wife and my husband is a brickie ! we are moving to brisbane in june (hopefully)
my cousin is living on the gold coast said there is plenty of work for bricklayers there and they earn around $800 - $850 a week.
lucy

paulf

Bricklayers skilled???????????
Let me see one lay an egg

Shadwell

Hi Lucy,

Are you hoping to get work as an ECO out in Brisbane, or do you need a certificate or licence for that profession in Oz.

Has your husband got a job set up, or is he just going to grab one when he gets out there.

How did you score on the points system....did they recognise your job as an ECO as a skill they want to import, or was it mainly on your husbands profession that the main scores were scored?

Regards,

Shadwell

Shadwell

Paul,

Do you want the egg laid in stretcher bond, Flemish or English Garden bond? Straight, flat, horizontal, plub, curved wall. With arch or without, within the 2-3 mm tolerances...............need I continue??

dotty

You probably wont use much fancy brickwork in OZ, more like slap um up quick as poss, little boxes all the same.

All building related trades in OZ tho require skills or rather qualifications, licence, registration and insurance , ABN etc, before anyones going to let you on a site.

Do a search on words like Bricklaying, licence, Building Services Authority. Nice money for OZ very hard work in this climate tho.

Therese

My husband is a bricklayer, he didn't bother with the adverts in newspapers as they were all taken before he managed to contact the person advertising the job, seems like they take the first one to call, job agencies were no good, so he just rang a few names in the telephone book under bricklayers and got loads of replies, fortunately the one he is working for is great, loads of work, works mon-sat and gets paid well (even though he has to pay his own tax), Sydney pays the best wages for bricklayers, the down side is he has to get up at 5:30 am and they work very very hard.

wombat

hello shadwell,
we applied for our visa with my husband as the main applicant, my job didn't come into it. He is just going to look for a job when we get there but i might send my cv out to a few schools before we go.
Here is a link to the Queensland gov education website it may be of some use to your wife http://education.qld.gov.au/:)
lucy

Stoney

What a load of absolute tosh, misinformation is a danger on this site, Licence, Insurance and registration are only necessary if you are starting up a business not if you work for somebody, having an ABN can help you get work with some subcontractors
I was told all this before I came and its not true everywhere
no body I know has ever been asked for qualifications, its a case of "if you can do it the jobs yours"
Out of 40+ bricky ads in tonights West Australian only about half a dozen specify ABN holders,
Alls it takes to get an ABN is a phone call or you can do it online, you just have to have a taxfile No. but everyone needs that.
Building trade jobs are easy to pick up here in WA.
Working in 35deg + heat is a damn site easier than freezing your nuts of or working in constant drizzle,
when it gets hot here we start at 6.00am and knock off at 2pm so that leaves plenty of time to cool off at the beach.
Posters like Dotty just want to piss on your bonfire with half truths.
If you want info about the building trade dont listen to someone sat on their arse in an airconditioned house with nowt else better to do than try and sound clever cos they live here.

Shadwell

Stoney,

Thanks for that. I suppoose in 35 degree heat the mortar must set as soon as it hits the bricks

No chance to 'coax' it back into plumb with a spirit level and gentleman's persuader (hammer!) after 10 minutes?

Is it almost too hot to work out there on site or do you get chance of some shade?

Shadwell

Stoney

Hi Shadwell,
Take plenty of water with it ...... the mortar that is.
It doesnt have the same trowel life as in the UK but wet everything down all the time and it helps.
You are right after 10 mins its just about solid but that helps if you want to lash a high wall or pillar up (no sinking)
It is hot but its better than cold and wet anytime (for me anyway),
as far as shade is concerned most work is out in the open but get a wide brimmed hat as big as your pride will let you and plenty of water containers, builders here only get a bit twitchy about the heat when its over 37 degrees and most will knock off early if you are out in the open.

jopaulss

Your lucky then stoney paul starts at 6.00 and doesnt finish until at least 4 , he said its not easy working in heat at all he finds somedays harder than others , especially the other day in land it was 45 degrees , he said it nearly killed him !!!!!!!
Joanne

Stoney

I'm sorry to hear about Paul Jo, maybe I have been lucky but I am only talking of my experiences.
Their seems to be so many Bricky jobs advertised daily maybe he could find a more sympathetic employer. most I have come into contact with crack open a carton of beer at the end of a long day and I dont know of any that would expect a 10 hour day in that heat. maybe they are a bit more laid back down here in Mandurah.