Any builders our there who can advise how my hubbie registers as a builder? He does roofing, carpentry, and bricklaying,(....and is never without work here... we are ex-directory because he could get so much work here!!!). he builds one-off houses and hopes to do the same in Oz.
He has a successful skills assessment through but we have heard registration can take quite a while when you arrive in Oz..........
What sort of time scale and exams are we talking of?
Also not sure where we want to settle, so would he have to do more exams and register again if we move later on to another state.....!!!!!!
I have 3 cousins in Melbourne who are builders and its tempting to stay there but we would prefer hotter weather in Brisbane, north Sydney or Perth.
P'haps we need to sort out where we want to live firstso we dont have to do the registration twice.
Any advice on different state systems please!!.

hi sherry, we live on the sunshinecoast 1 1/2 hrs north of brisbane. i`ve just sent my application in for a solid plasterers licence after six months of going through the requirements needed for it. you have to go on a business course no matter what license you go for & you have to get trade recognition in queensland which is a long process. then you will most likely be assessed by an assessor on site. i think if you go for a builders licence it could be longer because you would have to learn all there building regulations but which ever you do there will be someone to take money off you each step of the way. theres plenty of work up here & very few proper tradesmen, everyone seems to have picked up a trade as soon as the boom started. at the moment the climate`s good for working in becuase it`s winter, it gets to about 20-25 during the day and it hardly rains. summer can get uncomfortable to work in but you can always have a dip in the sea. if you need any more info feel free to ask. good luck

Reg builder here had lic for years so cant say this is all you would need now.

Qualified Trade papers from certified study board such as UNI/TAFE etc.

Management course

Health Safety course

Years of Australian building knowledge, in my case supervising.

Written and practical exams after further trade courses.

Very very extensive knowledge of every Australian regualtion there is.

Financial Criterea submitted and updated by Auditing Accountant anually.

Not an easy one to get, might be better to get trade lic see phils reply then experience then apply.

We have had successful TRA assessment and loads of refs from clients and house/commercial building projects we have managed. in the UK....
So will we still need a licence before we can start work in Oz in the building trade (on your own self employed).... or is it just for house builders and others earning over a certain amount???
Will it be Ok to work (esp.if theres so many bad trades people!!)while we get a licence?

What do you think of QSD as a place to live and build houses in? We have 3 children aged 9, 11 and 15.
Are house/land prices still rising or are they at their peak/falling ??
sorry for so many questions but we want to get it right!!
thanks for reading all this,
Sherie.

You will need Trade qualifications, not just experience.

For self employed you will need Trade quals, lic, registration, ABN etc

You might get a job working for another contractor as an employee without a lic, but building has slowed a bit plenty of qualified blokes to go around now.

Builders in all states have big competition from the project home builders, these guys mass produce big cheap housing a bloke on his own wont be able to match these prices, go for the specialised market, pole, split, steep, thats where the money is but its not easy work with incredible regualtons to build this type of stuff.

Spec work is getting difficult, Land costs are high, leaves litttle margin for the builder.

Prices have probably levelled off, you really need to study state to state and within that area to area, but you wont see the gains of last 2 years.

You really are going to need to know your Australian stuff to build here its totally different in all respects from the UK, I say this as an aussie who spent 8 years there.

What trade is your partner qualified in? it would help to know this then answers could be a bit more specific.

Qld is so regulated that you need a licence for every step of every trade like this. I went for a job at the Building Services Authority, and was totally stunned at the range of licences, and a lot of them have to be renewed yearly. You also need to keep them updated with change of circumstances, new addresses etc, otherwise your licence is null and void. Can't give you specifics, but it does sound like a minefield.
You also need licences if you are doing up a house yourself, if the renovations cost over a certain amount, so beware!! You can't do it up totally unregulated like you can in the UK.

I suggest you get in touch with the QBSA , and any other regulatory authority for your trade, and see what they can send you about the licences you will need.

www.bsa.qld.gov.au

Here in Australia your hubby will need to specialise as one trade. If he's worked at one trade for the last 6 years he can apply for a licence in that trade. It's a very long process [only due to the slack way the aussies officials do things]

1st] he will need to go to the DET department of education and training and pay them $300+ just to glance at his qualifications in the chosen trade. He will need 6 yrs experience min. C&G to advance craft or NVQ equiv. and refs from employers/customers.

2nd] If he satisfies the criteria for that trade he will then be appointed a skills assessor another $115 who will come and look at his work [if he can get any without a licence] minimum of 3 different jobs

3rd] He will need to then attend a 3 day business course [prior positive skills assessment necessary]

4th] He then pays another $405 for his licence in his chosen trade

If he wants a licence as a roofer, carpenter and Bricklayer repeat steps 1-4 as required but in each occupation he will need to prove 6 years experience in the recent past and it's kind of impossible to have worked at 3 trades full time.
Not trying to say it's impossible but they will ask how you could have been working as a chippy for the last 6 years and as a brickie simultainiously.

As far as a time scale is concerned I paid my fee to the DET in November and then waited until March when they got back to me with an assessor for tiling . He came to 3 jobs all in a morning on the day before Good Friday. I then waited another month for the certificate to say I was qualified . Presented that to the QBSA to attend a 3 day business course near me on 21-23 June waited another 2 weeks for that certificate to come through [during which time the price of the licence went up] I paid the cheque for the licence and presented all the documents the same day as the Certificate came. The cheque cleared 2 days later and I've still not got the bloody thing in my hand.
As the paperwork has gone through I can say that I'm a fully licenced tradesman though

PS Go Polly a human being in QBSA would make a nice change

Lots of cheaper, badly built houses in the Uk are built by large builders, we are not in that market, prefer to build one-offs, build to a high standard ...there's always a market for these.The main difference is there is plenty of land in oz...and it is still cheaper and easier to find land than here in the uk.
there will be differences, but we expect this. Read somewhere you can use references to get part of your registration, also 3 cousins (plasterers) in Vic are willing to help!!

We know there are lots of regs here so we expect to learn new regs there. Trained as a roof tiler and joiner but try to do most of the work ourselves ( to save on hassle and cost). Hubbie has managed multi-million pound building projects and carried out work on historic buildings so likes the challenge of learning new building techniques, it stops it gettin boring!!!
After getting all the paperwork for the TRA and visa sorted out, trade registration stuff shouldn't be too bad. If its related to the building business it will be of interest to him!!
At the end of the day he's done very well here and i'm sure he will do his very best to do well wherever!!!

Still waiting to hear on the last job i went for there, so I'll let you know.....
Quite flattering to be called a human instead of a witch for a change though!!!!

Your welcome your most holiness

Originally posted by cresta57
    >
    > PS Go Polly a human
being in QBSA would make a nice change

Still waiting to hear
on the last job i went for there, so I'll let you know.....
Quite
flattering to be called a human instead of a witch for a change
though!!!!:)


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Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Must admit you don't see many witches in Aus with M&S knickers.

one thing ive learn`t since being here is that what ever you have done in england doesn`t matter here, they do it their way & you have to change to their way of doing things. if you come to queensland your best getting an ABN number & working for a contractor in your trade as a sub-contractor. it doesn`t take long to learn the aussie ways of working in your trade but the rules & regulations are a different matter. the sunshine coast has become a very sought after place to live so the land prices have rose quite sharply. there are lots of expensive homes up here & every builder is building them & cheaper homes as well. we love the lifestyle & the climate here & even though house prices are cooling i can`t see a problem getting work. i talk to the builders that i am working for & they are booked up for 12-18 months ahead. don`t think you would have a problem here but be patient because things don`t happen fast in this neck of the woods

Do you have to go through this rigmarole for a Queensland Builders Licence if you already possess a Builders Licence issued in Adelaide??

We migrated here (Adelaide) 12 months ago and my husband has just passed his qualifications for his Builders Licence which we get next week. Would this be acceptable for the same licence up in Qld?

Thanks