The Westies

Hey been in queensland just over a year, struggling to settle even though it is a fab place, here on the sunshine coast.

Hubby is a carpenter and constantly looking for work but has found, attitudes towards english tradies very negative. Having spoke to a few tradies, they are coming up against the same. I understand things have slowed down but find the negativity has been in place for some time. All this has not helped, the settling in phase. Are there any others feeling the sameway?

Baby75

[QUOTE=The Westies;7337132]
Hey been in queensland just over a year, struggling to settle even though it is a fab place, here on the sunshine coast.

Hubby is a carpenter and constantly looking for work but has found, attitudes towards english tradies very negative. Having spoke to a few tradies, they are coming up against the same. I understand things have slowed down but find the negativity has been in place for some time. All this has not helped, the settling in phase. Are there any others feeling the sameway?[/QUOTE

we found the same, my dh couldn't find any work on the sunshine coast for a welder at all there for a few weeks. we did come home though. i loved Australia but love home more i couldn't settle,

I Lived in Maroochydore as well near chambers Island how is the slump in the economy going over there

I think with jobs being very hard to get now they are looking after their own first which is right in a way! but not for us expats trying to make a living

THORPES

Hi
We moved to gold coast on 25th jan and only stayed a month. my oh sent loads of cv's and went to loads of spray painting companies and was told nothing going. he did start at 2 jobs, 1st said full time and will earn $40 per hour after few months, ended up 20 hours per week for $18 with no chance of spraying.
2nd one again promised full time spray painting job but when he started, although full time hours, he was labouring until spray painting position came up. there were six other sprayers labouring waiting for a spray painting position. they needed 1 of the 3 sprayers to leave. Also he suffered verbal abuse as they told him they hated poms. not just banter, but wouldnt let him use the water machine as they didnt want poms to touch it, also wouldnt help him lift work and he had to struggle on his own.
In the end we decided kids had missed weeks of school and money was dwindling and oz didnt seem to give us any better life, in fact with family added, we think uk has far more to offer. We came home, glad we had tried oz but even more pleased it made appreciate uk more and glad to be a pom.
all the best
Jill
xxx

Petals

I feel for you and others may not agree with me but Queensland has always been difficult not just for migrants but for people from other States. Calling the Victorians Mexicans and the further you go out of Brisbane the harder it becomes I believe.

In and around Brisbane and the Gold Coast so many migrants and other state blow ins so not so noticeable.

Its sad when a dream goes bad and unfortunately in my view employers are saying they want skilled people but what they do not say is how much they are prepared to pay and what sort of work the skilled person will do it seems.

Health people have no problems but the trades are difficult and with contract employment being the ideal here in Aus I imagine it would be very hard to get a foothold.

I think joing the local clubs, RSL or the Lions Club is a good idea as you meet people and its often through word of mouth that good jobs are obtained.

This happened for me throughout my working life, it was not what you know but who you know. I remember in the 92 crash the solicitors firm I worked for went bad and I had to find a new job and it took me about a week, word of mouth and basic interview and started straight away.

I know that most of the trades people who live around me are working for themselves as contractors.

Good luck I hope that you can find something and its not just you its a lot of others, and its not all Queenslanders but there are some who go back generations and still resent other outsiders.

jad n rich

The trades have slowed everywhere, we have relatives in Melbourne who cant get work, they are aussies.

You wouldnt get a area with a much higher concentration of english people than Sunshine Coast, brisbane GC etc, poms are no novelty.

Jobs are harder to come by now no matter what your accent. Son now sounds as aussie as my partner, works for a huge australian company has just been told his 4 yr contract wont be renewed. Weve actually got a mate here, who would be the most flag waving aussie you could meet, he cant find work, we have work for him in 6 weeks, but nothing till then, this guy is a brilliant worker with hundreds of contacts..

Slow economic times.

The Westies

Thanks for the reply, it's just after a while of hearing the same thing when hunting for work and also talking to other tradies you begin to think is it a vendeta against non aussies. I am sure you are right with regards to the slow down but at the end of the day we all need work to be able to survive over here. We are looking at different locations at the moment and have considered returning to the UK but dont want to feel like we have been beaten.

Brisben

I must say all the british tradies I have come across seem to find work and there is no racial undertones in their treatment.

I don't think Brisbane is any different to anywhere else in AUS. All about supply and demand. Obviously if more supply than demand then they will go for the locals. You will find lots of places that share this patriotic attitude towards their own, the french, Italians, greeks etc.

The English are less like this in my opinion, they just want to save a quid.

each to their own, not a criticism, just what I notice.

I also notice although won't go down well that Aussie tradies are more skilled, they are more diverse in what they do, not the English fault as they became more specialized as there was more work to go round and plenty of demand for each speciality. Not the same in AUS.

These two factors may be what is influencing the Australians in a downturn.

Just my thoughts, but overall hang in there.

The Westies

Hi Brisben,
Thanks for your point of veiw but I would personally have to dissagree with your comments on the skills issue. I have found that most of the UK tradies can carry out a wider range of work than the Aussies, I think this may be down to the license issues over here as you can only be licensed for that particular trade (unless you have a builders license) where in the UK tradies or at least the majority of them had to carry out jobs from several trades, I am infact a general builder and have been for over 20 years in the UK but due to the skills recognition issues over here it would mean me doing a 8 -12 month course ( home study) and at a cost of around $4000.00. I recently spoke to one guy on site who was a so called licensed carpenter but could not construct a house frame unless it came pre-assembled!!! this does seem to be a common thing on site especially with the younger guys. I personally have not had any major quips about been a pom, basically as soon as someone trys I stop them in there tracks and it then seems to turn into more of a banter thing ( I am a bit thick skinned), but I do know of some people who have had a very hard time from the Aussies, my wife is one who has.

Brisben

I feel for you and respect your opinion, .Regardless each to their own.

I understand why they have the licensing here, but it makes it painful for overseas people to work here.

I hope things improve for you partner my friend.

spartacus

Do you think the shortage of work, or difficulty in getting it, may be due to your location rather than the attitudes of the locals? Maroochydore, on the occasions I've been there, seems a like a fairly small resort town; a UK equivalent might be Blackpool or Brighton. Is there actually that much construction work going on, and might you not better be served by following the work elsewhere?

The Westies

Hi Guys,
I think there is still a lot of construction work going on around here, but then again there are a lot of tradies here also. I agree that Maroochydore is a small town but when you add in all the surrounding suburbs it covers quite a big area. I personally feel that this coast has been over populated with trades for quite some time but due to the high volumes of building over the last decade or so it really hasnt shown, now things are slowing down a bit it stands out like a sore thumb. We have looked at other areas to move to and have actually just returned from Melbourne and will be doing some research on perth in the near future, who knows that may be the answer long term but it still angers you to think that you have given up a home, family and friends in the UK for what was basically advertised as a better life, which for ourselves and a lot of others is it not.

RCoight

Who are you angry at, out of nosiness?

SNH

I would say you are right.

People tend to stereotype Queenslanders as extremely friendly, laidback types, but they are a closed bunch. People from other states will tell you about their rudeness.

On a recent holiday in Port Douglas I was shocked by the behaviour of the people. I had expletives yelled at me in the street for no apparent reason. I found people to be aggressive and uncouth.

Of course this is not everybody, but a lot of expatriates have a very unrealistic view of Queensland society prior to arriving (just look at how the One Nation Party thrives there).

spartacus

If you don't mind me asking, who is it you're angry with?

And Brisbane is a good bit nearer than either Perth or Melbourne.

spartacus

Beat me to it.