i know i will probably get a lot of bad vibes for putting this thread on but i am going to do it anyway. i have previously put a thread on with regard to the fact that when we decided to apply for australia we thought that because my hubby had no formal qualifications we would use an agent. as my hubby left college before he actually qualified (but was time served) we thought that using an agent would eliminate any difficulties that we would come accross. needless to say our tra was passed only to be told now by the licensing board in western australia that because he has no formal qualifications that he will not stand a chance of ever getting a licence. is this game over? do we actually take steps to move to oz only to find that we will spend all our colateral from our house to live on. i know a lot of you will say that a lot of people would love to be in our boat to actually be able to move to oz, but whats the point when we could end up in a worse position there than we are here. anyone else suffered the same fate? are other jobs easy to come by if we are unable to get jobs from the trade that we have applied for?

you can call me what you like for putting this thread on, but i feel cheated by our agent for not making us aware of these facts before actually applying, i am quite aware that there objective is to get us into oz which they have probably done but surely the australian government and the agents can get together and decide that if tradesman have undergone such vigorous testing that they should be eligable for gaining a work permit.

i am sorry if i upset anyone by putting this thread on but i just needed to sound off!!!

Is your hubby a plumber? i know fraser has had alot of difficulty in finding work as a plumber and only the other day he failed a test ( something to do with copper piping) but he has not gven up and is going to try his hand at something else...who knows it could be the making of him.

Could your hubby not give something else ago too...surely it's not worth giving up your visa because of this.

I am so sorry to hear this, after all you've used an agent who should know the in's and out's of emigration. I have seen from other threads that even fully qualified tradesmen with certs and everything are having difficulty getting a job in Oz due to needing to have certificates for everything. Australia does not make it easy for electritians, plumbers etc from what I can make out. Try doing a search, or hopefully someone with the knowledge will post here. Once again I am sorry for your situation and can understand how angry and disappointed you are.

Is there anyway your hubby could get the certs or is it too late, maybe speak to agent and discuss this, I know this is probably the last person you want to talk to right now.
Clairex

he would be quite willing to try to do something new but how easy is it to do that in oz. everyone i know in australia seems quite negative, saying that we shouldn't even think about leaving the uk without a job so its leaving me feeling really disheartened. i really really do not want to stay in the uk but i don't want to go to oz and waste all our money. we are both willing to stack shelves if thats what it takes but i still can't help feeling a bit deflated.

Not going to give you a hard time hun, we are here to help and/or support each other

So WA licencing board have told you that you can't get a licence, my take on that is that you have a few options.

1 - Try other licencing authorities aroud Australia and see if it's the same everywhere. It may be that you have to apply to a different state then get it transferred to WA through the reprocrial agreement.

2 - Have you looked into him doing a course when you get to Oz, or even see if he could do a correspondence course. I've not looked into it so don't know how long it would take or anything but worth a try, he could get a job as an assistant until he gets his qualifications.

3 - Look into other possible career prospects, it may be an omen of something better.


Here is the link to the TRA info page just in case you don't have it.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do

thank you so far to those positive replies, i really did expect some jip! cause after all we are very lucky to be accepted. we are willing to do whatever it takes which includes trying other states and doing other jobs whatever just so long as we don't have to stay here.

i am in contact with our agent at the moment but i keep getting passed from pillar to post nobody seems to know anything! my mums cousin lives in brisbane so i have emailed her to see if she can find anything out.

I honestly think that the agents haven't a clue about what happens next. When I asked my agent for info she just sent me the link to the TRA.

i hope your mum's cousin has some better news for you.

when and if i find any information out i am going to post it on here for future reference because i feel that people should be made aware of the facts before all the expense of relocation.

louise

I was lucky enough in that I did already know that the hubby would have to apply for a licence and what he would have to do to get it. But only because I looked for the info myself.

Your agent is an unprofessional swine!

WendyC has given some excellent advice, and fraser has also been through the hoops lately so he's another person to ask since he will know exactly what's involved.

Don't give it up; there's always a way!

Does this licensing thing mainly apply to electricians, plumbers etc? My husband is a floor finisher (that is what we are applying under) - it has recently been put on the MODL. He has no formal trade certs etc just experience.

Because floor finishing some may say is not as technical or specialised as electrician / plumber do you think the same will apply?

Unsure. I think this has been asked before, so maybe do a forum search and see what you can find or put another thread up around 10ish and see if any Oz peeps know the answer

Hey......not much useful to say (as usual) but just wanted to offer some kinda reassurance that it's really not THAT bad retraining!

I've done it four times in my life (still not found my vocation mind - anyone need a Gigolo?)....

If all else fails, can't he drive a lorry, sell cars, lay bricks....just some suggestions! It's all a means to an end at the end of the day!

There's a place in WA that run a 6 week course in bricklaying - apparently they are paying a $1 a brick at the mo!

Is that so you can save up to find your vocation???



No wonder you're savings are bad, how much has it cost you so far

hi mate
bet your feelin pretty gutted,but have you thought of doing a fastrack nvq course in uk ,with your experience you will fly through.and after youve got your quals on paper you might stand a chance of gettin a licence
all best
paul