Originally Posted by janeyray

No not bitter at all, why should I be?

The question was though...Why should a qualified Brickie be a trolley collector, shelf stacker etc etc etc? Thats not being bitter?

Originally Posted by goldcoastblue

Can anyone tell me or the forum, in logical sequence with costs what it takes to get a licence so I understand the trauma.

Originally Posted by paka

when most trades men decide to emigrate, it is usually to give there family a better way of life,(not shelf stacking), if they have been passed by the TRA, then they have had to prove that they are wot they say they are,by experience and qualifications, so why once in oz,must you prove it again, and if it was a question of regs and rules, why not have a short course of about a week , at a minimal cost to pass the rules and regs, to gain the correct cert, to then let the man go and do his job.why make it hard,Why are they saying , yes we pass you as a qualified ---------- , please now come in are country, oh by the way work as a shelf stacker, because we now dont think you are qualified to work as a qualified-------------.confusing, exactly.

Originally Posted by jad n rich

Australians dont qualify as builders in a week mate, 4 year trade qual, 12 years total site experience, then got a restricted LIC for 2 years, after a further 3 years site supervision on major projects, finally a general LIC. If you can fit that in a week good luck. RICH

Originally Posted by paka

No body is saying fit it in a week ,wot i am saying tradies are coming over already with this experience, which has been proven to the TRA, so when they arrive in oz, all they should have to learn is the regs and rules, as there wont be that much difference from the u.k.when they have passed a course showing they are competent to oz rules, etc, then they should be able to work in there trade, to start there oz work history, ok if they have been a contracts manager in the u.k. then they should not be a contracts manager straight away in oz, they should have to work up the ladder again, if they are good at wot they do , it wont take them long anyway.

Originally Posted by jad n rich

If your going to be house painting the above may work, but as a Builder your going to be held legally responsible for the work of every subcontractor on a house or project the above will not work, you need extensive experience. Things ARE different here.

When you tender for jobs you need to prove related experience usually by project name, no matter what your price you wont get the work if you havent done a similar project. The difficulty a lot of people would be having is there are already a lot of experienced tradesmen about looking for work, being new and unexperienced it will be difficult to win contracts. RICH

Originally Posted by Pennyhen2

Arrived here April 2005 and after what I know now would not of sold up house, left very good building business to have to deal with all the bullshit of obtaining licences.

Before I could get a builders licence I had to get my trade recognised as a bricklayer again, even after satisfying the TRA, got this eventually and they certainly make a big deal about it, got blue card, went on business course, joined Master Builders who so called fast tracked us after paying $2,500 to complete a Tafe Builders Course, assessor came out before Christmas references were fine, past the course work and he would pass all the information on to the BSA who actually give out the licences but as far as he was concerned licence would be posted shortly.

After chasing up the BSA 10 days ago, they say there is unsufficient evidence of site supervision, even though they can't understand the following points:-

Was a member of NHBC in the UK - certificate issued to them
References from Architects - to confirm I was a builder and supervised jobs to a very high standard and had known me for at least 15 years
Local building inspectors from the Council who check works carried out at every stage.
12 excellent references from previous clients

After speaking to the BSA again - we know have to go and see them in Brisbane and supply our business books, photographic evidence and whatever else we can think of in the meantime.

The BSA are very unhelpful, down talking, sarcastic and not sympathetic to us at all in out situation.

Also another fact I have realised is that BSA do not like working with the Masterbuilders, they do not like it that I have taken membership out with them and easy to pass the buck, if you want to know anything the BSA say ring Masterbuilders, even though its the BSA I am dealing with.

All I can warn other trades people is to bring out plenty of references as we did and still having problems, expect a load of bullshit and cost.

After saying all that I don't think their is a great deal of money to be made at the moment, since we have been here house prices have dropped slightly but land prices are holding well.

My wife is ready to return to the UK, the kids absolutely love it here, so there is a little bit of consolation.

Originally Posted by teach

We know exactly how you feel. Andrew is a time served carpenter and has all his papers etc but still has obtained his bluecard, which was a total farce, then he was told he had to have agold card and a QMBA licence. He can work in the workshops but not on site, he has now taken a job with an agency on site which only requires him to have a blue card and insurance. Oh the other crock that we have had to deal with is people offering to pay him $18 an hour, I got more than this as a casual cleaner when we first got here. Things are definitely looking up now that we are in Bundy. He gets paid a decent rate and works decent hours.
Good luck with everything.
Sarah

Originally Posted by teach

We know exactly how you feel. Andrew is a time served carpenter and has all his papers etc but still has obtained his bluecard, which was a total farce, then he was told he had to have agold card and a QMBA licence. He can work in the workshops but not on site, he has now taken a job with an agency on site which only requires him to have a blue card and insurance.
Sarah

Originally Posted by JJL family

Here goes...............BRICKLAYIN LICENCE
<..>manegment course.............3 full days (time off work)

Originally Posted by ABCDiamond

I can see why some people will be confused.

Why does a Bricklayer need to learn Management ?

Originally Posted by ABCDiamond

I can see why some people will be confused.

Why does a Bricklayer need to learn Management ?