Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

I just dont know whether it is all worth it :( . Hearing no end of stories, be it on this forum or elsewhere, of tradies finding it nigh on impossible to find work. Well if thats the case, may as well stay put in UK i say. Bugger that. Jed is a Corgi registered gas engineer/plumber here in UK and been doing the job for longer than I can remember. Seems bloody ridiculous the hoops you have to jump through in Oz :mad: and even then dont hear of anyone getting work :blink:

We really cant afford to make any more mistakes and I am seriously thinking moving back to Oz would be a very very bad idea, sadly :(

FFS :mad: :mad:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Second thoughts? Isn't it more like 4th or 5th thoughts in your case? ;)

Anyway, joking apart:

1. Look at the number of plumber's job in the area you are thinking of moving to. I know not all jobs are advertised on the internet/the local paper, but these sources can still give you a general "feel" of the situation. So, look at seek.com and careerone etc (internet) and look through the job adverts in the local paper (subscribe to their Saturday online version).

You will then get an idea of which area has the most jobs for plumber.

2. The local registration requirements (to be allowed to work) for each trade differ from state to state. First step: find our what the registration requirements are in the state you will be moving to.

(Contact the local chapter of the trade association.)

3. Make sure that all documentation you need for this registration are ready and in your hand luggage. If Jed has to sit an exam, find out beforehand what this includes and whether you can register for it prior to arrival.

(Wendy did all of this for her husband - ellectrician in SA - and because she was so orgainsed he had is registration within 8 weeks of arrival. He has had no difficulty in finding work. But then - Wendy did her research!)

Good luck!

Gina

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Mate, you're doing my head in :blink:

D D

PS Oh, and what Gina said.....:rofl:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

We have done all that mate, and when we were over there last time :o Jed did get his provisional plumbing and gas licence. However, if you look at a thread started by JoanneS today (who's hubbie is equally as qualified as Jed) you wil see that holding a provisional licence doesnt carry much weight. There are haeps of jobs for plumbers in brisbane and he doesnt seem to be having much luck. Cant see it being any easier for Jed :(

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

i'm having second thoughts every second - driving me insane.
think about yr kids - they will thank you for it in yrs to come if you go - how on earth are our kids today going to get onto the uk property market into anything half decent. if it was just me i wouldnt go but its the next generation i am doing it for and the thought of them growing up in the uk is enough on my bad days to get me motivated again! chin up - keep positive - and your oh will get a job but everyone is in the same boat worrying about things we cant do anything aboutuntil we get there.

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Everything I've ever read on these forums says that the tradies have to do the hard yards for several years before they get close to earning a good wage. But if you go in with your eyes open, understand that that will be the case and just get on with it, then you'll come good in the end. The question, of course, is - are you both prepared to put up with that? Wasn't Jed the one pushing to return? If he's having serious second thoughts ...

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

J.....although my hubby hasn''t a trade he does worry whether he will get a job as well paid as he has at the moment ( manager for a builders merchants ) but you know he would do anything just to tie us over as i am sure Jed will do. You want Oz more than anyone, hence the planned move back so quick after returning. As my hubby once said ....we'll just throw the chips up and see where they fall. Don't be worrying about something that may never happen to you. Ged may got to Oz and find himself a job straight away......everyone is different :)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

How are they going to do it in any Australian city?

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

No mate, not Jed (never was him :o ). we dont mind starting from the bottom and working our way up again but it seems even then there is a huge brick wall :confused: . i think we may have to have a bit of role reversal if push comes to shove. TBO id love to get back in the saddle :thumbup:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

ive bought property in both countries when i was single and i sure as hell know which one i got more for my money in

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

thanks mate :) im just having a wobble :o

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

And it's normal ( i have them all the time ). Just ride it out. You will be just fine :)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Rooksie, does Jed know about these second thoughts?

I remember you having them before just before you went and I think its a worry that you are having them again now.

Might be worth working through these together because if you go to Oz with any serious doubts and you don't deal with them, then its not going to be good for you - financially or mentally.

I hope you get it sorted but IMO full and frank discussions are needed before you make that leap.

:)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

I'll be ok mate, if i wasnt worrying about something, id be worrying why :blink: :o but youre right, i will talk to jed tonight :)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Let us know how you get on.:thumbup:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

hey rooksie..

heres a list of my knockbacks but i have come through them..

i rang the building inspector to pass my two story extension which was bigger than my house,he turned up and said,,

"why have you called me out to pass your building off,when i haven't inspected the footings?"..
i had every inspection but the stupid inspector before him had not filled the file in..

he wanted inspection holes here,there and everywhere,foundations exposed,i had bloody finished the extension and sold the house,i bloody pooed myself and i had to wait a month for them to make a decision..not nice..


two weeks to go on the house sale,the phone rings and the solicitor tells me the free hold is in the old owners name,very nice,at one stage there were 4 different solicitors envolved with just my house..all trying to blame each other...
i had to drive all round the country to land registries..got it sorted 2 days before completion...

two days before we were due to move out ,our rental pulled out on us..i am now living in a shoe box..

i have had to lose 3 stone...

they spelt my name wrong on the tra and i nearly missed the last day to get my application in before i was forty..

and last but not least,i am pooing myself that i might not pass my second medical on friday ,as they found blood in my urine,jeez i bleedin thought i was dieing on saturday..

so to the point...

keep on plugging away and you will get there,if you want it ,you will get it,if you dont you wont...

good luck ,with which ever way you go with your life....i am sure you will pull through

ast..

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

RooksieJ, RooksieJ, RooksieJ :unsure:

Welcome to the land of the ping, pong, poms :D I have the same thoughts, daily. My hubbie can't wait to go but he admitted that he is bricking it!

It's like I said to him the other day, because we have done it all before we know what lies ahead and sometimes this isn't exactly a blessing. You know what crap is coming your way :eek: I'm like a bloody yo-yo, up and down, up and down.

Try to stay positive, you are not alone in this. One foot in front of the other, try not to have too many drinks along the way, hic! :cool: It fuddles you brain.:D

Mandy

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Mate, the hard part is getting your licence, once you've got that it's a piece of cake.

No matter how many people say that it's hard to get work here, if you are a tradie, have a licence and are willing to work there is LOADS of jobs here. You just have to make a bit of effort at first :)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Yep, have to say after reading this forum for all that time before we came, I was bricking it when we arrived. I thought my OH would be earning crap wages for 3 or 4 years.

I'm glad to say though that I was totally wrong. He didn't start at the bottom again, he does get a good wage and he did find work pretty easily.

Positive Mental Attitude helps greatly, either that or just mental will do :D

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

OOHHHH! how I wish it was all done for you - My OH says he wants to go but seems to be coming up with every excuse in the book as to why he can't sit and go through his TRA application with me:confused:

His excuses go from - He can't leave the cat!:blink: - He wants to make sure the lad that works with him can take over the business!!:confused: He is not sure if he could live without having a cat?? This coming from the guy who hated cats when I first met him ?? years ago!:frown:

Then he turns round and says things like - If we buy the house up the road and put the extension on it, we could have some serious equity and possibly be able to buy a house outright in OZ!!!!!!!!!!

and then of course there is me - Every day I want to go and make a new life for my family - then I have a little dither and think about what a large family me and my OH have got and we are fairly close and I would miss them - and then they drive me totally nuts and I just want to get us all away from their picky, interfering and demoralising ways:mad:

We do also have the fact that my Mother in law & brother in law can't fly for health reasons - so OH is in abit of a quandry as he has only got 1 mother and 1 brother!! (thank God) sorry shouldn't say that.

But hey, one day I WILL get there, WE will get there and wonder what all the fuss was about.

Niz.:)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

.

funny,i hated cats,i dont think i could leave mine,i can see why people leave all their money to them..strange one that...

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

For god's sake dont take our case as a prime example - things arent as straightforward for us, although that being said we had no idea that a country (and in particular state!) apparently so desperate for skilled people would make it so flippin' hard, no, impossible for us.

Take your time to make your mind up, there's no mad rush :)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Hello mate, just seen this.

What are you like? I'm sure you'll be fine and I think you know you're going to go for it whatever so try and keep positive, it will work out this time:)

Why don't you think about the spiders that'll take your mind of the work:rofl:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

:lol:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Rooksie, you know all this but here we go..........
Australia is crying out for our skills, there is a dire shortage... there are MANY people that are happy to give it a go, to then find that its not quite as easy as that. My OH is a train driver, they are advertising here for trainee train drivers, it must be the only place in the world that won't take on a fully qualified driver. He has to re-train, he is happy to do it, but it just seems totally MAD !! The English training is second to none, there are tracks all over the place there, many different signals to learn, and because the network is so old in the UK, learning how to spot a failure is all part of it, over here the tracks run up and down the freeway, all new trains, state of the art, but still they want to re train staff. I really can't work it out, a friend of mine has a daughter who is in Melbourne at the moment, she went for a job pulling pints in a bar, to be asked for her certificate in bar work hospitality or whatever!!! She had worked in bars in the UK for years, cleaners too need to be fully experienced.
Another thing whilst i am at it ! is the need for police checks for practically every job you go in for! at $40 odd a throw what a con! do these people not realise that we had to jump through hoops to get here in the first place. I heard about a guy that got so fed up with the police check thing, he asked his potential employer if Australia have reverted back to only accepting criminals !!!:lol:
All the best Rooksie, its hard here, I still havent found a good job yet and we have been here 7 months now, OH is working, he isn't earning anything like he did at home, we are hanging on hoping he will be sucessful in getting the job on the trains. But if he doesn't then we will just have to find another way of paying that huge mortgage off !!!

BUT WE LOVE IT HERE....IF WE DIDN'T LIKE IT WE WOULDN'T PUT UP WITH THE CRAP !!!!:p hope you make the right decision for you and your family, it is by far a better place for the younger generation.

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Oh, J! I feel for you, Mrs, I really do. You sound just like me - constantly turning it over in your mind and worrying about everything to the nth degree. Just remember a little self-doubt is normal - it's a built in program that needs to run, but occassionally it goes into overdrive. You just have to learn to ignore it to a certain extent. Beer helps in that regard. ;)

If you're anticipating that finding work for Jed may be difficult, you're obviously preparing yourself for the worst case scenario. Hopefully that won't happen. But if it does, both you and Jed could do something else while you're waiting for the licence to be sorted - you sound as if you're open to that. :) And it should help keep things ticking over in the meantime.

PP gave some sound advice. If these are really just wobbles about the work situation, that's great. But try and work out whether you're really worrried about something else.

Think more Aussie - she'll be right. :D

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

I guess the real thing you need to think about is why you want to come back.

If I were you, I'd get a piece of paper and make two columns, with pros and cons above each. Then write.

Really, Rooksie, I am a great believer in trusting your instinct. If you've ponged once, and now you're going to ping, you really have to work out why you want to be here. There's being jittery about it once, but this is your second time and you know what to expect...
It's not like you're a stranger to Aus.

If that is clear to you why you want to be here, then you need to set your heart on being here and don't look back.

If it's not clear, then you really need to sit together and talk this through... don't be in a situation where you're both thinking the same but never said anything because you were afraid to upset the person.

I really feel for you. My decision was so clear... because life had got so bad in the UK. But if it's not that bad and you're unclear why you're doing this, take your time and do your pros and cons. It's never too late.

x

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Comments like this just make me laugh.
People that haven't found it hard to get work here are all too ready to dismiss other people's comments that are saying that they are finding it really tough.
After being out of work again for the umpteenth time, the other half (a chippy) has done everything possible to get a job. He has visited sites, rang all the building firms and everything else he could possibly think of.
One building firms receptionist actually stated that "you must understand we get up to 100 calls a day like yours asking for work"
They all take your details but never get back to you.
As said before, the sites are out there but the work has already been tendered out.
He is licensed, has his own van and tools and pays out a fortune in insurances, so he has done everything possible.

Good for everyone that has got a job and I genuinely mean that.
I would never ever dismiss people's hardship as made up, why would people say it was hard to find employment if it wasn't?

Sorry to the OP, this hasn't got much to do with your post.

Julie

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Oh Rookie!!!:curse:
Get you A** back on that plain and don't you dare look back!:thumbup:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

[QUOTE=RooksieJ;4537712]I just dont know whether it is all worth it :( . Hearing no end of stories, be it on this forum or elsewhere, of tradies finding it nigh on impossible to find work.

We really cant afford to make any more mistakes and I am seriously thinking moving back to Oz would be a very very bad idea, sadly :(

FFS /QUOTE]

Keep in mind when the gov went mad screaming 'trades shortage' there was australias biggest (in recent times) property boom. Things have slowed considerably in most states since then. Perth is one place to be cautious of, yes they are screaming for some trades now, will they be screaming if housing keeps slowing at this rate? probably not. There is more political chatter about another interest rate, the last 2 which as I predicted knocked the perth housing market on its arse just like it did in bris syd melb before it. I think people writing (not you but its said often on here) oz is screaming for trades people is slightly over done. I would say there are some trade jobs but competition is keen and patience is needed unless you are prepared to go to very hot/remote areas.

Re qld in particular. Did I read you are now going to cairns, look you said you wanted honest answers given this is attempt 2, if you found sunshine coast hot in a very mild summer I cannot believe cairns would be for you. Yes some people love it, yes some who love it are probably in ac most of the time, but its not a place most aussie tradies would want to work in summer.

Pay, much written about 5 quid an hour in UK now due to poles, I am not sure about that, we know another lot of poms, hes a carpenter heading back to UK for better money.

If you really love aus come back, loving it that much will give you the patience needed to go through the work hoops, drama and regulations , and I think with you having been here before you know that they are more of a reality than the much chucked about phrase by everyone whos NOT a tradie:D that Oz is screaming for tradesmen :eek:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Pay, much written about 5 quid an hour in UK now due to poles, I am not sure about that, we know another lot of poms, hes a carpenter heading back to UK for better money.


i know this is off topic slightly,but i just wanted people to know the going rate here at the mo,in case people think that the poles have all the work..

in brum at the moment,i dont know of other parts of the country,yes things are a little tight,but all the quality tradesmen are working and earning an average of £150-200 a day..
ast

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Yep i was earning that and more 18 months ago, in Brum on the sites .

Andre

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Hi Jac, what have u started up here again!lol, life here is great like I said but work is much harder than we thought! Believe me we are trying to get hubbie a job not like some people on here are saying! but just be prepared to get knock backs! Yes you can look on seek.com, career 1 etc and yes there are loads and loads of plumbers jobs out here! but when you phone up about them they say sorry u have to be fully licenced! so just be prepared for a long run in job hunting! my advice is as soon as u arrive start looking cause a lot of firms take over a month to answer (if at all)! Jed might be ok though Jac cause he's corgi registered! Les isnt! someone else on here said you can swap u gas licence straight away! so hopefully he can work on gas instead! Some people are really lucky and sometimes its who you know not what u know that can help!
Les has enrolled now to do a correspondance course to get his open licence, they have sent all the paperwork, and told us what books to get (but can't find half of them)! and its just a case now of him actually starting the course! (he needs some motivation i can tell u)!lol
But yep apart from that life is good here, kids have settled and we are starting to feel we've done the right thing! Our savings are going rapidly and at this rate will be lucky to buy soon! but if not we will just have to rent until he gets work! When u first come out here you think u are rich, but when you stop converting back to pounds you find that alot of things are actually more expensive! but don't be put off by whats happened to us so far cause Jed might be really lucky and fall into work straight away!
You can always move near us and they can look for work together!lol
and the schools are very good round here as well Jac!
pm me if you want to chat
nice to hear from you Jox

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Hi Hon. Not like you to get stressed by stuff - you ok:confused: :lol: I have no idea if it will work out for you but neither do you unless you give it a go. There are jobs out there and someone has to get them. Yes lots get knocked back but they do everywhere else as well. Jed has his provisional licence and you definitely don't think the place is Utopia but there is obviously something that continually nags at you (possibly me, but that's another thing entirely:p ).

Just because some have had major aggro, doesn't necessarily mean you guys will as well. Just before you went back, Jed was about to be offered a job I think? Instead of concentrating on those people who are struggling to find work, look at the one's who have found work and who are getting on with their lives - just not as vocal as the first lot but most definitely here.

Let's face it, those bloody hormones are still playing silly sods in your body, and that's without your help.;)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Penny's right, at the end of the day you have to try and know once and for all otherwise you'll die wondering.

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

Agreed (was going to put "thirded" but didnt know if that was actually a word!) :o

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

as an example may i submit myself and if you have the time read
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...=400962&page=5
onwards youll see that i have the temp licence and a job

regards steve

ps i still moan about the red tape though ;)

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

OK so how silly do i feel this morning :o :o ahhh well, another day in the life of being me i guess!! :unsure:

we are defo back on (we were never off really i was just being a tw*t) :o

Thanks everyone for your replies. each and everyone was a great help :thumbsup: Youre all super smashing great :wub:

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

http://bestsmileys.com/thumbs/5.gif Well this is supposed to be a thumbsup smiley!!!!! dunno what he's doing :eek:

Pleased for ya :D

Re: Having second thoughts (AGAIN!!)
 

i hope he doesnt make a mess on my screen mate :ohmy: