Sarah_lou

My Fiance and I have just found out that we have been accepted into Oz on a PR Skilled Migrant Visa. It has taken us 12 months and we are over the moon and very excited to get out there asap.

We are getting married in May so realistically wont get out to Oz until August/September time.

David is a carpenter so im sure finding a job for him wont be too difficult. Me on the other hand, i havent got a clue what i want to do. In the Uk i am a PA to a MD of a property company and prior to that i spent 5 years in recruitment. However i am just not sure that i want office work anymore, i thought new life in Oz, change in type of job, something where i wasnt stuck behind a desk for 8 hours a day. The predicament i am in is that we are going to want to get on the property ladder asap therefore i will want to earn my full earning potential, so i may very well have to do something i know how to do.

Does anyone know of any recruitment websites in Oz/Sunshine Coast? perhaps giving me an idea of earning potential. It also may give me a few ideas on different industries and job types.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks

Sarah

p.s I am new to this site so my appologies if im not too hot on the rules and regs just yet

J_IMHOFF

Hi Sarah

try www.seek.com.au

you can put in the area you are looking for and it will list current jobs - we are moving out in August to the Buderim area - my hubbie is a plumber and I am in customer services, I think the job situation is not as good as say nearer brisbane but i think trades are always in demand


Good Luck Julie

jad n rich

For trade work on the coast, be prepared to travel, that is the thing people dont allow for. Contractors price a huge radius, not just the coast, being sent to brisbane, or anywhere an hour or so's drive is considered totally normal, but notice many newbies find that a bit of a shock.

grahampaula

Hi there
Firstly, welcome to the site, congratulations on the visas and good luck for the wedding.
The only site that I know of at the moment is the seek.au that another poster has suggested. I am sure that you will get some more information from these very helpful peeps. Just wanted to wish you luck.

melaniee

We need a carpenter -two didn't turn up for quotes last week : wasters. Will need to find one before you come over though !

Sarah_lou

Hi There,

So your living on the Sunshine Coast? How is it? Where abouts are you? Any tips for us in relation to suburbs? I have heard that Mountain Creek is a nice area to live in along with Bli Bli. I have been looking on realestate.com but is so difficult when i dont even know what we our borrowing power will be. So many questions are just running through my mind! ;o)

Sarah_lou

Thank you for your replies and kind words by the way. I shall check out that seek.cam.au.

Many Thanks

Sarah

GreenTea

just be prepaired for a bumpy ride on the Sunshine coast with work. Its a rural/tourist area and I know a carpenter who lives in Marroochydor, and he had and still has trouble getting consistant work. He is always getting the knod to start on Monday, but when he gets there someone else has been in his place stared in his place. He thinks its a local jobs for local folks thing, and may take a long time for him to get accepted. The other thing that someone mension is that tradies are exspected to travel very long distance over here, so be prepaired.

Personaly, I would recommend nearer Brisbane or down the Gold Coast area. Lots of tradie work needed and a bit nearer the everything else.

However, don't let me put you off. The Sunshine coast if really nice, just very quiet.

jimmyd4006

have to agree with Greentea, Sunshine Coast is a bit quiet although house prices are actually starting to drop a bit there. Great area for families and kids, and the beaches are fantastic. A bit closer to Brisbane or Gold Coast area probably has more work oppotunities, but again, as GreenTee says, don't let this put you off.The life style is a bit more laid back thats all...best of luck with your choices, and may all your expectations be forefilled in your new life in OZ

egghead4

hi sarahlou and welcome

we are also going to the SC, we fly out in june. OH is a plumber and I'm a social worker, like you it may be easier for the OH to get work and so I am considering something else.
make sure you keep checking the "meet up" thread as there are always lots of expat meets on the SC.
good luck
bec

melaniee

I think the problem is the opposite with tradies-they don't want to travel. When I have phoned some up advertising in local papers they have said there is so much work they can't come to me (20 mins away) as they have enough work closer. There is so much work for tradies here-if they don't want the job, they either don't turn up or don't even send the quote through. They can pick and chose what they want. Any tradies here with half an ounce of customer service will do well. We have had nothing but trouble trying to get tradies to turn up. Last week rang 4 carpenters, 2 turned up, 1 gave a quote. A few months ago we had to phone 12, yes 12 fencing contractors to get 2 quotes ! Yep, the rest never showed up or never returned the quote.
So tradies, if you want the work-it is out there ! Go get it !

melaniee

Don't think house prices are going down here but they certainly aren't rocketing up. Where in Australia is at the moment ?

jad n rich

Would not agree, and are in the trades.

What happens is most carpenters want framing type work - the entire house/project, continuous work with a builder/company who will provide work month after month. There are far less chasing odd jobs on houses which as you can imagine doing a few days here and there means continually chasing a fresh source of work, and very spasmodic pay. Some do that work and are probably quite busy, as if they are doing the work properly with a licence and insuance its a fair bit of stuffing around and stringing together odd jobs.

Fencing contractors, like gold dust, nobody wants to do it, simply because getting the payment out of both sides is a freaking nightmare, often fences go up and one side disputes they ever agreed to pay for it.

Carpenters chasing frames and projects are in pretty tight competition, you get plenty apply if you advertise, but most builders keep them on if they find good ones, getting in the door and getting the contacts is the hard part. Dont know any that are not prepared to travel, if the jobs in brisbane you go, if you dont go, goodbye.

Unemployment on the coast is pretty similar to the gold coast and brisbane its the populations that vary greatly.

Like anything, in the trades you need to build your contact base, as things slow those in the know get the work. However I really dont think its slowing here, the population growth is too high, also there is a housing shortage not over supply.

frorge

Hi sarah, and welcome to the site.

We have lived on the Sunshine Coast for 6 months now, My husband, David, is also a Carpenter.
Now, to be truthful.... when we first got here, he found it very difficult to find work. He tried just walking onto site, but people were very rude, and told him there was no work, he also came accross a bit of anti pom !!
Also, the fact that he hasnt got his licenses were causing a problem.

He finally got a job in a joinery workshop, not what he wanted at all, hes used to site work. It was naff money, just as well we had paid the rent up front !! The hours were bad, and the foreman, a w*****er ! And then they sacked him 3 days before christmas.

So.... over christmas, he just e-mailed loads of companies, explaining he was looking for work, and attached his CV. he got heaps of replies, he still gets calls now.
Anyway, he took a job, sub-contracting for a guy who does reno's and new builds, the money is fab, better than what he was on in the Uk, and he can work under the guys licenses until he gets his sorted. The work is in Noosa, but its only about 30 mins, so thats great. And the guy is still looking for people, as he has heaps of work on.

Weve now just bought our own house in Buderim, got the keys yesterday, and move in tomo.

So, Im sure you will both be fine.
Enjoy your wedding, and good luck.

Ang

sa2uk2oz

Hi
some other job websites to try
www.byron.com.au
and www.mycareer.com.au
good luck