BisonHead

hello all.

myself and my girlfriend are arriving in Perth in December on working visas. we a staying for a year to get a feel for the way of life with a view to staying for good should we like it.
both of us re 25.
i am a builder here in the UK, bricklayer by trade. (NVQ qualified)
i have looked through the forum to find answers to our questions but as the forum is so vast this has been difficult.
if anyone could clear a few things up for us it would be much appreciated. what i really want to know is what is the possibility of gaining work in the building trade on a working visa?
as i realise you cannot be a sub contractor under this scheme.
just to be clear though i would ideally be looking to work for a building contractor doing domestic work, extensions ect. how likely a possibility is this?
also if any contractor reads this i would be happy to send you details of my portfolio of work / customer references which are on my website.
so, basically can i get work in the building trade on a working holiday visa?
do many builders pay cash over there?

any advice would be great.

bcworld

I don't think it says you can't be a sub-contractor, just that you can't use a sub-contracting arrangement to try & get around the 6 month rule (max time with one employer).

BisonHead

thanks for the reply.
thing is i was under the impression that you cannot be self employed on a tempory visa. as you need to have an ABN card??

GinaUK

Bison, you're correct. You can't be a sub-contractor on a temporary visa. As well as an ABN you would also need a licence.

In theory there is no problem getting a brick-laying job (as an employee) on a WHV. In practice, it'll depend whether there are jobs to be had when you're here. It'll also depend on you and how far you're preared to travel to the job every day (you will need your own transport).

Best thing to find jobs is to look in the paper (once you're here) and register with agencies who deal with temp jobs in the building industry. You could also always contact builders direct (look in yellow pages for them).

Bring your portfolio and references with you. And make sure that your referees are happy to be contacted by your prospective Oz employer/agency and are prepared to respond quickly to any enquiry about your work.

Perth is great and I hope you enjoy it here.

Gina

BisonHead

thanks for the reply gina.

the problem is that it is not common to be employed as a bricklayer. im assuming its the same as in the uk where generally people sub contract.

as regards to contacting building contractors in perth i think i will do just that.

at the very least it would be nice to have some contacts in the building trade before i arrive. thankfully my portfolio is online in the form of a website so thats no prob.

if anyone reads this who is in the building trade and knows of anyone or needs someone themselves contact me.