Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi there. We have just arrived at the Sunshine Coast and are starting to sort ourselves out. Rich is a plumber and we are just filling in the forms to try and get his plumber's licence from the Qld Plumbers and Drainers Board. We have heard a few horror stories that they might not give Rich a licence and were hoping to hear from any other British plumbers and their experiences when they started work in Oz. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

hi there, been here almost a year hubbys a plumber, hes having to do the migrants course to gain a provisional licence in qld. He has had to do this because his certs did not say plumber he's officially a heating engineer and welder but has worked in the commercial plumbing field for 15 years in the uk. He did get positive tra in general plumbing but that was not worth the paper its written on as far as the licencing board is concerned.Hope you have better luck than us

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

:) [QUOTE=kerry and rich;4613396]Hi there. We have just arrived at the Sunshine Coast and are starting to sort ourselves out. Rich is a plumber and we are just filling in the forms to try and get his plumber's licence from the Qld Plumbers and Drainers Board. We have heard a few horror stories that they might not give Rich a licence and were hoping to hear from any other British plumbers and their experiences when they started work in Oz. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

:) We're going to keep an eye on this thread if thats ok as we are arriving in Brisbane 6th June and O/H is a plumber/heating Engineer here in Uk for 20 years...we too have heard horror stories about him possibly having to go back to being an apprentice for 18 months in order to get a licence etc. How can they do this if they are crying out for plumbers to work in Oz and allowing us to migrate because he is a 'wanted' profession to then find they wont accept any of his qualifications!!??:confused: Hope you get on ok and for us people who are watching please let us know how you got on.:thumbsup:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

[QUOTE=SarahJane2007;4618247]:) I think you just have to go and be an apprentice again, I have got all of this to come in August in western australia, I am prepared to do what ever is required to get my license, I think they have the right idea making sure you are suitably qualified remember you have to guarantee your work for 6 years, enjoy the learning curve again and get ready with your oxy gear as it is all silver soldered
Dave :D

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi, been a plumber for 13 years, and have also heard its hard work getting licensed, and yes i understand that things are slightly different there, but surely its only the rules n regs that differ that much. So why make it so long winded to get licensed?
Got the nod from the tra and just penciled 47sk.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi fellow plumbers,
Kevin here with a question, to do all this retraining do you only have to go through all this if you want to work on your own or say if you work for an employer can you work for him without retraining. Like most folk Im a little confused :o
Who says plumbers are smart. Hopefully will be winging down there soon looking to go Adelaide, How is the retraining there i hear all states are different It seems to be most plumbers on this site are going to Perth or Briz?
Anyway just thought id throw this in cheers:thumbup:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

hi new to this game
ive been in brisbane for 15 months
and i can safley say that getting licence & work is not easy.
like other people on here have said, i have tried to do plumbing here but they treat you like a idiot & try to get you to do all the digging the problem us brit plumbers have here is the fact that we are not used to digging because we get someone else to do it for use in the uk were as the aussie plumbers think we are soft but the fact is we dont do drainge in the uk
i have had 3 jobs since ive been here all off them have been shit i am now going to go down to sa as i have been told that getting a licence down there is a lot easier
ive been doing plumbing & heating for 26 years ive had 5 apprentices & classed as a hands on foreman in the uk
if i can help anybody i will try my best but like other people have said getting a straight answer from goverment bodys can take for ever
something i will say is that if you have a corgi card & go to minerals & resources the chances are you will be granted a full gas licence after a couple of basic verbal questions, thats what happened to me even though i have not done any gas work since ive been here
at the minute i am fitting evaporative coolers on roofs & servicing them which pays $20.00 a hour which is crap but better than nothing

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

:ohmy: Hello mate, just answered you on another thread, after reading this I am even more worried! one of the reasons we are coming to Oz is because my oh has a bad back and the climate will help him, he certaily cant do digging that will finish him altogether, we got over on his 'skills' I cant beleive they treat you so bad!:curse:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

sorry mate if you have a bad union jack"back" oz is the last place to plumb.If your not diggind you will be mixing mud to set baths or toilets in.But there is light at the end of the tunnel you can always do something else as wages are pretty much similar down here .Top tip is to try tiling on our site they earn shedloads .
good luck:eek:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

[QUOTE=SarahJane2007;4618247]:) Hi

my OH is too a heating engineer but he does industrial stuff does yours. He calls himself a pipefitter/welder to I have seen on the job pages that they are sometimes called mechanical plumbers.

Does you OH do domestic stuff do you know if there is the same problem we have been told by people on this site that they are crying out for fitter welders and dont say we need the extra licensing unless he does any gas fitting.

Thanks in advance

Kaye :)

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

hi there, a fitter welder here really needs to have mig welding experience and be able to weld stainless steel pipe etc, it is more like a boiler maker here but yet again requires qualifications and licencing. pipefitter/ welder from the uk has not really got an equivelant here in qld hense the fact hubby has gone down the plumbing route which he says is totally different to plumbing in uk and he also has to do drainage which he hates. hes gonna stick with the retraining get his licence and eventually work for himself as a plumber. it is very hard to find work he got lucky finding a job but works extreamly long hours usually 14 hour days and has to be on call one week in three. I thought i had done all my homework before i came and stupidly thought with all his experience and a positive tra as general plumber that he would automatically get a provisional licence, SILLY ME. We just know that if he sticks with it then eventually he will get a fantastic wage working as a subbie or self employed as there really is a trade shortage for licensed plumbers, hope this helps rach.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

sorry forgot to mention did both commercial ( hospital schools big plant rooms) and domestic back in the uk.:)

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi

Thanks for that for purposes of the visa he fits into category mechanical services and air conditioning plumber, he does weld stainless steel and can do mig but usually does tig.

Have to say getting a bit worried about work situation makes me wonder whether we are doing the right thing. Have you any idea how long it takes to get licence for boiler maker, we have been told by people working in the industry that they are crying out for fitter welders.

Thanks

Kaye :)

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

hi not sure about the licensing for boilermakers but will try and find out and you are right in the fact that there is a big demand for boilermakers and i think it pays quite well. Whatever you decide to do will be an adventure you can be sure of that and even if you managed to have a job secured before you left you just don't know what other hurdles life will throw at you. My advice is if you decide to come over do so with an open mind and expect it to take time before you have life back to normal. We definately thought we were well prepared nad after a year still dont know if we have done the right thing for us , although would not return as the kids love it , good luck.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Thanks

OH does not seem so worried I guess its a mams job. We are going over with the idea that this is an adventure which may or may not work out hubby says he will just weld not bothered about what he does.

He can weld just about anything and has even taken to making things that other people need out of old scraps and stuff, was making canoe stands the other day :confused: the mind boggles.

Luckily for us we will have a bit of money to see us through a while so fingers crossed we will be fine. if you can find out anything else that would be fantastic thank you for the offer.

Best wishes

Kaye :)

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hubby was gas fitter/plumbing with british gas and experienced too, got here and its quite a different matter. Be prepared for dissapointment and upset, i wish we had a bit more advice before we came and i though i had looked into everything properley. The licence and exams are a nightmare in victoria , as waiting list 1 yr, and if you are lucky they will give you a comfort letter to say you can work for a company if they sign the work off, however catch 22, nobody wants to take you on without a licence, so back to sqaure one. The wages are very poor as well so you'll find alot of plumbers here go into factories or the postal service as same rate and not so much hassle. Hubby got a casual job on a building site as a labourer and hated it, then started a new job yesterday in plumbing which actually pays less than the casual labouring job - ironic. It a huge money making scheme and we all come here under false pretences on(skilled stni ) for plumbing visa. It would make no difference to the vic government if you were working in mcdonalds serving burgers.Also be prepared to be shocked about the quality and workmanship, its very poor, slobby and rough. Iam sorry for being so blunt, but i would have appreciated someone being honest with us, we now, are in a dilema as we are struggling financially and dont know if we made the right choice coming here. Hubby left a fantastic job in uk with great perks and tax free homers into the bargain to come here and be skint and work longer hours. If you want to take the plumbing serious and make it work over here, its better to go back to college and start again and get all aussie qualifications or else its a battle. Its quite demoralising and frustrating, but as long as you come with that knowledge you'll be fine, i think we had rose tinted specs on. If we knew then what we know know, we would never have came.
hope this helps

thanks

sj and thomas

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Thanks for the reply and sorry about how hard you are finding it.

I had heard it was particularly bad for gas fitters and plumbers OH does little gas work only to lay and install pipes in large developments.


Fortunately he has a second string as a welder I am led to believe that is easier to get into so may have to follow that line. Have to say we are going into this with some trepidation and without rose tinted spectacles they have been well and truly removed.

We or me particularly is less looking forward to the bumpy ride after hearing off peoples experiences. The kids are doing so well here both at school and in their out of school lives that I wonder if moving is going to provide a better quality of life.

I just feel I need a new start pay off the house and the bills and start again, not sure its possible in this country so fingers crossed for Australia.

Thanks for your reply and I hope things work out for you.

Kaye

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

I fully second the point about the plumbing standards: many of the house fits I've seen have been dire in the extreme. Pipes all over the place, overheated joints, bends made without bending springs or benders so pinched - you name it, they are all here. A half-competent plumber should be able to walk straight in, but............

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

I wish you well with your travels and future and hope something good comes of it. You have the right attitude so no reason why you wont be able to get on and make a good go of it.
good luck

sj and thomas

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

hi sj
couldnt have said it better myself i live in brisbane & its the same here ive decided to give sa a try they say getting a licence there is easier as for the welder fellow does he know that you also need a licence for that to but i dont know how hard they are to get

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

:ohmy: thanks for all that information, like everyone on this thread me and the OH are trying to do our homework in relation to employment in oz and to be honest the more I read the more I think what the hell are heading towards.:(
OH's certificates state mechanical engineering services - plumbing, does this make any difference:confused: as I may have read this wrong but does the word "plumbing" on certificates make a blind bit of difference?

To all those who have posted on here who are already there, thankyou for your frank advice about the situation. please continue to post as although it is a bleak read, its useful.
bec

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi everyone. Just thought we would give a quick update with what has been happening with our plumbing experiences!!! Rich spoke to Queensland Plumbers and Drainers Board and they said that as he had City and Guilds qualifications, he should be given a provisional plumbing licence and have to do some college work to get a full licence. Rich then spoke to the guy at TAFE Queensland (college that provides all trade courses here) who said that with his qualifications, he would be suprised if the board do not give him a provisional licence. Then Rich will need to do a correspondence course which can be done by internet and post to top up his quailifcations to full licence status. We are under the impression that this will take a few months and he also indicated the same will happen for the drainage licence.

We have sent all the forms and the copies of documents and photos that all have to be stamped and signed by an Aussie JP/bank manager/solicitor etc a few days ago and hope to get a decision within 1-2 weeks (so we have been told). Meanwhile, Rich has got a job as a plumber with the local Council fitting new water meters or fixing them on a temporary contract. The money is alright and he is quite enjoying it at the moment. Will let you know whether or not he gets his provisional licence.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

brilliant news
the oh's certs are also city and guilds
he also has his gas licence
please keep us updated and thanks for your advice so far:thumbsup:
bec

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi egghead and becky! Was just looking at your previous threads and saw that you have VWs. My OH, Rich, is a VW nut and we currently have a 1974 VW Kombi which we lived in for 6 weeks as we travelled up to the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne. Now he wants to sell it and get a bug as they are in fab condition. Whereabouts are you hoping to live because if you are coming to the Sunshine Coast, maybe you could go to VW meetings etc with Rich and spare me the pain!!!

Also Rich has not yet gone for his gasfitters licence as that is separate from the Plumbers and Drainers Board and he will have to be assessed by someone elso. The guy from TAFE though said that he would not find it hard to get.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

its funny having a look at this thread,been here 4 years now,thanks to a woman at the qld p&d board making my life hell, we have done very well in australia,i had to look for other ways of making a living, than plumbing, as the licence is very hard to get, so we got into some different things, whilst doing all the collage rubbish.
We also have our own firm of plumbers now on the Gold Coast, and after all the trouble we had with work and working for $15.00PH, take great delight in robbing the poor old aussies blind.Digging is ok when you get used to it, when you can earn $400.00-$1000 a day you can do it.:sneaky:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi guys. Just to let you know that within a week of sending off Rich's application to Qld Plumber's and Drainer's Board, Rich has received his provisional plumbing and drainage licences through the post. To get the full licences he needs to complete the Licensed Course for Plumbers and the Licensed Course for Drainers. You can attend classes at college or do it via correspondence. Unfortunately, the man we need to speak to is on holiday but is the same man from TAFE Queensland that Rich spoke to before. We understand that this guy will need to see Rich's qualifications to determine which modules Rich has to complete as if you have prior qualifications and/or experience you may be exempt from some modules.

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

:) Hya, we have been watching/reading this thread since it began as OH is a Corgi reg with City & Guilds plumber and has been for 21 years (he's38), we are moving out to the Gold Coast at the beginning of June after stopping in Brisbane for a week. Long shot but just wondered if you are looking at taking on any more plumbers shortly? Oh is hoping to get his provisional licence more or less straight away and hopes to complete to full licence a.s.a.p. Just thought I'd ask...you never know! Cheers Sarah & Lee:thumbsup:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

Hi Rob, good to hear things going well and you finally got back into plumbing business, do you still have import thing going as well(mini motos), do you see Adrian and Karen etc. We have no regrets about moving back to UK, Oz was ok, but not for us, i just missed my motorsport carreer, I am now working for Honda F1 racing team and love it, living in Herefordshire in a beautiful barn which is older than Oz itself, Bailey our Lab which we brought back from Oz as a puppy just loves it here, especially the Autumn(rummaging through the leaves). his first winter was amazing as he had no idea what snow was!
Anyway well done for making a go of it and keep in touch. Mike H:thumbsup:

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

with reply to kerry & rich, I've just arrived back in the uk from gold coast,
And the licencing board comfirmed to me everything you've said and the
tafe college i went to also advised me to take an unvented course prior
to emmigrating. ( most of the hot water systems are unvented ) gold coast
plumbing board & tafe college are very helpful.
good luck all

Re: Plumbers Down Under!
 

[QUOTE=daveplumber;4618318]Hello Dave, just wondered if you were in Perth yet? and how you are getting on with the Aussie way of plumbing? I'm a Plumbing and Heating Engineer, and have been in oz for 12 months.

Cheers Paul