thomas and sarahjayne

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

wardy2

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

Wol

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............

thomas and sarahjayne

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

tallboy21

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

egghead4

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 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

kerry and rich

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.

egghead4

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
bec

kerry and rich

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.

robertd

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.

kerry and rich

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.

SarahJane2007

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

mikeho

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

beasty boy

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

pajones

[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