iang73

Hello fellow expats and australians, can any body advise me on a small matter that my family and i will be moving out to Brisbane area sometime in 2011, ive got my skilled indipendant sub class 175 visa which was granted in october 2010 and ive been an electrician doing domestic , commercial and heavy industrial work.I went down the Vetasses route to get the visa and when i get to Australia i will need to get a job and the relevant liscences, can anybody advise on the best thng to do when we arrive in completing this.As far as i am aware the Vetasses route enables me to work as an electrician but under supervision is this correct? if not the quickest route to achieve the work liscences thanks ian..

Trevski

Hi
We helped a friend over to brisbane and he was a skilled elec person working for big projects in the UK but he has had alot of probs getting his skills accepted by the employers in OZ.
He has had to work with some one that can check his work for the last two years and then he still has to take a test to get his licience, to say the least he has not been a happy bunny for the last two years.
If you check through the older forms you will find that it is quite easy to geat your qualis approved by the OZ departments but when it comes to getting a job the employers dont reconise them and you have to start lower as a fresh person.
Another person we know is a refridgeration engineer and worked on air con in domestic and industrial in the UK but he has now been here six months and he had to start with a air con company here in OZ as a apprentice so he can get his skills accepted, to say the least he is not happy.
Im affraid its common to find skilled migrants having trouble getting their skills accepted here in OZ.
It seems to be a lot of pen pushing here
I would also surgest you contact some employers here using www.seek.com.au and then they can tell you how you stand
All the best with what happens.
We have been here 5 1/2 years and will be heading your way later this year and hope to regain our life in the UK with cheap hols and cheaper food prices

steve`o

loads of info re sparkies licencing etc here mate http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=97

steve`o

We helped a friend over to brisbane and he was a skilled elec person working for big projects in the UK but he has had alot of probs getting his skills accepted by the employers in OZ.
He has had to work with some one that can check his work for the last two years and then he still has to take a test to get his licience, to say the least he has not been a happy bunny for the last two years.

The above is exceptional and definatly not what normally happens

the route to getting licensed is all dependant on which state your heading too ( each state has its own rules and regs re licencing ) if as you say your coming over to brissie have a chat with chris at QET http://www.qet.edu.au/ just about the most knowledgable person regading licencing in brissie that i know






If you check through the older forms you will find that it is quite easy to geat your qualis approved by the OZ departments but when it comes to getting a job the employers dont reconise them and you have to start lower as a fresh person.

again i would say not always the case in qld you`ll need permit to train whilst you do your au wiring regs course which may mean working as a TA ( trade assistant similar to an electricians mate in the uk ) whilst doing the course usually four months but then again i know lots of sparks taken straight on as sparkies whilst they sort the paperwork out it depends on which firm your with



hope this helps

regards steve

Trevski

[quote=steve`o;9222568]We helped a friend over to brisbane and he was a skilled elec person working for big projects in the UK but he has had alot of probs getting his skills accepted by the employers in OZ.
He has had to work with some one that can check his work for the last two years and then he still has to take a test to get his licience, to say the least he has not been a happy bunny for the last two years.

The above is exceptional and definatly not what normally happens

the route to getting licensed is all dependant on which state your heading too ( each state has its own rules and regs re licencing ) if as you say your coming over to brissie have a chat with chris at QET http://www.qet.edu.au/ just about the most knowledgable person regading licencing in brissie that i know

The above is exceptional and definatly not what normally happens
All i can say is see what happens as all i can speak is from experiance from people i meet and they tell me what and how they have faired.
Australia has not got streets paved with gold, we to are having the same probs as the rest of the world with employment, living costs going sky wards.

You can search many forms on here some will say it has worked for them but many will say they didnt make it work with the employers here.
Every person will have a different story to tell so only you will know if and what information you take on board

spuddyo

I live in NSW so can only tell you how I went getting my Electrical License here. I had my trade qualifications assessed for imigration before I came here as a skilled migrant. In order to get an Electrical Contractors license I had to first of all have my trade quals assessed again in Sydney. A panel of 5 blokes looked over my trade indentures and College certificates and grilled me about my work experience. They eventually gave me a certificate that showed that I was suitably quailified as an "electrical fitter". I'll dig out the certificate and post an image of it here when I find it.

At first this was a great disapointment as I had an HND in Electrical Engineering and had worked for 12 years an electrical engineer in the UK. But, it was what I needed to apply for a Trade License which was the next step so what ever the certificate was called I needed it.

Trade Licenses are issued by the Department of Fair Trading and require that you study and take an exam on the 'Australian Wiring Rules'. An examiner asks a series of questions over a 2 hour period. The license has to be renewed annually ( just a payment ) and allows you to work in the Electrical Industry or as a contractor. Most employers require that you have a contractors license. The electrical wiring rules are a step backwards if you've been trained in England, you'll need to lower you standards a bit ! )

I'm the Chief Engineer at a Radio Station now and don't really need a license, but I keep it up-to-date anyway, one day it might come in handy again.

iang73

Thanks guys i think that everybody has a different view and story to tell i dont think it will be easy but hopefully i can be pointed in the right direction. im over to the Brisbane area in may so i will make some phone calls and drop some emails...cheers