stevenick

some people are describing how difficult it is at the moment, sorry all you have to add is "i got drunk last night" very informative.

viviennef

If you read all the other threads, you will see that there are more than you can count saying the same thing. a lot of people know this - apologies if you didnt. If you read my earlier thread, I am trying to be constructive and was actually in a light hearted way trying to keep it constructive instead of repeating the info (youll never get a job so dont bother) in these other current threads.

The I got drunk thread (another current thread) is the only laugh I have had lately here.

Perhaps we need to set up two threads - one for "positives about the employment here" and then one for "negatives" then people could read both, one or neither.

then if you were thinking to yourself "ok, I have read all the negatives but I am going out there with the thought that I will make it happen" they can read ideas from people with positive ideas on what to do.

There is unemployment here and as discussed to death:

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There is also some situations (and please dont jump on me as I am not talking about anyone in particular or trying to be funny/rude - I dont know peoples situation) - where people want a specific job and not anything just to tide them by. So they are looking for work but woudl not consider a job beneath their trade on a temporary basis to get them by and get some references. And that is all well and good as everyone wants to do their own job. But when people arent recruiting and you need to pay the bills then sometimes that is the way it is.

We struggled to get work 6 years ago right up until we set up on our own. We were skint etc but I have tried to stay positive and put myself out there and also my husband and now it is all coming right

To new migrants I would say - dont believe the hype, dont get despondent if you can just be the one who is there putting yourself forward every day and you will find work. If worse comes to worse, do some labouring and then you will be next in line Labouring is also hard to find but what I am saying is think 1. get a job 2. get the job I want

As betsy from caloundra said, its harder and if you come to SC make sure you have money to tide you over - forewarned if forearmed.

I keep coming to the construction threads because I work helping small businesses to achieve and think i have lots of ideas on ways to put yourself forward. and negativity is not the way you succeed in a difficult climate. If anyone does want any resume/promotion type advice , please just ask

Vivienne

sutty77

Hi
I totally agree with you. Positive mental attitude!!!
If you go with the thoughts of not succeeding, then you wont! Like you said, it might be the case of starting at the bottom of the ladder and working your way up again.
My husband a bricklayer/plasterer and we want to head for goldcoast later this year, but so many negative thoughts on trade industry, this has really worried us. We are family of 5, have 3 girls age 12, 10 and 1 so we need work sooner rather then later.
We were thinking of heading to another state, but then i thought why should we, our dream is the gold coast with the girls, and the gold coast we shall go. We are prepared to succeed and make this work, with alot of hard work, i no we can do this!
My husband would like to set up his own building business eventually, so any advice would be great.

viviennef

So to have his own business he will need an ABN, and most importantly a QBSA license. So for that purpose I would take a look at you may be able to do some of it before you come, which would make it less stressfull when you are here. You will need to do some sort of recognition/training to equate his UK qualifications to Australian certificates - usually this involves making up a dossier to prove competence in different jobs.

He will have to start working with someone else I expect but at least his license would be underway.

From now I would start taking photos of jobs that he has done - pitched roof, concreting etc - we had tape measures over holes etc to show that specifications are followed. details of licensing can be found here: http://www.bsa.qld.gov.au/Home/Build...ersLicence.htm

The course content that he would be measured against can be found in the tafe courses or I think conteq.com.au will have it.

I wouldnt go overboard, just keep dates and details of jobs and pics from now.

When he applies for the QBSA license he will need to show 4 years of building large jobs and he could start writing out that work history now and getting some references (in the correct format) from employers in the uk..

If I have any information wrong, then some builder please correct me - there are a couple on here that will have been through it.

I have some forms etc that we did if you wanted to see how they went
Vivienne

stevenick

i've been in business for over 25 years and don't need advice from you on positive mental attitudes or how to get work. i am doing my licence and i am positive but pretending to people that there is plenty of bricklaying work is wrong at the moment. i'm talking about my trade which you know nothing about and could not advise me either. telling it like it is always attracts people like you who waffle on about positive attitudes etc. people have a right to know the truth about how tough it is at the moment so they can make decisions on that, and we brickies have a right to express our concerns about the current work situation without you high jacking our thread with your 'oh i can advise you crap.' professional Brickies who have worked around the world and have years of experience know how to get work, we know we need a licence to contract etc etc. if you don't like straight talking go to the Airy-fairy threads where people all keep pretending things are wonderful and allow others to communicate about things that concern them, there is room on this forum for many different views, allow us to do that without making accusations that we are not positive or this or that. excepting things like they are and talking about it the way it is is far more productive than sticking your heads in the sand. steve.

bcworld

Agreed. Approaching your job hunting with a negative attitude would probably be fruitless, but that doesn't mean that the opposite is also true. For people who find themselves long term unemployed, or made redundant despite being skilled up to the eyeballs (regardless of trade or profession) it's especially galling to continually be told that:

1. They'd be OK if they had a positive attitude OR

2. If they're 'good enough' they'll be fine / won't be made redundant.

:curse:

viviennef

.... but pretending to people that there is plenty of bricklaying work

Noone is pretending there is plenty of work. I know heaps of brickies who are struggling. I was just talking to one in our garden who was saying he took a guy from the uk.


is wrong at the moment. i'm talking about my trade which you know nothing about and could not advise me either. telling it like it is always attracts people like you who waffle on about positive attitudes etc.

I know about the construction industry actually and my own company holds a QBSA license that I did all the recognition on so perhaps I know a little bit more about it in Australia than you seem to. At least I am a bit further along in the process. We had to do a building and carpentry C3 and a business C4 to get our license.

....and we brickies have a right to express our concerns about the current work situation
most definately, everyone can voice their opinion without being rude or objectionable to others.


without you high jacking our thread
... I was here first

with your 'oh i can advise you crap.' professional Brickies who have worked around the world and have years of experience know how to get work, we know we need a licence to contract etc etc.
...not everyone is as experienced as you - lots of people think the recognition in the uk will allow them to work here

if you don't like straight talking go to the Airy-fairy threads where people all keep pretending things are wonderful and allow others to communicate about things that concern them,
.... This thread is owned by someone who was looking for help to maximise his chances and I was offering advice on that. Why does it concern you more than me/ I run a qbsa registered company with a builders license.

there is room on this forum for many different views, allow us to do that without making accusations that we are not positive or this or that.
I wasn't accusing you, I was just pointing out perhaps we need to set up different threads for ALL that want to participate, there are so many that seem to go the same way. And I can make a joke to other regulars without you steaming in being rude and trying to act as if it were your thread in the beginning. Why not set one up - Brickies moan here - Steves thread, guys only do not enter unless you are a brickie like me and want to tell you how bad it is here.

excepting things like they are and talking about it the way it is is far more productive than sticking your heads in the sand.

accepting is one thing, not trying is another - and I am not saying you are not trying as I have absolutely no idea. Dont take everything so personally. there is a worldwide slow down, jobs are harder to come by, but when someone asks for particular information on building works etc then that is no reason not to answer them (again - this is not about you )

And definitely I am not saying a positive mental attitude is all it takes. When people come they cant get any financial government assistance and that is hard without work so they need to be prepared for that - but when people ask for advice/assistance to try to get work, I cant see why Steve or anyone else should get their back up.

Vivienne

stevenick

number one it was you who was first rude with the: more doom and gloom, and making claims of no positive attitude. number two: having a carpentry and builders licence means nothing as far as bricklaying contracting goes. i over the years have done work for loads of developers and builders who have not done a days work on a building site but have done some exam and suddenly know it all. there is carpentry work out there but it is bricklaying that is starting to suffer more than most. what i suggest is that all brickies who take yor advice and come here and find they can't find work should rock up at your door and you give them some work as it will be your poor advice that will have got them there. if you feel i have been rude to you i appologise but if you jump into threads with words like i have already mentioned then you are going to p!ss people off. all the guys i know are actively seeking what work they can and your attitude does not help people who will come here in the next few months and the guys i know. there is already an over supply of brickies per work available and more coming in will make that worse it doesn't take a genius to work that out, surely. steve. ps i have done my city and guilds in bricklaying in england and run a successful building business there. i have done my level III in brick and blocklaying here. i have done a business mamagment coarse here. i am now awaiting my bricklaying contractors licence here. i think if you want to quote qualifications i am more qualified to advise bricklayers. thanks, steve.

bcworld

Downturn threatening 50,000 construction jobs

betsyboob

RIGHT,
First of all we have been positive, we have applied for literally over 100 jobs, most of which are probably gone before they even hit the press.

Second, OH has applied for other jobs, driving, storeman, cleaner - to no avail......and LABOURING which they didn't want him for either.

I'm glad you have mentioned me, yes i do believe that people should be prepared and have money in their pockets for any eventualities, and if they haven't and have work in the UK they should stay there until they do. HAVING SAID THAT, even with money in our pockets we would have waited and come out after the RECESSION if we had have seen what was coming.

It is all very well for you to say to migrants not to listen to the 'hype' but these are real people with real experiences and people should be aware that the chances are the jobs which were so called 'in demand' no longer are.

It would be nice to have a positives and negatives thread but what would you put forward? I have noticed that you just put positives forward but when pressed you say how hard it was - what was it you said on another thread? Dog washing on a saturday and didn't know what colour a $50note was for a year?? I think that there are lots of people that wouldn't want to live like that........unfortunately at the moment if som1 offered me a dogwashing job i would bite their hand off!


Please don't patronise tradies, they know how to get jobs....a house doesn't get built on 'positive' attitude. A positive attitude helps when there are jobs to be had, but they simply are not there....when was the last time you actually tried to call one of these 'jobs'?

betsyboob

TOO RIGHT

jad n rich

Building has slowed. I think one of the problems with this forum is someone in the UK about to give up job, home, family, kitchen sink... asks about construction in Aus. The most common reply ( no doubt well meaning ) is Oh yeah you'll be right, loads of building going up round here. Seen that so many times

However approvals have slowed right down, big projects have been axed even the gov is cutting back on construction on hospitals etc. This is pretty much australia wide, just because the thread was on Qld does not mean moving to SA or WA or Vic etc will mean a boom is going on there As the lack of new approvals, and lack of finance for big projects flows on less and less jobs will be about.

I can remember when people used to post brickies in OZ will earn $1000 a day, Ok anyone here knew that was not true but it was said often enough, noticed recently that was revised by one person who gave that info to $250 a day. My point is one answer sounds a lot nicer, however one answer is really bloody useful and is what you need to know, harsh as it might sound.

betsyboob

Yes, this is just it. Any other time you probably would be OK, but we are now going into recession and the jobs just aren't there.
I personally couldn't forgive myself if i didn't speak up as we are struggling badly, and with 2kids in tow that is not good.
Where we are in Australia is lovely, but you just can't enjoy it with no money in your pocket If you can, hold off for a while.

jad n rich

Se qld actually still has a lot of huge projects going on, problem is most sites already have workers, making it harder for new arrivals to break in. But its pretty much the same in Victoria and NSW, we were down recently and tradie mates/relatives are saying the same - things are slowing.

Have you looked at the roadworks projects in brisbane, a lot of work, most were still taking on recently. The huge bridge from Woody point, near redcliffe to brisbane, the one near the RBHosptial. I know it means a commute, but a hours commute for work for a tradie in OZ has always (even in boom times) been just a regular requirement of the job, have ute must travel.

stevenick

i am sorry if i've upset anyone in anyway but i have just told the truth as i see it. i have tried to stick to my trade and where i live because thats what i know. queensland is a lovely place and i will fight tooth and nail to stay here and if for financial reasons i left i would return as soon as possible. it's tough to get started here and doublely tough at the moment. if people want to risk coming without a contracted job lined up then thats up to them. brickies coming in in the next few months won't bother me personally because i will have a licence and they won't, so they won't be able to touch the work i will. i write what i write because i meet young people with kids, no work, no family or friends support and i feel for them. steve.