nicola27

Hi all.
We are hoping to be in oz within the next 2 yrs. My partner is a gas fitter here, and we are just doing all the research and steps before applying for our visa.

(Should I be asking???)
My partner works for a company in England and sometimes gets jobs on the side(which come i handy with the credit crunch). I just wondered what the situation in Oz was regarding jobs on the side (I suppose that any tradesmen could answer this).

Nicola

Rossi

Gas or electric jobs " on the side " will still need a "certificate of completion" to be lodged with the office of gas safety.......currently costs $120 each ticket and can only be issued by a licensed gas fitter/plumber, so if he intends working for someone else he will only be a "registered gas installer" and cannot therefore issue a "cert"
To be honest jobs as a gas service engineer, as we are known in the UK, are very few and far between, most of us have either had to resit plumbing tests for cold water/hot water/drainage/roofing etc. not to mention you will need a disconnect/reconnect electrical license (40 hours minimum training and that is normally 4 hours training 1 day per week then the exam (Expect to spend at least 6 months and about $6k in training and testing IF you want to stay in the same game I did, and then landed a job where I didn't need them ) or use your transferrable skills and get in to something else different.

nicola27

Very interesting and useful to know, thanks Rossi.
We were at an expo at the wknd and was told that in south Australia there would be jobs for gas fitters. I have read on here many times about the whole gas/plumbing issue (need plumbing quals in Oz to do what all gas Engineers do in England).
At first the whole process seems easy. Your on the list of jobs in demand, but that doesnt seem to mean a great deal as far as actually getting employment goes.
All so complicated

bob69

Depending on your visa and qualifications, you might not need to seek employment but you could start your own business. There is a lot of work for gas fitters in Australia. You can use services like whocando.com.au to get you started right away and find work without any marketing budget.

nicola27

Hi bob. Welcome to the site.
Thanks for the post. Are you already in Australia? The amount of expats that say there isnt really a lot of work for gas fitterds in Oz is unreal.
I think your one of the first to say that there is lots of work out there.

Nicola

Rossi

Sorry to bust your bubble Bob

I have been a gas service engineer since 1977 and I had my own business in the UK employing 6 full time employees and 20 subbies, I emigrated to Aus (with the intention of doing the same here) in 2004 under that trade, as it was in the demand list.After arrival I duly trekked up to the Plumbing Industry Council, dropped 36 certificates of proficiency on their desk ranging from CORGI registration to my "Approved Plumber" certificate only for them to sort through them saying " never heard of that "and (as mentioned before) I had to spend the next 6 months sitting exams and training courses that I had already done several years before.
The better part of 6 thousand dollars later with no income coming in , I ended up taking a job as a work planner for an industrial gas company - later transferring to the engineering department.

It may sound big headed but if anyone could have started a new business in the gas game then it would have been me BUT as a "new" person to these wonderful shores ......... where are you going to find ALL your contacts in the trade ? Who is going to be your preferred supplier ? How do you know if you are getting a good discount ?
These contacts that we take for granted have been built up over several years worth of trading - either black market or legitimate and you do not have that history in Australia

Rossi

Nicola,
having said all of the above............it's still worth the move
You never know what you can turn your hand to unless you try
ALL jobs have transferrable skills that are sought after by other professions - look at me...........I'm getting by without even picking up a tool box and I have only had to work 1 Saturday since I got here

bob69

Hi Nicola,
yes, I have been living in Australia for close to a decade. And I agree with Rossi that Australian bureaucracy is famously terrible. But the work is there - there is a chronic tradesmen shortage across Australia and according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, tradesmen income has risen by 298% over the last 20 years for that very reason. Demand obviously varies by location: the best places to start a trade business or find a job are Perth and Queensland. Some evidence:
http://www.workplace.gov.au/NR/rdonl...dGasfitter.pdf
Cheers, Robert

nicola27

Thanks again Rossi.
We dont want to move out without a job lined up for my partner. We are wanting to move for the lifestyle and not to make loads a money (would be a nice bonus tho). OH is on a good wage here and with his 'extra' jobs we are doing ok. He also wouldnt mind putting down the tools and working his way up the ladder. He's a grafter (as most of you are - own business etc) and alwyas wants to progress further in his career. Do we stay here and earn more money and have better life that way, or go to Oz for lifestyle but possibly have no money/friends/support etc.

Decisions decisions!!!

bob69

I received a private message but when I try to access it, I get "The administrator has restricted use of the private message system to members with more than 3 posts."

Rossi

Not being pedantic BUT that is dated DEC 2006

I am in "the game" , and am telling you MY experiences of trying to get a start over here.
After coming here with MY skills being in demand at that time (2004), and then made to jump through so many hoops, that I decided it wasn't worth it, I side stepped into a "gas" related field (cryogenics) after trying all the major appliance manufacturers and gas suppliers with no joy.
Just seems such a waste of 30 years natural gas & lpg experience but hey ho........

Catch

who is this clown

paulf

Totaly out of touch with the real situation here for GasFitters,
There is NOT an abundance of jobs here for gas fitters and the few that are about are poorly paid. I have been offered work by the two biggest brand names of gas heaters here Rinnai and Rheem and let me tell you my wife earns more at woolies than they pay a tradesman.
Nicola, just do a search on this forum for Gasfitters and you,ll get the true picture of the current situation here.
Good luck.

paul95

Hi all, I too have been reading this thread with great interest as we went to the london expo yesterday and were told that there should not be to much trouble to get a job within the gas industry, as said before because its on the list, are they misleading us or ill informed? I have comercial and industrial boiler experiance and have been scanning the job websites with only one job coming up. Does the same apply with larger boilers and gas/oil burners?
Good luck nicola27

nicola27

Interesting reading!

I also went to an expo in leeds last wknd and was also told there would be plenty of jobs, especially in SA where we told they were running 2 new gas mains (or something lie that, lol).
The info we were given at the expo is not the story i keep hearing on here from everyone who has gone out there. We are given the impression, that because the job is on the list of jobs in demand, there will be 'no problem' finding a 'well paid job'. I am yet to hear from anyone on here who has had a positive experience.

This now makes me wonder whether or not its worth all the time, effort and money.