Mrs Kiwi

Hi, just got back from our rekkie which threw up a couple of questions about my husbands job, which is car spraypainting (or paintspraying - can never remember which way round is the proper name!)

Everyone he spoke to in Oz during our rekkie said there was loads of work there for spraypainters which is great news, but there was some confusion over whether it is better to be employed by a crash repair shop or be a self employed contractor.

Is there more money to be earned being a self employed spraypainter contractor in Oz? If so, how does that work? How do you contract yourself out to crash repair shops? My hubbie is used to being employed directly by a crash repair shop.

And if he is a contractor, I guess he pays his own tax and super??
What is the expected/average wage for spraypainters who are (1) employed directly by a crash repair shop or (2) a self employed contractor.

Also, are there ANY crash repair places in Oz that use "water based" paint? My husband is a Kiwi and was a spraypainter there for 14 years before coming to the UK. He has been a spraypainter in the UK for 6 years and everyone in the UK uses water based paint, during our rekkie he was amazed to find that "water based" paints have not yet come over to Oz.

Would there be any market for my husband to introduce water based paints to crash repair shops in Oz?

Many thanks for any help you can give,
Kelly

tuftyj

hi there. right lets get it straight. in the uk its paintspraying and oz its spraypainting!!!! as you said self employed is alot more common than over in the uk prob because they get better pay. i would do it that way if you can be bothered as it is much better money but it is more hassle. working at a bodyshop as an employee can be from 600 to around the thousand mark but it varies alot. it does tend to be alot crapper pay than in the uk and also the work is a bit nastier to do, secondhand panels and so on. not really waterbased yet as there are no laws on on bodyshop pollution plus they have difficulty getting it on properly on baking hot days. any more questions let me know.
dan

Mrs Kiwi

Thanks for your reply Dan, I really appreciate your help. I do have loads more questions, I hope you don't mind!!

I didn't realise the pay could vary so much for an employed spraypainter - you mention it could be from $600-$1000 dollars, thats a big gap.

What makes the difference between earning the $600 a week to earning $1000? Is it just what the boss decides to pay you?

Or does location make a difference? (We are going to Hervey Bay - does that mean my hubbie will get paid less than if he was in a big city?)

How would he go being a contractor upon arrival in Oz? A step by step guide if you don't mind! He's never been self employed before and finds it a daunting prospect!

Do you think, generally speaking, it will be easy for him to get work??

Many thanks, Kelly

tuftyj

hello kiwi.
i would guess in hervey bay you would be looking at the lower end of the payscale. i was on the sunny coast and it was crap 600 at everywhere which is bizzare as they get the same hourly rate insurance wise as in the city but as i got told it just the way it is, very annoying especially as you sweat like you nether sweated before so you better get your fella ready for that. and also i had something rather unpleasent called jock rot. it was a nasty fungal rash, i will let you guess where!! i was forcing down 5 litres of water a day and to be honest in the summer it was horrible. its not the heat its the humidity. bare metal would be rusty in a few hours. however one bloke i met from tassy was self employed and was on a percentage of the labour of each job he did and he was earning good money but you need the constent work.he was doing around 1200 a week averaged out. to be honest i dont know how to go about being self employed but if money will be an issue then definately give it a try first. there will be plenty of work though but thats because of the reasons above, they struggle to find aussies to do it. they dont think if we paid more money they would get more/ quality people!
i am only giving my experience but the money really is up and down from one shop to the next, town to town etc.
anything else let me know
dan

Mrs Kiwi

thanks Dan - eek, I'm worried now!
Jock Rot sounds bloody awful!
My hubbie loves spraypainting and has worked his way up to good money in the Uk. He has foreman experience now - any ideas how he would go about getting a job as a foreman in a paintshop in Oz?
We knew he wouldn't earn a fortune in Oz, but when we do our money calculations we work off an estimated figure of him earning $800 a week, so you saying $600 is scary!!
Does that mean take home pay, by the way? Please say yes!!
Are you still spraypainting, by the way???? !!!
Thanks for all the help
Kelly

tuftyj

he would prob have to work up to foreman. it was 600 take home! it is humid but everyones different in reaction so if he dont sweat too much should be ok. one thing thats also really annoying is they dont blend anything. its really frustrating as you spend 2 hours tinting a colour which we dont do anymore in the uk so will have to learn to tint and then do 20 spray outs to try and get edge to edge match, when you could prep and blend in 10minutes.
i would look into self employed aswel. it is easy going though, pretty relaxed, start early finish early. i am still painting but back in the uk but dont let that put you off. listen like i say the money is up and down and he could strike gold with a job, i would say get in somewhere you like prove, yourself then squeeze them for more money because there struggling for quality painters.
dont forget theres no light evenings in queensland aswel, that was really dissapointing to be dark at 6 30pm in summer
dan

Mrs Kiwi

Dan, you have been most helpful so thanks a million. What brought you back home to the UK?
Reading between the lines it sounds like Oz wasn't all you thought it might be - how long were you there for??
I know what you mean about the dark nights in Oz - I was there on my reccie last month and noticed it - but I'm hoping the warmth in the evenings and the fact that I can sit outside and listen to the cicada's/crickets will compensate.