ENGLISH IN OZ

just read your thread mate and seen the date how did you get on i arrived in oz oct 2003 had a night mare with the licence
let me know how you got on

cresta57

Pleased I'm not the only one who struggled for ages with the powers that be here. I was beginning to think it was a personal vendetta

JJL family

if you have qualifications from england i.e city and guilds do you still have to go back to college (TAFE) for a licence.

pompeywill

Certificate for tiling....MY ARSE

If you do a proper job then you get paid, if not then you dont....simple.
Tiling is not like gas or electric work, no-one will be in danger because of badworkmanship.

I've been tiling for 20 years and will carry on in Aus, if its my own property who gives a toss anyway.

Don

[QUOTE=pompeywill]
Tiling is not like gas or electric work, no-one will be in danger because of badworkmanship.

QUOTE]

You could cut your toe on a badly appointed tile.

Or slip up and break an arm?

cresta57

Not true here mate, you could be the best tiler in the world but without the magic piece of paper NOBODY has to pay you a cent. You could work for a fortnight for an employer and he can just refuse to pay you without your licence number. Check the law before you spout off. http://www.bsa.qld.gov.au/
As to not being in danger, if you use the wrong adhesive/grout here and the joints leak water into the frame of the house there will be no house left when the white ants have devoured it, not to mention potential electrical problems as water doesn't tend to mix very well with electricity.
Do your research next time you post advice, if you have a white ant infestation and lose your home after dodgy tiling you are not insured.
I'm a tiler and have to have liability insurance to the tune of 5 million.
Still I'm only here working in Aus as a tiler what the f**k would I know??

Right rant over and 1000 posts from me, where's my Kangaroo Polly??

Kelpiegirl

Well said cresta57!

My husband has been a wall and floor tiler for 20 years and you are absolutely right. So many people think tiling is about gluing tiles to a wall or floor but it is so much more than that! If you don't do it right, they will fall off the wall, come loose on the floor, if they are not level you will hurt your feet when you walk around bare footed, if you use the wrong grout or do not know how to grout the tiles will fall off as well, etc etc etc. Tiling is a trade just like any other and a lot of things can go wrong if you don't know what you are doing.

As far the guy here who think tiling is a joke, let's hope you will never get sued! If you do it in your own house, that's your business - I don't care if your tiling looks like shit - but do not even attempt tiling for somebody else when you don't know what you're doing.

Kelpiegirl

pompeywill

As far the guy here who think tiling is a joke

Hmmm, I read all the posts and cant find anyone who said that tiling was a joke. Its a trade like any other.
If I was a typical homeowner in Aus (which actually I am) and wanted some tiling done I would ask around and get some recommendations from the neighbours or friends, personally a license would be insignificant as far as I was concerned.
I appreciate that working for a construction company would require some form of qualification but surely in the private sector you would go on recommendation (as you do here).
Australia is not England but at the same time its not another planet either.

I plan to renovate my own properties, surely I dont need a license to tile my own house?

jad n rich

The answer to this thread is here, why does cresta, a tiler, have 5 million of liability insurance. Because as a Tradesman here you are liable for every centimetre of work you perform for decades. And if the shit hits the fan with a house the buck passing will begin and each and every lovely laid back aussie will be trying to blame someone else so they dont pay the damages.

Dont forget when a house is sold here it will go under an Building inspection, if an inspector picks up the home handymany did not meet waterproofing/termite regulations your contact will go ass up and evey agent in town wont touch selling your house with a barge pole. Also supose you touch an area like do it yourself electrics and the house burns down, without the bits of paper like licences your insurance co will get off scott free they dont have to pay a penny.

Australia does not have the UK's construction laws, it is a highly litegatious society, the contruction industry is a fantastic area to meet lunatic clients who will want to sue you for dust, the neighbour hitting the retaining wall, or come back on you 20 years later for duff work. Its only a matter of time before any tradesman will meet the client from hell who wants money.

My liability insurance 200 million.

cresta57

From your reply it's quite obvious you have little or no experience of actually living, working or buying/selling real estate here in Australia.

pompeywill

I am currently awaiting completion of a new build in Perth, and I will be tiling throughout and also all internal carpentry, landscaping and decorating.
Its not rocket science.

Amazulu

That's right, are you telling me no one does diy in Oz?. If it so strict, then why are there hardware stores there & home makeover shows on TV?.

I'm planning to do the same as you.

Diprotodon

Even the weaker sex can tile.

Amazulu

Man, she's quick, got her number?.

Badge

interesting debate developing here. I can see where the DIYers are coming from, yet the impact on house resale is a serious issue and needs to be addressed. Apart from that, can't see why you can't do it yourself. Laws not withstanding. I know people who have replaced sections of their deck - is this licensed?

The debate is not so much who does tiling, and who gets to do it, but who pays if it goes wrong. (One reason for getting a professional).

Just a thought - the developers I worked for did their own tiling - even I did a bit!!!

BM