What’s the current situation like for car mechanics in Aus?
 

Posting on behalf of a friend so apologies for any late replies.


Hi,



I’m a fully qualified car mechanic currently working at a dealership in the UK who is looking for a change of scenery and a different experience. I’m therefore thinking of applying for a WHV and spending a year in Aus. I’m in my early 20’s and meet all of the requirements for the WHV.



My biggest worry is the job situation when I get there. Would it be easy for me to find mechanical and car servicing work in Aus? If so, where would be the best place for me to go? I’m pretty flexible location-wise, but don’t want to be too far out in the sticks as I probably won’t have a car.



I’m also open to doing other types of work if that’s what’s required. However, as vehicle servicing and mechanics is all I’ve ever really done, I think this line of work would be the easiest for me to get into.



I’ve also mainly worked on European cars. Would this be a problem down under?



When would be the best time to make the move?



Any advice would be appreciated,



Thanks,



Henry

Re: What’s the current situation like for car mechanics in Aus?
 

I've never heard of a UK person migrating to work as a Motor Mechanic..... It may have happened, but I'm not aware of it. As for the state of the industry, same as the UK I would imagine in the process of great change. To work in Melbourne ir would help he's cause if he was Arabic or Meditteranean, I would imagine the same would almost certainly apply to Sydney as well. Not sure about the other cities though. Perth and Adelaide could be the go.


Sorry about the negative response. Not sure whether thats better than none or not.

Hopefully I've prompted someone else to respond in a more postive light.

Might help you understand better if I said about a lot of Middle Australias mindset. I work with a bloke who got rid of his 6 year old Hyundai I30 simply because the timing belt broke and caused engine damage. A lot ofPeople dont bother getting that kind of thing fixed here.. they just get a new car. In otherwords the throw away society has reached as far as vehicles here for a lot and maybe most people.

Re: What’s the current situation like for car mechanics in Aus?
 

Re: What’s the current situation like for car mechanics in Aus?
 

Re: What’s the current situation like for car mechanics in Aus?
 

If your friend wants to work as a mechanic in Australia, he needs to check licencing/registration requirements. As mentioned, on a WHV he'd be limited to a maximum of 6 months with any one employer so wouldn't be eligible to apply for full time/permanent positions.
He can gauge the market for jobs in his field, by location, here https://www.seek.com.au/

Re: What’s the current situation like for car mechanics in Aus?
 

An engine replacement is a big repair, to be fair - but I do know locals who do replace engines if the car is new enough to make it economically viable, or is a favourite like a larger wagon or 4x4. A 6 yr old Hyundai can be got for not much less than a replacement engine? And you might not want a conditioned engine if it was older than 6 years?
Smaller Asian 4 cylinder cars are very cheap now. We run 2nd hand cars as we have a larger growing family that needs a midsize SUV where the sticker price is climbing. Incidentally, some of the newer smaller SUVs seem to be too low to the ground for my liking - an older mid-size SUV we run is perfect and has more clearance.