chris955

I just had a very quick look at a job vacancy site for Somerset (where I am returning to) and there were 4 pages of vacancies for electricians, I find it strange that there would be zero vacancies wherever Energysolutions is located in the UK.

Swerv-o

You also really need to look at the re-training provisions and requirements for obtaining your full licence to work as an electrician.

Many new immigrants working in trades have reported significant difficulties in obtaining the appropriate certification to work after arrival, with some out of work for many months while doing the required paperwork.


S

Amazulu

If he can get into a company that is doing mine construction (there is a huge demand for sparkies) then he will be fine. Most of these companies rely on a few of their guys having a licence, and the rest hang off of them. I've heard of outfits doing major mine work and only having one guy with a licence! Individual licensing is only a big issue with domestic and commercial work, or where there are militant unions involved.

Wol

I've no reason to think he's anything but an Aussie-born Aussie.

I've just returned from my Wednesday golf game: my (Aussie) partner has the exact same problems with the same people, trying to get some trees down but has had excellent service from him, so I'm pretty confident for once.

Wol

SwerveO:

>>I'm not really sure how you could consider coming here sight unseen - I'm not sure if I would be gambling my future security and happiness on something I had never really experienced.<<

Sounds sensible, but I'm not sure if it actually makes much difference - especially for those who can ill-afford to make an expensive rekkie trip "to test the waters".

Prior to emigrating I had visited Australia possibly a couple of dozen times (Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth), had several long vacations here and worked in Sydney on four month postings three times. So I thought I knew a fair amount about the place.

What even extended non-resident stays don't do is expose you to the nitty-gritty of day to day frustrations and disgraceful service (which is where this thread came in). That's not to say that you don't have problems in every other country, 'cos you do. It's just that, in my opinion - and that's all it is, my opinion - Australian frustrations are in a league of their own.

And the thing that sends me over the edge is that you are continually, gratuitously, being told that *everything* Australian is so much better than *anywhere* else. Well, it isn't.

DeadVim

I have to agree about the number of ads on SEEK that are just fishing for clients.

They are pretty easy to spot if you monitor the searches for a while, at least in the IT world.

I put extra effort into my latest application (via an agency) because I independently verified that the position actually existed, otherwise I would just be wasting my time.

Good on ya for getting into it, too many people try to find their 'ideal' job and won't take anything else, even if it would build some 'Aussie experience' and maybe some networking opportunities. (Didn't want to type 'networking' because it sounds wanky but failed to find another word ...)

Wol

Don't think it isn't different here. Australia is quite definitely a two speed economy. WA and parts of QLD are rolling in cash because they're digging them up and flogging them to the Chinese. That's one of the two reasons the dollar is so strong - for the time being. But in the rest of the continent it's very different. Here in "Country" NSW the shops are closing one after the other, the infrastructure is decaying and the charity shops are full. No, not full-on recession, but very much a contrast with the boom areas.

Turban Explorer

David (my marriage-friend) has altered his name badge to Mohammed and mine to 'Blatt' - he has a beard and I am blonde so closest to Eastern European. It does leave a bitter taste sometimes but it's sort of fun in an upstairs/downstairs type way.

DeadVim

When I left school I took a sponsored HND with GEC Marconi which guaranteed a job at the end of it, I was pleased with that when I met up with some high-flyers a few years later.

Apparently particle physics degrees are ideal if you want do stand-up comedy in Newcastle

I'm sure they sorted themselves out eventually ... I'm pretty sure they aren't famous comedians.

kmthor

It,s the same in my trade (Engineering) they Advertise and don't have jobs, if you track them long enough you can see the jobs that are phony..
I,v seen Private advertisers offer a bonus to the applicant for not to going through agents.

I also think that energysolutions is quoting zero jobs from the Seeks UK page and not a UK based site

in the engineering game it seems once they get your CV they mass email it

hmunker

What site did you use?..thanks

saveme

You can always find a horror story in any country if you go looking for it. I remember seeing a doco in the UK about two families who had employed two builders to do a renovation. One family employed a Polish builder, the other a Pommie builder. Both were 'cowboys' and at the end, one family said 'next time, we're using a Polish builder' & the other said 'next time, we're using a British builder!'

alexswift

We are currently fitting out a now office and its so frustrating trying to get a local to do any work. This is what you get when the country has not had a recession in nearly 20 years, tight immigration policies that slow the rate of overseas workers and a racists statements from ministers about 457 workers.

So far...
Telstra needed harassing to process an order for $84'000

The tender we sent to 25 plus companies only 2 replied for a $100k fitout, you can guess who runs these two companies. An Irish man and and English man.

Getting the Aussie Real estate agent, building owner and legal company to do any work is f-ing impossible, months of delays because people are "on holiday", "picking up kids for school" or "gone shopping".

Building manager at the new building, lazy unionised toss-pot does everything he can to do no work. One moment says "yeah all is good" the next sits on his fat arse and wont allow a Telstra engineer to do an install because has not got his high viz jacket and hard hat to work in the basement of a building.

Nobody here replies to an email or phone call unless they are British or American.

Trying to source FF&E for the office, again near impossible to get someone to send you a quote or PO.

The Irish guy that replied, turned up to meet us, is doing a solid professional job and adding value to the project has seen my spend with the guy double in value.

My summary is look after the ExPats first, don't piss away your time with the lazy locals line the pockets of the ExPats that jump on the opportunities.

Amazulu

Very true. In the UK, Aussies are seen as hardworking and reliable and the locals are not. Here it's the opposite.

Nature of the beast.

Japonica

Yeah, garden run of the mill sparkies, not much call from what I hear.

My OH is a HV industrial electrician/cable jointer and also does testing. He was flat out last year. I posted about when he was working in the mines around Boddington/Worsley and they just couldn't find the qualified guys to get the job done. They were commissioning subs and there were two qualified guys (and one engineer who couldn't obviously do any hands on stuff) when they needed at least six, realistically, to get the project done on time. His company subcontracts him out to the firms running the mine projects.

Now he's been sent all over the place. And he had two other outfits try and poach him last year. He's keeping them on file just in case.

So, sparkies, get some HV industrial qualifications...it's not a guarantee of anything, but at least here in WA, it seems to better your options than just domestic and commercial experience.