Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Mar 22nd 2007, 8:09 pm
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Hi,
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:00 pm
#2
Still alive
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,994
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Hi,
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
Perth and Adelaide are very different cities, so I suggest you do some research on both to see where it is you would like to be. It costs almost as much to move interstate as it does to move from overseas. Trust me, we're in the process of it now. To ship our furniture from Canada cost us $11k AUD and to ship now from Adelaide to Perth will be $8k plus the cost of shipping my car and flights. In my opinion you only want to make the big move once.
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:08 pm
#3
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Joined: May 2006
Location: In the tree across the road, watching you with binoculars.
Posts: 1,556
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Hi,
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
Welcome to BE !!
I am short on points and have to get an Employer Sponsored job. I have made hundreds of calls and sent hundreds of emails to potential employers in Aus ( Perth ), all with no success.
So, I decided to get over there and meet employers in person ( I fly to Perth on Saturday for two weeks). The difference in employers' attitudes is remarkable; when I tell them I'm coming over to have interviews they are very interested and I now have some very good interviews/meetings for good jobs with good salaries. When I arrive I will get the local paper and phone around for interviews, and use the internet jobsearches as well.
I will post on here when I'm back to let people know how I did and to offer any advice.
The one thing I would say is that I think you still have to have your skills assessed by an Australian authority ( I did ). I'm sure someone on here will be able to help you with that. Or you could do a search of this forum on the assessment side of things.
In summary, from my experience employers don't seem to want to employ someone they haven't even met. And nor would I.
Good luck.
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:12 pm
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 136
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Hi Steve,
I am in the process of going to Perth later on in the year and we are currently applying for our visas.
You should score enough points as you are younger than myself (I'm 42), you have more than 3 years experience in your job, and also building comes under skills in demand. I'm sure with these factors and some references from customers and suppliers you have dealt with you would easily get enough points. You can also pay $100,000 into a bond which gets you more points and you get this back after 12 months.
Go onto an agents website and do a free point score and see how you get on.
Im a bit like you, build loft conversions, employ 9 men and want to get the hell out of it and work for someone for a couple of years, earn a decent wage without all the bloody hassle of blokes, sickies and the customers being a pain in the ass!!!!
Good luck to you and your family
Martin
I am in the process of going to Perth later on in the year and we are currently applying for our visas.
You should score enough points as you are younger than myself (I'm 42), you have more than 3 years experience in your job, and also building comes under skills in demand. I'm sure with these factors and some references from customers and suppliers you have dealt with you would easily get enough points. You can also pay $100,000 into a bond which gets you more points and you get this back after 12 months.
Go onto an agents website and do a free point score and see how you get on.
Im a bit like you, build loft conversions, employ 9 men and want to get the hell out of it and work for someone for a couple of years, earn a decent wage without all the bloody hassle of blokes, sickies and the customers being a pain in the ass!!!!
Good luck to you and your family
Martin
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:24 pm
#5
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Welcome to BE !!
I am short on points and have to get an Employer Sponsored job. I have made hundreds of calls and sent hundreds of emails to potential employers in Aus ( Perth ), all with no success.
So, I decided to get over there and meet employers in person ( I fly to Perth on Saturday for two weeks). The difference in employers' attitudes is remarkable; when I tell them I'm coming over to have interviews they are very interested and I now have some very good interviews/meetings for good jobs with good salaries. When I arrive I will get the local paper and phone around for interviews, and use the internet jobsearches as well.
I will post on here when I'm back to let people know how I did and to offer any advice.
The one thing I would say is that I think you still have to have your skills assessed by an Australian authority ( I did ). I'm sure someone on here will be able to help you with that. Or you could do a search of this forum on the assessment side of things.
In summary, from my experience employers don't seem to want to employ someone they haven't even met. And nor would I.
Good luck.
I am short on points and have to get an Employer Sponsored job. I have made hundreds of calls and sent hundreds of emails to potential employers in Aus ( Perth ), all with no success.
So, I decided to get over there and meet employers in person ( I fly to Perth on Saturday for two weeks). The difference in employers' attitudes is remarkable; when I tell them I'm coming over to have interviews they are very interested and I now have some very good interviews/meetings for good jobs with good salaries. When I arrive I will get the local paper and phone around for interviews, and use the internet jobsearches as well.
I will post on here when I'm back to let people know how I did and to offer any advice.
The one thing I would say is that I think you still have to have your skills assessed by an Australian authority ( I did ). I'm sure someone on here will be able to help you with that. Or you could do a search of this forum on the assessment side of things.
In summary, from my experience employers don't seem to want to employ someone they haven't even met. And nor would I.
Good luck.
I can understand what you are saying about not wanting to employ people you havent met, i would be the same. That is why i am hoping being face to face with people will be more successful.
Anyway, good luck and let us know how you got on when you get back.
PS are you also in construction ?,
Steve
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:35 pm
#6
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 15
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Hi,
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
My wife & i would love to move to Australia (Perth or Adelaide) in a year or two, once our house is as good as paid for, but are just short of points. I am 38, my wife 32 and we have 2 boys, 6 & 4. I have been in construction since leaving school and have an ONC & HND in Building Studies, and have ran my own building company since 1999, employing between 2 - 10 people depending on the workload, (home extensions, refurbishments, etc).
However this is where the problem concerning points lie, because even though i have always been happiest on the tools, (bricklaying, joinery, roofing) i do not possess any trade qualifications. I can do these trades to the same quality and speed as most of the tradesmen i have also employed over the years, if not better sometimes !! and have never had an unhappy customer.
I would not want to set up a new business, especially in a new environment, but feel that i could be beneficial to a construction firm over there in one form or another.
My wife has worked in social care since leaving school, looking after the elderly in their own homes and would be interested in something similar.
Does anybody think it would be worthwhile flying out for a month or so to make contact with any employers or would it be a wasted journey ? Has anyone had or know of a similar scenario ?
Any info would be much appreciated as we dream of living & working in Oz all of the time and giving our kids a better, outdoor lifestyle.
Steve, Kaz & Kids
I'm in pretty much the same boat as you mate!!! I have years of experience in the building game and have experience on a few tools as well!!! I am looking to go for a Forreman/Supervisor role out in Oz though as i've been doing mainly that for about 6 years, with a small building company while also on the tools, mainly building and roofing!!!
I hope to go to Melbourne in Oct for 4 or 5 weeks to see what the craic is!! I have been looking at jobs for a while out there and there seems to be plenty of work!! I think i will need sponsored as well though as i dont have papers for any of the jobs i can do!! I hope to hit the jobmarkets and the papers as soon as i get out there and maybe get a few interviews as i'd rather meet people face to face!! A prospective employer would rather this as well i suppose!!!
I've just turned 31 and if i had applied just over a year ago i would have had enough points to get in no bother, i just get 110 now!!
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:35 pm
#7
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
Hi Steve,
I am in the process of going to Perth later on in the year and we are currently applying for our visas.
You should score enough points as you are younger than myself (I'm 42), you have more than 3 years experience in your job, and also building comes under skills in demand. I'm sure with these factors and some references from customers and suppliers you have dealt with you would easily get enough points. You can also pay $100,000 into a bond which gets you more points and you get this back after 12 months.
Go onto an agents website and do a free point score and see how you get on.
Im a bit like you, build loft conversions, employ 9 men and want to get the hell out of it and work for someone for a couple of years, earn a decent wage without all the bloody hassle of blokes, sickies and the customers being a pain in the ass!!!!
Good luck to you and your family
Martin
I am in the process of going to Perth later on in the year and we are currently applying for our visas.
You should score enough points as you are younger than myself (I'm 42), you have more than 3 years experience in your job, and also building comes under skills in demand. I'm sure with these factors and some references from customers and suppliers you have dealt with you would easily get enough points. You can also pay $100,000 into a bond which gets you more points and you get this back after 12 months.
Go onto an agents website and do a free point score and see how you get on.
Im a bit like you, build loft conversions, employ 9 men and want to get the hell out of it and work for someone for a couple of years, earn a decent wage without all the bloody hassle of blokes, sickies and the customers being a pain in the ass!!!!
Good luck to you and your family
Martin
My brief points assessment fell just short, but the bond seems a good idea. Do the customer, suppliers references really count for anything ?
I appreciate what you said about the hassle of self employment, does get a bit stressful at times. I worked about 7 days in November and 10 in December due to bad weather, not very good when you are trying to pay your mortgage off early !! I'd walk to Oz tomorrow if i knew i could get in.
Steve
Mar 22nd 2007, 9:45 pm
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2006
Location: In the tree across the road, watching you with binoculars.
Posts: 1,556
Re: Is it worthwhile flying out to find construction work / (sponsorship) ?
I have had a brief discussion with a guy called Malcolm at ConceptAustralia who told us we didnt have enough points.
I can understand what you are saying about not wanting to employ people you havent met, i would be the same. That is why i am hoping being face to face with people will be more successful.
Anyway, good luck and let us know how you got on when you get back.
PS are you also in construction ?,
Steve
I can understand what you are saying about not wanting to employ people you havent met, i would be the same. That is why i am hoping being face to face with people will be more successful.
Anyway, good luck and let us know how you got on when you get back.
PS are you also in construction ?,
Steve
For the ENS visa the points aren't important. We are quite a way short, but having been positively assessed on my qualif's we can go the ENS route.
No, not in construction. Office manager.
As you've probably gathered, Perth is booming and that means more jobs, more people, more houses, more schools, etc, etc, etc.
