Our experience
 

Hi to you all,

Thought that given we have received so much advice from many before us we should add our little bit.

So to all those with questions, just starting out, this is for electricians wanting an "A Class" License:

1. ask many, many questions, no matter how stupid!

2. Follow advice given, if in doubt ask! Those before you know so much but remember things change so some advice may be a little out of date or may not relate to your circumstances.

3. Get as much paperwork completed, collected etc before you arrive, it is so much easier to chase up references etc in the UK than here in Oz.

4. Notorising documents is free here in Adelaide, South Australia (Not sure about the rest of Oz), we got a friend to notorise all our stuff in the UK before we left (luckily for free) thinking we would save money in the long run. We arrived here and found out JPs do it for free!

5.In Adelaide contact Trades Recognition Support Services, 11 Waymouth Street, Adelaide SA 5000. They will give you so much advice, for free, we saw them today, they went through all our documents, gave us advice about what we need to do to get things through faster etc and they are seeing us next week to give everything the once over before we send all documents off to ARTC. It was so good to talk to someone, in person, and make sure everything we had done was O.K.

6. You need to book a course for "Wiring rules", this can be done from the UK and before you have ARTC. We booked with PEER, a bit more expensive than other courses, $672.00 (or so we've been told) but we are booked in over a 2 week period and thats all it takes, 2 weeks!. Also book a first aid course with the Red Cross, a couse on CPR is all thats needed, again you can do this from the UK. All course must be paid for in advance but if you email them and tell them when you arrive they will be fine as long as you pay before the course, we paid 4 days before the first aid course.

7. If you are thinking of setting up your own business you will be advised to attend a "small business management" course, by PEER, again a bit expensive, $1,160.00, but only $400.00 if you are CITB registered here in Oz.
Check this out though because the TAFE also does business course cheaper, at the end of the day you need to work out which course is best for you.

8. Keep all receipts, you can use them to claim back tax! Including the courses you attend.

9. When you have attended "wiring rules" course and have your ARTC, then send everything to Office of Consumer and Business Affairs, then you get your A Class license, again the people at Trades Recognition Support Services will advice and help in every way, they really are great, so helpful.

10. This applies to Adelaide, South Australia, but pretty sure it will be the same/similar in other areas of Oz. The people here are very helpful and the paperwork is not that bad as long as you read what is required and follow their instructions.

11. If you are self employed you will need to prepare a personnal statement, which needs to be "statutaory declaration". Here in SA you can go to the post office/newsagent pick up a "statutory declaration" form, fill it in and take it to the JP, get it stamped/signed for free and attach to your statement

12. Theres a saying here in Oz for those doing personal statements - "KISS" which means "Keep It Simple Stupid", and honestly that is so true.

For those still thinking its all too much, we arrived last week the 2nd of July. We followed everyones advice, got all the paperwork ready and everything is ready to go. Course at PEER booked, first aid booked and all forms completed.
Hope to have "A Class" by end of August.

Thanks to all those who answered our questions aand gave advice.

Michelle and Steve
Michelle and Steve

Re: Our experience
 

SA is great isn't it :D

The PEER course is quite easy, and the tutor is a really nice fella. Good luck with it all :)

Re: Our experience
 

Can anyone tell me if this all applies in W.A

Re: Our experience
 

No, it's different up there. :)

Re: Our experience
 

Hi,
Thanks for the advice. My husband is an electrician heading for Adelaide. We have just sent off our TRA. which by the way took three months to complete as my husband had to remember 24 yrs experiance and had to get nine references from pervious employers. It's been a nightmare but we finally sent it on the 10th July.:D.

Lee and Joanne

Re: Our experience
 

Hi,

Hope this goes well for you, I know its a pain getting all the info, Steve has 35 years experience and most of the companies he ever worked for don't exsist now. We also had to get references from clients of ours in the uk, they were not to happy us going so that was a bit difficult.

Michelle and Steve

Re: Our experience
 

Darren, in WA every thing up to item 5 is the same however it would read as follows

6 On receving your ARTC contact Department of Energy at SevernOaks Perth who will issue you a letter with details of test centres for the practical and written exam. You need to pass the practical exam before you can sit written exam.

7 Same as although there is a different training organisation other here or TAFE.

8 Same

9 Need to pass both exams before you get an A Grade licence.

10-11-12 Same

Swan TAFE is probably the best exam centre although last I heard there was a 10 week wait for the practical exam.

Best of luck

Re: Our experience
 

[QUOTE=whiddy;5039783]Hi to you all,

7. If you are thinking of setting up your own business you will be advised to attend a "small business management" course, by PEER, again a bit expensive, $1,160.00, but only $400.00 if you are CITB registered here in Oz.

Can you tell me what the CITB register ed stands for ,
Thanks John

Re: Our experience
 

Michelle and Steve

This is a great post. I'm so frustrated though by lack of consistency with states. Australia sure know how to make money out of us Brits!

Just one little question ; first aid course, you having to do this because you want to start your own company or do all electricians need to undertake it?

Fingers crossed for you all goes well.

KAREN :)

Re: Our experience
 

Hi John never had to do a first aid course to get his WA licence,but did for his QLD licence.
Cheers Lorri

Re: Our experience
 

Hi, as Supersonic mentions there is no First aid course for a WA electrical licence.