Electrician - some advice please...
 

Hi everyone, I'm a new to all this and could really use some help.

I'm 47, a Maintenance Electrician with over 30 years industrial experience (printing and car industry), apprentice served with a BTEC in Electrical Engineering and fully up to date with the current 17th edition regulations. My wife is 45 and gave up her Civil Service job to stay at home as a full time mom, she has RSA 1 & 2 qualifications in typing and word processing.

I've had a look at the NZ skills shortage lists and I think I qualify but not entirely sure. Would my BTEC count towards any points and also my wife's RSAs as equivalent NZ qualifications? Also, where's the best place to on the internet to scout for jobs in NZ and is it best to use an agency - both for job finding and submitting an EOI?

ANY help appreciated!

Cheers ed.

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

Hi Ed,

I too am a maintenance electrician and am in the process of emigrating to NZ. I think most folk on here will tell you not to go down the route of appointing an agent to do the visa for you, as it is a lot of money and you will end up having to do the majority of work for them (correct me if i'm wrong!).
As far as I know, your BTEC in electrical engineering will be recognised, there is a list of recognised qualifications on the NZQA website. As far as the skills shortage list, I'm not sure if we are on it or not, as it mentions electricians, but I think it is more for installation electricians. If you look at the NZIS website, there is a points calculator on there and it should give you all the info you require, if not ask on here, people are very helpful! :thumbup:

For jobs, I'd recommend Seek and Trademe websites, I've seen a few on there but most of them require a visa to apply.
When and where are you looking at going?

Good luck with everything!!

Dave

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

I don't know if this affects your specific job areas but just to let you know that

Electronic equipment and electronic instrument trades worker

were removed from the Immediate Skills Shortage List as from 15 June 2009.

Hopefully this doesn't affect you :fingerscrossed:

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

Hi,
You'll need to get all your qualifications assessed and a letter stating they'll let you apply for a licence from here

http://www.ewrb.govt.nz/content/overseas.html

I'd do that now as immigration will want to see the letter, it took 6 weeks to sort mine out, it didnt cost me anything apart from postage and the effort of collecting and photocopying everything, they'll want proof of your apprenticeship and a letter from your employer/s detailing what you have been doing for as long as you can go back. Break it all down into a great long list as they seem to want specifics, I had to send a second letter with more detail.
The good news then is if they're happy and you get the letter offering provisional registration you wont need to have any qualifications assessed by anyone else :)

The bad news is before you can get a full licence, at best you'll have to sit the safety exam and regs exam. dates for these are on the EWRB website and are generally June and November from memory. You can work for a while under a provisional licence but there are restrictions.

I wouldn't bother with an agency, it's not that bad a process just long winded.
Lots of job agencies
Seek.co.nz
also look on trademe.co.nz an ebay clone that has Jobs
Jobs have certainly reduced since the end of last year.

Good Luck:thumbup:

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

Do you know if you have to have full registration before you can submit your EOI? I checked yesterday and it asks for your registration number on the EOI form. Any help would be great! Cheers

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

No you dont need a registration number, you can't get full registration without passing the exams in New Zealand, the best you'll get is a letter offering a provisional licence, Immigration accepted mine on that basis, I don't have a registration number and am currently trying to convince Immigration the 3 year relationship with my other half is real, they should try living with her, I deserve a medal not more questions :)

having said all that, I read somewhere that it may be possible to get a provisional licence if you do the safety course in London, it was too late for me as I'd submitted our ITA but it also starts eating into your 12 month provisional license

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

Lol! Thanks for the info! I've heard that the safety course in London is about 4 times the price as it is in NZ and good point about it eating into your provisional, hadn't thought of that

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

Yes, last year the price was £300, It's a lot cheaper to do it in NZ

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

Hi all,

Big thanks to everyone for all this valuable advice. I must admit my initial look at the NZ GOV web-site had my head spinning for a while - all those PDF files to open! Thanks 2poor4this for the info on EWRB, hopefully my qualifications will pass the riggors, and Dave77, hoping to get to Christchurch area but not entirely sure as I will need to go out there on a scouting mission first - but it will be a city for sure as the wife can't drive. I understand you get extra points for areas outside Aukland? Such a long way and really expensive process, but to not to do the research first could be a disaster.

Good luck to you all, I'll post when I get further into the process and let you know how I get on.

Cheers ed.:fingerscrossed:

Re: Electrician - some advice please...
 

No worries Ed, best of luck with everything! Wise move to plan a trip for sure, thats exactly how I felt! I spent 2 weeks checking out the South Island (not long enough really!) and it was so worthwhile and not really that expensive (the accomodation was quite basic but it was only a base for moving around from!). I read on the forum recently that Singapore Airlines are doing some great deals on flights until January so it may be worthwhile looking into sooner rather than later!! Have a great time!
Cheers:thumbup: