london52

Hi, first post, 5 years in Perth and I am thinking of returning home to London I am an Electrician and work is getting slow over here..
I read that the job situation is really bad in the UK but you know what the British media is like, has anyone personally lost their jobs and what is your take on the job front….cheers

w1ldcat

Hi can help you with london, but my brother is a sparky in scotland and he very busy . Last oct he put the staff on 4 day week but by nov they are working 5 day and weekends as well now its march. He was of the tools but hated in the office so he is back on tools only few hours in the office. He a partner in the company. Its getting slow everywhere , not just the uk so good luck.

stm1971

I can't comment first hand on the job front, but i spoke to my brother last night who lives in London and he just recently changed jobs (he's in his 40's)and had no problems. He said there is not as much choice as a year ago but there is still stuff about.

I mentioned to him that we were thinking of coming home (after 9 years in Perth) and he was really pleased and said we would be fine, we'd be able to get a house for a bargain and should be able to get jobs no problems. Made me feel a bit better as all OH's family give us is the doom and gloom stories.

Fleaflyfloflum

Sorry I cant help in regards to electricians, but my ex is in the building trade and he is still managing to keep his job.

It depends on which sector of the workforce you are in as to whether it is bad workwise or not.
OH is a nurse. He already has 2 perm job interviews lined up on our return, plus 2 agencies wanting to sign him up and he hasnt even stepped foot in the country yet!!
He was looking on one website last night and there were 26 pages..i kid you not!! of jobs just in his speciality!

But that doesnt help you i'm afaraid. Have you looked on the usual job sites to see if theres anything going? Although I know from my ex that these kinds of jobs dont really recruit online so much.

Good luck

Fleaflyfloflum

I just had a thought. Theres a hell of a lot of building going on in and around London to do with the 2012 Olympics. I remember seeing all the new construction sites springing up everywhere when i went into London on the train last year. Might be a good idea to soruce out what contractors are doing the work!

Libertay

I'm sure there will always be work for sparkys.. On the job front though myself and most of my friends have been made redundant (we are all in London) there was a news article yesterday that showed that some people had applied for between 1000 and 1900 jobs!!

A friend is a carpenter and he too is finding it difficult to find work.

jonfrank123

I think it's the same crap everywhere now, but there seem to be a lot of building projects still in London, such as 2012 Olympics, Crossrail, London Bridge Redevelopment etc so it probably isn't all bad.

I'm moving back to the UK because my business is doing great over there, I also have a lot of clients who are doing well. So don't even bother reading the gloomy crap in the papers.

mickagnew

Sorry to say guys but I have been back since January, live just outside London and am in the building game as a HVAC Design Engineer.

Here goes

The job situation is dire if you are in the building game, although there will always be something going on, but there are hundreds of sites half finished and half boarded up everywhere. Even the big guys doing the Olympics are laying off staff! Sorry to be doom and gloom but it really is very bad if you are related in any way to the building industry as everyone I speak to has some dismal story or other to say.

Stay put if you have a job, I wish I had because as soon as you have no money coming in things can become a lot worse. Move back if you can when things get a little better or a mate has got you a job, but saying that I was promised 2 on return only for 1 company to lose another project and the other multinational to shed 350 jobs worldwide.

Now trying to start old business up but is tough

Good luck

Mick

hudd

Mick

Have you looked at other industries for HVAC design work. I know HVAC Engineers in the nuclear design are aways in demand. I was at Aldermaston yesterday and there are some major contacts on going in that area of Berkshire. Have a look at companies such as Studsvik, AMEC as the are looking for HVAC engineers on a regular basis.

Hudd

london52

Thanks for all the replies but work is getting tight over here and I am going to try and get a flight in the next month, at least I can work in the bars in London again as they stay open past 10 at night.

lang81

I have been back in Glasgow since November after 2 years in Perth and just can't get a job as a joiner, it's dire here.

I called for a job that was posted in the local job centre and the guy i spoke to said that i was the 43rd person to call that morning:curse: I also spoke to an old boss who said that he thinks things will get worse and that i was mad to leave OZ.

I have a few mates in the trade who have tried to help me with no success and the newspapers have 0 jobs listed.

Im thinking of taking a job in a call centre now.

I wish i never left

london52

It is getting just as bad here, my mate has been out of work for a month and cannot get a job as a spark anywhere.

pingpong

mate, i'm a sparks from london too. i'm also thinking of popping back for a bit as work here in sydney isn't really all that and the money is pony. i spoke to my mate i used to work with the other day who runs a small subby firm and he says he's got plenty on. Big contracts that are going for several years so hopefully enough to tide through the recession. Although he also said he's has a few lads phoning him up for work.

.Ariel.

I don't know about your specific job area, but I agree about the British media. The Daily Mail is the worst for painting a depressing story. Strongly advise not reading that paper

Best of luck with what you decide.

london52

Nice one... with all the olympics going on there may be plenty, yeh the money and the amount of time you have to put in to get it over here is rank.