Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Are there any plumbers with info on wages, work conditions. I would like to know what sort of wages are on offer and are you coping on them. Jobs i view are giving ball park figures, so i would prefer to hear it from the horses mouth. How long once over before self-employment is a possibility.

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Try: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=plumbing
Might point you in the right direction?
Try a 'plumbing' seach and see what else you can turn up that might be more specific to your needs.
Karen B

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Good link back to my old post . Thanks !

This should give you all the info you needed to get started.

Other than that google PGDB and take a good look around the site.

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Yes it is was a good post bevs but it didnt answer all my questions. Did you get my message i sent direct to you.

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Hi there i have been here for 3 years and i am a registered plumber/gasfitter.
Well lets start with wages im on $19.50/ hr take off the tax, take home pay about $15/hr = GB 5.35/hr with the cost of living it just pays the bills with no mortgage.You would get more in Auckland but the housing is dearer.When you register with the PGDB you will be given a limited licence after working under supervision for 12 months you can take the registered exam if you pass you have to work under guidence for 2 years then you take the craftsman Plumbing paper and also a common paper this is a full buiseness course, if you fail either you have to wait another year as the exams are only sat once a year AND all exams are closed book.The BGDB are worse than Corgi Also every year we have to upskill to get points for the annual licence.Hope this answers your questions
Good luck if you decide to come to NZ

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Nope . didn't see the PM until now.

Pay :-
How long is a piece of string.
Depends on the location and on the employer.
Ball park only for this -- $17.50 to $25 per hour.
That is regardless of whether you have sat and passed registration exams. A pay rise following registration isn't compulsory.
Pay rises are often increments of 50c or a dollar an hour unless you drive a hard bargain. :p .
Of course a city based job is likely to offer more money. Also a boom town area i.e. Queenstown and surrounds. However, these are equally more expensive to live in.

NZ employers will simply be glad of a fully qualified plumber. It will make no difference to them really whether you are registered or not. They will have NZ registered plumbers to sign off your work. Its cheaper for them if you remain on the Limited Licence , then you won't be looking at them for a payrise :p

Training :- Up to you although your employer may offer to arrange and pay -- let him. See if he will pay for your licence too.:beer:
You should be under supervision , so you will gain on the job training and learn about NZ plumbing through that. Most likely there will be no 'supervision' as such. You will be expected to pull your weight as a qualified plumber, even though on a Limited Licence.
I think you'll find NZ trained plumbers only too willing to show you how its done. Thats to the good and very helpful.

For passing the exams , you may wish to look into signing on with an ITO [training organisation]. You can contact Wellington , Christchurch or Auckland re. this. The Open Polytechnic also do courses. All seem to be long distance learning with course work and block training at the Unis.

Unitec in Auckland offer a two day refresher course once a year for those that are about to sit PGDB exams.

You will need to be completely au fait with NZ and PGDB building codes, standards and regulations.

These days you can download last years PGDB exam papers for free. That should give you an idea of what is required to become registered.

You should start the ball rolling by having your UK quals assessed now by the PGDB. You can download the form from their web site.
Send the fee, along with certified copies of your certificates, proof of work experience , years in the trade etc to the PGDB in Wellington and await the outcome.
From your quals I would say you will be eligible to sit the registration exams which happen each year in November without needing to gain the NZ National Certificate first.

As you are of the NVQ era , then there may be some of the older UK skills , which are no longer taught, that you will not have needed much training in, but which are still used in NZ.
For instance - brazing is still very common here. Fittings are not much used or trusted.

Plumbers here are involved in drainlaying and have been known to make their own spouting.

If you are commited to NZ then there is no need to worry, unless you are a family with kids and looking to live on just one wage of $17.50 phour , per year. Thats when you should be having a good think.

:D They ARE worse than CORGI :eek: At least CORGI is timely and efficient. You know exactly whats what with CORGI.
Trouble with the PGDB is its lack of concise information for the overseas migrant so they know exactly what they are letting themselves in for.
Compared to CORGI, the PGDB exam methods & assessments are archaic. The language used is 1960 11plus style. LOL
Even the NZ ITOs and NZs own apprentices and plumbers are slating this trade board. So its not just the blind migrants that are unhappy with the organisation.

From a migrants standpoint, we have to hope that the new board will think to put something more relevant in place for its migrant plumbers, with regard to overseas qual assessments , which lets face it are on a New Zealand skill shortage list. To treat a UK time served plumber like a final year apprentice is a nonsense and a waste of the much needed skills.

There again to do that is financially benificial for the board, the ITOs and Nz plumbing business. ;)

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

I'm not a plumber or a plumber's mate (!) but IMHO this is what this forum should be about - helpful, informative, friendly. One of the best posts I have read on this site in ages, karma to you.
Congratulations BEVS here: you have reminded me why I continue to tune in.
Karen B

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Top marks for that post bevs it was both informative and thought provoking. I have got a lot of thinking to do and the facts i am gathering are very helpful. Thanks a lot.

Re: Any plumbers out there with info. Help needed
 

Please can someone help me?

My Husband's partner in business wanted to go to Australia, but unfortunately he is 45 years old ( Too old ). He is a qualified plumber, with 23 years experience. He has his City and Guilds.

He has now decided that he would like to move to New Zealand instead. I have done a points test for him, which came out of 115.

Please could someone give me the low down of the pros and cons for him getting a Invitation to apply in New Zealand. I know you only need 100points.

Your help and advise would be great!:)

Many thanks
Julie

Re: Any plumbers out there with info.
 

Hi there Julie Hilton.

abbreviations:-
EOI - expression of interest
ITA - Invitation to Apply
PR - permanent residency
WTR - work to residency

We emigrated over 2 1/2 years ago to NZ , so my knowledge of the system will be a little rusty. Others may be better able to advise.

The MINIMUM points required to even put in an Expression of Interest - EOI to live and work in New Zealand is 100 I believe.

All the expressions of interest are put into a Pool and NZIS go through them to select which ones will be invited to apply . Only so many are chosen each month. ITA. Of course there is a pecking order.

I think that if an EOI has 140 points or more ,then it will be automatically selected and an ITA sent

If under 140 points then various preferred criteria kick in for the remaining EOIs left in the pool.

For those EOI with under 140 points - then the ones that have an NZ job offer attached will be selected as next in line. They will be chosen in points order [ highest first of course ] until the quota for the month is filled up.

After that the remaining EOIs which have no job offer and under 140 points will be sifted through to find what NZIS consider to be the best of the remaining EOIs in that months pool.
They may select those with degrees first - or perhaps those with trade skills.
Age and experience will be a factor. I would suspect it will still be in points order. The order of the criteria for the remaining EOIs is not set in stone.

There is another category - Work to Residence. This may be offered if the EOI is selected. It gives a set amount of time to fulfill criteria set by NZIS in order for a Permanent Residence visa/permit to be issued.

The EOI may remain in the pool for six months = six chances.

There are many people who have been selected without job offers and with EOIs which have points below 140.
Some are offered PR . Some are offered WTR

If your husbands partner wishes to chance his arm , then he should simply put in the EOI and hope that he is selected within the next 6 months. He has his trade qualifications and work experience in his favour. His skill is on the shortages list. If selected , he could state to NZIS that he intends to continue within his trade and can work at that trade under a PGDB limited licence.

With a job offer, he would greatly increase his chances of being selected.
As you know, plumbers are on the shortages list here. He could choose to come on a reccy & hope to gain a job offer. My husband did this and came away with several job offers. He was 44 at the time.
The downside is that you then have to move quite quickly in order to fulfill the obligation to the prospective NZ employer. In the end , my husbands employers waited nearly six months . Many may not wish to do that.
As we all know , such small matters as selling houses etc. can get in the way of a speedy UK exit. We ended up spending two months apart.

If he is serious about working and living in NZ then my suggestion - and it is only my personal opinion - is that he put in an EOI at the 115 points. If he is not selected within 2/3 months, then he should seriously consider trying to up his points by obtaining a job offer within his trade.

Some people visit NZ on the 6 month visitors visa. Like it . Want to stay. Find jobs and then apply for PR .

Whatever he chooses to do - good luck to him - and if he does come to plumb in NZ get back in touch for info. about all the poxy exams. :p