paddy234

I am going to Christchurch on 5th of August. Have everything booked. I am from the North of Ireland and was wondering from other's who are there or are going how long in average would it take to find work in the construction industry and while yes i know there is much work needed because of the rebuild i also know there is a significant number of people already there doing it, and also how future proof would work in construction there be compared to the like's of Australia? My intention is for the long term at the very least and attempt to start a new life out there. I Will be going on 12 month work visa but will extend it and seek sponsorship if i'm employed and have plenty of work

I was a roof tiler for 2 year's several year's ago but due to the collapse of the construction industry here due to the economy i was forced out of it and have been working making boiler cylinder's for the last couple of year's. I would start a new apprenticeship in another trade though however if i couldn't get employed into roofing as i am really looking to learn and have a skill under my belt. Although i am going to be aggressively seeking work as soon as i get there i thought people on here could give me good advice and what to expect etc? Thank's

Snap Shot

Blimey Paddy ! Good luck, hope you have lots of self belief. Hopefully, you'll have a finely tuned, 'blarney' detector !

Oh...where to start.

Good luck finding work. Sometimes vacancies are advertised with no jobs to back them up. Employers make a big deal of how many tradespeople are required, however, this doesn't always equate to vacancies.

Please read the very recent thread about a British carpenter moving to Canterbury. I tried to copy & paste the link but it does not work. Then I tried again, here it is: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=796063

However, I would like to point out that a huge contracting company here in NZ called, 'Main Zeal' went out of business earlier this year. It just defies belief that trades people were locked out of their work sites, unable even to retrieve their tools. As for being paid, well, they just join the back of the queue with the rest of the creditors.

Things didn't work out for us in Christchurch when we were there March - June 2011. Nothing to do with contracting companies or anything. I got a few weeks temporary admin work as I work in admin. My husband is an accountant, he was getting interviews but no job offers. Yes Christchurch needs tradespeople but it needs professionals too. As it's an nz government funded rebuild don't they need finance people to keep track of what's being spent ? No matter, we moved to a town elsewhere in NZ on the strength of my husband's job offer and are still here.

paddy234

Thank you for the Advice, i'm certainly not going over with rose tinted glasses so i do understand the worst could happen. To be honest as i said i really just want to get skill under my belt, work hard and live in a country that isn't being economically squeezed to the point of exhaustion. Christchurch seem's like the most stable for long term work in the construction industry but if i had to go elsewhere in New Zealand i would

BEVS

A quick Hi from me. It is a holiday weekend.

To get started. Do you mean you have a one year working holiday visa please?

I quickly read your trade work exp. What quals do you have ? How many years of the trade work exp ?

I'm thinking of your long term prospects.

paddy234

Thank you for the reply. Yes, it is a one year holiday work visa. Unfortunately because i was one year short of finishing my apprenticeship in roof tiling i only have an apprentice CSR card (Construction skill's register). I also have a reference from the Roofing company who employed me in my C.V. A total of two year's trade experience.

Snap Shot

It pays to keep an open mind. Well done for being positive. There's a skills initiative by the nz government to get people to, 'skill up' for working on the Christchurch rebuild.

Basically getting people to do a college course in a trade specifically required for the rebuild. So in a few years' time when those people are graduating the skills requirement can be met by the local labour force. Well, that's the idea now anyway.

So, why so many unemployed tradespeople in NZ who might have been unsuccessful in getting work in Christchurch ? One of life's imponderable questions I'm afraid.

That last paragraph was not meant as a criticism of you or your plans.

paddy234

Thank you for the reply, i was not aware that there was a large number of unemployed tradespeople in New Zealand. I believed it was a similar situation to Australia as it has these under the skill's shortage list.

Snap Shot

Maddeningly, skills shortage does not always equate to vacancies.

Jan n Neil

Hi Paddy,

there is work here in ChCh It may not be roofing but you will find something, We are away in Aussie at the mo but i will send you a PM when we get back on Saturday with a couple of firms you can contact

Cheers Neil

paddy234

Thank's very much, i appreciate it.

paddy234

Yea i fully agree which is why i'm open minded in learning any trade to get under my belt if roof tiling isn't available, to maximize my chance's.

shocked kiwi

A great website is www.seek.co.nz and it shows all the up-to-date job vacancies - just enter canterbury and the construction industry and it will show all the current jobs going. This seek website is used by all the locals.

paddy234

Thank you

Snap Shot

Paddy,

TradeMe is a good website for vacancies. It's good for searching for rentals, cars to buy etc.

Here's the link: http://www.trademe.co.nz/jobs

Similar to Seek, just put your search criteria in and press search - good luck !

Here's another link to a vacancy website. It's the nz government department vacancy website. Don't rule it out, you could be surprised who you end up working for. https://jobs.govt.nz/

paddy234

Thank you!, i'd say i'll start applying for these Job's however no more than four week's before i go as i don't think too many employer's will be interested in someone not ready to start for over two month's as i fly on the 5th of August but won't arrive there till the 7th