SMF11

My husband is qualified in the UK and we have been looking into emmigrating to NZ for several years now. We went to the NZ expo in London and have spoken to NZ Gas and Drainlayers baord. We have a good idea about the difficulties of becoming qualified there in NZ and we have come to a stand still with our plans, as this recession has put a holt on our visit to NZ and we assume has reduced the job opportunities in NZ.
But we would love to know how hard it really is there and any advice/experiences that other Gas Engineers from the UK have had. As our children are 3 and 4yrs old we are now hoping to visit and stay with EXpat friends who love NZ. Could not contemplate the journey whilst the children were younger. Hope someone can give us a true picture?

BEVS

Kia Ora & welcome to this little NZ forum..
I'm from Bournemouth as it happens and husband is a plumber and gasfitter. What are you after knowing?

scrubbedexpat094

Firstly welcome to BE, we will try our best to answer your questions & hopefully provide you with a few laughs along the way.

I know nothing about gas, well not the sort that comes out of the ground & pipes & things But Bevs is your woman. She'll be along at some point to give advice & info on gas & plumbing-type issues.

scrubbedexpat094

Bloomin'heck, she snuck in there without me noticing.

BEVS

Actually, I snuffled and snucked right on by coz I am going to bed early tonight.

Birthdays can go hard on a girl ya know.

Delilah63

Hi Angela and me have been going through the process for 16 months and are hopefully nearing our visas. I have had a total of three jobs offered in the Wellington and paraparaumu areas but lost two due to the recession and delays with NZIS.
I currently have a job offer based just outside of Wellington and am waiting for the medical assessor making a final decision due to having a minor heart attack 5 years ago.
I have found that the PGDB have been very helpful in gaing my limited certificate even though it meant an interview over the phone at one in the morning.
all of the NZ employers I have contacted via various methods have been truthful and if able helpful. Unlike the UK they at least take time to talk to you even if unable to offer a job.
The biggest problem I have encounted is that a lot of employers are unable to wait for the eternity it takes NZIS to make a decision.
I hope that you are able to find a helpful employer like I have and that your application is a lot more straightforward than mine.(I left it a bit late at 54)

Best of luck with your application and dont let anyone put you off.

George Fisher

SMF11

Hi

Thanks for this info on your experience so far. You mentioned about your limited Certificate. I wasn't aware of this and thought that my husband would have to actually sit an exam in NZ to become qualified. I had no idea that there was a certificate done in the UK over the phone? PGDB sent us info, but nothing was mentioned about this. This is very interesting.
Does this limited Certificate enable you to practice Plumbing/Gas work and therefore enable a Company in NZ to employ you? We have had such problems getting to the bottom of the real process. Many Thanks

SMF11

Hi thanks for replying, I have not had time to reply and I am getting the hang of this. I would really appreciate finding out what the real process is for a Plumber/Gas Engineer in NZ. Do employers get put off by the process they have to go through? As we believe, a Plumber from the UK has to be monitored for a 12mth period and sit gas reg's there. Can you do any of this in the UK?

simon-nall

hi been here for 8 week now and i have to start form scratch all gas fitters/plumber need regisration you will fond the nzqa reconiise you uk quols but the pgbd will put you through there system and the system is changeing again at the moment and no one is too sure were its going. work is slow for us and on short time but we hoping it will pick up soon

BEVS

OK. Let's see if I can give some clear and precise insight as to what is what. If you are unclear about anything at all come back to this thread & I will try again.

Be warned. This post will be VERY LONG.

FYI - My husband is a plumber /gasfitter and we emigrated to NZ from the UK five years ago.

Abbreviations I will use:-

PGDB - Plumbers,Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board of NZ
NZIS - New Zealand Immigration Service
SMC - Skilled Migrant Category
PR - Permanent Residency.
NZQA - New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Please be aware that Plumbers are not in shortage in New Zealand at the moment. Therefore any NZ employer offering an overseas plumber a job would have to prove to NZIS that there is no NZ resident or citizen for that job.

Gasfitters are on the Immediate shortage list but only for certain named areas of New Zealand. This means that an NZ employer in any of the named areas can offer an overseas gasfitter a job

New Zealand is in recession. Most all of the tradies we know and this includes my husband, are on short working hours. Some have been laid off . Even some NZ adult apprentices have lost their jobs.
-------------------------------------
What is required by NZIS for a plumber or a gasfitter ( this is aside from the issue of the trades not really being in shortage at this moment in time & NZ employers offering overseas plumbers/gasfitters work)

If the migrant is applying under the SMC , then NZIS will want to know that the overseas tradesman meets the standard. For this NZIS look to the PGDB. The overseas migrant needs to pass a pre-assessment check and a telephone interview. What the overseas migrant needs is a letter from the PGDB stating that they have passed this and so they will be eligible to sit the PGDB full assessment and exams which are only held in Wellington NZ.

NZIS should accept this letter as proving the trade standard required by them.

If the migrant also has an NZ job offer , then they will also need to show the PGDB limited licence . More about licensing is mentioned below.

There is no need at all for the plumber or gasfitter to have his qualifications assessed by NZQA. complete waste of money. The PGDB are the government based regulatory board for this & NZIS require that the overseas plumber/gasfitters quals and work exp is assessed by the PGDB to prove the standard required.

As an aside to this topic. The standard set by both NZIS and the PGDB appears to be a UK NVQ 3 or above . A C&G level 3 or above. Or , if the older C&G, then it will be the C&G certs. 1 and 2 (advanced). For gas , they will want to know about your CORGI. Please be aware they also like time-served apprenticships and/or several years of on the tools experience.
This is because their own tradesmen go through 4 years of apprenticeships and assessements to National Certificate standard before being allowed to take the PGDB registration exams.

The overseas migrant therefore needs his overseas quals and work experience to pass the standard for two bodies. NZIS and the PGDB

For NZIS , he will need this for points for his application to emigrate to NZ under the SMC.
For the PGDB he will need this if he is to ever become a properly NZ registred plumber or gasfitter.
NZIS will want to be assured he can become registration before allowing him the points. so one is dependant upon a successful outcome from the PGDB.

--------------------------

PGDB Assessments for the overseas gasfitter /plumber - This is not the same as licensing, although the two are interlinked

I will use links to the PGDB website to help. Please click those links

These are explained HERE - please click the link from the PGDB website

1 - You download the forms and send in your qualification certificates and proof of your apprenticeship and work expereince to the PGDB . They will consider what you send them to see if they feel it matches the standard required. The standard required for the overseas plumber gasfitter is essentially that of a craftsman standard - i.e. NVQ3 /C&G level 3 or if older certs C&G 1 and 2 (advanced ).

This does not mean the overseas plumber/gasfitter, if the pre-assessment is successful, will be assessed as NZ craftsman standard. It simply means that they will allow the plumber/gasfitter to take the full PGDB assessment to become NZ registered.

To be clear. A craftsman is of a higher 'standard' than a registered tradesman.

anyway. If the pre-assessment comes back as succesful , then the PGDB will arrange a telephone 'interview'. They will actually call you and pose some trade questions to you. I find this quite amusing if I am honest but there you go. You answer these questions correctly over the phone and if your pre-assessment of your paper quals and work exp is deemed up to scratch , then you will be sent a letter stating you are eligible to sit the PGDB full-assessment.

The full assessment can only be done in Wellington NZ. It takes 4 days and costs a shed load of $$.

If the plumber/gasfitter doesn't pass then there is a years set down period beofre he can re-sit. so take a care to know the rules, regs, plumbing practices, maths and idiocyncracies of the trade here in NZ before attempting the full-assessment.

You can read exactly how it works from the links to the PGDB that I gave you.


PGDB Licenses

To work in the trade in NZ , the plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer must hold a license. There are various levels of licenses. The licenses are nothing to do with the overseas plumber/gasfitter having their overseas qualifications recognised by the PGDB or the PGDB assessment of the overseas plumber/gasfitter .

Currently , at the moment the licenses are named as:-

Limited licence - For those employed in the trade but who have not passed the PGDB registration exams. Or , if for an overseas plumber/gasfitter - those migrants that have not taken & passed the PGDB 4 day assessments and exams at Wellington.

The limited licence allows the migrant to work in his trade for his NZ employer , under direct surpervision of an NZ Registered plumber/gasfitter only. The work will be inspected and signed off.
The limited license is applied for by the migrant AND the NZ employer who will countersign the application. A fee is paid. The NZ registered plumber/gasfitter who will sign off the work is named . A card is issued with a dedicated PGDB license number

If a migrant has a job offer in the trade , then this is the licence they will apply for. If it is part of a SMC application for PR , then they will show NZIS a copy of this licence .

Registered licence - This is for those that have taken the NZ national certificate in the trade plus have sat and passed the PGDB registration exams.
For the overseas migrant in this trade. This will be issued once the overseas migrant has passed the pre-assessment and the phone interview PLUS taken and passed the 4 day assessments and exams in Wellington NZ.

Craftsman licence - for those having taken Craftsman exams. There are 2 exams for this. A plumbing /gasfitting/drainlaying exam paper and also a business paper.
These people can sign off a Register plumber/gasfitters work , run their own business, be self-Employed.

--------

Finally - NZ plumbing and gasfitting employers

The only thing that will concern the NZ plumbing or gasfitting employer is that the correct licence is in place. For the overseas migrant this will be the PGDB limited licence unless the migrant has somehow already taken and passed the PGDB full-assessment.

The NZ employer will use the overseas tradesman just as he would a homegrown as you would expect. The difference being that the work will be signed off by the NZ registrered plumber/gasfitter.

What the NZ employer will mostly need to know is that you are there and reay to start work. You can work for them under the PGDB limited licence. You will be cheaper to employ.

The NZ employer doesn't have a 'process' they must go through for the overseas migrant to work for them . The only need to make sure of the PGDB limited licence and all that requires is a fee which the migrant will most likely pay and that they have a NZ registered plumber/gasfitter to counter-sign the licence.

The migrant might get very lucky and find an NZ employer willing to offer some help and training. You never know your luck. Mostly the overseas migrant will simply be set to work.

Of course NZ employers prefer their own home-grown unless they are short of tradessmen in which case their eyes look to the migrants and overseas tradessmen.

If one did gain a job offer then the best one can do for the NZ employer is to get to NZ and start work as quickly as poss . The other thing would be to get the PGDB limited licence sorted out . The would-be migrant might also have to 'educate' the prospective Nz employer about the way a temporarywork visas happens if they intend to arrive on a temporary work visa that is i.e. it is a job offer first and then a temporary work visa. Or about the timeline to arriving in NZ if applying for Residency under the Skilled Migrant Category , as this can take some while to achieve.

With NZ employers though, it is generally boots on ground that works for them. The tradesman is here and there is a job going.

Of course, if gasfitting etc , it may be that a job offer can be found through an NZIS accredited employer. The process for the PGDb would be exactly the same. Pre-assessment , full assessment etc. however for NZIS, it would be that the migrant would be offered a Work to Residence visa instead of PR.

Finally . To clear up a few wayward points.

There is no such thing as a PGDB certificate issued after a phone call interview from them.

The limited certificate is issued to those overseas migrants with an NZ job offer but who are not NZ registered as they haven't taken the full PGDB assessment in Wellington.

One does not need to have the overseas quals assessed by NZQA.

The overseas migrant plumber or gasfitter will remain on a PGDB limited licence until they pass the full PGDb assessment. Nost likely they will be paid less than the Nz registered plumbers and gasfitters. They can still work fully in the trade. The PGDB rules state this is with direct supervision. but we know that this doesn't necessarily happen. All their work will simply be signed off.

Your biggest stumbling blocks will be the NZ recession here & if you are able to get a job offer in the trade, getting here quickly enough to take up that offer.

It is not possible to take this PGDB full assessment anywhere else at present to my knowledge.

Hope this helps.
Please do get back to this thread to say you have seen this post.

Good luck.

simon-nall

Woe!

Seems you know your way around this stuff my head still spinning just reading this. I will have to read it a few time to get my head a round all this
The recession is really biting hard and little unsettling for this newbie. After 8 week here we go on short time.
It has been subjected that i go through the ITO, which will be cheaper for me than 3-4gs in wellington but it will take a little longer. However i still unsure weather this is the right way to go, or if i do go this way will i still need to go to wellington and put my hand i the pocket again. My limited licence was obtained two yrs ago and never has the phone interview. But I also have electrical certificates which I but in my EOI and the NZIS then told me they need to be assessed I don’t think they joined up the dots to well when I applied, but hay-ho not complaining.
Still would be nice to have a beer with some brit plumper’s and gasfitters sometime that have been through the process and set us newbie’s on the right rails and maybe stop the head spin

BEVS

Hi Simon-Naill.

I remember you.

Before I answer this....

......When you mention the ITO ( Industry Training Organisation) do you mean this for plumbing and gasfitting?

Sorry to hear about the short working hours. Husband has only really worked half a month in all this August. We know loads int he same boat . it will not last too long.

SMF11

Hi Bev,

Thank you so much for all this info, I will have to sit down with my husband to suss it out. I really appreciate all the trouble you have gone to. I have no idea if I am doing this right on this site and hope you get this message. I have replied to you by doing quick reply and scrolling to the bottom of the text from you and then I've written this msge. Is that the right way? It's not obvious what to do, but hey I can never see the obvious. So sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I have 2 under 5's and there is never a dull moment. Thanks again, will read it and get back to you.

BEVS

No worries. Help , support and a bit of fun is what we're all about.

You can click on Reply which is to the bottom left of the screen. That will give you a new box to put your message (post) in.

When you look at my super long post (message) you will see some words are highlighted in blue. These are links to other areas of information. Click on them to take you there. One of the links , for instance , is to the actual PGDB website.

Happy reading and browsing.

SMF11

Excellent, I couldn't see this reply button.........what a div!!
I am ploughing though the info and hope to sit down with husband and fit in having a chat about it. My husband and I really hope to get out to NZ to really suss it out, but just can't afford it with this recession. My husband has been self employed for 6 yrs now and for the first time ever it is just starting to go quieter. Where did your husband work when you were living in Bournemouth? Any how does he compare Plumbering in NZ to here? Are you really happy there? Where are you living? Thanks again for all the info. Enjoy the spring that must be on it's way there. We are starting to feel the cold mornings now. I hate the cold! And hate the winter. Sharon