as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
Feb 9th 2007, 3:23 pm
#1
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as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
Hi, Me and my partner have been talking about emigrating to NZ or Aus for quite a while. I have 2 skills. I qualified as an electrician first then qualified as a gas fitter/plumber. My current business sees me utilising both these skills
Im 34 and my partner is 24. She has a degree in Art and currently works in a museum.
How easy would it be to get employment with my skill set and would this allow us to have a reasonable lifestyle. I have about 50,000 equity to use towards buying a place in either of these countries but dont wanna be lumbered with a huge mortgage. Is property expensive over there.
Some of the sites ive looked at indicate that its quite cheap by UK standards but then from what ive been reading wages are lower
Would rather live in a rural area and have a better family home and comute than have a silly mortgage and have to work loads of hours
Its really important that we make lots of new friends over there so not too rural. Can any body recommend a good estate agent that is reasonably priced.
I know this is a big ask on my first post but any advice appreciated
Im 34 and my partner is 24. She has a degree in Art and currently works in a museum.
How easy would it be to get employment with my skill set and would this allow us to have a reasonable lifestyle. I have about 50,000 equity to use towards buying a place in either of these countries but dont wanna be lumbered with a huge mortgage. Is property expensive over there.
Some of the sites ive looked at indicate that its quite cheap by UK standards but then from what ive been reading wages are lower
Would rather live in a rural area and have a better family home and comute than have a silly mortgage and have to work loads of hours
Its really important that we make lots of new friends over there so not too rural. Can any body recommend a good estate agent that is reasonably priced.
I know this is a big ask on my first post but any advice appreciated
Feb 9th 2007, 3:33 pm
#2
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,585
Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
Hi, Me and my partner have been talking about emigrating to NZ or Aus for quite a while. I have 2 skills. I qualified as an electrician first then qualified as a gas fitter/plumber. My current business sees me utilising both these skills Many, many NZers who stay do this job - so either there is a lot of work ...or none because the Kiwis are already doing it
Im 34 and my partner is 24. She has a degree in Art and currently works in a museum. There are about 4 (OK, maybe 5) museums in NZ so finding work for her may be hard
How easy would it be to get employment with my skill set and would this allow us to have a reasonable lifestyle. I have about 50,000 equity to use towards buying a place in either of these countries but dont wanna be lumbered with a huge mortgage. Is property expensive over there.yes, property is expensive - generally. It depends a little on what type of house you want but don't expect too much
Some of the sites ive looked at indicate that its quite cheap by UK standards but then from what ive been reading wages are lower Oh yes, that they are
Would rather live in a rural area and have a better family home and comute than have a silly mortgage and have to work loads of hoursBut commuting could take hours - depending where you live, obviously
Its really important that we make lots of new friends over there may take a whileso not too rural. Can any body recommend a good estate agent that is reasonably priced.Estate agent in the UK or NZ? If you are buying you don't pay fees so 'cheap estate agent' is not an issue - as for house prices, the estate agents will tell you "It's not us that sets the price, it's the buyers - your house is worth what the buyer will pay"
I know this is a big ask on my first post but any advice appreciated
Im 34 and my partner is 24. She has a degree in Art and currently works in a museum. There are about 4 (OK, maybe 5) museums in NZ so finding work for her may be hard
How easy would it be to get employment with my skill set and would this allow us to have a reasonable lifestyle. I have about 50,000 equity to use towards buying a place in either of these countries but dont wanna be lumbered with a huge mortgage. Is property expensive over there.yes, property is expensive - generally. It depends a little on what type of house you want but don't expect too much
Some of the sites ive looked at indicate that its quite cheap by UK standards but then from what ive been reading wages are lower Oh yes, that they are
Would rather live in a rural area and have a better family home and comute than have a silly mortgage and have to work loads of hoursBut commuting could take hours - depending where you live, obviously
Its really important that we make lots of new friends over there may take a whileso not too rural. Can any body recommend a good estate agent that is reasonably priced.Estate agent in the UK or NZ? If you are buying you don't pay fees so 'cheap estate agent' is not an issue - as for house prices, the estate agents will tell you "It's not us that sets the price, it's the buyers - your house is worth what the buyer will pay"
I know this is a big ask on my first post but any advice appreciated
Feb 9th 2007, 4:23 pm
#3
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Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
Hi, and thanks for the quick reply. I basically fix and repair and electrical or gas heating be it domestic or commercial. I also work on commercial gas or electric catering equipment in restaurants. I really thought that my wide skill set would stand me in good stead for NZ or AUS but from what your saying there are many multi-skilled engineers out there...there are very few back in the UK. A little more research in this forum tells me that houses dont have gas fired ch so that rules out a fair part of my job. I do have my LPG qualification too but it seems that there is little of this too lol
My partner doesnt have to work in a museum. Any art related job would be considered but i think these would probably be few and far between too.
My partner doesnt have to work in a museum. Any art related job would be considered but i think these would probably be few and far between too.
Feb 9th 2007, 4:52 pm
#4
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Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
Hi, and thanks for the quick reply. I basically fix and repair and electrical or gas heating be it domestic or commercial. I also work on commercial gas or electric catering equipment in restaurants. I really thought that my wide skill set would stand me in good stead for NZ or AUS but from what your saying there are many multi-skilled engineers out there...there are very few back in the UK. A little more research in this forum tells me that houses dont have gas fired ch so that rules out a fair part of my job. I do have my LPG qualification too but it seems that there is little of this too lol
My partner doesnt have to work in a museum. Any art related job would be considered but i think these would probably be few and far between too.
My partner doesnt have to work in a museum. Any art related job would be considered but i think these would probably be few and far between too.
Quite a few restaurants in some areas - esp. ALK and Wellington so you may be able to find lots of work there.
What's LPG?
Anyway, I'm in language teaching and proofreading so I really know bugger all about gas and electric!
Feb 9th 2007, 5:24 pm
#5
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Joined: Jan 2007
Location: UK ... Waiheke Island sometime in 2007
Posts: 32
Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
Hi
I am in the same line of work and have been looking into this too. In short :
To work out in NZ you will need to get your qualifications registered with the www.pgdb.co.nz they will give you a limited license enabling you to work for someone who has a full license (or employs someone with one) you can then take an exam to get your full license (after one year). The industry (plumbing and elec) seem to be much more highly regulated than here.
Wage wise you will be doing well to get better than $40K/year to start.
Check out the threads below which I have found useful and which explain in better detail than I have above what you will need to do/can expect. One thing I do know is that they are crying out for qualified tradesmen (not just plumbers).
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=418666
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=plumbing
Good Luck!
Forgot to say - I am pretty sure there is no mains gas so your LPG quals will be useful. Central heating using gas is more popular on the South Island. Domestically (especially out of the cities) they do seem to be big on Solar heating for hot water combined with a wetback burner for the winter, especially in the North Island where CH would often be overkill, though most domestic hot water will just be bog standard immersion heater.
I am in the same line of work and have been looking into this too. In short :
To work out in NZ you will need to get your qualifications registered with the www.pgdb.co.nz they will give you a limited license enabling you to work for someone who has a full license (or employs someone with one) you can then take an exam to get your full license (after one year). The industry (plumbing and elec) seem to be much more highly regulated than here.
Wage wise you will be doing well to get better than $40K/year to start.
Check out the threads below which I have found useful and which explain in better detail than I have above what you will need to do/can expect. One thing I do know is that they are crying out for qualified tradesmen (not just plumbers).
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=418666
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=plumbing
Good Luck!
Forgot to say - I am pretty sure there is no mains gas so your LPG quals will be useful. Central heating using gas is more popular on the South Island. Domestically (especially out of the cities) they do seem to be big on Solar heating for hot water combined with a wetback burner for the winter, especially in the North Island where CH would often be overkill, though most domestic hot water will just be bog standard immersion heater.
Last edited by JakeG; Feb 9th 2007 at 5:34 pm. Reason: Forgot to say -
Feb 9th 2007, 5:43 pm
#6
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Posts: 3,366
Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
The gas thing as I understand, is that mains gas is more readily available on NORTH Island than South, where people use the bottled variety, but you might be better trying a PM to BEVS here who seems to know the ins & out of the whole system
Feb 9th 2007, 5:53 pm
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Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
There you go! Sorted (sort of)
Mar 6th 2007, 1:29 am
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Re: as a qualified electrician/gas fitter is it easy to get work
How did I miss this thread ? 
Sorry for being a bit late to the party.
Hi there Dangerous Hampster.
Both sparkies and plumbers are on the NZIS ( New Zealand Immigration Service) Long Term Shortage List ref The Skilled Migrant Category. Gasfitting is only on the immediate shortage list. Therefore if you wish to emigrate to New Zealand then coming in under the skilled migrant umbrella utilising either your plumbing qualifications or your sparky ones would be the to go.
You can use your gas qualifications if you wish to try New Zealand. You would be able to get a work visa.
NZIS want your UK qualifications to be comparable to NZ standards. Therefore your skills in either trade must match a Level 4 standard.
For a plumber this means an NVQ 4 , City and Guilds both 1 and 2, apprenticeship or years of on the job training and preferably several years - about 5 - on the tools. The same would be applicable to electricians.
There are trade boards in New Zealand that assess your qualifications and experience .
For plumbing its the PGDB for example.
Because of the shortage of plumbers and electricians in New Zealand you should have no problem obtaining a job offer provided you have the necessary qualifications and good skills..
Depending on location pay for a plumber would be between $17.50 per hour and $26. Of course the better pay is within the cities , there again the cost of living and property prices are also higher. Swings and roundabouts really.
Whichever skill you choose to come in on ,be aware that you will not be considered NZ qualified. With both trades you will only be allowed to work under a provisional or limited license. Of course that means you will be paid that little bit less.
You can only get these licenses through an NZ employer. So once you have a job offer, that is when you and your employer apply for the licence. The employer must have an NZ qualified person who will sign off your work.
Remember , there is a shortage of plumbers and electricians so not being seen as NZ qualified should not hold you back from getting that all important job offer. Once here and working in the trade you can then consider going on to take the necessary courses and exams to become properly registered as NZ qualified.
Please have a read of this Sparky thread and/or do a search for other posts
also please read this long post about plumbing and also this one
To become fully registered in New Zealand, you must sit a written exam and pass a practical assessment. It is similar for electricians.
There is some reticulated gas in New Zealand. Mostly its bottled.
Have a read of this LINK to Gas Association NZ.
The PGDB is responsible for assessing gas qualifications and NZ licensing. They do like the complete CORGI registration in place.
Houses and land are all sorts of prices in New Zealand. Just google up houses or homes for sale etc. and have a bit of a browse.
We live near Nelson. House prices here are high and there is what is called 'sunshine dollars'. In other words income will not be on level with that of the bigger cities but the house prices are comparable to the bigger cities.
Cost of living v income. Well, thats a tough one to answer because each migrant has their own idea of whether its cheaper or more expensive than another country or not.
We don't find NZ cheaper than the UK but that's just our opinion. There has been many a hot debate and fisticuffs on the subject.
Hope the post is helpful.
Sorry for being a bit late to the party. Hi there Dangerous Hampster.
Both sparkies and plumbers are on the NZIS ( New Zealand Immigration Service) Long Term Shortage List ref The Skilled Migrant Category. Gasfitting is only on the immediate shortage list. Therefore if you wish to emigrate to New Zealand then coming in under the skilled migrant umbrella utilising either your plumbing qualifications or your sparky ones would be the to go.
You can use your gas qualifications if you wish to try New Zealand. You would be able to get a work visa.
NZIS want your UK qualifications to be comparable to NZ standards. Therefore your skills in either trade must match a Level 4 standard.
For a plumber this means an NVQ 4 , City and Guilds both 1 and 2, apprenticeship or years of on the job training and preferably several years - about 5 - on the tools. The same would be applicable to electricians.
There are trade boards in New Zealand that assess your qualifications and experience .
For plumbing its the PGDB for example.
Because of the shortage of plumbers and electricians in New Zealand you should have no problem obtaining a job offer provided you have the necessary qualifications and good skills..
Depending on location pay for a plumber would be between $17.50 per hour and $26. Of course the better pay is within the cities , there again the cost of living and property prices are also higher. Swings and roundabouts really.
Whichever skill you choose to come in on ,be aware that you will not be considered NZ qualified. With both trades you will only be allowed to work under a provisional or limited license. Of course that means you will be paid that little bit less.
You can only get these licenses through an NZ employer. So once you have a job offer, that is when you and your employer apply for the licence. The employer must have an NZ qualified person who will sign off your work.
Remember , there is a shortage of plumbers and electricians so not being seen as NZ qualified should not hold you back from getting that all important job offer. Once here and working in the trade you can then consider going on to take the necessary courses and exams to become properly registered as NZ qualified.
Please have a read of this Sparky thread and/or do a search for other posts
also please read this long post about plumbing and also this one
To become fully registered in New Zealand, you must sit a written exam and pass a practical assessment. It is similar for electricians.
There is some reticulated gas in New Zealand. Mostly its bottled.
Have a read of this LINK to Gas Association NZ.
The PGDB is responsible for assessing gas qualifications and NZ licensing. They do like the complete CORGI registration in place.
Houses and land are all sorts of prices in New Zealand. Just google up houses or homes for sale etc. and have a bit of a browse.
We live near Nelson. House prices here are high and there is what is called 'sunshine dollars'. In other words income will not be on level with that of the bigger cities but the house prices are comparable to the bigger cities.
Cost of living v income. Well, thats a tough one to answer because each migrant has their own idea of whether its cheaper or more expensive than another country or not.
We don't find NZ cheaper than the UK but that's just our opinion. There has been many a hot debate and fisticuffs on the subject.
Hope the post is helpful.
