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2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

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Old May 15th 2008, 6:24 pm
  #76  
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

It sounds like a lot of people on here are having problems getting jobs even though they are getting the visa because Oz are apparently crying out for their profession??
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Old May 18th 2008, 6:51 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

My Nic (please please)

get in touch, love Nad
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 5:57 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Originally Posted by Nic938
Well, I am not even sure if I am going to post this as not even sure what to say to be honest so I will speak from the heart, and please, everyone this is just my opinion so nobody be offended.....

Got here as the above says on the 7th Jan and had a great trip with a stopover in Singapore which was wonderful. We were one of the mad ones that had never been to Australia before nor had any family or friends out here and it was a case of one day sitting at the computer and saying to the hubby "let's just get out of this place" ie. England and hubby asking where to and I said Australia and that was it. It snowballed from there......

The day we arrived we were met at the airport by Ohippychick and her girls and was surrounded by flies!!!! Was not prepared for that at all and after picking up the hire car and arriving at our rental in Mandurah which was lovely I have to say, that the first thing I did was ask hubby for a cigarette (I had stopped 12 months before) and there it started this feeling of "holy crap what have we done" nothing started it off I really have no idea what happened and the feeling hasn't really left me!

We struggled to find a rental and when we did find one the agent called us up on the day we were supposed to move at 4.40pm and told us we could not move in for 7/10 days as the previous tenant had left his car in the garage and under Health & Safety laws (which do not exist anyway) we could not live in the property. I was gobsmacked, as of the Sunday morning we had nowhere to live and with 3 kids in tow I really felt like I had let them down. Off we went to a caravan site which was a joke, as this caravan did not even have wheels along with trying to fit 5 people, 10 suitcases and bits & bobs we had started to buy for the rental it was a tight squeeze and there we stayed for 10 nights until I could find another rental (told the other rental agency to take a flying jump, speak about cutting off your nose to spite your face, but it was the principal of the thing ) Anyway, someone was looking down on us from above as on the Monday we found a really nice rental with a pool in Halls Head and we could move in the following week so that was that.

Now, I think this may be where I am getting a bit down, as hubby is a brickie. We came out on the 134 permanent visa sponsored by WA Govt as shortage of brickies. Ohippychick had already warned us that work was a bit slow but hubby was not prepared for their being no work at all. Hubby phoned about 30 companies/people and they all said the same that work was a bit dry at the moment and there really wasn't much going on but that it would pick up (never said when) and so eventually through a friend of a friend hubby got a start with a brickie that took pity on him and hubby worked with him for 3 weeks to learn the ropes so to speak.

On Monday he was told that they had now run out of work and they had to let him go on Friday! On Thursday we looked through all the papers and on the internet and found 1 job for a brickie. Hubby phoned and got a start for Friday just gone, but when he came home he was so despondent. Money was crap and there was about 8 brickies there and two foremen who barked orders, he got a 15 minute break for lunch after he had started at 7.00am and finished at 4.30pm and the foremen said he would phone him on Tuesday if there was a job on Wednesday (no idea what happened to Monday!).

Since we have been here we have had two pay cheques! We unfortunately, were one of those that did not come with much money so every penny counts but the other 8 brickies on this job said that even though the wages were crap (half of what he wold earn in the UK) and that they treated you like shite that basically you had to put up with it as there was not any work going about.

Hubby is now thinking that maybe he should be a brickies labourer and try and get a foot in the door that way or to come home to the UK for 3 months and earn a bit of money again and come back out, not sure what to do but I totally understand that when you have 20 years experience and have a good reputation back home that it is pretty disheartening to go back to being a labourer, but money is money.

Two out of the three kids are loving it but my 4 year old HATES kindy and every day is asking if he can go back to live in the UK to live with his granny & granpa and this is getting me down too. I know in time he will probably settle but boy is it wearing, him going on and on at me all the time. He even told me tonight that it is all my fault as I made him come here!

We have made plenty of friends, Ohippychick has been great but the people that have been here before you already have made their lives, quite rightly, and can't drop everything just because I am unhappy but I am at my wits end. I am not at the stage of coming home and I was, and still am determined to give this 100% but with Marc not getting a start of work and everybody he speaks too saying that there is just a slow down in building houses and too many brickies out here I just can't see a light at the end of the tunnel and please believe me when I say I am usually a positive person and always try to look on the bright side of life so I am probably moaning away to all you people out there hoping that if I put it all down I will feel better as when I phone the UK or people phone here I don't want to tell them how I am feeling just incase my mum says just come home then as we all really want this to work.

Anyway, I will go now as I know this sounds like a negative post but I just needed to get this all out.

Good luck to everyone out there who are waiting to live the dream and to the ones who are already here living it.

Nic
I am totally with you on your comments. You actually arrived out here the same day as we did. My hubby is a chippy and was told that we would have work coming out of his ears, name your price etc. but like your hubby, rang for literally hundreds of jobs, on-one ever gets back to you and when a job is offered the wages are just crap! Afraid we gave it our all, even bought a house, but can just not survive out here on the wages they are offering nevermind ever being able to afford flights home or even go on a holiday. No we are going back home next year - I lived in Spain for 8 years, not even being able to speak the language for the first two and things were never as bad as this!!!!!
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 6:00 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Originally Posted by Nic938
Well, I am not even sure if I am going to post this as not even sure what to say to be honest so I will speak from the heart, and please, everyone this is just my opinion so nobody be offended.....

Got here as the above says on the 7th Jan and had a great trip with a stopover in Singapore which was wonderful. We were one of the mad ones that had never been to Australia before nor had any family or friends out here and it was a case of one day sitting at the computer and saying to the hubby "let's just get out of this place" ie. England and hubby asking where to and I said Australia and that was it. It snowballed from there......

The day we arrived we were met at the airport by Ohippychick and her girls and was surrounded by flies!!!! Was not prepared for that at all and after picking up the hire car and arriving at our rental in Mandurah which was lovely I have to say, that the first thing I did was ask hubby for a cigarette (I had stopped 12 months before) and there it started this feeling of "holy crap what have we done" nothing started it off I really have no idea what happened and the feeling hasn't really left me!

We struggled to find a rental and when we did find one the agent called us up on the day we were supposed to move at 4.40pm and told us we could not move in for 7/10 days as the previous tenant had left his car in the garage and under Health & Safety laws (which do not exist anyway) we could not live in the property. I was gobsmacked, as of the Sunday morning we had nowhere to live and with 3 kids in tow I really felt like I had let them down. Off we went to a caravan site which was a joke, as this caravan did not even have wheels along with trying to fit 5 people, 10 suitcases and bits & bobs we had started to buy for the rental it was a tight squeeze and there we stayed for 10 nights until I could find another rental (told the other rental agency to take a flying jump, speak about cutting off your nose to spite your face, but it was the principal of the thing ) Anyway, someone was looking down on us from above as on the Monday we found a really nice rental with a pool in Halls Head and we could move in the following week so that was that.

Now, I think this may be where I am getting a bit down, as hubby is a brickie. We came out on the 134 permanent visa sponsored by WA Govt as shortage of brickies. Ohippychick had already warned us that work was a bit slow but hubby was not prepared for their being no work at all. Hubby phoned about 30 companies/people and they all said the same that work was a bit dry at the moment and there really wasn't much going on but that it would pick up (never said when) and so eventually through a friend of a friend hubby got a start with a brickie that took pity on him and hubby worked with him for 3 weeks to learn the ropes so to speak.

On Monday he was told that they had now run out of work and they had to let him go on Friday! On Thursday we looked through all the papers and on the internet and found 1 job for a brickie. Hubby phoned and got a start for Friday just gone, but when he came home he was so despondent. Money was crap and there was about 8 brickies there and two foremen who barked orders, he got a 15 minute break for lunch after he had started at 7.00am and finished at 4.30pm and the foremen said he would phone him on Tuesday if there was a job on Wednesday (no idea what happened to Monday!).

Since we have been here we have had two pay cheques! We unfortunately, were one of those that did not come with much money so every penny counts but the other 8 brickies on this job said that even though the wages were crap (half of what he wold earn in the UK) and that they treated you like shite that basically you had to put up with it as there was not any work going about.

Hubby is now thinking that maybe he should be a brickies labourer and try and get a foot in the door that way or to come home to the UK for 3 months and earn a bit of money again and come back out, not sure what to do but I totally understand that when you have 20 years experience and have a good reputation back home that it is pretty disheartening to go back to being a labourer, but money is money.

Two out of the three kids are loving it but my 4 year old HATES kindy and every day is asking if he can go back to live in the UK to live with his granny & granpa and this is getting me down too. I know in time he will probably settle but boy is it wearing, him going on and on at me all the time. He even told me tonight that it is all my fault as I made him come here!

We have made plenty of friends, Ohippychick has been great but the people that have been here before you already have made their lives, quite rightly, and can't drop everything just because I am unhappy but I am at my wits end. I am not at the stage of coming home and I was, and still am determined to give this 100% but with Marc not getting a start of work and everybody he speaks too saying that there is just a slow down in building houses and too many brickies out here I just can't see a light at the end of the tunnel and please believe me when I say I am usually a positive person and always try to look on the bright side of life so I am probably moaning away to all you people out there hoping that if I put it all down I will feel better as when I phone the UK or people phone here I don't want to tell them how I am feeling just incase my mum says just come home then as we all really want this to work.

Anyway, I will go now as I know this sounds like a negative post but I just needed to get this all out.

Good luck to everyone out there who are waiting to live the dream and to the ones who are already here living it.

Nic
I'll get my hubby to keep his eyes and ears open for any bricky work-hopefully something will come up for you guys - really feel for you and the trouble is , not suprisingly, the blokes get so down about it and then it doesnt help anyone else does it?
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 9:04 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

I also agree on the job situation. OH is a roofer and has phoned for so many jobs without any luck. They either don't reply or there is no job even though it is advertised in the paper.

Living the dream is extremely difficult on no income. I just wonder who makes up the "In Demand" list and could they please justify it with a list of real vacancies for the immigrants they are inviting over here.

Good luck to everyone.
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 9:51 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Hi there, just picked up on your threads - we are in exactly the same position. We got our 'skilled migration visa' based on OH job - overhead linesman, exactly the same as you, come out here, name your price blah blah, rubbish - Australia want our money not our skills or experience. He is now having to do Cert 3 and then apply for his license! He has done this for 20 years at home - means diddly squat here! Like you say its hard to live the dream on half the salary you were on at home and rent twice your mortgage repayments! I'm afraid Iwe have well and truly lost my love affair with Oz! I cant think of one thing I like here more than home at the moment!
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 10:24 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Originally Posted by kendalanita
Hi there, just picked up on your threads - we are in exactly the same position. We got our 'skilled migration visa' based on OH job - overhead linesman, exactly the same as you, come out here, name your price blah blah, rubbish - Australia want our money not our skills or experience. He is now having to do Cert 3 and then apply for his license! He has done this for 20 years at home - means diddly squat here! Like you say its hard to live the dream on half the salary you were on at home and rent twice your mortgage repayments! I'm afraid Iwe have well and truly lost my love affair with Oz! I cant think of one thing I like here more than home at the moment!
God I totally agree with you there - I think they create this impression that its the land of opportunities and there is loads of work, just to get you here. Its not funny though when you are faced with this,especially all these hard working lads, most of whom have had their own business in the UK, having to come out here and put up with all this shit!! I have got a real sour taste in my mouth about it all. I honestly believe that 99% of the jobs posted on the internet are not for real. We did loads of research on the job front before we came out, and Rich, as a chippy, would be able to earn a good wage and there were new jobs daily - well he has seriously struggled to get one job in 7 months and the pay is rubbish but he cant afford NOT to work but is working a 57 hour week so that we can literally make ends meet! Living the dream? I wouldnt really say so!!!
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 12:27 pm
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Ditto - totally agree with you 100% Any ideas on what you are gonna do?
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 12:39 pm
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

kendalanita,

Now you have me worried we are coming over on 7 September and my hubby is an overhead linesman, we were under the impression they were crying out for them. How long was your hubby looking for job? has he got one now? are you in Perth? Please tell me how it really is
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 12:59 pm
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Originally Posted by yanchep
kendalanita,

Now you have me worried we are coming over on 7 September and my hubby is an overhead linesman, we were under the impression they were crying out for them. How long was your hubby looking for job? has he got one now? are you in Perth? Please tell me how it really is
I suggest you come out for a two month holiday before you decide to sell up and move lock, stock and barrel. Things are very different when you are actually out here looking for work cos its just aint about. If we had our chance again-thats what we would have done and with my husbands work as it is at the moment - I'm afraid we wouldnt have come out in the first place
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Old Jul 3rd 2008, 8:58 pm
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Hi yanchep, yes I agree come out on holiday first (if you've never been), we had been out 5 times before on holiday but not actually looking for work. We applied to lots of companies before we came and only came once we had this offer. The two things you need are Cert 3 and electrical licence. Thing is you cant get your licence till you are employed but you cant get a job unless you have the licence - catch 22 - so you have to find a company that are willing to put you through this. You will not get a job without a licence. We thought that all the above would be relatively easy once we got here but we've been here 3 months now and no sign yet! Dont know how long its gonna take so you can well imagine how we are feeling - have given up a brilliant job at home with fantastic pay - to say he is demoralised is an understatement! We have been here 12 weeks and he is still not allowed to climb! Think very carefully!
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Old Jul 4th 2008, 11:24 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Originally Posted by nomadicmike
Do WA sponsor for low skilled jobs like laying bricks?
GO TO BED MIKE. You are getting boring now.....
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Old Jul 6th 2008, 9:31 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

We have been coming out every year for the past 4 years, we got married in Yanchep 4 years ago and come out every xmas for 4 weeks to see hubbys brother.

I got talking to someone on this site who is a linesman and he says his firm is always looking for linesman so we sent all hubbys info to his boss, and hopefully it will pay off by him offering hubby a job. Keep your fingers crossed for us.
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Old Jul 6th 2008, 10:51 am
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Hi yanchep - hope it all works out for you - keep us informed! Someone told us last week that a linesman went back home recently cos he couldn't get his license - really worried now! It's too frustrating for words!
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Old Jul 6th 2008, 2:28 pm
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Default Re: 2 months & 2 weeks in Perth..... but!

Well we will give it a try and see what happens, if all fails maybe a change of career will be on the cards for hubby. Hope all stays good with you guys.
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