Jamie83

I was meaning the same as a general outlook ie i live in the north east of England, yes it's cheaper to buy a house here than London but the same principals apply as in you pay a higher price in a more affluent area or an area closer to a city centre. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the heads up, appreciated. I have checked with an agent and because I have over 10 years experience before joining the fire service 4 years ago they said that I should be fine. I'm also looking at leaving the fire service (it's being destroyed by the tories and will be privatised within 10 years) and getting back on the tools if we decide that we are going to make the move. Although I've kept my skills up I will be a bit rusty so decided that if we come to oz then I'll get back hands on here in the uk beforehand so I can hopefully hit the ground running and will be a bit more switched (sorry another pun lol) on for my skills tests etc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Marisa. I've been considering Brisbane for the exact reasons you say. When researching jobs I've noticed more of a demand and housing is a bit cheaper but then I guess housing is the same everywhere depending on where you look! She likes the heat but has stipulated a pool ha! Holly, hope you get sorted. I've got 15 years experience as a spark (kept it up after I joined the fire service 4 year ago) so I'm hoping the tests won't phase me (pardon the pun) to much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Hope everyone is well. So here goes. I've always longed to move to Australia and almost did in 2006, being offered a job etc however I met the future wife and stayed here. We now have a nearly 4 year old and another due in spring. The Mrs has always said no about a move to oz but in the past year she has started to think that a move could be possible. One thing that is a must in her eyes is to do a reccy trip. I stand to inherit some money this year and we were thinking of using some of this to travel to Australia next year, if we like then we would look at using the rest of the money along with the sale of our house in the uk to finance a move and set up. I'm looking for any advice on where's best to look? I've always thought of Perth but have started to look at Brisbane too. I'm a time served electrician (currently a firefighter but would be going back to electrikery if we moved) and my wife is a teacher. Thanks in advance Jamie Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent a pm mate

Hi. Seen your post about your employer looking for electricians. Im a fully qualified uk spark. 10 years experience in domeatic, commercial and industrial. Both install and maintenance. Is your employer looking to sponsor uk sparks as im not in australia? Regards Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk now Free

Thanks mate. Believe me strike is our last option. No one wants to but we hsve to fight for our rights or they would destroy us more. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

Hi guys. Im a firefighter here in the uk. Ill just shed some light on why we are striking. In 2015 the government want to increase our contributions to 15%, this will slso be uncapped so whrnever they want they csn raise our % to whatever they choose. A firefighter has to work 30 years to accumulate a full pension. Retirement age is set at 55. The reason why we can retire at 55 is because we pay such a large amount of wages into the pension. The physical stresses of the job are immense, it is difficult for anyone not in the fire service to appreciate these. Thr government have said that if you do not pass your fitness test at 55 you will be sacked on capability issues. We would then not be entitled to our pension until 68. So I could be sacked with no income or job until im 68?!!! The fitness test is to be changed so that at 55 I would have to achieve a vo2 max of 42 (the amount of o2 a person uses to body weight). 42 is what a person of 35 can achieve, vo2 max decreases naturally with age. The vo2 max for a 55 year old is 37!!! So not only is this highly unlikely to achieve if you are a woman then you have no chance as their vo2 max is lower still with genetics. Look at someone you know who is 60, do you think they could enter a burning building with full firefighting gear on, temps around 600-1000 degree c, carrying charged hose (which you need to hanfle to appreciate the weight), zero visibility and locate a casualty and rescue them? I currently get paid 28100 pa. I pay in total deductions 47%. That is more than the high earner threshold. I chose this job I dont do it for the wages as they arent great but I love my job and the variety it brings and challenges. We arent wanting more we are just trying to protect what we signed up for. If these changes go through I will lose £60000 from my pension fund. I will pay more and receive less as the extra payments are going straight into the governments pockets. The government say a firefighter gets a pension of 26000, lies. 7000 of this figure is from state pension which you get at 68 not 55/60. The actual amount of pension is 13000. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

Hi John Do you have clients looking for electricians? I'm a time served electrician with experience in domestic, commercial and industrial (petro chem, offshore, mines surface). Regards Jamie

Iv always moved about, agencies, different companies, shutdowns. Don't think I spent more than 2 years at the same place and not wholly through choice, just because of the unpredictable nature of the industry

Hi, just wanting some feed back on the realistic opportunities in oz for time served maintenance and installation sparks from the uk. Areas that are more in need than others etc, wage? Or has Australia been flooded to bursting point with sparks. Thanks

Wow missed the crack!! What was said? Ha

Plus experience in domestic and commercial

Hi Paul, I wouldn't mind a few of them numbers pal!! I'm a fully qualified time served spark with 11 yrs experience. Time served on industrial too

Hi guys I'm just wanting to get some idea of why people decided to come back to the UK? What were the main influences etc. my story is that iv always wanted to move to oz. to cut a long story short I was all set to go in 2007 but met my now wife. It wasn't an easy decision but I fell in love. I do regret not going and I'm constantly hounded by it. Just want to get a feel of what made you comeback as she's very close to family so not convinced she will ever do it. Thanks Jamie