Sam Summers Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi everyone Well after years of thinking and dreaming about moving to oz I am finally in a position to be able to make the dream happen , I am married and have a 4 year old son , I am an level 3 qualified plumber since 2007 and am gas safe registered, I have been talking to Ian harrop associates who have looked over my quals and work experience and have said we have a good chance of making it over on a 189 or 190 visa .so apart from the 20 odd grand we would lile to save to take with us were good to make an initial payment to Ian harrop and get the ball rolling . It's just now it seems like a reality I am now having last minute nerves ,I have done quite a bit of reading up on other people's experiences etc and my only real concern is work , I am panicking a bit about getting work In oz as a plumber , I am aware I need to resit all my quals once arriving and have heard ball park figures of around 4 grand to do them , absolutely fine with that , and I know I can do any kind of work to fill the gap while retraining , I am just a little worried as I have read quite a lot of negative posts about tradesmen finding work in oz (especially in my line of work )and that people are having to return to the UK as they cannot find enough work to stay . I know everyone's situations different and I am not gonna let it put me off applying I think it's just not knowing what to expect if we make it there , obviously money is a big factor ,if we go we need to make it work as we're not in a position to be able to just take a chance and hope for the best , I was just wondering if anyone on here is in a similar situation Many thanks Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Where are you hoping to go? I'm sure plumbers based in your target destination will be able to advise... I'd have thought that Brisbane, with all the construction would be crying out for them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Summers Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi mate , we were originally looking at brisbane areas ,but at the moment my sister is traveling around oz and is looking to try and stay indefinitely as she loves it there and has said she would want to settle in Melbourne after trying both city's, so we are now looking at Melbourne,nothing set in stone yet but it will definitely be between the two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foo Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I too came to say that there is a tremendous amount of construction happening in Brisbane at the moment, with a number of other huge developments planned for 2017. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Summers Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 I too came to say that there is a tremendous amount of construction happening in Brisbane at the moment, with a number of other huge developments planned for 2017. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Thanks mate really hope it works out for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I would say stick with Brisbane because housing in Melbourne will be much more expensive, so it'll be harder to keep afloat if you're not working. I know the visa itself is a cost, but have you thought about getting the visa and then coming out on your own to find a job before you bring the family? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Summers Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Hi Marisa To be honest that is exactly what I'm thinking of doing , come over on my own and get everything set up before bringing the family .it does make sense to do it that way. I reckon it would be stressful enough without worrying about the wife and kid going through the stress of it all . I personally do prefer the idea of brisbane than Melbourne (for the weather mainly )but then again I would go where ever the work is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Smith Clan Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Hi everyone Well after years of thinking and dreaming about moving to oz I am finally in a position to be able to make the dream happen , I am married and have a 4 year old son , I am an level 3 qualified plumber since 2007 and am gas safe registered, I have been talking to Ian harrop associates who have looked over my quals and work experience and have said we have a good chance of making it over on a 189 or 190 visa .so apart from the 20 odd grand we would lile to save to take with us were good to make an initial payment to Ian harrop and get the ball rolling . It's just now it seems like a reality I am now having last minute nerves ,I have done quite a bit of reading up on other people's experiences etc and my only real concern is work , I am panicking a bit about getting work In oz as a plumber , I am aware I need to resit all my quals once arriving and have heard ball park figures of around 4 grand to do them , absolutely fine with that , and I know I can do any kind of work to fill the gap while retraining , I am just a little worried as I have read quite a lot of negative posts about tradesmen finding work in oz (especially in my line of work )and that people are having to return to the UK as they cannot find enough work to stay . I know everyone's situations different and I am not gonna let it put me off applying I think it's just not knowing what to expect if we make it there , obviously money is a big factor ,if we go we need to make it work as we're not in a position to be able to just take a chance and hope for the best , I was just wondering if anyone on here is in a similar situation Many thanks Sam Exactly the same position as you, found our agent and I have the qualifications to go (back in 2006 we tried but pathway changed for my dh skills) but we are a bag of nerves and the main reason is the financial risk and like you saw some negative posts on finding work. We plan to visit in august and hopefully will get an idea if we could live there but I lose 10 points in jan (due to age) making It too late then to get visa submitted by jan if we start in sept and feel like we need to make decision now as if I don't get 20 points in English test we would not make the 60 points. We have discussed that at the point of getting visas going out to initiate visa and then move out when we secure work. He qualifies shortly as a gas fitter/plumber and will be gas safe registered but as you put will need to pay$4,000 for course once there. Good luck and if we here of anything workwise we will let you know, we are hoping to find work in Brisbane. Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 One thing to check carefully with plumbers is what kind of work you could do. I recall seeing some posts somewhere here about the kind of work being different in Australia, and I do recall someone who was a specialist plumber being told, forget it because plumbers don't do that kind of work in Oz, some other trade does it. Sorry I know that doesn't quite make sense but I hope someone is able to clarify! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Summers Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Exactly the same position as you, found our agent and I have the qualifications to go (back in 2006 we tried but pathway changed for my dh skills) but we are a bag of nerves and the main reason is the financial risk and like you saw some negative posts on finding work. We plan to visit in august and hopefully will get an idea if we could live there but I lose 10 points in jan (due to age) making It too late then to get visa submitted by jan if we start in sept and feel like we need to make decision now as if I don't get 20 points in English test we would not make the 60 points. We have discussed that at the point of getting visas going out to initiate visa and then move out when we secure work. He qualifies shortly as a gas fitter/plumber and will be gas safe registered but as you put will need to pay$4,000 for course once there. Good luck and if we here of anything workwise we will let you know, we are hoping to find work in Brisbane. Maria Hi Maria I totally get where your coming from it is such a huge deal to pick up the family and just move from everything you have ever known , it's bound to give you bad nerves , it's sounds like your much the same as me in that you have an opportunity to go but your worried in case it all goes wrong , the driving force for me is friends I have over there now that left the UK years ago and absolutely love it there and wouldn't dream of returning to the UK . Its just the worry of finding work , apart from that one issue there is absolutely no reason for us to want to stay in the UK. The problem is its like a tick that won't go away ,I think once you have it in your head that you want to live in oz it never goes away . I think sometimes in life you need to just go for it.which is why for us I think we're going go ahead with the visa application and hope it all works out for us . I hope you both do make it there and it's everything you hoped it would be . And yes it would be great to hear from you in the future on how it's worked out for you both . Good luck Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Smith Clan Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Hi Maria I totally get where your coming from it is such a huge deal to pick up the family and just move from everything you have ever known , it's bound to give you bad nerves , it's sounds like your much the same as me in that you have an opportunity to go but your worried in case it all goes wrong , the driving force for me is friends I have over there now that left the UK years ago and absolutely love it there and wouldn't dream of returning to the UK . Its just the worry of finding work , apart from that one issue there is absolutely no reason for us to want to stay in the UK. The problem is its like a tick that won't go away ,I think once you have it in your head that you want to live in oz it never goes away . I think sometimes in life you need to just go for it.which is why for us I think we're going go ahead with the visa application and hope it all works out for us . I hope you both do make it there and it's everything you hoped it would be . And yes it would be great to hear from you in the future on how it's worked out for you both . Good luck Sam Pleased to hear that you have been able to make that decision, yes its hard to forget the idea, even though you think you have made a decision, for us its that what if. Yes please keep us posted on your journey. Fingers crossed we can make a decision soon Good Luck to you all too Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Tilley Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) From my own experience I wouldn't head off there without your wife and child. If this is going to be a new life and adventure for the family then you all need to go and experience it together. Yes it's hard, but at least you're all in the 'new' stage of your life at the same time. In 2004 my ex (notice he's now an ex!) travelled out to Oz 3 months ahead of me and our young son. He had a job offer and wanted to take it up straight away. Being in a new country, following his dream and getting his new life together without the responsibility of a partner and young child made it easy for him to find his feet and fit in. He chose the new house and the furniture to go in it, bought a car, and then when we followed 3 months later I had to fit in with what he'd already made. He already had a group of friends to go out with and I was then left to find my own friends by myself. Looking back, we never did the move together, we both moved to Australia separately and individually. There was no excitement of discovering new things for the first time, no excitement of choosing where to rent, no holiday period together when we first arrived to look around etc. I moved over to find him in full flow of a stressful job with no leave available except a few days when we arrived that he'd managed to book off to pick us up from the airport and spend the following day with us! Within a very short period of time I realised I didn't actually want to be there after all as it was all about me and our son having to fit in with what he'd put in place. Now whether things would have been different if we'd all arrived together and discovered all there was to moving country together I have no idea, but in hindsight, I would much rather have had that excitement than what I ended up with! Edited February 2, 2016 by Rachel Tilley spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 You have a long road ahead of you. Brisbane is booming just at the moment however it is dependant on investment properties, Labour pumping money into the city (state is already in debt) and large business building status piecees being the casino. Sorry I can see things coming to an abrupt end with a lot of development being mothballed. Brisbane is a great destination, love it here and love the locals generally. Work is here and property is just about affordable at the moment. Best of luck with your adventure. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Most countries are in debt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Most countries are in debt. Indeed - it's what makes "repay the debt" such a stupid slogan. Wise countries borrow money to invest in building the economy which can then sustain more debt which supports more investment in building the economy etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 From my own experience I wouldn't head off there without your wife and child. If this is going to be a new life and adventure for the family then you all need to go and experience it together. ... In 2004 my ex (notice he's now an ex!) travelled out to Oz 3 months ahead of me and our young son. He had a job offer and wanted to take it up straight away. ... He chose the new house and the furniture to go in it, bought a car, and then when we followed 3 months later I had to fit in with what he'd already made. He already had a group of friends to go out with and I was then left to find my own friends by myself. ... Within a very short period of time I realised I didn't actually want to be there after all as it was all about me and our son having to fit in with what he'd put in place. If the OP had a job offer in place, none of us would be suggesting he go alone! We're suggesting it because there is no job offer, so he may take several weeks to find a job - or he may find he can't get one at a level he's happy with, or he may have to move states to get one. Obviously while all that is going on, he'd be staying in hostels or boarding houses, not buying houses! I would also not expect him to go buying a house before the family arrived - the sensible next step would be to arrange a six-month lease somewhere to give the family time to arrive, learn about the areas and choose the right house for their long-term future. I understand what you mean by it feeling like "his" house and you just had to fit in - I got very stressed when my oh and I moved into our first home together - not because he'd chosen it, but because he had loads of existing furniture, books etc and I had virtually none, so I felt as if he'd taken over the whole house! I think that will always be an issue between us because he's a bit of a hoarder and I'm a minimalist, but we've found strategies to cope with it! I think that's the key really - our relationship has a lot of challenges but we care about each other enough to give and take. Your oh could've made an effort to help you settle in (not "leaving you to find your own friends" for instance - and not refusing to leave Oz when you were so desperate you couldn't stay!), but he didn't: that speaks volumes to me about his regard for you. Maybe it's just as well you found out early in your marriage as I suspect that lack of consideration would've caused a breakup eventually anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyba Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I can't give much info on plumbing but I am an electrician and I am heading over in October as we had our 189 granted in Jan. I have spoken to a few agencies and they say that work will come if you put yourself out there and get about, it's exactly the Same in the UK, I work as a subby and I'm always looking about and contacting people and I keep myself working. Lots of stuff to redo but my attitude towards then entire situation is that my desire to move and be there far outweighs my desire to be a spark lol. If I had to retrain in something else I would but I doubt that will be the case. I am moving to north Gold Coast purely because Brisbane is commutable if needs be but ideally I'd like to work in Gold Coast. If you want it enough it will work, just like the UK work can go up and down without any notice but I manager here, it will be like starting again but in my opinion it will be worth it for me and the Mrs. If i were you I'd give the downunder centre a ring and speak to wes, he is a plumber who helps trades do their skills assessment and migrate, he has contacts with a few agencies and can give you an idea and maybe put your mind at rest on some things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Summers Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hey bud Thanks for the heads up, I am much like yourself , gonna go for it and see how it goes .worse case scenario is I retrain in another profession. Were probably only have around 20 grand saved to go with its not finding work that is the only real concern fingers crossed it will all work out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.