SteveinOz

Have been in Townsville for 5 years now and love it. Work situation is pretty slow but otherwise ok.

Honestly, if you think coming to Australia is going to better way of life financially then you may well be mistaken. If you want financial security you are going to have to put the hours in to get it, the days of overpaid jobs are coming to an end. The cost of living here is greater than the UK so bear that in mind, it does make a Hugh difference where you live as well. Another thing to bear in mind when moving with kids is the cost of bringing them up here compared to the UK, most of the things you took for granted in the UK you have to pay for here and that applies to a lot of things. Really need to do your research regarding Australia now and not 10yrs ago before you make the move. We have lived here nearly 4 years have older grown up kids who made the move with us as well and to be honest would never move back to the UK. Don't get me wrong, we miss family and friends etc. but you have to live your own life.

Assume you mean the motor contactors is 230V as you mention a 3 phase motor. Usually test resistance between each winding and then do and insulation resistance test to ensure no fault to earth. As to commission, when we do one its basically a bump start to ensure correct rotational direction. They don't do ring circuits on GPO's here either its all spurs. Doing your vetasses doesn't qualify you for an electrical license, as Saints man says you have to work as a trades assistant for a while to get your Australian experience hours then you can complete your final test. All of this obviously costs money, usually around $5000 but depends how you go about it. Good luck.

Paul1977 pretty much covered your question. Once you complete your on the job assessment you will have to do what they call a capstone test which I think is around the $2500 mark.

I run an electrical contracting business here and have to tell you, Queensland is the hardest place to get a license from the UK. Without a QLD license you will not be able to work as a tradesman only a trade assistant until you have a license.

Moved here just short of 4 years ago. Originally lived in Annandale, lovely place but not a lot there. Moved to Kirwan, has good and bad areas as does every suburb. Cowboys stadium within walking distance and going on Monday to watch them hopefully win. Cinema and some nice restaurants just down the road. Used to spend a bit of time in town for nights out but just full of weekend warriors now. Feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them if I can.

Have sent you a message Mel

If you budget well you shouldn't have any problems. We pay $150 monthly for our electricity and this tends to balance out over the year with aircon etc.

Hi Mel. Been here nearly 4 years now. Kids moved out, whoohoo, and now have more time on our hands.

Late 40's couple looking to meet other couples for friendship, BBQ's and plenty of drinks.

Really hard to give you any idea on outgoings as it depends on quite a few things. e.g. House with pool House with aircon (mad not to have it) Age of kids. Will say electricity prices are pretty high and cost of living is higher than when compared to the UK.

Will leave it upto tandcmum to come up with a date for the first drinks meeting as they don't arrive till 1st May. Hope you don't mind tandcmum?

You can get a 12 month holiday visa but you can only stay in Australia for a maximum of 3 months before you have to leave. You can come and go as often as you want during the 12 months but can only stay a maximum of 3 at any one time.

What kind of a place is this..........pub not open on Good Friday.....any suggestions to another date and time??

Well it doesn't look like there will be anyone there!! We will be in for a few drinks anyway.

Go to the supermarket and get a pack of Mortein bombs, set them off around the house and go out for a couple of hours, should be good for a few months. We do it on a regular basis and don't get anything in the house.

How about this weekend as its a bank holiday, could make it Friday as everyone ( hopefully) will be off. The seaview should be a bit quieter then. john76, kids are allowed into the outdoor area of the seaview so shouldn't be a problem. Was thinking around 2 o'clock if all ok with that.

Hi, if you want to read through all the pages of the thread (I know there are a few), but there is quite a bit of information contained within the pages. Anything specific you need to know, drop me a message and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Am working away out West at the minute so will post a few dates when I get back. Probably be a Sunday if thats OK for everyone. You never know, it might become a regular thing. tandcmum, 1st May not that far away now.....

Shinner, with Moneycorp, if you mention you found them on the site they will do your money transfer for free, at least I think they are still doing that offer. Missed the storm as I was away working and where we live, Annandale, it really didn't hit but did have trouble getting back to Townsville with all the flooding. We must organise a get together for all the Brits in Townsville, we would suggest the Seaview on the Strand as they have a nice open air area. Anyone up for it??

Without making it sound too simple, they just went out and found work, there is plenty to do you just have to go and look.

Good luck in Townsville. We are probably a bit too old for a young trendy couple like you...lol, but if you want to come for a BBQ one evening or weekend let us know. No pressure at all.. We have kids of a similar age as well, god we do feel old now...lol

Have a look on the SEEK website they are always advertising for AC engineers. You might want to consider moving out of Brisbane as you will find it easier to get sponsorship, you might even get state sponsorship. If you can try to get a 119 visa rather than a 457, the 119 is permenant residency and if it is in a regional area you can usually get a decision within a few months if your occupation is needed in that area. All you have to do is work for the person who sponsored you, or stay in that region if it was state sponsorship, for two years and then you can go wherever you like. Hope that helps and has not confused the issue at all.

Where abouts are you looking to settle in Australia?? Each state has it's own licensing requirements and I know of plenty of qualified electricians who have found it very difficult to get a Queensland License. I would reccomend that your husband does a first aid course as well prior to him coming over and get the approprite certificate, if you look up LV Rescucitation, you need to have the certificate in that as well. Don't want to put him off at all as they are screaming out for electricians in Townsville for industry as well as working at the mines so he would have no problems in walking straight into a job as soon as he got here.

Hi all have eventually got back to the site, hows everyone been?? Have now changed jobs, first one didn't work out and will not bore you with the details, second one is great. Been in Oz just over 6 months now and still feels like we are on holiday. Still loving Townsville and we are slowly making new friends. Had my first round of golf last Sunday and met a great buch of lads, only thing, twas a bit on the warm side. Currently pretty humid and warm still and probably will be for the next couple of weeks when things will start to cool down a bit. Wife has now become a lady of leisure and is loving it, both kids have found work and they are loving it as well. If anyone needs help or information, drop me a line and I will do my best to help where I can. Not saying we know everything as we are still learning how things work here as well.