plumbing with passion

Cheers Allan, Yeah my mate has been living on the Goldy for 4 years and has always been into maintenance plumbing. To land a job here in Oz it is definitily who you know. Personal references will almost certainly land you a job - its all about buidling up your network ... something I did in London, then Perth and now here. I need to stop moving ha ha ha Later man, Paul

Hey Allen, Good on you mate, its a start. Hopefully it'll lead onto something that you want. Were you doing domestic back home? I got a good mate that is a domestic plumber here on the Goldy but my forte is commercial - I haven't done domestic in many years. My plumbing license was easy to obtain since I already had a license from WA. All I needed to do was send off $160 and a few bits of paperwork and I got issued my new Queensland license under the Mutual Recognition between States. My job search continues - here goes resume number 27 .... Good luck, Paul

Hi Allan, I arrived in the Gold Coast 4 weeks ago. I started actively looking for work since 5 Jan but so far nothing. I've got my Queensland plumbing license already and I've sent off quite a few resumes and phoned companies. They've all said that its really quiet in the construction industry at the moment but things are forecast to pick up over the next few months. Are you working as a maintenance plumber? I might have to go that route ....

Hey Guys, I moved over from Perth WA to the Gold Coast a couple of weeks ago and I've started pumping out resume's to different companies. I understand that work has been pretty flat on the Goldy for a while but rumour has it that things are changing. Since I'm new to the area, my knowledge of different companies are somewhat limited. I've done the obvious google thing and other methods but nothing is better than straight from the horses mouth ... So, I'd appreciate it if anyone here can suggest who are the big game players in the commercial plumbing sector on the Goldy? My experience has always been on big commercial sites (high rises, hotels, stadiums, apartments etc) which offer EBA rates. I'm keen to get going and meet you fellow professional plumbers! Lets rock. Cheers Paul.

Hi Neil, The best visa for you to come over to WA would be an independent skilled visa. I would avoid coming over on a sponsored visa as it can be a pretty stressful experience because, apart from other things, if you find yourself out of a job then you have 28 days to find another sponsor or else you have to head back to Scotland. With regards to your qualification, I'd presume that you'd have to apply as a plumber. You'd have to complete a Vetassessment (if you're applying for a skilled visa) to prove your working qualifications. Vetassess involves a hell of a lot of paperwork and a 1 day practical skills assessment. Unfortunately your AQF and any other qualification you hold in the UK is worth nothing here in Australia. It can feel like you have to start from scratch but once you're here and you can show and prove that you know what you're all about then all the doors start opening. We all find it frustrating - but it is what it is. I am a plumber by trade. When I lived and worked in London UK for eight years I worked for a mechanical services company and ended up doing a fair bit of pipefitting as well as plumbing. Here in Perth I've worked mainly in commercial plumbing but at the moment I'm employed as a pipefitter/sprinkler fitter. Apparently, sprinkler fitters are in short supply here in Perth and they are the highest paid tradies at the moment. I've met a few other pipefitters from the UK who all came over as plumbers and eventually got themselves in the pipefitting game

All my close family live on the Gold Coast. I arrived in Australia beginning of 2012 and had to commit to WA for a minimum of 2 years as a condition of my residency visa. There has been an abundance of work in Perth since I've been here. I'm currently working on high rise office blocks in Perth CBD. I've often heard that work on the Gold Coast is flat but I'm still hopeful that I'll find something. If I have to travel into Brissie then that will have to be. It would be nice to hear some feedback from people in the loop ...

Getting a reply for your question will be harder than trying to draw blood from a stone mate. I'm a licensed plumber in Perth and am looking to move to the Gold Coast in December/January. I have asked the same questions regarding commercial plumbing work. Jobs must be that scarce that those in the know don't want to say anything! Try to find the big companies that offer EBA rates (union) and keep trying.

No, its not transferable. I had my EWP ticket in London (through IPAF) but have been told its not recognized here in Aussie. I've since done my high risk EWP boom ticket through WorkSafe (its nationally recognized)

Hi Jimplumb Don't stress mate. Just get yourself over here and enroll yourself on the compulsory 2 week migrant plumbing course at TAFE or MPA and apply for your tradespersons license asap. There is a fair amount of work in Perth at the moment. There are 4 or so new towers going up in the CBD, the new Elizabeth Quays development on the foreshore, the burswood stadium and loads of others. The rectruitment companies are calling out for plumbers at the moment. Have faith, arrive with a determined will do/can do attitude and you'll be alright. Plumber Paul

Cheers for getting back to me, its much appreciated. It sucks how we have to jump through hoops all the time. I'll just have to face up to the facts when I arrive in Gold Coast in a few months time. Good work opportunities happen with people you know in the industry so I'm networking here in Perth about possible leads on the Gold Coast. Nothing concrete so far but there are companies that I'll be hitting up. There is a real good chance that I'll have to travel into Brissie everyday... Did your partner cover gas at TAFE? I was never gas qualified in the UK nor am I here. I hope everything comes together for you guys. Good luck Paul

Hi, I'm interested to hear back too. I posted a message a few months ago asking if anyone could let me know what the health of the commercial plumbing industry is like on the Gold Coast but unfortunately no one replied which speaks for itself I suppose. I'm coming over from Perth later this year. I have a full WA plumbing tradespersons license which allows me to find work with a contractor licensed plumber. I recently email the Queensland plumbing licensing board to inquire about transferring my WA plumbing license to a QLD plumbing license and they attached a list of forms that I need to fill in etc, and they stated that I'd only be issued with a provisional plumbing license. There is also a note that says state governments are trying to make interstate licenses easily transferable. WTF? I had to do a compulsory 2 week migrant plumbing course in Perth and on completion I obtained a certificate level III in plumbing and with that I got given my plumbing license... Does this mean that I'll have to go back to TAFE in QLD and jump through the hoops again just to get a plumbing license? There is an abundance of work in Perth at the moment but our move over to the Gold Coast is purely family driven. I'm a little anxious of the lack of work for plumbers at the mo. I look forward to hearing from someone who could perhaps shed some more light and who has recently been in the same position. Cheers, Paul

Hey mate, Ive been here over 2 years now and have never had a problem getting plumbing work. Its true that the Aussies are stuck in their ways regarding the Australian Standards etc and as mentioned before - 'treat them like an moron until they prove otherwise" but from my experience the do give you a fair go. Bloody hell, one company director even said to me in an interview that my UK experience did very little to help my career! I proved the idiot wrong. With regards to the TRA assessment just say that you can do everything - thats what I did even though there were a a couple of things that I had none/very little experience in and to this day hasn't affected me getting work. Just use your common sense. Good luck with it all

Everything.

Hi everyone, I am hoping to find out from anyone in the loop about what the current work situation is like in the Gold Coast for commercial plumbers. I currently live in Perth (been here for over 2 years) but am looking at moving over to the Gold Coast to be closer to my parents and my brothers family. I understand that in 2016 Gold Coast will be hosting the Commonwealth Games, so with that I'd presume more construction projects. I understand that I'll have to change my current plumbing license to a Queensland one. I'd really appreciate any kind of feedback from anyone in the industry. Cheers all Paul

I've said it before and I'll say it again. During the 8 years that I lived in London I suffered from SAD (seasonal affective disorder). During the 2 years that I've been living in Perth Australia, I've suffered from HAPPY. Too damn right that the warm sunny weather lifts you up emotionally - I love it. Sunny warm weather does allow you to do so much more of everything, but admittedly, sometimes it can get a tad too hot but that's ok - a few cold beers eliminates that problem.