jamespinder83

$100,000 is achievable but you would have to work a bit of overtime. Pay ranges from 35-42 an hour and a standard week is 38 hours here so you can do the maths. If you have children and your partner stays at home that $100000 would get you by but not the most lavish lifestyle. I brought tools over which i bought brand new in england as i heard they were really expensive over here. That isn't true though, decent tools are the same price as in the UK here. You can get good deals on drills over here also. I had my battery's taken out before they got sent over on a plane as apparently they can not go on a flight. I had to pay £70 for the pleasure of them keeping £180 worth of 18v batteries. I sent my stuff with seven seas. i would just buy over here if you have the spare cash though , saves a lot of hassle.

If they will let you do the rpl i would go with that as even if you get your skills assessment done you'll still end up having to do the rpl or so i think. Ive just completed my rpl yesterday so my AQF III in refrigeration and air con will be in my hands soon then i can get my licenses. I did mine with polytechnic west so you are talking to the right people. I didn't buy any books just saved the australian wiring standards on my mac book to use in the electrical part. In the vettassess you have to do a number of practical tasks such as reclaiming, pressure test, vac and commission a coldroom unit, explain superheats and sub cooling etc. Fault find on compressors and ac systems, do pipework and braze, but as you said, if you haven't worked on refrigeration for a while they probably wont even let you do the practical. If i were you id just apply to commercial air con companies when you arrive but make sure they don't do domestic or you could well end up pulling in duct for a while. As for getting started with no experience id suggest if your an electrician try applying to a company which does both trades then try and get some hands on experience that way. Hope this has helped

I had my skills assessed in London . You have to do it if applying for PR from outside of Australia. From that you get your offshore technical skills cert. I have been here for 3 months and im on my second job. My first was doing domestic air con, ducted units mainly. If you take pride in your work you will not want to work in domestic air con!!!!! I am now working for a commercial refrigeration company which is what im used to and enjoy it much more. companies may be reluctant to take you on if you have no license but if you talk to companies rather than just emailing cvs and you know your stuff they may go out their way to make a position for you and bend the rules a little, this is what happened with me. Air con companies take people on easily though with no license but your just an installer of duct and maybe the odd pipe, your pay will be lower than working in refrigeration but theres plenty of overtime. Im at college when they call me in for an assessment. I did an electrical assessment online which took me 4 weeks to get through then a practical on electrical , had to wire and test a panel for a cold room. I did a refrigeration assessment last week which was simple and i have a complex electrical assessment on wednesday. Should be nearly complete after this. Basically all these assessments contain the parts they need to tick off on the competency list which apprentices must fulfil. If they are not happy with your performance they will make you sit certain semesters with the apprentices, you don't want this as it could take time. Also when you talk to the college first of all before enrolling you need to make a good impression that you know what you are on about or else they will just stick you in an accelerated apprenticeship which takes a year. I worked in refrigeration and ac in the UK, mainly worked on sainsbury's local shop installations and service. You tend to either do one or the other over here. Hope this helps. I know finding info is hard as i could never find anything when going through my visa process.

I think your getting things a little mixed up. I am currently in Perth going through my RPL to get my AQF III in refrigeration and air conditioning. After you get this you then apply to arctick for your refrigerant license and energy safety wa for your restricted electrical. Doing the RPL is a right pain but you have to do it to gain your licenses . Any qualifications you have from the UK mean nothing. My college tutor wouldn't of taken me on if i didn't have my skills assessment so you need to do that. Im currently getting my head around psychometric charts as i have an assessment on wednesday which im getting quizzed about them . It is all achievable though.....so i hope!!!!!

Good luck with this pal, i tried to find some info about the ac / refrigeration trade the other week and its not something a lot of people on here seem to know about. Be interested to see if you get any takers as im hopefully moving out in July.

My friends have been asked for evidence of their marriage also, they had to send bills with both their names on from the last four years. Their agent said its the first time in five years they had been asked for this. Wonder if its becoming more common.

Take it no one knows any refrigeration / air conditioning mechanics? could be a good thing for me as it looks like its one of the trades which is still very much in demand.

Hi all I am currently awaiting the outcome of my pr visa and hopefully moving to perth around July/August. I am a refrigeration / air conditioning mechanic with ten years experience. I have my offshore technical skills record (which apparently is suppose to give me a provisional license in my trade) and need to complete gap training to receive my full licence. Now with plumbers and electricians i know they struggle to get work and if they do it is at a very low rate of pay until they get their valid licenses. I was just wondering if anyone out there knows what it is like for us ref/ac trades people? I have two friends who are not pr residents and have found work easy to come by at not bad rates of pay, around $5 per hour less than i see jobs advertised. They only install air conditioning though and are not bothered about working on refrigeration. Are they just lucky or is it a bit easier for ref/ac mechanics to earn whilst gaining our tickets. Any information or advice is greatly appreciated.

my agent lodged mine and my friends on Jan 7th. Take it no-one has heard anything yet?

Im a refrigeration and air conditioning engineer. My wife will not be working for the first year or so due to looking after our son. Im constantly looking on real estate websites for places and can see that decent housing is available from around $450 and upwards depending on areas. I guess my job is going to govern where we live to start with. Just trying to find out about as many places that people recommend so at least i have some ideas of areas when i see them pop up and get an idea of how far away they are from the city. I always look at distance and time to the city but never know how accurate the internet is with these timings, especially peak hours.

Willing to commute about 45 mins, our budget depends on if we move out with our two friends who are doing the process with us. It will be anywhere between $350 pw to $800 depending on work.

Hi Hopefully by July myself, my wife and 9month old boy will have our pr visa (visa application currently in process). Having looked at numerous Perth suburbs, we are still no closer to choosing where to try living first . We like the newer houses so the newer suburbs may suit us. When looking at suburbs such as Ellenbrook, Alkimos and Yanchep, details show that the distance to the city should be reasonable to travel to, but my question is, are they really that reasonable to travel from when traffic is at its peak? Also can anyone recommend any other suburbs which may suit us? I am 29 and my wife is 25, not bothered about going out clubbing all the time just enjoy going for a few social drinks and nice meals asd enjoying being a family.

I am also using this company and find them to be a quality service. Also on a 190 visa, just had our invite to apply for our visa, so it will be getting sent off in the new year. Have found that they will tell you all the facts and any problems which you may incur even if you don't want to hear them, which is always a good thing, rather than just take your money and fill you with promise, only to let you down.

Hi everyone. I have my skill assessment for refrigeration air conditioning mechanic which was positive but i have no english qualification so my experience was taken into account. the question i need answering is , do i get any points for australian recognised qualification? as it says on my outcome i have AQF III standard but not full qualification yet as its a licensed trade and need to do some college work there. I have been assessed by two agents, one says i get ten points the other says no. If they cant decide how am i supposed to know!!!

I was also told this by one agent when enquiring about fees. Then when i asked the next agent they said as long as my work experience history was simple, which it is as i have only had one job with one company in ten years, then it will be ok and i should not need the advisory letter. The first agent wanted to charge me £700 to put my evidence together for this letter , which i thought was rather expensive, hence ringing other agents. Both agents i contacted were both reputable agents i have seen recommended on here.