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Good question. I'm sure there's loads of us that would love to hear answers to this! I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth the time, bother, and huge expense involved. I presume that there are some positive stories on life as an electrician in Australia, once the dreaded gap year is over. Maybe forums like these tend to give a negative slant on things, as people are more inclined to post here if they are having a problem or difficulty. Once things begin to work out for them, many people might see little need for posting. Just a suggestion. I hope things work out for you, and presume they will once you are rid of the shackles of your restricted license. Sure you can go for jobs you prefer after that. Good luck.

Just how difficult is it to get work on a Restricted License? Are some states easier to get this type of work in than others? I'm at the beginning of this process and am wondering what states I should consider. I'm prepared to do this nightmare of a year in or near any town resembling modern society. Long-term I'd like to settle in a big city but that seems a long way off. What states should I target? What are my chances of finding work for this year? Thanks

Ok, it's becoming a little clearer. Assuming I don't find a sponsor and decide to apply for PR (the most likely scenario), can I then seek employment in Oz once i've passed that exam in London and received my OTSR? At what stage do I apply for the PR? You said I can't look for an employer without having a PR or a sponsor. I presume you mean without having applied for a PR?

That should be fun. Most of my employers left Ireland along with the so-called boom we had. I'd better start tracking them down. Is my assessment of timeline/procedure/costs accurate in my last post? I'm thinking of paying a company to take the pain out of all of this madness. I know it costs a lot as it is but I spoke with them today and they sound like they know what they're doing. My main worry is not getting work on my gap training year. Is this really that hard to come by if I'm prepared to live outside the main cities (but not in the deep bush)?

I was told today that because I'm 31 years old, WHV is out of the question. As it is unlikely that my wife will get sponsorship even in Early Childhood Education, it looks like we'll have to go the long (and expensive) route now. I'm still a bit confused so please let me know if the following is accurate regarding my steps: I'll have to fly to London to do the exam and wait 12 weeks to get Trade Recognition which will set me back a couple of grand. This will get me some sort of provisional sparks license. I then fly to Oz and scour the country to get employment for 20% less wages while I apply to get a full license. (How hard will it be to get one of these jobs?) I do this for 9 to 12 months and then I can get a full license and apply for PR which costs about €4500. Please let me know if I have some of the details wrong. After re-assessing the situation, we are prepared for a tough initial year which is unlikely to be spent near any of the major cities. We'd be prepared to locate anywhere once it resembled some sort of modern(ish) civilisation. All in all, if we both got decent jobs after the crap initial year, it will be worth it.

It does indeed help, thanks. Does that mean that if I want PR, there's no way of escaping the gap training year even if I go on a WHV and manage to get a company to sponsor me? The gap year sounds unappealing to say the least. If the reduced wages & being treated as an apprentice again weren't bad enough, I believe it is extremely difficult to get employment for this year. Is this the case if I went on a WHV? If I got an employer to sponsor me, would this be regarded as my gap year? One of my reasons for emigrating is increased job security! If my wife managed to get sponsored on her WHV doing Early Childhood Care, could we apply for PR that way even if she isn't the main applicant? Basically I'm looking for a way to live & work as an electrician in Oz longterm, without doing the gap year. Is this possible? I'd no idea things would be this complicated.

Thanks for the reply. Will being on a WHV make it more difficult to find work as a sparks? If we liked it over there and wanted to stay, would we be able to apply for PR in Oz or would we have to come home first? Does the WHV mean we can't work for the same employer for more than six months? Would it help my case getting a PR if we were prepared to work outside of the big cities, at least until we got PR. When I get PR is it then just a case of transferring my A licence that I got with my WHV or do I have to go through the whole process again? Sorry for all of the questions. My mind is boggled with all of this! Thanks again.

Hi, Myself and my wife have recently been contemplating a permanent move to Australia. I've been horrified to read how difficult this move seems to be. Is New Zealand any easier? I am a fully qualified electrician, having served my four year apprenticeship here in Ireland. I have one year's work experience in addition to this. What are my best visa and licence options? How long can I expect this to take and how much can I expect this to cost? Our preferred locations, in order, are Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide & Perth. I naively thought Australia was crying out for sparks and all I'd have to do was apply for a visa, maybe do a course for a couple of weeks, pass an exam, and work away. I'm shocked by what I've read. Please tell me it isn't so bad!! My wife qualified as a Primary School Teacher in Ireland last year and is currently working as a teacher for her DIP/probation year. Is there any advantage to my prospects in naming her as the main applicant? I have heard that Primary Teachers are not on the shortage list but that Early Childhood Education is and she might qualify to teach that. Any advice would be really appreciated. Feel absolutely lost now!