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Has anyone on this forum or someone that you know come over to Australia and actually made some progress in their electrical career? I haven't been here that long but i am finding it extremely difficult to get anywhere on the job front. I am still doing gap training which is obviously part of the problem. I don't mean mining jobs either as that does not appeal to me . I have a very impressive CV and i have very broad experience yet i barely even get a response for jobs i apply for. I am finding it increasingly frustrating especially when i see the quality of workmanship and workrate that is present here. I am working at the moment but i feel i have went completely backwards in my career and am beginning to wonder if i am ever going to find a job that i am happy in here. If i was still in the UK i would have no problem in finding a good job despite the recession and i am interested to hear other peoples experiences.

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

You will need to find an Australian employer willing to sponsor you or otherwise apply for PR. You can't just go over and look for an employer without having PR or having a sponsor. It will take approx. 5 (ish) weeks to get your trade papers/employment history assessed and then you'll be booked in to do your Vetassess "exam". All in probably 12 weeks. Then you have an OTSR which entitles you to apply for a provisional electrical licence when you land in Australia.

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?

Before you do your Vetassess assessment you need to send in proof of your experience as an electrician (VERY detailed references from each employer) as well as all trade certs etc. You're at the beginning of a very long (and ridiculous) process. :confused:

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.

Hope that helps

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.

You guys would be best going on a holiday visa as i don't think either of you will qualify for PR due to lack of work experience. But as you hear on here a holiday visa means easy route for license but only in WA and SA as far as i am aware. So cheap easy option is WHV. If you like it then apply for PR or find a sponsor

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.

Yeah , it's a joke !!! sparks on the WHV can apply to TRA then sit a 1 week course at the CET then a week at their house or whatever , then apply for their A grade licence .

why is it one rule for one and one rule for another !

 

I have already sat Vetasess exam , now I have to sit 2 week course which will be 5 months after arriving here in Perth , train for another year , then sit another exam . Total 3 weeks off my work . I am having to use my holidays to go to college , so no holidays this year , well not that we could afford it anyways lol.....

 

It's not that , it's the feeling of feeling inadequate like an apprentice . I'm 37 next week and having someone shouting at me every day is peeing me off BIG style !!!

 

keep going to the beach , looking at the water , enjoying the time there to tell myself "short term sacrifice , long term gain " but in all honesty it's hard when your in the thick of it not seeing the woods for the trees ... ;-)

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!