davey1985 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Hi, Me and my girlfriend are planning to move to Perth next yr from Yorkshire, England. I've done a fair bit of research but as always after you do a certain amount the info can be conflicting. So I'm wanting YOUR views on the general availability of work in WA. A bit about us: I'm 28 and she's 25, I'm a joiner and double glazier in the uk and can turn my hand to most things, fit a lot of kitchens, bathrooms, conservatories, also do a bit of motorcycle servicing. We're planning on coming over on a working hol visa and if we like it will either try find a sponsor or apply for gsm (will bring funds and docs). We're coming for the improved quality of life, we don't expect to be millionaires and I know its a different life, I have family and friends there so want to try for myself. I'd like to get a job in glazing or similar but if not I will take on almost anything. With this attitude will there be enough work about to keep us going? We're bringing probably $6k AUD with us, won't last forever but should be enough to set up a rental and car hire. Thanks for reading, replies appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 It is almost impossible for joiners and similar trades to get sponsorship as most are self employed. Also, because the house building market has been sluggish for some time now, work has not been as good as it could be. If you want to make this a permanent move then I would recommend you think about skilled migration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 First of all forget about double glazing and conservatories the concept virtually doesn't exist in WA. Bathrooms and kitchens yes. The trades are very regulated in WA, you'd need to get a "white card' straight away (you can take courses on-line) and you would then need to look into the licences required for your particular trade, until you have them you can only work as an assistant (no matter how much experience you have). It might be a slow start whilst you get licensed but I don't think you'd have any problem picking up some casual work and a tiny chance it could lead to sponsorship but what the previous sponsor says about self-employment is true it seems unlikely. Have a look at http://www.workforcesolutions.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=24 they are a recruitment agency who are able to sponsor you, I work in a very different field but they said to us if we could find an employer who wanted our skills they would do the sponsorship. Bear in mind a WHV is for a year but can be extended to two if you do certain regional work (& not just farm work, your skills could be very much in demand in a rural community). You can only work for one employer for 6 months though. Best thing is to enjoy your WHV and see what comes of it, if you decide Australia is for you then the skilled migration route should be open to you - you just might have to go back to the UK for a while until the visa processing is complete. $6k isn't much - you could spend $4k very easily on a bond and first month rent. It depends whether you are planning to live as a couple in a place of your own or as backpackers in hostels and shared houses. Getting rentals in Perth is tough these days and the prices are going up and up - tbh without work you wouldn't stand a chance of even getting one. There are a couple of places near us that fo cheap car rental - Backpacker Car Rental and World of Cars, both on Hampton Road in Fremantle. You can only use them in the Perth area but very cheap - $150 per week. Oh just a thought on accommodation, a lot of people here have 'granny flats' a self contained studio which they rent out to students and the like. It's much cheaper than your own place but a bit more independence and privacy than a shared house. We rent ours to a student for $180 a week. Good luck - don't worry too much just jump on a plane and have an adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PomPrincesses Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 What's your definition of quality of life exactly ? See if you can find Stewart Lee's Quality of life sketch on you tube, sums it up perfectly ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alba Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Davy, Pm me if you are looking for work in Double Glazing field. It is starting to take off here in WA and I am sure you will find work no bother, Lots of companies have got into it in the last 18 months and you will def find vacancies for fitters-sales and fabricators.. Not much call for the joinery skills as the install's are very different out here (Fix and trim only) John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolac34 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I could tell you about the availability of work for us... but not sure it's relevant as you'll be looking for tradie work rather than City work. When we arrived on WHV's in June 2011 (27 & 28 at the time) work was plentiful and we both got jobs within weeks of arriving - this is office based work in and around the CBD. We turned up with $5k and this was enough to buy us a cheap car ($1,500 Hyundai Excel) and get us a rental in Subiaco (2 bed unit for $430 a week). I was offered sponsorship and we got PR in May 2012. However my OH was let go from his job (they blamed financial reasons) in August 2012 and hasn't found anything since, so nearly 4 months and we're feeling the strain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey1985 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Thanks for all replies so far, I'll reply in more depth later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey1985 Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Home from work now so here's the more detailed bit! I could bore you all day pom princess with my gripes about England etc, living in Bradford I should know! But ultimately for me its not about now, its about ten/twenty years time. I can't really see anything changing in the uk in the next ten years financially and my generation is shafted for even buying the cheapest of houses, we'll never be able to save anything like a 20% deposit for a house here and even then being self employed requires a self certification mortgage - providers are very few and very selective now. But all in all we live a pretty basic life, never really splurge money on fancy clothes, nights out etc. Eat out once a week sometimes not even that. I work almost constantly and still can't save much at all! Crime is ridiculously high here, we don't own a house or have kids so why not give it a go now? Jules: Thanks for that link, i'll check it out. Regarding pvc/double glazing, its just taking off over there and is expensive now but will more popular and affordable in 5 years time, hence more jobs, especially as Australia tries to become more energy efficient. The security benefits are far better too as you already probably know. Alba, I've pm'd you. Regarding money we're gonna come out with as much as possible but that's probably the minimum we'll have, I'll have a credit card as backup too! I have considered self employment but think it might be too hasty for when I first get there. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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