Electricians In Australia

[Guest Arthur McManus]

:shocked:Hi Lance,

It seems that we are in a similar position. I too arrived in Melbourne early January this year on a skilled sponsored state visa. I completed my Vetassess & GAP training in London & have received my Vic safe Supervised licence "L". a couple of weeks ago together with my white card. Problem being - i am struggling to find any openings for construction site installation electricians. All the agencies seem to be after "A" grade maint sparks, solar install or vending m/c sparks. As you said earlier it is required that we complete our e-profiling (i have allready completed the college syllabus in London) & then complete the "Capstone" exam at the end of all this.

If you here of any jobs for construction sparks in or around the Melbourne area please keep me posted.

Good luck.

Arthur

[peters]

Hi, I was granted my ARTC as electrical mechanic last september but they wont post the certificate outside of the UK. They said I needed to send a letter in to change adress with some details and signature on it. I have posted a letter to a family member over there and was going to get them to post it onto to TRA to get the cert for when I arrive in June. Do they actually check up to see if you are in the country or is it just the address they need?

Thanks.

[Guest sparky1966]

Hi,

 

I think they will post the cert to any oz address,they wouldnt be bothered if you were actually in the country.I had mine sent to a mates address,although this was 2 years ago.

 

Richard

[angphil]

They wouldn't send my OH's out without evidence that we lived there (like a bank statement or rental agreement). My OH wanted his sent so he had it when we arrived.

[woodymcfc]

They wouldn't send my OH's out without evidence that we lived there (like a bank statement or rental agreement). My OH wanted his sent so he had it when we arrived.

 

This is true, I had to send a copy of my stamped passport with date of entry in for TRA to send out my ARTC.....

Edited March 18, 2012 by woodymcfc

[peters]

This is true, I had to send a copy of my stamped passport with date of entry in for TRA to send out my ARTC.....

 

Thanks, Will have to wait until we arrive then. Not long now.

[stoke]

Hi, I've read up quite alot of online info regarding electrical licences ect. And I'm unsure of which route to take as I'm not really an electrician as such.

 

Please could somebody lay out the steps I need to do as it seems quite complicated.

Here's a bit about me:

 

23 yo

Operated Cnc machines

Completed a 4 year modern apprentiship with gas turbine generator company.

Now working for them, building their packages.

Panel wiring, plc's junction boxes. I have knowledge on electrical testing and fault finding.

I've worked on fault finding and electrical/mechanical maintenance on various different Cnc machines.

 

i have mechanical experience; I have striped and rebuilt gas turbines and serviced our generator sets out in the field around Europe.

 

I am classed as an electrical fitter but I don't work much on live eq its mainly assembly work.

I have:

Nvq 3 in enineering electrical maintenance

Nd electrical engineering

hnc in electrical engineering

Nvq2 performing engineering operations ( turning, milling ect)

 

My aim:

This would ideally be working in the mines eventually, (would my maintenance q's be acceptable to get in there?)

but to begin with an electrical based job where I come home most nights would be great.

 

I would like to know where to start, as Im unsure of what tra I need to apply for?

What job would I be classified as?

Which licence I could get?

Tra? Artc? Peer? Electrical fitter/mechanic? So many questions lol

 

Sorry for all the questions but if I can start doing some of the applications ect now before i get there it'll be easier.

Thanks in advance to any help and advice.

[derren7]

Hi, I've read up quite alot of online info regarding electrical licences ect. And I'm unsure of which route to take as I'm not really an electrician as such.

 

Please could somebody lay out the steps I need to do as it seems quite complicated.

Here's a bit about me:

 

23 yo

Operated Cnc machines

Completed a 4 year modern apprentiship with gas turbine generator company.

Now working for them, building their packages.

Panel wiring, plc's junction boxes. I have knowledge on electrical testing and fault finding.

I've worked on fault finding and electrical/mechanical maintenance on various different Cnc machines.

 

i have mechanical experience; I have striped and rebuilt gas turbines and serviced our generator sets out in the field around Europe.

 

I am classed as an electrical fitter but I don't work much on live eq its mainly assembly work.

I have:

Nvq 3 in enineering electrical maintenance

Nd electrical engineering

hnc in electrical engineering

Nvq2 performing engineering operations ( turning, milling ect)

 

My aim:

This would ideally be working in the mines eventually, (would my maintenance q's be acceptable to get in there?)

but to begin with an electrical based job where I come home most nights would be great.

 

I would like to know where to start, as Im unsure of what tra I need to apply for?

What job would I be classified as?

Which licence I could get?

Tra? Artc? Peer? Electrical fitter/mechanic? So many questions lol

 

Sorry for all the questions but if I can start doing some of the applications ect now before i get there it'll be easier.

Thanks in advance to any help and advice.

Hi there,

have you been granted a visa or are you looking to apply for a skilled visa?

Regards Derren

[clarew]

Probably been asked this question loads before so sorry about this! My OH is 44 & an Electrician with 20 + years experience in Industrial, Commercial & domestic installs and is qualified to the C&G 17th Edition...anyone else with similar experience manged to gain a sponsorship from an employer in OZ? If so how did you manage it? We are just re-doing his CV as we think it may be too short for Oz employers and he will be going to the Expo this Saturday in London. We will be sending his CV straight to employers over there.. not sure what else to do?! Is there an agent you can recommend? Anyone had any dealings with "Skilled shortage solutions"? He will be going to their free seminar in London. Any advice or info will be really apprieciated...thanks

[Alanlisa]

Hi clarew,

We're in a similar situation to you, oh is 33, he's been a spark since leaving school, industrial, commercial etc. I've been in touch with skills shortage solutions as well, they advised that before we can even start to think about sponsorship then oh would have to have his ostr from vetassess, which we are underway with at the minute, the free seminar apparently tells u how to go about getting the ostr, so its not really for us. There's a trade seminar in birmingham which we are considering going to. I can't remember whose putting it on but i'll have a look and post it on here x

 

http://skilledmigrantjobs.com/JobSeeker/Events-Trades-Landing.html

 

This is it, we are considering a visit, has anyone had any dealings with this company or visited one of their rade events?

Edited March 21, 2012 by Alanlisa

[clarew]

Hi clarew,

We're in a similar situation to you, oh is 33, he's been a spark since leaving school, industrial, commercial etc. I've been in touch with skills shortage solutions as well, they advised that before we can even start to think about sponsorship then oh would have to have his ostr from vetassess, which we are underway with at the minute, the free seminar apparently tells u how to go about getting the ostr, so its not really for us. There's a trade seminar in birmingham which we are considering going to. I can't remember whose putting it on but i'll have a look and post it on here x

 

http://skilledmigrantjobs.com/JobSeeker/Events-Trades-Landing.html

 

This is it, we are considering a visit, has anyone had any dealings with this company or visited one of their rade events?

 

Hi AlanLisa...thanks for your reply, good to speak to others in the same boat.. Can you let me know the website he booked the vetasses through please? I will get him to book it asap...If thats all the skilled shortage talk about then your right its not worth the trip... The Trade event you mentioned definatly looks worth a visit, he is going to an Expo this Saturday in London http://www.expo-australia.com/purchase.aspx?expoid=74 If I find anymore information I will let you know

[Alanlisa]

Hi AlanLisa...thanks for your reply, good to speak to others in the same boat.. Can you let me know the website he booked the vetasses through please? I will get him to book it asap...If thats all the skilled shortage talk about then your right its not worth the trip... The Trade event you mentioned definatly looks worth a visit, he is going to an Expo this Saturday in London http://www.expo-australia.com/purchase.aspx?expoid=74 If I find anymore information I will let you know

 

I think they have one of those expo's in Manchester at the end of the month as well.

 

The vetassess course is booked through their drect website, its pointless going through anyone else becase they just add a ton of money on top and it is something which can be done yourself. It's not as easy as just ringing and booking a course though, you have to provide employment history , write a portfolio, provide payslips, all certificates. Its a mare, we are still waiting for references back so we haven't booked it yet but we are hoping to soon.

 

This is the site you need http://www.vetassess.com.au/

[clarew]

Thanks...just been looking at that site.. It looks a mare your right!

[Alanlisa]

Worth it in the end though. At least thats what I keep telling myself!

[stoke]

Hi there,

have you been granted a visa or are you looking to apply for a skilled visa?

Regards Derren

hi, will be comming on a 12 month working visa to begin with.

Cheers

[derren7]

hi, will be comming on a 12 month working visa to begin with.

Cheers[/quote

Hi Stoke,

Right, your first port of call to get licenced will be to apply to the TRA for an ARTC. You used to be able to do this in the UK, after a visa has been granted, however it seems the TRA now require you to actually be in OZ in order to apply but this would eat up about 3 months of your time in Oz, plus another few to several months to actually get a full licence. Personally, I would still apply from the UK so that the paperwork's in and if you can, supply an OZ address in the application. Regarding your background, I would suggest that you would be graded as an electrical fitter, but it's worth applying for the electrical mechanic also if you have installation experience. Don't worry too much about this as there's plenty of work for fitters especially if you have PLC, SCADA, VSD experience. Also, if you have experience of automated processing equipment you'll have little difficulty finding work.

My own experience is that I have recently arrived and have been graded as an electrical mechanic (install spark) and I've fired off my CV everywhere and getting no feedback. I've chased them up and I think they just tell you what you want to hear ie "yeah you have a good application, we'll get back to you" and then nothing, when in reality they see that I have a restricted licence, which in fairness, if you have loads of fully licenced candidates then you're gonna go for them first, but I've made clear I'm after a trades assistant position.

My advice ,from doing a WHV many years ago, would be to enjoy your time here and not get too obsessed with getting a full licence as it will consume a lot of time and probably not help a great deal if you intend to migrate permanently. When I came out on my WHV, I brought with me all my City & Guilds qualifications naively, expecting to be welcomed with open arms!!! As it turned out, I eventually found work as a spark but also had great experiences in other fields (farming, fruit picking).

Regards Derren

[simon and deb]

stoke, i have been here 16 months , just finished 5 months underground in a coal mine, havent been out of work since i got here, if you need some advice drop me a line

[clarew]

Worth it in the end though. At least thats what I keep telling myself!

 

Yes definatly! Have you any idea how many years of payslips you have to give them? And how may years of employment do u have to proove? Its just my OH worked as a contractor for an agency for 17 years and he set up his own business which ran for 8 years (a nightclub, which he fitted out himself etc) He worked a few contracting jobs inbetween and has had the last year working for an Electrical business which he has all payslips for...he has a reference from the agency saying he worked for them contracting as an electrician for 17 years..is that enough? it was so long ago not sure if he has payslips...nothing is ever straightforward !! thanks

[Alanlisa]

Hi Clare,

 

When I spoke to vetassess they advised that we go back about 5 years, you can do longer if you want though. You also have to show that you have at least 12 months experience in the last 24 months. This is proving a little difficult for us at the moment because the OH is now working in an office as an engineer rather than a hands on spark!! Is so blooming difficult, years ago you just had to show your JIB card and that was it!!

[stoke]

Excellent thanks for the advice chaps.

 

Darren. Do I need to apply for WHV before I apply for TRA?

Also how do I go about applying for just a fitters licence or do they decide what your role will be from the evidence/quals you send them?

I have family in WA that can help with an address to sen an application ect.

Cheers

[derren7]

Excellent thanks for the advice chaps.

 

Darren. Do I need to apply for WHV before I apply for TRA?

Also how do I go about applying for just a fitters licence or do they decide what your role will be from the evidence/quals you send them?

I have family in WA that can help with an address to sen an application ect.

Cheers

Hi Stoke,

Yeah, you have to apply for WHV before an ARTC as only residents of Australia can apply for an ARTC and you are considered as a temporary resident if you have a WHV. You'll also need to provide a copy of this in your application. In the application form there will be a drop down menu of the trade your applying for so just put in electrical fitter and electrical mechanic because you can choose more than one. Ultimately, the decision rests with the TRA as to whether they grant both roles and this is based on the evidence you supply to them.

I've attached a copy of the ARTC applicant guidelines which will make great bedtime reading!!! There's a lot of guff in there but I suggest you trawl through to make sure your application is watertight. The TRA are very picky about who they grant an ARTC to. In summary though, you;ll need to fill in the application form, provide detailed statements of service from past and present employers, trade certificates and any other documentation that proves that you are an electrician ie JIB cards, niceic membership. Do not send original documents. All documents must be photocopied and stamped and witnessed by a JP or a solicitor as being a certified true copy of the original.

I applied from the UK for my ARTC with no problems but recent feedback suggests that the TRA now require you to be in OZ to apply. So, in order to throw them off the scent , so to speak I would suggest that you may want to post the application to your rellies in WA and t get them to post it on to the TRA in Canberra. If you post it straight to them from the UK it will be immediately obvious to them that you are applying from the UK. Again, I had no problems applying from the UK but I've seen quite a few posts recently from people who are not having their applications assessed until they arrive in OZ.

If you are going to WA initially this is one of the easier licences to obtain as you don't have to do on the job training with an ARTC and can sit a 2 week course and after successful completion you can apply for a full WA licence. However, later this year a national licence will be introduced and it remains to be seen what impact this will have on the licencing process as currently, it differs from state to state.

Anyway, if you need some examples on how to answer the dreaded Question 10 on the ARTC application form and examples of detailed statements of service from employers then check out the following link;

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=731125

Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions. I'm sure you will as I literally tore my hair out over this whole process.

Kind regards Derren

ARTC_ApplicationForm-1.pdf

ARTC_ApplicantGuidelines.pdf

ARTC_ApplicationForm-1.pdf

ARTC_ApplicantGuidelines.pdf

[Alanlisa]

Yes definatly! Have you any idea how many years of payslips you have to give them? And how may years of employment do u have to proove? Its just my OH worked as a contractor for an agency for 17 years and he set up his own business which ran for 8 years (a nightclub, which he fitted out himself etc) He worked a few contracting jobs inbetween and has had the last year working for an Electrical business which he has all payslips for...he has a reference from the agency saying he worked for them contracting as an electrician for 17 years..is that enough? it was so long ago not sure if he has payslips...nothing is ever straightforward !! thanks

 

Hi Clare,

There's a discount code for the trades event in Birmingham for 50% off tickets. We're going to book some and see what it's about x

[Cimek]

Hi I just finished my ETL course today and wanna share experience. For more details look at the link: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9979950#post9979950 Cheers

[clarew]

Hi Clare,

There's a discount code for the trades event in Birmingham for 50% off tickets. We're going to book some and see what it's about x

 

Oh cool.. thanks...which one is that & have you got the link to the website and voucher code please? My OH went to the Expo in London last Sat and was a bit disheartened by it, the companies that were there were not after Electricians even though it said on the website they would!! bit of a waste of time xx

[dunkl]

Hello. I just want to write something to stay written here for someone to read if needed

My Mechanic ARTC slipped off my hands just because more maintenance than installation work. If I had realize that on time, it would be better, because it's not about what you do for 10-20 yrs, it's about to how you present it on paper and how it's going to be read and interpreted. It's a bloody "circle of untrust", a lady in TRA prepared my papers, sent it to "Comitee" in state I live, so you never get to talk to the people who have denied you or granted certificate. Instead just knock on the door (Comitee is just in the neighborhood) and give papers on hand, talk with people who are about to assess me :err:, I was required to send papers to Canberra, so that they can "prepare it" and send it back to Melbourne.

And of course, not be able to get the license with fitter's certificate "is not their problem". It's ESV issue.

So, bottom line, forget the maintenance, do the installation work. Always. :grumpy1

 

Other thing. Is it possible to get used books for the PEER Wiring Regs course? If someone has it, don't need it, want to sell for reasonable price and live in Melbourne, please PM me.

Thanks.