Electricians In Australia

[paul1977]

You don't need tools here, pliers , terminal , Phillips , tape measure and a pad saw. That's it I'm not joking either

[atomicjake]

I have been given the biggest run around by TRA and it is really f*cking me off. I collected all of my certs from the UK including my completed apprenticeship certificate, AM2, C&G 2330 Level 3, C&G 2356 NVQ level 3. Sent off everything to the TRA. Two months later they came back to me and said, you’re rejected due to not having everything signed by a JP (policeman, doctor etc) and a photo of you was too dark. That was 2 months of waiting and $300 down the drain.

 

Sent my stuff off again after changing jobs and states. Once again I got rejected. Got all my certs signed by a JP but not my employment statements, a tiny clause in their 100 odd page criteria pdf. The supervisor i spoke to says they recognize ALL of my qualifications and my completed apprenticeship. but because i hadn’t got my employment statements signed they say they cannot confirm i had employment... WTF.

Anyway I’m a lot clearer now after complaining to many people... get the TRA to recognize your UK certs. If you have the once i mentioned you’ll be laughing. get everything signed by JP and read their criteria to the letter.

then apply to the states electrical licensing board for an 'temporary license' . I am applying to the NT, they say I don’t have to do a 12 month supervised training or 1000 hours. they say as long as my boss deems me competent I can apply for my A grade.

 

Motto of the story is. Don’t underestimate how much of a nightmare the TRA is.

 

Note. This is for temporary residents only. Vetasses is for migrants only.

 

If anyone has any thoughts or comments on this and advice for me, would be appreciated.

[Hbsam01]

Hi my husband has his vetassess practical demonstration next week. We were wondering if any one can help that has taken the test recently - he has the lists of what the areas covered in the written exam might be but really needs to know how difficult the questions will be and the format of them. Does anyone have any sample questions or advice? it would be much appreciated.

[colinmaclec]

Hi my husband has his vetassess practical demonstration next week. We were wondering if any one can help that has taken the test recently - he has the lists of what the areas covered in the written exam might be but really needs to know how difficult the questions will be and the format of them. Does anyone have any sample questions or advice? it would be much appreciated.

 

nothing to worry about tbh as long as you are a real sparky. The hardest part is probably the theory section as most sparks wont have used the formulas since college but it really is just basic power calcs and questions about series and parallel resistors. They do seem to love working out resistance values here for classroom work dunno why as your average aussie spark couldnt tell you what voltage they use let alone the resistance on the circuit!

Edited November 8, 2012 by colinmaclec

[trickyshel]

Hi,

I've just landed and are trying find my way through the Australian way.. I visited Adelaide 4 years ago and was told by a techincal adviser for a government body which excapes me now, and now his card is mmmm 8 weeks away as it got put in to shipping at the last minute. that he would give me a restricted licence there and then, I would just be required to sit the regs test..to get a A licence.

Does anyone have experience of what may be required for a NICEIC approved contractor qualified in my own right /principal duty holder, qualifing supervisor., for the past 5years.

Do I really have to "START ALL OVER?"

Any assistance would be appreciated... please email me trimoto@aol.com

[colinmaclec]

Hi,

I've just landed and are trying find my way through the Australian way.. I visited Adelaide 4 years ago and was told by a techincal adviser for a government body which excapes me now, and now his card is mmmm 8 weeks away as it got put in to shipping at the last minute. that he would give me a restricted licence there and then, I would just be required to sit the regs test..to get a A licence.

Does anyone have experience of what may be required for a NICEIC approved contractor qualified in my own right /principal duty holder, qualifing supervisor., for the past 5years.

Do I really have to "START ALL OVER?"

Any assistance would be appreciated... please email me trimoto@aol.com

 

 

It depends on which visa you have and if your the main applicant, and which state you are in

[trickyshel]

Hi Yes I am the Main applicant on a 176 state sponsored and I am in SA

Thanks

[colinmaclec]

Well your lucky you are in SA as i believe you can do a 1 week course to get your license and thats it but it wont be allowed to transfer to another state until you have held it for over a year. I am in WA and none of my previous qualifications count for ****! I have to fill a log book for a year and am sent homework and then finish off by doing the ozzie trade test. I have just started the homework today and its pretty time consuming and i guess we are basically doing all the principle part of the apprenticeship by distance learning and have to pass at 80%.

[sparky123]

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 ... ;-)

[lledlledlled]

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!

[colinmaclec]

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!

 

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

[colinmaclec]

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 ... ;-)

 

 

Once you go to college you can backdate your logbook to when you started working so there's a plus for you! They tell us that we have to do this gap training so we have our oz qualification and that the CET 1 week no one can fail mickey mouse course does not it just gives you a license to work. But i don't see why we cant be given the license the same as WHV's ( who are younger and less experienced and generally not looking for long term work or have families to support!!) and have it revoked if we don't complete the gap training. Would make life much easier for us and i don't see why we should be at a disadvantage applying for jobs against people on tourist visas!!!!!!

[lledlledlled]

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.

[colinmaclec]

Thanks for the reply.

Will being on a WHV make it more difficult to find work as a sparks?

No all the companies here seem to bull full of lads on WHV it makes it easier as i said before you get a license easier!

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?

You can apply onshore

Does the WHV mean we can't work for the same employer for more than six months?

Yes

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.

You could get a regional visa i have no idea how that works and you will find it hard to get sparky work i would think

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?

Yes you would still have a license but you would have to do vetassess and the gap training

Sorry for all of the questions. My mind is boggled with all of this! Thanks again.

 

Hope that helps

[Guest Kilty]

Hi

 

I'm the secondary applicant on a perm resident visa ( Perth). I came over for a week in June and applied for an artc ( you need your passport stamped to apply). I used a friends address and booked myself on the 2 week etl course. The upshot of that is I got my a grade 3 weeks after arrival. I've now been here 5 weeks and I start work on Monday.

If you are a spark and you have the the option go as a secondary applicant as it bypasses the bullshit.

[colinmaclec]

Hi

 

I'm the secondary applicant on a perm resident visa ( Perth). I came over for a week in June and applied for an artc ( you need your passport stamped to apply). I used a friends address and booked myself on the 2 week etl course. The upshot of that is I got my a grade 3 weeks after arrival. I've now been here 5 weeks and I start work on Monday.

If you are a spark and you have the the option go as a secondary applicant as it bypasses the bullshit.

 

This is exactly my point. This system is so dumb you couldn't make it up. If you were the main applicant you would have went through all the shite. But because you are not you get the easy route!! Its like it punishes the people who have to prove their skills and work experience to get into the country. You sit a test (which is easy but i did see people resiting when i done it) and give 10 years work experience to prove you are what they want then you become an apprentice for a year! But hey if you rock up as a spouse or tourist here have a license LOL!

[lledlledlled]

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.

[Loulouhew]

This is exactly my point. This system is so dumb you couldn't make it up. If you were the main applicant you would have went through all the shite. But because you are not you get the easy route!! Its like it punishes the people who have to prove their skills and work experience to get into the country. You sit a test (which is easy but i did see people resiting when i done it) and give 10 years work experience to prove you are what they want then you become an apprentice for a year! But hey if you rock up as a spouse or tourist here have a license LOL!

 

 

 

Waht a bloody joke the system is! We still got 6 months until we make the move and really hope something changes before we get there :arghh:

[lledlledlled]

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.

[sofaking]

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:

[lledlledlled]

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)?

[sofaking]

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.

 

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.

[Chief Wiggum]

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)?

 

Can I ask where this company is based?

[lledlledlled]

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?

[biggaf]

Hey Colin,

How you finding the homework? Just had a first look at it after finishing the course 2 weeks ago. Can't believe you have to do all this just for the license, and you can't do it quickly. And just as summers about to start....