Electricians In Australia

[Colshy86]

Hi there this is my first time posting on this forum, im not really too sure how to work this properly. I just want to ask of anyone has ever used or heard of the immigration advisory service and a mr Alexander beaufort williams? Thanks colin

[Kem]

Hi guys hope everyone is well.

I'm still awaiting my visa to Perth. Is there any colleges/courses I should be signing up for before I arrive in perth?

[paul1977]

Lol

[Kem]

Cheers Paul! I'm accessing the site from my mobile so if I've missed something really obvious I apologise. Their should be a sticky thread with just the processes for getting your licence . Apologise once again as I assume this has already been covered

[paul1977]

 

Cheers Paul! I'm accessing the site from my mobile so if I've missed something really obvious I apologise. Their should be a sticky thread with just the processes for getting your licence . Apologise once again as I assume this has already been covered

look mem I'm on your side.. All I'm mean is if your asking people what courses you need to do your going to struggle badly . Do your home work and do it well

[colinmaclec]

Someone posted this a few pages back and will let you know what you are in for

 

Everybody has to do 1 years gap training once they get provisional license here's someone else's recent update on it from the electricians thread

If anyone wants to ask me questions about getting their A class through the vettasses, i am more than happy to answer.

Hi Drewe, I'm enquiring on my OH's behalf, is the process the same state wide? we're moving to Adelaide in March, he's done his Vetassess, now just researching next steps required when there, cheers Mandi

 

 

I can't give exact process for Adelaide. I done mine in Perth. I'm sure it's similar.

 

Get restricted licence from from electrical board ( mine was energy safety)

 

Enrol at college to start change over course

 

Get employed

 

2 weeks college with practical exam and paper exam

 

Complete 12 assignments at home

 

Complete log book (roughly 6-8 months work experience, quicker if more hours worked)

 

Tele/coms course 4 days with practical exam and paper exam

 

Capstone course 4 days ( pretty much AM2 )

 

once all all the above is completed you can get an A class licence. I'd say with the time off work this cost me roughly $15,000

 

Also getting employed can be pretty hard. Some people get paid as little as $20 ph doing domestic work. If you have good experience and background it will be easier to get a better paid job $35 plus

[MandiMR2]

Thanku, much appreciated Mandi

[spoony1970]

Hi all,

 

I am a brand new member and new to the forum set up.

Along with my family we are relocating to Brisbane in September this year.

I am a time served electrician with 20+ years of experience and have passed the IELTS and Future Skills electrical practical exam and now have the OTSR.

This is where it seems to get confusing as there is so much conflicting information on line.

can you advise if it is possible to apply for the restricted licence from the UK - the forms ask for CPR training, again can this be done in the UK? if not it looks like I would have to do this course on arrival then wait 28 days for the paperwork to go through.

Do I need the licence to get enrolled with a college for the gap training? again I have been in touch with the Australian Trade College who advise that any training would be dependant on recognition of prior learning (RPL) and would be determined by a trade trainer after paying a $200 deposit.

And finally can i get the licence and gap training completed prior to finding an employer.

 

Apologies for the rambling and appreciate that it has probably been asked and answered dozen of times, but any assistance offered would be greatly appreciated.

[spoony1970]

Can anyone advise where I can get hold off the AS3000:2007 wiring regulations - and is it available as a pdf download.

 

Thanks.

[AJ]

Hi all,

 

I am a brand new member and new to the forum set up.

Along with my family we are relocating to Brisbane in September this year.

I am a time served electrician with 20+ years of experience and have passed the IELTS and Future Skills electrical practical exam and now have the OTSR.

This is where it seems to get confusing as there is so much conflicting information on line.

can you advise if it is possible to apply for the restricted licence from the UK - the forms ask for CPR training, again can this be done in the UK? if not it looks like I would have to do this course on arrival then wait 28 days for the paperwork to go through.

Do I need the licence to get enrolled with a college for the gap training? again I have been in touch with the Australian Trade College who advise that any training would be dependant on recognition of prior learning (RPL) and would be determined by a trade trainer after paying a $200 deposit.

And finally can i get the licence and gap training completed prior to finding an employer.

 

Apologies for the rambling and appreciate that it has probably been asked and answered dozen of times, but any assistance offered would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all states have their own way of doing the licence, no wonder it gets confusing, here is a link for Queensland, hope it helps.

 

http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/fair-and-safe-work/electrical-safety/licensing/apply-for-an-electrical-work-licence/electrical-work-licencepermit-other-than-apprentice

 

P.s We are from Dunfermline too!

[spoony1970]

Thanks AJ - I had already looked at this link and it mentions CPR is required before obtaining the restricted licence. I need to find out if an overseas version would be accepted? if not I may have to apply when I get over to Brisbane which will delay any chances of the gap training or employment by a potential 28 days.

 

How are you finding it in Perth workwise?

[AJ]

Thanks AJ - I had already looked at this link and it mentions CPR is required before obtaining the restricted licence. I need to find out if an overseas version would be accepted? if not I may have to apply when I get over to Brisbane which will delay any chances of the gap training or employment by a potential 28 days.

 

How are you finding it in Perth workwise?

Its my OH that is a spark, got a bit quiet here just now on the jobs, he was in the mines finding a bit harder than the last year or so, they keep asking for more and more tickets! Hopefully will pick up soon, some of them seem to be starting to man up. We started off in Melbourne but came over here as he was doing FIFO at the time.

[derren7]

Thanks AJ - I had already looked at this link and it mentions CPR is required before obtaining the restricted licence. I need to find out if an overseas version would be accepted? if not I may have to apply when I get over to Brisbane which will delay any chances of the gap training or employment by a potential 28 days.

 

How are you finding it in Perth workwise?

Hi Spoony,

I live in Brisbane and went through all this rigmarole a couple of years ago. Just to clarify a few points. It is not a restricted electrical licence you need to apply for. You need to apply for an Electrical Work Training Permit. A restricted electrical licence is intended for tradies who are not electricians ie, plumbers or HVACs who need to do a simple disconnect/reconnect for their respective appliances. To apply for a EWTP you DO NOT need to have CPR/LVR certification. You will need to get this once you have completed your gap training and are ready to apply for your full unrestricted licence. However, you will need to get a construction induction white card (similar to CSCS). It might have changed but I think you can do this online from the UK with a company called bluedog training.

And this is my reply to someone on another forum about the steps I went through to get my full QLd Electrical Mechanic licence:

 

Hi all,

This is how I gained my full Qld licence.

I arrived in Brisbane in Jan 2012 .

Firstly, as has already been stated, you need to apply for your training permit from the ESO.

I then contacted Chris Williamson at www.qet.edu.au. He is very friendly and helpful and used to work for the ESO and still has connections there so if there any problems there he can usually get things sorted. He is a one man business working from home.

I did his self study course which you can work through at your own pace.

This course cost me around $1700. That costing was based on me having an ARTC as opposed to Vetassess. If you have Vetassess it will cost more because you have to do more modules. I do not know why this is so.

Initially, I paid a 20% deposit and paid the full fee on the day of my practical and theory test at his home.

Now the hard part. Finding a job. It took me 4 months to find a job. Mainly because of finding somewhere to live, getting kids into school etc etc. I sent of my resume to virtually every contractor in Brisbane whether they were advertising or not. Eventually, a small company took me on and recently laid me of before Xmas due to a downturn in work. Even now with my full licence I am finding it hard to find work. The past few years have been tough for tradies so you really will have to persevere.

Once you do find a job then you will have to fill out a log book with 4 months worth of varied work. It can't just be solar or just wiring switchboards or any other specialization. It must be varied.

The log book can just be a school exercise book and you get it signed off by a qualified sparky, week by week.

 

So, in summary,

Apply for training permit, find a job, do the correspondence course, get 4 months worth of job experience, do your 1 day practical and theory test and then you can apply for your full licence. Again, it might be different for Vetassess applicants as I had an ARTC.

 

Once you have your full licence then you will have to do a CPR/LVR course which is usually a 3/4 hour course. This has to be renewed every 6 months.

Also, when applying for your training permit it would be advisable to get a construction induction card, commonly known as a blue or white card. This can be done online, even from the UK if I'm not mistaken.

Other things you will need to get are the AS/NZS 3000;2007 wiring rules and a copy of AS/NZS 3008 cable selection both of which are in excess of $100.

The CPR/LVR and white card courses can be done for under $100.

If you want to get on commercial construction sites then you will probably need to get a 'Working at Heights" and an EWP course. This is what I used to do in the UK and I'm trying to get into here in Brisbane but it's very hard at the moment.

I've always hated domestic work and loathe it with a passion now. I also worked on industrial sites in the UK but to that here you would need hazardous areas certification and wondering whether to do this course at a cost in excess of $2000 especially when all the jobs advertised state 'must have cert and experience" and when they say experience it usually means 'local experience'.

Anyway, hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions. My answers may be somewhat vague as the past 2 years are a bit of a blur now.

Regards Derren.

[spoony1970]

Thanks Derren,

 

I have checked out the training permit - do you know if I can apply for this from the UK - do I need to put a Queensland address? (can this be a freinds address in Brisbane), also can the identity be authorised by someone in the UK.

 

I have previously been in touch with Chris and they are not able to support anyone going the OTSR route and I have now contacted the trade college who will advise further on what gap training or recognition of prior learning (RPL) i need to obtain. (They will not advise until I have completed enrolement and paid the $200.

 

I have obtained the white card over here which I done through future skills.

 

They dont make things easy do they?

 

Our biggest fear is we jump through all these hoops to find there are limited jobs available and end up working outwith the trade.

 

Still got to stay positive

[derren7]

Thanks Derren,

 

I have checked out the training permit - do you know if I can apply for this from the UK - do I need to put a Queensland address? (can this be a freinds address in Brisbane), also can the identity be authorised by someone in the UK.

 

I have previously been in touch with Chris and they are not able to support anyone going the OTSR route and I have now contacted the trade college who will advise further on what gap training or recognition of prior learning (RPL) i need to obtain. (They will not advise until I have completed enrolement and paid the $200.

 

I have obtained the white card over here which I done through future skills.

 

They dont make things easy do they?

 

Our biggest fear is we jump through all these hoops to find there are limited jobs available and end up working outwith the trade.

 

Still got to stay positive

Hi Spoony,

Yeah, the whole system is an inconsistent mess, but it is what it is. I don't know if you can apply from the UK, you'll probably need to contact the ESO to clarify that but I'm fairly certain that they wouldn't post it to the UK, and you would need to provide a Queensland address if they did accept overseas applications. I know it's a different organisation but when I applied to the TRA for my ARTC, I was able to apply from the UK as long as you provided an Australian address. I was very lucky, just a few weeks later they stopped overseas applications, tripled the application fee and increased the processing time from one month to three months!!!

As for the job situation, I don't want to discourage you but it does seem very quiet at the moment. I've been out of work since Xmas. There is talk of an upturn this year but that's all crystal ball stuff IMO. I haven't been too aggressive in trying to find a job as I've taken the opportunity to upskill by attending courses such as data/comms etc.

Once you get here you will need to persevere and it will get frustrating. Hopefully, you'll strike lucky straight away. But be warned, the recruitment process is very slow and you'll get very little feedback. The agencies say they'll ring you back but they never do. And rarely do you get any replies if you're unsuccessful, it is just assumed that if you don't hear anything back after a few weeks then you haven't been considered for the position. One job I applied for, with BHP Billiton, they did send a rejection email one year after I applied for the job!!!. Again, I don't want to discourage you. I can only speak from personal experience and I just want you to be prepared for a potentially frustrating experience.

Feel free to ask more questions and best of luck.

Kind regards

Derren

Edited February 21, 2014 by derren7

[dannycollins17]

Hi Guys,

 

Just got my A Grade in Melbourne, was wondering if anybody knew of any jobs going?

 

Any help would be muchly appreciated?

 

Cheers Danny

[Coldplay]

Hi all

Many thanks to you guys for sharing your experiences and knowledge. I am a newbie in the forum and would like your opinion, especially from experts.

 

I am interested in migrating to Australia as an electrician. I did some research on the web regarding the procedure (steps) so as to work as an electrician and I gathered the following information, if I am right...

 

1. First of all, skills and qualifications assessement is required. Depending on the country of residence you must either apply for the OSAP, MSA or 457 program of TRA or VETASSES for trades.Since my country of residence is not a nominated one, I will have to have my skills and qualifications assessed through the TRA / MSA program. (2 months wait time, $1000 fee)

2. Next step is to apply for ARTC program of TRA but only if you live in Australia and hold at least a temporary work visa(???). How is this possible ? (3 months wait time, $930 fee)

3. Apply to energy safety of state/territory for electrical license. Do some courses and take exams. (ap. 1 month, ap. $2000 expenses)

4. Find a supervised electrician job and complete the log book. Get paid ap. $22.50 per hour. (min: 4 months, max: 12 months)

5. Then you can apply for the unrestricted license.

I don't know if I have forgotten any step or if i am mistaking, if so please correct me. Does anyone have recent experience with ARTC application's requirements and how to overcome them?

 

Cheers

Paris

 

Edited February 26, 2014 by Coldplay

[xlilvickix]

Hello,

Has anyone got the electrical books you need for the college course for sale? Hubby starts the course in March.

Thanks

[dannycollins17]

Hi,

Download the pdf's to a memory stuck. Take them to office works and get them printed. They bind them too. A lot cheaper then buying. You will save about $500

[xlilvickix]

That is great thank you. You wouldnt happen to know what website to download them from please?

[dannycollins17]

No sorry, I did it at a library and they had most on there system

[derren7]

Hi all

Many thanks to you guys for sharing your experiences and knowledge. I am a newbie in the forum and would like your opinion, especially from experts.

 

I am interested in migrating to Australia as an electrician. I did some research on the web regarding the procedure (steps) so as to work as an electrician and I gathered the following information, if I am right...

 

1. First of all, skills and qualifications assessement is required. Depending on the country of residence you must either apply for the OSAP, MSA or 457 program of TRA or VETASSES for trades.Since my country of residence is not a nominated one, I will have to have my skills and qualifications assessed through the TRA / MSA program. (2 months wait time, $1000 fee)

2. Next step is to apply for ARTC program of TRA but only if you live in Australia and hold at least a temporary work visa(???). How is this possible ? (3 months wait time, $930 fee)

3. Apply to energy safety of state/territory for electrical license. Do some courses and take exams. (ap. 1 month, ap. $2000 expenses)

4. Find a supervised electrician job and complete the log book. Get paid ap. $22.50 per hour. (min: 4 months, max: 12 months)

5. Then you can apply for the unrestricted license.

I don't know if I have forgotten any step or if i am mistaking, if so please correct me. Does anyone have recent experience with ARTC application's requirements and how to overcome them?

 

Cheers

Paris

 

Hi Paris,

basically, it seems that you have the sequence in the correct order. Now to answer your specific questions. Firstly, temporary or permanent residency. What type of residency are you seeking? A 457 is a temporary, 4 year visa whereby a company sponsors you because a company cannot find local labour to fill a position. This visa is very hard to obtain from overseas unless you have a niche skill set. Another type of temporary visa is the Working Holiday Visa which allows you to work whilst travelling around Australia for one, maybe two years if you meet certain requirements.

A permanent residency visa, which I suspect is the visa you should seek or want, is the visa that allows you to stay in Australia with no restriction, and for as long as you want.

I applied for my ARTC a few years ago now. You need to supply as much evidence as possible ie. detailed references describing the work that you carried out and the tools that you used.

Also, you need to send in all trade certifications and any other documentation that supports your claim to be an electrician. If all documents are in a foreign language they need to be translated into English. Don't send original documents. All documents must be certified as true copies of the originals by someone such as a Justice of the Peace.

To give you an idea of detailed references follow this LINK.

If you have anymore questions then please feel free to ask.

Best of luck.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Derren

 

p.s if, eventually, you do migrate to Oz, and successfully obtain an ARTC, then currently, I believe it is still possible to do a course with PEER VEET in Adelaide, South Australia and after successfully completing their short course you can obtain an SA licence with no 'on the job' gap training, no log book. This licence can then be used to obtain another state licence, should you choose to live in another state, under the terms of the Mutual Recognition Act.

Also, it is my understanding, that in Victoria, holders of an ARTC do not have to undertake ' on the job' gap training. To confuse matters even further, it appears that NSW do not recognise the ARTC at all!!!. The whole system is a mess. They really need to streamline the whole process and provide an unambiguous pathway for overseas electricians to obtain a full licence.

Edited March 1, 2014 by derren7

[Coldplay]

Hi Derren,

 

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply. I understand it is very confusing to obtain an electrician's license in Australia. Actually, in my opinion, it seems like they don't want overseas electricians.

 

Even though I like working as an electrician, I think I will go for another occupation since I hold a BSc in Electrical Engineering for which I have been assessed by Engineers Australia as an Engineering Technologist. This occupation, on the other hand, requires more than 60 points because it has reached the occupation ceiling.

 

Anyway, I believe I will find the path which will lead me to Oz.

 

 

Thanks again,

 

Paris

[BSG75]

p.s if, eventually, you do migrate to Oz, and successfully obtain an ARTC, then currently, I believe it is still possible to do a course with PEER VEET in Adelaide, South Australia and after successfully completing their short course you can obtain an SA licence with no 'on the job' gap training, no log book. This licence can then be used to obtain another state licence, should you choose to live in another state, under the terms of the Mutual Recognition Act.

 

Derren7. Has this recently changed? My oh has his ostr and has been told,he needs to complete gap training and then the log book, we are moving to SA.

[derren7]

p.s if, eventually, you do migrate to Oz, and successfully obtain an ARTC, then currently, I believe it is still possible to do a course with PEER VEET in Adelaide, South Australia and after successfully completing their short course you can obtain an SA licence with no 'on the job' gap training, no log book. This licence can then be used to obtain another state licence, should you choose to live in another state, under the terms of the Mutual Recognition Act.

 

Derren7. Has this recently changed? My oh has his ostr and has been told,he needs to complete gap training and then the log book, we are moving to SA.

Hi there,

It has always been the case that OTSR applicants have had to do 'on the job' gap training and fill in a log book in SA, as opposed to ARTC applicants, who can do the short course, and then apply for a full licence without having to fill in a log book. What has changed, a few years back, was that a lot of OTSR applicants used to apply for an ARTC once their visa was granted, and then they could do the 2 week course in SA and get a full SA licence. The TRA closed this loophole by effectively barring OTSR applicants from applying. In theory, my understanding of the current situation, is that OTSR applicants can still apply for an ARTC but will still have to do 12 months training!! Bizarre to say the least. It makes the application a futile process as you could then apply for the full licence anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if the process for ARTC applicants, in SA, will be aligned with that of OTSR applicants, as has happened in WA.

I do feel sorry for OTSR applicants. You have to go through a lot more assessment and examination than ARTC applicants, and then you have to do it all again once you arrive in OZ.

Anyway, best of luck and it may be worth contacting PEER in Adelaide just to see what the current situation is. The goalposts do constantly change, although usually not for the better.

Kind Regards,

Derren