Electricians In Australia

[NPKA]

When we called them they did not have a clue what the program was going to be and the nice lady was equally frustrated at the program and also confirmed to us that employers need fully licensed electricians. Since then we have phoned back and She thinks its a 2 week course then you go and do your log book on site (for which you must be employed to have it checked by a licensed electrician). Once your log book is complete (anywhere up to a year) you then return to sit a final exam. once passed you can then apply to energy safe for the full unrestricted A grade license.

 

Basically if your looking to apply for jobs make sure you get booked on this course before getting a start. I may have a job on the mines in september but its a "fifo" 3 weeks on and 1 week off and i dont know how thats gonna work with this gap training. I need to look at doing the course before the job starts. From what i gather theres a course running october (ring and confirm polytechnic west first) then every where shuts down until febuary next year. So im sure that its gonna get booked up quick as its the only place you can now do your gap training.

 

Regards

 

thanks for that info were looking at next year anyway so going by the oz xmas hols feb will be them opening again.

[biggaf]

Just lucky to get on the 2 week October course through a cancellation, had to bite the bullet. Used a friend's address in Australia to get some paperwork delivered for when we get there on the 4th of September.

Hopefully the log book can be completed in less than 12 months.

[Guest Schoey87]

Hey everyone,

Can I start by saying this is definitely the best forum and information available on the web. Would really appreciate anyone's advise on a few things in regards to me working in oz. I am travelling to Sydney with my girlfriend in October and am travelling on a working visa. I have paid the visa company to process my artc application and have sent all my copies of my city and guilds certificates and 17th edition and copies of my J.I.B card and references from the company's I have worked at which is everything they have asked for. They said my application in now ready to be lodged once I arrive in Sydney and that I can get the exam booked from there Sydney office when I arrive. Which is all good. There are a few questions I have really:

 

1. What is the exam I will be taking when I arrive as I am reading so many different things.

2. When I do this exam am I right in guessing that this will still mean I have to work under supervision if I do get a job.

3. Can I apply for a licence to work as an electrician in Sydney once I have sat and passed this exam. If there's anything else I would need to apply for a license any info would be great.

4. And finally what are my chances of finding work in Sydney as a sparky once I arrive and have completed the exam, I will be looking mostly for domestic sparky work but have had experience in industrial and commercial.

 

Thanks chris.

[derren7]

Hey everyone,

Can I start by saying this is definitely the best forum and information available on the web. Would really appreciate anyone's advise on a few things in regards to me working in oz. I am travelling to Sydney with my girlfriend in October and am travelling on a working visa. I have paid the visa company to process my artc application and have sent all my copies of my city and guilds certificates and 17th edition and copies of my J.I.B card and references from the company's I have worked at which is everything they have asked for. They said my application in now ready to be lodged once I arrive in Sydney and that I can get the exam booked from there Sydney office when I arrive. Which is all good. There are a few questions I have really:

 

1. What is the exam I will be taking when I arrive as I am reading so many different things.

2. When I do this exam am I right in guessing that this will still mean I have to work under supervision if I do get a job.

3. Can I apply for a licence to work as an electrician in Sydney once I have sat and passed this exam. If there's anything else I would need to apply for a license any info would be great.

4. And finally what are my chances of finding work in Sydney as a sparky once I arrive and have completed the exam, I will be looking mostly for domestic sparky work but have had experience in industrial and commercial.

 

Thanks chris.

 

Hi Chris,

It's not as straight forward as just sitting an exam. All States require that you undertake a course (wiring regulations) at a TAFE (college) or a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) over a number of weeks if not months before you can sit the exam.

Most States also require on the job gap training, and the requirement in NSW is a minimum of 12 months on the job training (and filling in a log book explaining the type of work that you have carried out) before a full licence can be issued.

I'm in Queensland and I have to do a minimum of 4 months on the job training which I'm nearly close to completing. Haven't had my exam yet but I know it will be a practical test (involving 3 phase metering because sparkies over here wire up the meters) and a theory test which is an open book exam and will probably have questions on maximum demand, voltage drop, derating factors, cable selection etc.

All that being said, the feedback I have heard from a number of people in Sydney suggests that it is the easiest place to find work without a full licence and is legal to work as a Spark as long as you are working alongside a fully licenced electrician.

There is also the option of going to PEER in Adelaide and doing the course there. With an ARTC there is no need to complete on the job training in South Australia and the you can obtain a NSW licence through mutual recognition.

The other thing you will have to bear in mind is that depending on the TRA's workload, you could be waiting 1-4 months to have your ARTC processed and you won't be able to do anything until it is issued.

Regards Derren

[Guest Schoey87]

Hi derren,

Thanks for the quick reply. My plan i had in mind was to travel to Sydney as I have family who have permanent residency there and stay with them for a short while whilst I get used to things etc. I decided to lodge my artc with my visa company just to get some sort of ball rolling in regards to sparky work out there. Once I arrive there and the artc application is lodged I will be looking to maybe do other ( not necessarily sparky work ) until I get everything sorted. But if sparky work would be available like you said that would be great. What is the cost of the wiring course at a tafe or rto over there? And how quick I would be able to start the course if I found sparky work?

I was thinking maybe it would be worth me travelling over, see what work sparky work is available and then obviously take it from there.

 

Thanks in advance. Your help is really appreciated.

Regards chris.

[derren7]

Hi derren,

Thanks for the quick reply. My plan i had in mind was to travel to Sydney as I have family who have permanent residency there and stay with them for a short while whilst I get used to things etc. I decided to lodge my artc with my visa company just to get some sort of ball rolling in regards to sparky work out there. Once I arrive there and the artc application is lodged I will be looking to maybe do other ( not necessarily sparky work ) until I get everything sorted. But if sparky work would be available like you said that would be great. What is the cost of the wiring course at a tafe or rto over there? And how quick I would be able to start the course if I found sparky work?

I was thinking maybe it would be worth me travelling over, see what work sparky work is available and then obviously take it from there.

 

Thanks in advance. Your help is really appreciated.

Regards chris.

Hi Chris,

My course is costing me about $1500 plus around $150 for ASNZS 3000;2007 wiring rules and $200 for ASNZS 3008 cable selection. The course at PEER in SA I think is about the same so these are ball park figures that may give you an idea and will probably vary depending on which training provider you use. It may be worth googling TAFEs and RTOs in the Sydney area and contacting them directly. I doubt that you would be able to start any courses without the ARTC, but again it's best to talk directly to the training providers about this.

Finding work, took me a long time to find work in QLD but it is quite heavily regulated in QLD. Sydney, as I have stated before, seemingly seems to be a bit more easy going. When I was on my WHV many years ago I found it very hard to find sparky work without Aus qualifications but that was mainly in WA, NT and QLD. I did find work but it was time consuming and frustrating not to mention illegal even though I was always under supervision. And I had some great memories of working on farms in the outback so it's good that you have and open mind and considering your options.

To get a feel for the job market try www.seek.com.au although you may have to do what I did and get the yellow pages out and email your resume to as many electrical contractors as you can. I must have sent off at least a hundred emails to companies that were advertising as well as companies that were not. A case of throwing as many stones as you can hoping that one will hit the target which it did in my case.

Also, another question that gets asked is rates of pay. Averages out at around $30-$40 an hour but this can vary. Working in the mines and you can at least double that but you won't want to do that on a WHV. I'm still a trades assistant until I get my full licence and I get $22.50 an hour.

If your WHV is anything like mine then I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Best of luck

Regards Derren

[biggaf]

Hi Derren,

Did you ever look into the cert4 instrument course. Would it be worth doing ?

[derren7]

Hi biggaf,

seen you on BE. Yeah, I reckon instrumentation is the way to go. To be honest I 've just been concentrating on getting my full license to start with. The company I work for do a lot of domestic and commercial work. Not into domestic work and they've given me a lot of the commercial stuff to keep me happy. Long term, I don't know , want to keep my interest up in the trade so I have looked into getting an instrumentation qualification but like I said my focus right now is to get a full license.

Where are you at right now?

Regards Derren

[Guest Schoey87]

Hi derren,

Thanks again for the reply and information regarding work and the options available. I have looked in to the farming work and will definitely be doing it to hopefully get a second year visa if me and my girlfriend enjoy oz as much as we hope. I will be get in touch with some TAFE and RTOS to see where I stand. Once again thank you very much for your time in replying.

Regards Chris

[biggaf]

Hi biggaf,

seen you on BE. Yeah, I reckon instrumentation is the way to go. To be honest I 've just been concentrating on getting my full license to start with. The company I work for do a lot of domestic and commercial work. Not into domestic work and they've given me a lot of the commercial stuff to keep me happy. Long term, I don't know , want to keep my interest up in the trade so I have looked into getting an instrumentation qualification but like I said my focus right now is to get a full license.

Where are you at right now?

Regards Derren

 

Still in England Derren, but fly to Perth on 3rd September. I've got a fix with a family friend doing house-bashing, to keep the money coming in . He said he'll sign the log book etc as we go along. Is the log book like a tick and flick, or do you have to write the jobs up? Not looking forward to it at all, but after 12 months there should be employment for man and dog! Lol

[Guest hardusfly]

:eek:Hi All

 

I am a electrician in SOUTH AFRICA who is going to be assessed in OCTOBER 2012 and whould like to know if anyone have some info of what I can expect?

Any info can be send to my email hardusfly@gmail.com.

Please HELP!

 

REGARDS

HARDUS FOUCHE:yes:

[derren7]

Still in England Derren, but fly to Perth on 3rd September. I've got a fix with a family friend doing house-bashing, to keep the money coming in . He said he'll sign the log book etc as we go along. Is the log book like a tick and flick, or do you have to write the jobs up? Not looking forward to it at all, but after 12 months there should be employment for man and dog! Lol

 

Hi mate,

I was told by my RTO to buy a standard school exercise book and write the jobs up on a weekly basis describing the works carried out, including lengths of runs of cables and conduits. I was a bit surprised as I thought I would need a proper electrical log book with tick and flick type layouts. It may well be different in other States though.

Regards Derren

[derren7]

:eek:Hi All

 

I am a electrician in SOUTH AFRICA who is going to be assessed in OCTOBER 2012 and whould like to know if anyone have some info of what I can expect?

Any info can be send to my email hardusfly@gmail.com.

Please HELP!

 

REGARDS

HARDUS FOUCHE:yes:

 

Hi there,

If you are referring to the VETASSESS assessment for migration purpose then check out the link below.

www.britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=667546

Regards Derren

[colinmaclec]

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Well i have now been in Perth for 3 weeks and i came on the vetassess route too. I have applied for around 30 jobs and nobody is interested as i don't have a full license. One company did offer me a job but then emailed me a few days later saying there was a hold up with their work schedule and that they would be in touch if and when. Bottom line is that companies don't want sparks who have a years gap training to do no matter how good your CV is. I tried phoning energy safe today to ask if they knew who might hire an electrician with restricted license but i was told that they cant give any advice on the job situation and that there have been loads of people phoning and asking the same thing. I am booked on the 2 week course at Polytechnic West as part of the gap training on the 8th October but they don't even have the paperwork to send out yet as i must be on the first class so i have no idea what the log book is like yet either. I may go the ARTC route now but i need to wait for my container to arrive with all my documents which is another 4 weeks then maybe 3-4 months to get ARTC on top of that. Basically its a complete nightmare!! Think i am going to have to look at doing something else in the meantime to keep the money coming in. To be honest i feel totally pissed that i have spent 30k to relocate here and get set up to find that i cant work.

Edited August 28, 2012 by colinmaclec

[durko]

Hi Chris,

My course is costing me about $1500 plus around $150 for ASNZS 3000;2007 wiring rules and $200 for ASNZS 3008 cable selection. The course at PEER in SA I think is about the same so these are ball park figures that may give you an idea and will probably vary depending on which training provider you use. It may be worth googling TAFEs and RTOs in the Sydney area and contacting them directly. I doubt that you would be able to start any courses without the ARTC, but again it's best to talk directly to the training providers about this.

Finding work, took me a long time to find work in QLD but it is quite heavily regulated in QLD. Sydney, as I have stated before, seemingly seems to be a bit more easy going. When I was on my WHV many years ago I found it very hard to find sparky work without Aus qualifications but that was mainly in WA, NT and QLD. I did find work but it was time consuming and frustrating not to mention illegal even though I was always under supervision. And I had some great memories of working on farms in the outback so it's good that you have and open mind and considering your options.

To get a feel for the job market try www.seek.com.au although you may have to do what I did and get the yellow pages out and email your resume to as many electrical contractors as you can. I must have sent off at least a hundred emails to companies that were advertising as well as companies that were not. A case of throwing as many stones as you can hoping that one will hit the target which it did in my case.

Also, another question that gets asked is rates of pay. Averages out at around $30-$40 an hour but this can vary. Working in the mines and you can at least double that but you won't want to do that on a WHV. I'm still a trades assistant until I get my full licence and I get $22.50 an hour.

If your WHV is anything like mine then I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Best of luck

Regards Derren

 

 

Hi Derren,

 

I'm a long time viewer but this is my first post! all the info you have put on here has been so helpful, I am moving to Queensland myself in January and I'm trying to sort out this licensing business before I head over, what a fiasco!!

Basically I did the WA Electrical Trade Licence course in London with a certain training group which promised that with my OTSR I could sit this course, do a work book, and then do a final exam in Perth and get my A grade licence then transfer it over to Queensland, However after I had completed the London course and before I had the chance to do the Perth exam the WA licencing board moved the goalposts and rendered the work book meaningless!!!!

It looks like I'm going to have to do it the hard way! I was just wondering who you are doing your course with and how you are doing it ie: nights, weekends, day release? Im considering doing it with QET which is a distance learning course. Also Im not sure how to present my CV, did you put down that you have a restricted electrical workers permit?

I have put my CV out there but without much feedback. On the face of it, it is a good CV with 18 years experience in the commercial sector including hospitals, schools, police stations etc as well as supervising but I wonder if I should mention the UK at all on it?

My plan was to do what you have done and just pester people until they give me a job! It does seem as though they make it very difficult for us sparks to get our feet in the door, but Im sure Ill be ok in the long run, just want to get it sorted. Its so annoying though as I worked in Sydney 12 years ago for a big company and got paid a dollar an hour less than the licenced sparks.

Speaking of which how are you finding it on 22.50, how many hours a day do you get?

Sorry for all the questions mate but you are in the same position I will be in a few months time so any info would be really helpful,

 

Cheers Jim

[dellboy45]

Hi guys,

I am looking for a bit of advice regarding the 175 visa and UK qualifications. Ive been in Oz for just over a year now, on my wifes 457 visa. I am currently employed as a sparky full time. I did the Vetassess practical on arrival, followed by the Licensed Electricians Assessment theory and practical exams shortly after. I am nearing completion of my year of eprofiling and hope to be applying for my A Grade license within the next month. Just before the end of June I applied for the 175 GSM visa. I have just been assigned a case officer. As part of my application I uploaded the certificates that I have which are the old City and Guilds Part 1 and 2 in Electrical Installation, which I completed back in the early 90's. The case officer has requested more evidence of trade qualifications

 

"Please provide evidence of your apprenticeship/trade completion (i.e. relevant registration as aqualified electrican, trade certificate/card, apprenticeship certificate/card).

Note: the certificates provided state completion of course components only."

 

Starting to worry a bit now as I don't have a card as such and I was never JIB registered. Around that time everything changed to NVQ level 3.

 

Has anyone had the same problem, or submitted a visa application with the 236 parts 1 and 2 ?

[derren7]

Hi Derren,

 

I'm a long time viewer but this is my first post! all the info you have put on here has been so helpful, I am moving to Queensland myself in January and I'm trying to sort out this licensing business before I head over, what a fiasco!!

Basically I did the WA Electrical Trade Licence course in London with a certain training group which promised that with my OTSR I could sit this course, do a work book, and then do a final exam in Perth and get my A grade licence then transfer it over to Queensland, However after I had completed the London course and before I had the chance to do the Perth exam the WA licencing board moved the goalposts and rendered the work book meaningless!!!!

It looks like I'm going to have to do it the hard way! I was just wondering who you are doing your course with and how you are doing it ie: nights, weekends, day release? Im considering doing it with QET which is a distance learning course. Also Im not sure how to present my CV, did you put down that you have a restricted electrical workers permit?

I have put my CV out there but without much feedback. On the face of it, it is a good CV with 18 years experience in the commercial sector including hospitals, schools, police stations etc as well as supervising but I wonder if I should mention the UK at all on it?

My plan was to do what you have done and just pester people until they give me a job! It does seem as though they make it very difficult for us sparks to get our feet in the door, but Im sure Ill be ok in the long run, just want to get it sorted. Its so annoying though as I worked in Sydney 12 years ago for a big company and got paid a dollar an hour less than the licenced sparks.

Speaking of which how are you finding it on 22.50, how many hours a day do you get?

Sorry for all the questions mate but you are in the same position I will be in a few months time so any info would be really helpful,

 

Cheers Jim

Hi Jim,

I'm using QET for my training. I have to study in my spare time at my own pace which is a bit hard, working full time and having 3 young children. As you know yourself from working here previously, electrical installation work is not greatly different here but there are differences here and having to relearn maximum demand, voltage drop, derating factors etc etc is a pain in the arse when I haven't got much time to do it but I'm slowly getting there.

Bear in mind that without an ARTC and having only an OTSR will increase the costs of the course. Best to phone or email Chris at QET to find out the costs. He's very friendly and helpful.

I did point out my training permit status on my CV and explained in more detail, my circumstances, on the accompanying cover letter. To be honest, I do think it puts a lot of employers off although if you don't mention it then you'll just get rebuffed at the interview stage. Had to mention my UK work experience as it was the only means by which I could provide a professional reference. Also, they are very slow to reply,if at all in most cases, to applications.

Like I said, I emailed and followed up with phone calls to as many contractors as I could and eventually one took the bait ,so to speak. Hopefully, you'll be lucky, in the right place at the right time and get a job with not too much bother. Chris at QET explained to me just that, that some sparks find work almost immediately and others can take months to find work.

The company I work for do do a lot of domestic service work, which I hate, but luckily they have been getting me to do there commercial install work which is why they employed me as that is my background too.

I work 38 - 40 hours a week on average and I'm in the fortunate position of having my wife work in a reasonably well paid job.

Feel free to ask more questions .

hope this helps.

Regards Derren

[derren7]

Hi guys,

I am looking for a bit of advice regarding the 175 visa and UK qualifications. Ive been in Oz for just over a year now, on my wifes 457 visa. I am currently employed as a sparky full time. I did the Vetassess practical on arrival, followed by the Licensed Electricians Assessment theory and practical exams shortly after. I am nearing completion of my year of eprofiling and hope to be applying for my A Grade license within the next month. Just before the end of June I applied for the 175 GSM visa. I have just been assigned a case officer. As part of my application I uploaded the certificates that I have which are the old City and Guilds Part 1 and 2 in Electrical Installation, which I completed back in the early 90's. The case officer has requested more evidence of trade qualifications

 

"Please provide evidence of your apprenticeship/trade completion (i.e. relevant registration as aqualified electrican, trade certificate/card, apprenticeship certificate/card).

Note: the certificates provided state completion of course components only."

 

Starting to worry a bit now as I don't have a card as such and I was never JIB registered. Around that time everything changed to NVQ level 3.

 

Has anyone had the same problem, or submitted a visa application with the 236 parts 1 and 2 ?

 

Hi there,

Did you serve a formal apprenticeship or an informal one with a small company. If you served a formal apprenticeship then it was probably overseen by the JIB, CITB or JTL. It may be worth contacting all of these organisations to see if they can issue a completion certificate, or maybe the company you served your time with to see if they can write up a reference stating this or any other records they might have to support.

When I completed my apprenticeship I got an Electrician's Certificate issued by City and Guilds. If you haven't got one then it might be worth contacting City and Guilds to see what records they have, although I think this is only issued to sparks who have served a formal apprenticeship overseen by the organisations mentioned above.

Hope this helps.

Regards Derren

[dellboy45]

Hi Derren,

Thank you for your reply. I worked for a small local company throughout my apprenticeship so I guess my apprenticeship was an informal one. I will be able to get a letter from the employer stating that I had worked for them and I also a letter from the trade school I went to. I did enquire with the JIB at one time about registration but they said I would have to do the NVQ level 3 along with the C&G 2391 inspection and testing course. For the previous ten years before coming to Oz I was self employed. I really should have brushed up on my quals. I hope these letters will help. I honestly thought if you had an OSTR from Vetassess, then you were deemed to have the appropriate skills to obtain a visa. I am going to send copies of my Licensed Electricians Assessment results also as I soon will have a Cert III in Electrotechnology. I'm not sure if this would be considered given that its an offshore general skills migration visa.

[Guest adam1981]

G'day need some advice !!! been in Qld 2 years have me A Grade, White card, LV/CPR , High Risk Licence etc etc. Been real busy at work but qld electrical scene on a slump at the mo. Have been checking seek, indeed all the sites registered with heaps of agencys but nothing!! for the last 8 weeks. Only joy has been for expressions of interest for jobs which have not started. Any other good ideas for finding work. ?

[derren7]

Hi Derren,

Thank you for your reply. I worked for a small local company throughout my apprenticeship so I guess my apprenticeship was an informal one. I will be able to get a letter from the employer stating that I had worked for them and I also a letter from the trade school I went to. I did enquire with the JIB at one time about registration but they said I would have to do the NVQ level 3 along with the C&G 2391 inspection and testing course. For the previous ten years before coming to Oz I was self employed. I really should have brushed up on my quals. I hope these letters will help. I honestly thought if you had an OSTR from Vetassess, then you were deemed to have the appropriate skills to obtain a visa. I am going to send copies of my Licensed Electricians Assessment results also as I soon will have a Cert III in Electrotechnology. I'm not sure if this would be considered given that its an offshore general skills migration visa.

 

Hi again,

Even if it was with a small company it still could have been a formal apprenticeship. Do you remember if you signed a deed or other kind of contract outlining the terms of your apprenticeship. If so, then there may well be records to support your application.

Ask you your employer and trade school if you had a deeds of apprenticeship and if there was and overseer ie JIB, JTL who may be able to issue a completion certificate or Electrician's certificate.

Regards Derren

[derren7]

G'day need some advice !!! been in Qld 2 years have me A Grade, White card, LV/CPR , High Risk Licence etc etc. Been real busy at work but qld electrical scene on a slump at the mo. Have been checking seek, indeed all the sites registered with heaps of agencys but nothing!! for the last 8 weeks. Only joy has been for expressions of interest for jobs which have not started. Any other good ideas for finding work. ?

 

Hi mate,

I arrived in Brisbane about 8 months ago. No A licence ,so I sent out my resume to companies who were advertising and companies that weren't. Around 100 applications in a 3 month time frame before one took the bait. You might just have to get the yellow pages out and keep ringing around and pestering. Good Luck

Regards Derren

[CROWDED HOUSE]

Hi All

 

Just wanted to get some feedback from any of yourselves that have moved to perth recently or going to move this year. Hows the Job hunting going and if anyone has any kind of a glimpse at the new course for us un worthy sparkys that have to do the gap training through polytechnic west.

 

 

Look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

[CROWDED HOUSE]

One other thing. Anyone going out soon i would recomend a company for doing your white card. http://www.bluedogtraining.com.au

Did mine last week with the web cam on me for the whole duration from home (UK). very easy and simple to do. costs $90 dollars but its one less thing to do when your out there. Looking at going end of the month if a job offer comes up. Luckly have a friend from the same town as me who has put my name forward. I had to have the white card to apply. The job is on the mines as a TA but pays $2300 a week. Fly in Fly out (FIFO) 4 weeks on 1 week off. I will do my best to see if there is any more TA positions available. if there is i will post on here.

[AJ]

One other thing. Anyone going out soon i would recomend a company for doing your white card. www.bluedogtraining.com.au

Did mine last week with the web cam on me for the whole duration from home (UK). very easy and simple to do. costs $90 dollars but its one less thing to do when your out there. Looking at going end of the month if a job offer comes up. Luckly have a friend from the same town as me who has put my name forward. I had to have the white card to apply. The job is on the mines as a TA but pays $2300 a week. Fly in Fly out (FIFO) 4 weeks on 1 week off. I will do my best to see if there is any more TA positions available. if there is i will post on here.

 

Sounds a lot but remember it will be for 7 days, 12 hours a day.