Headstart Homestay Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Was up at Moore Park over Xmas , nice area. I'm based in Kedron but live at Mango Hill. We work all over Brisbane but must admit when our son has left school, Bundy is on our list to move to. Cheers Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pipkins Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 hi mandy,glad to hear the threads been helpful its been a bit quiet lately not many people have posted so maybe plumbers are doiung ok at the moment, my oh started his job nearly 2 months ago he is gasfitting which he prefers to plumbing so keeps him happy and quiet lol which means we get peace lol things are hard at the moment for tradies a lot of the work is sub contracting and it would appear the ozzies are looking after their own first before taking on any poms? so if you do come over you need to make sure you have enough money to live on incase you cant find work for a few months. if you have plenty of work in the uk and you are not in a situation where you have to be here asap then i would definitely save as much as you can while you have the work . all the best lesley x Hi Lesley Thanks for the info - will start trying to squirrel some pennies away! We can't decide whether to do a reccie at the mo or just head straight over!!! Had our medicals last week, so fingers crossed they are ok. OH is thinking about doing his LPG over here, in preparation for Oz, costs a bit, but might be worthwhile. Has your OH worked with it very much? Enjoy your peace and quiet! Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pipkins Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 G'day folks, Its me from bundaberg again, things up here seem ok at the moment, I am still working for a couple of different plumbers and doing my own gas work so am keeping busy. The best advice i could give to anyone coming over is to get a copy of the aussie plumbing standards (AS3500) and gas regulations (AS5601 and AS 1596), have a read through as some of it will make sense then when you start work here. I am currently on a 2 days a month course at Mooloolaba Tafe which will mean that I get my full plumbing licence in December. I have been over here 2.5 years but have been busy plumbing so have not been too worried about the licence but now want to go self employed again so the licence I must have (clear as mud eh). If anyones interested the contact details are 07 5459 3720, Mr Bob Walters ( a brilliant teacher I may add), email him at Robert.walters@deta.qld.gov.au . The course title is 39206QLD Course in Plumbing Licensing. It also includes the gas side of things as well. I am still in touch with my old pommy mates down in sunny devon and they tell me things are pretty slack back there. I have been reading some of the other threads about bad things in aus and not sure where these people have been living as here in Bundy is just great, good beaches, no traffic problems, cheap houses, cheap fuel, locals very friendly etc. Back to the plumbing, I still believe that once you have picked up the basics of the aussie way then any pom is at least as good as any aussie plumber, same as any job I suppose, good and bad everywhere. Enough of me ramblings, have to go and tell the kids to turn the music down, they are outside having a pool party with about 40 mates (10 supposedly invited), ah the great aussie lifestyle. Cheers for listening, come on chelsea. Hi Bonzie - good update - glad to hear things are going well for you still. Can I ask what made you decide to go to Bundaberg in the first place? Have you lived anywhere else? You make it sound very nice - you might get too much competition if we all head your way! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonzie Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Hi Bonzie - good update - glad to hear things are going well for you still. Can I ask what made you decide to go to Bundaberg in the first place? Have you lived anywhere else? You make it sound very nice - you might get too much competition if we all head your way! Mark Hello mate, We came here for the rum. Also the weather, bundy has the most temperate climate in Australia, can get a little sticky jan/feb but whislt at work really do not notice it. Rest of year is great, never usually hotter than 29/ 30 in summer and winter drops back to low 20s with the odd chilly day of about 15. You know when its dropped to 15 as all the locals get their woolly gear on. Alot of "meixcans" (those from down south) come here to retire as property is still quite cheap so I suppose that is why its still steady. I am doing alot of maintenance work at the moment, which I enjoy, today I installed a woodburning stove for a couple and before I could get my tools back on my ute it was lit and burning lovely with them sat around it. Point is it was about 27 outside! There is a good selection of shops and not too bad with the traffic. it is a nice place but keep it a secret. Cheers for now Pb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snow white Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Hello mate, We came here for the rum. Also the weather, bundy has the most temperate climate in Australia, can get a little sticky jan/feb but whislt at work really do not notice it. Rest of year is great, never usually hotter than 29/ 30 in summer and winter drops back to low 20s with the odd chilly day of about 15. You know when its dropped to 15 as all the locals get their woolly gear on. Alot of "meixcans" (those from down south) come here to retire as property is still quite cheap so I suppose that is why its still steady. I am doing alot of maintenance work at the moment, which I enjoy, today I installed a woodburning stove for a couple and before I could get my tools back on my ute it was lit and burning lovely with them sat around it. Point is it was about 27 outside! There is a good selection of shops and not too bad with the traffic. it is a nice place but keep it a secret. Cheers for now Pb. Glad to hear things are Going well for people great post too pb Lesley x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest servecold Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 hi i have a friend who is in perth an he suggested this site.At the moment im a maintenance plumber an im self employed and with another washout for a summer ive been toying with the idea of moving to Oz.I've done a points score(130) on a site but the girl i spoke to say's this is still not a sure way of getting a visa,the best getting a sponser but they wont £350 to carry my application on is this the norm?an i dont fancy paying out that much if thier is no guarantees i will get a visa.Is it really just a lotto or is thier a site that helps you find a sponser i have'nt had a proper look round this site as im away for a week so will look back when i return any help will be appreciated thanks paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mj76 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 hi i have a friend who is in perth an he suggested this site.At the moment im a maintenance plumber an im self employed and with another washout for a summer ive been toying with the idea of moving to Oz.I've done a points score(130) on a site but the girl i spoke to say's this is still not a sure way of getting a visa,the best getting a sponser but they wont £350 to carry my application on is this the norm?an i dont fancy paying out that much if thier is no guarantees i will get a visa.Is it really just a lotto or is thier a site that helps you find a sponser i have'nt had a proper look round this site as im away for a week so will look back when i return any help will be appreciated thanks paul Hi mate, Try www.truebluemigration.com I'm a plumber also and i'm using trueblue mirgration to manage my visa application. True blue offer a no visa no fee policy (as do many others) which is a little peice of mind as you know they won't take you on unless they're pretty confident that they'll get a visa for you. We have a 175 skilled independent visa lodged but we're applying to change this to get state sponsorshiped visa. If we get state sponsored we jump the processing line a fair bit. The state sponsored visas are getting processed after the employer sponsored visas, but the skilled independent visas aren'y gong to be processed for a while. I would give loads of agents a call and make use of any free consultations with agents that are offered on sites. I found true blue reasonably cheap compared to some but there are cheaper agents out there. hope this is of help. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonzie Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Wondering what everyone is doing as nothing been on this thread for a while. I have to do another 4 days at college and then get my full plumbing licence!!!!! Have passed the drainers stuff already but will apply for both when I get the plumbing part. Am still very busy up here in bundy, the building slowed a little but not the builders we work for, am in fact busier now than ever and have had several job offers these last few weeks so its all good, maybe i should not have said that as something bad might happen, oh it did Chelsea got beat by wigan. I do know next year that anyone wishing to get their full licence will have to do extra comptencies , hence more days at college, 3 or 4 a month rather than 2. I personally think that Bob Walters from Mooloolabaa Tafe is the man to go to, an excellant tutor and all round top bloke. If anyone wants his contact details see my previous replys or ask and I will give you his contact details. Avoid skillstech like the plague, about as much use as chocolate teapot, its just an online training scheme and its nigh on impossilble to do the plumbing bit) Any plumber coming from the uk must realise that you cannot come over and just start work. You apply to the plumbers and drainers board, get a provisional licence, have to work for someone whilst you study for your full licence, (years course, part time), when you get your plumbing licence you need your bsa (building services association) licence, another course (about 3 days) then you can start! The best advice is to get on the plumbing / drainers course as soon as you possibly can. Will stop me ramblings now as am up early tomorrow to pick up inlaws from airport. cheers for reading Pb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mj76 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Wondering what everyone is doing as nothing been on this thread for a while. I have to do another 4 days at college and then get my full plumbing licence!!!!! Have passed the drainers stuff already but will apply for both when I get the plumbing part. Am still very busy up here in bundy, the building slowed a little but not the builders we work for, am in fact busier now than ever and have had several job offers these last few weeks so its all good, maybe i should not have said that as something bad might happen, oh it did Chelsea got beat by wigan. I do know next year that anyone wishing to get their full licence will have to do extra comptencies , hence more days at college, 3 or 4 a month rather than 2. I personally think that Bob Walters from Mooloolabaa Tafe is the man to go to, an excellant tutor and all round top bloke. If anyone wants his contact details see my previous replys or ask and I will give you his contact details. Avoid skillstech like the plague, about as much use as chocolate teapot, its just an online training scheme and its nigh on impossilble to do the plumbing bit) Any plumber coming from the uk must realise that you cannot come over and just start work. You apply to the plumbers and drainers board, get a provisional licence, have to work for someone whilst you study for your full licence, (years course, part time), when you get your plumbing licence you need your bsa (building services association) licence, another course (about 3 days) then you can start! The best advice is to get on the plumbing / drainers course as soon as you possibly can. Will stop me ramblings now as am up early tomorrow to pick up inlaws from airport. cheers for reading Pb. Hi Bonzie cheers for your update, How long roughly did it take you to get to the stage where you could start working for someone as a plumber in training from arrival? DIAC has taken plumbers off the critical list and where told that they'll be processing employer and state sponsored visas next so we'd be way down the line before they start processing our 175 independent visa. We've now decided to go state sponsored to speed things up but QLD arn't sponsoring plumbers at the moment so we've turned our sights to Western Aus for now. I believe the licensing is the same in WA (or very similar) but I'm waiting to see if we get state sponsorship before I start looking at the application process. We should know by late December whether we have it or not, then we can start looking in more detail. What's your working hours like? and the heat, is it easy enough getting used to working in it? Despite the possiblity of getting bitten by things can could kill me, i think working in the heat is my main concern that wont go away until i'm there doing it for myself. Anyway, off to work I go. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonzie Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Hello mate, I waited for a couple of months until my handtools arrived then began work with a provisional licence for plumbing and drainage. I have a full gas licence as i did natural and lpg in the uk. I have my bsa licence ( building services authority) through my gas work, I will need to pay more fees to add on my plumbing / drainage when I get a full licence in December. We have been here 3 years now and plumbers were high on the list for extra points when we applied. All the states are different in the way they grant licences for tradies, not sure how they do it in western aus. I do know that queensland is the most heavily regulated but you get used to it. One thing it does not do is weed out poor quality tradies and cowboys, still see rough work around. I have been told that in the next 2 to 3 years plumbing will be like the gas here, ie you can self certify rather than have to have all your work inpsected and passed, our local inspectors all seem ok but still be easier for us and cheaper as inspections cost money. Regards the heat i do not notice it much when at work, I wear shorts nearly all year round, I think I wore long trousers about 4 days this winter. I drink plenty, love the ice coffee, easy to knock back a 2 litre bottle at smoko. Seen a few spiders and snakes but nothings bitten me yet. Most wildlife wants to runaway rather than attack! Lots of roos around, hit 2 so far with my ute, first time without a roo bar and cost $5000 to put right, had fully comp though so all good. The work is different but I do enjoy it. Hardly ever up in lofts, lots of stormwater / downpipes / drainage work, inside stuff very similar to uk, all helps to keep the brain active and hold back the old alzeimers. must go now as tea is ready, cheers paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 thanks guys for all the info its a great help to tohers on here so keep up the good work lesley x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonzie Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Hello everyone, well yesterday I went to college and completed my plumber drainer licensing course, got the attainment certificate at 11am, rode into brisbane on my motorbike, went straight to the plumbing and drainers board offices, handed the documents in and 10 minutes later walked out with my full licence, so I can now go self employed. That is of course when the bsa licence comes through in about 2 weeks time, but whats two weeks when its taken nearly 3 yrs of trying, mis-information, etc ha ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 Well Done Bonzie no more hoops for you,lol Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mj76 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Excellent News Bonzie, well done mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ozzieandlea Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 congratulations and well done mate. hope you make loads of bucks now,you deserve it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonzie Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Thanks for all the praise, I deserve it. lol. No seriously thank you and for anyone coming to qld our tutor, bob walters at mooloolaba tafe (see previous posts for contact details) told us that it looks like for the next 2 years the course will as I did, then it changes from 10 modules to 15, so if you are coming to live in paradise then get on the course as soon as. PB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KateandPhil Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Hi Ian & Jo Just wanted to say hi we are in south yorkshire too moving to Brisbane in April 2010. My OH is a Plumber/Gasfitter hoping to find work as soon as we arrive but after reading threads on here it doesn't look likely. Do you know which area of brisbane you are moving too? Maybe our paths will cross in Oz Good luck Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KateandPhil Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Hi Lesley Your posts have been great. We are moving to Brisbane in April 2010 and thanks to your info we will definately be in a better position to find work. My oh is a s/employed gasfitter/plumber and is wanting to stay in this field of work. Has your husband had any luck yet finding work? Is it really that difficult to find employment as a plumber? Hope you dont mind if I keep in touch but you seem to have some of the best info and advice I have read so far. Take Care Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Hi LesleyYour posts have been great. We are moving to Brisbane in April 2010 and thanks to your info we will definately be in a better position to find work. My oh is a s/employed gasfitter/plumber and is wanting to stay in this field of work. Has your husband had any luck yet finding work? Is it really that difficult to find employment as a plumber? Hope you dont mind if I keep in touch but you seem to have some of the best info and advice I have read so far. Take Care Kate hi kate and phil my oh has been working in a good job for over a year as a gas inspector thank god most of his work is brisbane think of that when you are looking for somewhere to live because were still in pacific pines his day is 2 hours longer im not going to pretend its been easy it hasnt for us but there is light at the end of the tunnel some people are lucky and find their feet quick others after endless cv sending fingers crossed for you all though and if hteres anything and i mean anything i can do dont hesitate to ask lesley xxxxxxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mj76 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Hi Lesley, Given the changes in the priority processing on 23rd sept, our visa type (176 state sponsored)is gonna be in 5th place rather than 2nd place to be processed prior to the changes, so i think we can expect a good 18months before they even start looking at our application. With this time period in mind and my wish to enhance my employability, I'm wondering if I'd be better off doing my gas quals whilst still in uk and then the conversion courses in Aus or to start afresh when I land in Aus? Can you ask your OH what he thinks please. I was originally going to just do the course from scratch in Aus but if the majority of the regs are the same or very similar then i may be able to save some time doing my gas/lpg in the uk. Any advice as always is greatly received. PS great to see this thread still going strong Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 hi martin its well worth doing your gas and gaining the experience after your gas qualifications will definitely improve your chances of finding work here you definitely want to get them done in uk if you have a possible 18 month wait before getting here . lesley x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KateandPhil Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 HI Lesley Thanks for your reply. We really appreciate any help at all especially on the job front. Is it worth applying for jobs before we get to Oz or do employers need you to be in the country before they will look at you? We are at the removal stage well getting quotes any tips or advice on what to bring or not to bring? So how are you settling in? has it been the right decision for you to emigrate? Do you know any areas we should be avoiding? When we arrive we are staying in Jimboomba but wanting to look at Springfield Lakes, Ormeau, Helensvale and anywhere in between!!! Hope to speak again soon Kate x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 hi kate theres no point applying for jobs before you get here basically employers arent going to be tat interested in looking at cvs until your actually here weve been here nearly 3 years and one thing i can say is the time here just dissapears cant believe were nearly at 3 year stage the kids have all settled fine i think it helps if you find the right place to live by that i mean the place you feel settled in for us that hasnt happened yet and we will be moving soon as for areas to look at the best thing you can do is take a really good look around at as many areas as possible then make a decision which one you prefer the most good luck with all your plans keep me posted lesley x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KateandPhil Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Hi Lesley Have just had the time to read the whole thread and you seem to be the Queen of Plumbing!!! We are arriving on the 15th April just wondering if you could pm me with details of colleges my oh could apply to to get his plumbing/gasfitting licence so he can start looking for work as soon as we arrive. As you have said in previous posts if you can help us so we are not running around like you were we would be really grateful. Thanks Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mj76 Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Hi Lesley, Thanks for the reply. Think I'll do my gas in uk to make most of the wait. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.