Muswellbrook X poms!!

[Guest Mark and Katie Singleton]

Hi Chris , hitachi will put you into a house, the only reason we went to a motel was because the houses was in a right state..minging. Most have now got their own rentals, shouldnt be to much of a problem. Hitachi will print a letter for you stating your hourly rate and act as a reference for you.The estate agents LJ Hooker are really bad by the way, many people have had problems with them.Look at houses with agents called Proffesionals, really nice and actually want to lease too you.

[Guest MarcandSarah]

This all sounds a bit scary! I guess we won't be actioning it either because it sounds silly having to pay for something we didn't need. Getting ready to have our last sleep in the UK for a while now :cry:

 

Just giving you a heads up.....those of you who opted to go with the recommended health insurance through the migration company will get a bill when you turn up. The bill is dated from July in most cases when it was first set up. Only one of us here as actioned the insurance and he got over 400 bucks deducted from his account.(2 months worth, only been in the country 1) It doesnt seem right as people will be getting charged whilst still being in the UK.

 

One of us phoned up and they said if you dont action the insurance it becomes void after 60 days. So we are now looking for other insurance.

[Guest Mark and Katie Singleton]

Safe travels Sarah and Marc, I shall put the kettle on....once you are in the land of the living again give us a buzz!

 

Just thought I should mention incase you were planning on walking and get to places in Muzzy, its quite spread out here and can get very hot! (well not too hot this week as we are having storms regularly, but normally hot and getting hotter!) if poss try and get a hirecar for the first few days, especially if house hunting, it will make your life so much easier...

 

Definitely concentrate on the estate agents Professionals as they are brilliant, stay clear from LJ Hooker as Mark mentioned, not good reports. Shopping wise, Coles and Woolworths and Aldi, haven't gone into Aldi, as I don't like the UK shop so not bothereing, Wollies is by far the better of the two supermarkets and has more choice. The shopping mall here is ok, has Big W which has all stuff for house, garden etc and not too pricey. Theres also a Reject shop in the shopping precinct where Coles is situated, which does lots of household stuff, like crockery, cleaning products, picture frames, that sort of thing.

 

Maitland is definitely the place to go if you want a better variety of shops, about an hour away! they have a much bigger shopping mall, theres also a good baby shop in Maitland on one of the industrial estates called Bubs, this is where we got the girls carseats from, children up to the age of 7 need to be in carsets here, they are cheaper to buy here than in the UK.

 

Muswellbrook has everything you need on a daily basis and also has a good swimming pool, which mark had a look at the other day, in mind to take Keeley there, only $3.50, they have an indoor heated pool and outdoor pool they are having refurbs though at the mo, but pool is still open.

 

Just a few snippets....if I think of anything else will post on here.

 

Katie :smile:

[Guest 5am8011]

Hi there.

 

Just wondering if there are any poms living out in Muswellbrooke in here????

 

Have just been offered a job in Muswellbrooke with HITACHI and would like some info on all sorts of stuff :err:

 

Thanks kennmikp

 

hows it goin i just got an offer of intent from them to work in muswellbrook wow i only joined this yesterday it is a small world lol what do you do?

[Guest 5am8011]

Hi Im Mark I am also one of Hitachi lot moving to Muswellbrook (probably Singleton)..so hello and no doubt we will meet up soon. Just waiting like you guys for the paperwork to go through. I will be travelling out with my wife and 2 young girls. Apart from checking the internet for local info I have been checking banks out, National Australian Bank(NAB) dosn't charge account fees and is happy to give out a credit card if required, something you can set up from the UK.

 

Look forward to any info you might have.

 

Laters

 

hello is any of you people in muswellbrook now with hitachi? i ws just given a letter of intent for a job offer in muswellbrook im so excited (HITACHI!!!!!) whats it like? what are they like to work for? was the visa a night mare? what do yous do? feed me info please :chatterbox: THANKS

[Guest chris and deb k]

Hi MATE BEEN HERE 7 WEEKS NOW AND ITS VERY EXPENSIVE IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY. DONT BE EXPECTING TO EARN BIG MONEY STRAIGHT AWAY AS HITACHI CANT EVEN GET US RECOGNISED AS MECHANICS WE ARE CLASSED AS TRADE ASSISTANTS WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY ONE OF THE HITACHI MECHANICS WHEN YOU EVENTUALLY GO ON SITE. I WAS THE SECOND PERSON TO START ON THE ROSTERS WHICH IS WHEN YOU GET ALL THE TIME OFF AND THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO MOVED OUT HERE IN SEPTEMBER STILL NOT ON IT YET. THE WORK IS GOOD IN THE WORKSHOP NOT EVERYBODYS CUP OF TEA BUT THIS PLACE IS HEALTH AND SAFTY MAD AND YOU JUST GET USED TO IT. ITS HARD TO FIND PROPERTY USUALLY TAKES ABOUT 6 WEEKS TO GET SOMEWHERE AND THE COST IS HIGH WHEN YOU ARE ON A CRAP WAGE FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS SO BE WEAR. THERE WHERE 12 FITTERS THAT CAME OUT HERE ON THIS FIRST INTAKE AND STILL MORE TO COME NEXT YEAR. ITS NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM JUST BRING LOADS OF CASH AND YOU WILL BE SORTED

 

hello is any of you people in muswellbrook now with hitachi? i ws just given a letter of intent for a job offer in muswellbrook im so excited (HITACHI!!!!!) whats it like? what are they like to work for? was the visa a night mare? what do yous do? feed me info please :chatterbox: THANKS

[Guest 5am8011]

Hi MATE BEEN HERE 7 WEEKS NOW AND ITS VERY EXPENSIVE IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY. DONT BE EXPECTING TO EARN BIG MONEY STRAIGHT AWAY AS HITACHI CANT EVEN GET US RECOGNISED AS MECHANICS WE ARE CLASSED AS TRADE ASSISTANTS WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY ONE OF THE HITACHI MECHANICS WHEN YOU EVENTUALLY GO ON SITE. I WAS THE SECOND PERSON TO START ON THE ROSTERS WHICH IS WHEN YOU GET ALL THE TIME OFF AND THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO MOVED OUT HERE IN SEPTEMBER STILL NOT ON IT YET. THE WORK IS GOOD IN THE WORKSHOP NOT EVERYBODYS CUP OF TEA BUT THIS PLACE IS HEALTH AND SAFTY MAD AND YOU JUST GET USED TO IT. ITS HARD TO FIND PROPERTY USUALLY TAKES ABOUT 6 WEEKS TO GET SOMEWHERE AND THE COST IS HIGH WHEN YOU ARE ON A CRAP WAGE FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS SO BE WEAR. THERE WHERE 12 FITTERS THAT CAME OUT HERE ON THIS FIRST INTAKE AND STILL MORE TO COME NEXT YEAR. ITS NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM JUST BRING LOADS OF CASH AND YOU WILL BE SORTED

 

how come ur only an assistant im guessing your not an apprentice lol how come the crap wage i thought it was gona be good wage? is there many auto sparks? im lucky enough its only me goin. did you get a 457? how long till you get paid good? what is the roosters? what do you work on? i thought they would be health and safety in the head but if it saves your life its worth while lol is rented accomodation hard to come by? far to travel to work? i was lookin at muswellbrook on google maps and few other sites cars arent cheep seen an 03 astra $7,700 thats just shy of £5k i drive an 02 1 here and i bought it for £600

petrol seems ok over there reasonable enough. dont like the sound of that crap wage and not being reconised for your trade why is that? thanks a million for your reply realy appreciate it

[Guest chris and deb k]

hi again to answear your questions i have been in the trade 25 years and am fully qualifies vehicle tech the problem is that hitachi have sent us all to nsw which is the only place in aus that doesnt recognise uk quals. the only way to get a good wage is to be on rosta this has taken me 7 weeks but i was lucky there are people over here who have been here since sept and still not on one. most of the problems are that you have to do lots of induction courses which takes months to get loaded on so most of us had to work 60/week in the workshop to get enough to live on .you should be ok if your single. the rent is expensive you could proberly share a house with someone if you can find anyone to do that as there are a couple of lads share over here the house prices are going up as this is becoming a massive mining area so house availability doesny meet the demand. cars are dear you wont get anything decent for under $ 15000.two auto electricians are out here at the mo that came on the influx that i arrived on and they work on the build yard. it takes about 8 months from start to finish to get your visa sorted and get out here. but once you get it sorted out and you start earning the money it will be great

[Guest richiee]

I also received a letter of intent from Hitachi. Im in Ireland, Im a quallified mechanic since 2002. I am now waiting for a contrack/package offer. I was told at the interview that the starting salary was $70aus. So are you saying that this isnt the case? They also said they would pay my way over there. Did you get this?

[Guest chris and deb k]

they did pay my way over here but it wasnt enough i had to put 3 grand of my own to get here. i think the starting salary is less than you have been told i dont know what hours they told you you would be on but for the first few months you would not be on a rosta so you dont get the weekend money so i think i took home about 2500 per fortnight, which isnt enough to live if you have a family. its ok if your single though. the cost of living is alot more than the uk but i dont know what it compares to ireland. cars are expensive and so is the beer wines cheap though so its not all bad

I also received a letter of intent from Hitachi. Im in Ireland, Im a quallified mechanic since 2002. I am now waiting for a contrack/package offer. I was told at the interview that the starting salary was $70aus. So are you saying that this isnt the case? They also said they would pay my way over there. Did you get this?

[Guest richiee]

Sounds like it cost you a lot so the whole move. I'm single so I expect to do it a lot cheaper. I've a few more questions. Hope you don't get sick of me:-)

How do ye like muswellbrook?... It seems like a nice town.

How do you find the work with Hitachi?.. I know they are big into health and safety there which can only be good. What about the work itself though?.. Is it tough. I've experience here with smaller hitachi machines, ex120 etc but not much with the bigger stuff. Did you have much experience with hitachi before you went over there.

Would you say now that they are a good company to work for?

 

Thanks again, sorry for all the questions but just very excited about the move.

[Guest chris and deb k]

muswellbrook is quite a good place to live the aussies slag it off but itn just an ordinary place so far not much to do if your single though the pubs in town are quite rough so ive heard. dont know for sure. you will be alright with your 5k it was hard to fly all my lot out and my house stuff with only 10k there are 4 of us. its hard work all go but it makes the day go quicker.i never worked with bhitachi machinary before but its all nuts and bolts so its not that bad alot of micrometer measurments 1 to 24 inch and down to tens of thou but you pick it up its more like engineering than mechanics. the company is a bit of a let down they promise you the world but you have to really get in there faces to get anything. for a multi billion dollar company i expected better. bring as many tools as you can as they are 3x the price you pay in the uk

catch you later

[Guest 5am8011]

that sounds bit doom and gloom like but im only carting myself over so hopefully cheap cheap cheap lol i cant wait to get the head stuck in to it some peolle want to win x factor and get millions i just want to work on heavy plant sad like lol this waiting is not to nice i doubt if any thing will be done before xmas now but will be a good start to the new year. is it not weird christmas and sun i act cant imagine it! wouldnt fancy being in oz and not earning enough to live sounds bit scary cant strap my dad for a tenner that far away lol do you get paid monthly or weekly? did they give you the relocation money before you went or just refund you when you got there? thanks for your time hopefully will meet you someday il buy you an exensive beer lol

[Guest richiee]

When u say a lot of measuring, what exactly are u measuring? Do they give you any training and what type and size of machines are you working on? I got the letter of intent over a week ago and am waiting for the contract. This waiting around is a pain. If I had an actual date it would be easier to make plans. Do you need a lot of specialist tools there?

[Guest 5am8011]

muswellbrook is quite a good place to live the aussies slag it off but itn just an ordinary place so far not much to do if your single though the pubs in town are quite rough so ive heard. dont know for sure. you will be alright with your 5k it was hard to fly all my lot out and my house stuff with only 10k there are 4 of us. its hard work all go but it makes the day go quicker.i never worked with bhitachi machinary before but its all nuts and bolts so its not that bad alot of micrometer measurments 1 to 24 inch and down to tens of thou but you pick it up its more like engineering than mechanics. the company is a bit of a let down they promise you the world but you have to really get in there faces to get anything. for a multi billion dollar company i expected better. bring as many tools as you can as they are 3x the price you pay in the uk

catch you later

 

where you able to buy a car? just picking your brains hope you don't mind but when you flew in where did you stay straight away? and how long from you got there till you started work?

[Guest chris and deb k]

yes i bought a car on hp its a brand new one as the intrest rate is about 10% less for new than old. they put you up in one of hitachi houses in muswellbrook there ok and you get 2 days to settle in before you start work they provided us with accomodation and transport for 4 weeks. so its not all bad! if a few of you arrive at the same time you will just house share untill you get somwhere to live but they only give you 4 weeks in the house which is plenty of time to sort yourself out. hope this helps

 

where you able to buy a car? just picking your brains hope you don't mind but when you flew in where did you stay straight away? and how long from you got there till you started work?

[Guest 5am8011]

yes i bought a car on hp its a brand new one as the intrest rate is about 10% less for new than old. they put you up in one of hitachi houses in muswellbrook there ok and you get 2 days to settle in before you start work they provided us with accomodation and transport for 4 weeks. so its not all bad! if a few of you arrive at the same time you will just house share untill you get somwhere to live but they only give you 4 weeks in the house which is plenty of time to sort yourself out. hope this helps

 

class what you get? how you feeling about it in general was it a good move? and what about the work stilll, a good job? you still a trade assistant or you a mechanic again lol sorry about all the questions. i reali appreciate the time you take to answer them thanks again il buy you a pint or two when i get there :biggrin:

[Guest chris and deb k]

i bought a little yaris for the better half and its big enougfh for the family as well just trying to buy a 4x4 for me. the work is going ok there are a few lazy people over here who just cant be bothered if you ask me its because they are out of there depth so if you work you get noticed easy. most poeple want to go and work on the mine sites but im not that bothered i like getting home at 610pm just after i have finished and the money isnt that much more especially for the extra hours you have to do being on site. i like the time off to spend with the wife and kids.we are all still trade assistants but hopefully that will get sorted out early in the new year. im not that bothered you still get the same wage i wouldnt mind going back to collage at hitachi,s expence. just getting ready for xmas when are you likely to be getting accross here, hows the visa going dont bother to spend money getting your certificates certified as uk certification is no good to man nor beast wait till you come over. catch you later

[Guest richiee]

i bought a little yaris for the better half and its big enougfh for the family as well just trying to buy a 4x4 for me. the work is going ok there are a few lazy people over here who just cant be bothered if you ask me its because they are out of there depth so if you work you get noticed easy. most poeple want to go and work on the mine sites but im not that bothered i like getting home at 610pm just after i have finished and the money isnt that much more especially for the extra hours you have to do being on site. i like the time off to spend with the wife and kids.we are all still trade assistants but hopefully that will get sorted out early in the new year. im not that bothered you still get the same wage i wouldnt mind going back to collage at hitachi,s expence. just getting ready for xmas when are you likely to be getting accross here, hows the visa going dont bother to spend money getting your certificates certified as uk certification is no good to man nor beast wait till you come over. catch you later

 

 

Im in same boat as 5am8011. Ive got a job in Muswellbrook with Hitachi. Was supposed to know more before xmas, but that wont happen now. In the letter of intent almost a month ago they said they would be in contact with us in a week, but nothing as of yet. Is this normal? Is there many mechanics working there in the Muswellbrook branch? Im not sure myself if I want to go into the mines. As you say Im sure the hours are long. While I do want to go out there to make money I also want to have a life.

 

Hope ye have a good first xmas out there. I hope to be out there early in the new year.

All the best.

 

Richie

[Guest 5am8011]

 

i bought a little yaris for the better half and its big enougfh for the family as well just trying to buy a 4x4 for me. the work is going ok there are a few lazy people over here who just cant be bothered if you ask me its because they are out of there depth so if you work you get noticed easy. most poeple want to go and work on the mine sites but im not that bothered i like getting home at 610pm just after i have finished and the money isnt that much more especially for the extra hours you have to do being on site. i like the time off to spend with the wife and kids.we are all still trade assistants but hopefully that will get sorted out early in the new year. im not that bothered you still get the same wage i wouldnt mind going back to collage at hitachi,s expence. just getting ready for xmas when are you likely to be getting accross here, hows the visa going dont bother to spend money getting your certificates certified as uk certification is no good to man nor beast wait till you come over. catch you later

yeah you need a 4x4 for MAN reasons lol what you mean out of there depth? just dont know what they are doing or just lazy people who want the high life with little effort? what time do you start? and finish? is it true finishing early on fridays for a bbq or is that just rumors? did you not need the nvq for the visa? hopefully over early in the new year richiee and me both at the same place just waiting on the contract thing both got our letters of intent so were at the early stages.is there many irish people?thanks again for your time

[Guest chris and deb k]

hi to richie and sam ill reply in one post so its better you will eventually get on a roster which means you work 14 days every 28 split down into a 5 on 5 off 4 on 5 off and 5 on 4off patern. the mines over here are very fussy on who they let on some poeple want to work on them as they need the money im more for the time off and the extra cash i can live without as i would rather have time with my family. most of us who came over are mechanics there are only 2 auto elecs that came over. the time delay is normal as hitachi dont do anything quick the problem is getting the visa sorted out which they employ an outside agency but it normally takes 8 weeks after its been applied for and then you can come out when ever suits yourself.and to sam some people are lazy and want all the money and cant be bothered working for it but they will come unstuck. its more about engineering than fitting at the moment as you have to go in depth to do the job required. some people find this boring but i think its because there not to good at the job and think they are above it. its easy to be a fitter but hard to be an engineer. start and finish at 6 and we dont finish early any day of the week for a bbq as you will be working 2 weekends a month. at the mo we have 1 south african 4 jocks 3 paddys and 4 englishmen so its a right mixture have a great xmas and new year its strange being over here and the suns cracking the flags

good luck and see you in the new year

[Guest 5am8011]

hi to richie and sam ill reply in one post so its better you will eventually get on a roster which means you work 14 days every 28 split down into a 5 on 5 off 4 on 5 off and 5 on 4off patern. the mines over here are very fussy on who they let on some poeple want to work on them as they need the money im more for the time off and the extra cash i can live without as i would rather have time with my family. most of us who came over are mechanics there are only 2 auto elecs that came over. the time delay is normal as hitachi dont do anything quick the problem is getting the visa sorted out which they employ an outside agency but it normally takes 8 weeks after its been applied for and then you can come out when ever suits yourself.and to sam some people are lazy and want all the money and cant be bothered working for it but they will come unstuck. its more about engineering than fitting at the moment as you have to go in depth to do the job required. some people find this boring but i think its because there not to good at the job and think they are above it. its easy to be a fitter but hard to be an engineer. start and finish at 6 and we dont finish early any day of the week for a bbq as you will be working 2 weekends a month. at the mo we have 1 south african 4 jocks 3 paddys and 4 englishmen so its a right mixture have a great xmas and new year its strange being over here and the suns cracking the flags

good luck and see you in the new year

 

Merry belated Christmas to yourselves to

 

it sound like shift work is that not hard to get used to? I think christmas in the sun would be the hardest too get used to lol we had a cold wet christmas but great craic. how long you off for christmas? theres a good mix of eople there. did you go on any corses over there yet in my interview i was told there is corses regularly?? sounds terrible 14 days out of 28 are you ever at work lol i suppose this affects your salary? do you eventualy work on to do 6-6 monday to friday every week? or is it shift work for good? Thanks again for your time and hope you and your family have a happy new year all the best

 

sam

[Guest Mark and Katie Singleton]

Hello all, just like to give you an alternate perspective on your future jobs. It has been abit slower getting all our tickets than expected but lets face it we have moved countries and things work differently here. For those of you who are keen to work on the vehicles then working on site is the way ahead, but be prepared to wait several months for this to go ahead. The work on site will vary but will be no different to what you have done before..just on larger vehicles.

If you dont fancy working the extra 2 hours on top of your twelve hour shift(due to travelling to mine sites) then you might have the option of working in the workshop.(stripping Final Drives, Cylinders and Struts) depends one what your personal preference is and whether your prepared to challenge yourself....those who want the easy life and like stripping stuff are best suited for the workshop...and there are several older guys who prefer this.

 

Life on the mine sites is not that bad, once you have done the paper work for the job at hand you are left alone. However hard you work during your week on your gonna have at least 5 days off to relax.

 

 

I was one of the first out here, was lucky to find a house with in 1 week and pretty much sorted after 4 weeks. Yes its expensive but if you do the hours its no problems. You will work 5 days a week with the weekends off for atleast 2 months or more but when you go on roster all will be good.

 

Hitachi are a chilled out outfit and the fitters are all pretty sound blokes.

[Guest 5am8011]

Sounds like fun, is the money much better in the mines? Im an auto spark what would i be doing in the mines? from what i gather in the workshop its all working on bits of machines but might be different for me and in the mines working on the actual machines like break downs etc? wuld i be right? I cant wait to get over just waiting on my contract still but im going on the good things come to those who wait moto. would you say you live comfortably? is muswellbrook what i have read and seen on google maps?(quiet small friendly) thanks for your time

[Guest 5am8011]

Just thought id give this thread a jump start! Just waiting on visa now cant wait and have every possible thing i could have crossed lol hope i get it. hows everybody already in muswellbrook? good christmas and new year etc? what do the sparks do?