Georgiajoe Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Hi all, Can anyone please explain to me why plumbers are on the skills shortage list. I'm looking to come over to Perth next year but on every job site, paper etc there aren't any plumbers jobs advertised. Also is right that if you haven't got a plumbers licence you can only work as a plumbers mate?? Can anyone come back with some answers as I've just started the visa process and am worried that were spending ££££'s and feeling negative with the job propects. Thank you guys Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thehoe5 Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Hi Ian We were told that if you have your skills assessed here in UK then this automatically gives you your plumbing licence in Oz. You still may need to get your qualifications changed over but having the licence cuts this time down. We have just been out there and there were plenty of jobs and tradies where like gods!! ( well nearly ) :laugh::laugh::laugh: I would say go for it!!!!:yes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Hi thank you for taking time out to reply, I shall sleep a happier man tonight. The great things about these forums, you can communicate with people who know different. Thanks again Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Hi Ian We were told that if you have your skills assessed here in UK then this automatically gives you your plumbing licence in Oz. You still may need to get your qualifications changed over but having the licence cuts this time down. We have just been out there and there were plenty of jobs and tradies where like gods!! ( well nearly ) :laugh::laugh::laugh: I would say go for it!!!!:yes: This isnt quite correct. The rules DO vary state to state but plumbers and electricians IMO have it the toughest once they land on Aussie soil. Regradless of what skill assesment you have had in the UK ,you CANT get a plumbing licence here without jumping through a few hoops. Take QLD , i have known a few FULLY SKILLED and LICENCED plumbers arrive here on a PR visa. To get the visa they all had skill assesments done in the UK. Some had their own companys ,others had done the job years. EVERY SINGLE one of them had to attend some sort of college course at THEIR expense just to get a basic 'allow you to work' licence, this alone can take a few months dependant on when they can fit you on a course. To work unacompanied its more courses and of course more $$$$$$$. This was a massive slap in the face for the guys who werent aware their UK licence means basically diddly squat. It meant they couldnt work in their trade when they first arrived and also meant a big chunk out of their savings. PLEASE make sure you know EXACTLY what awaits you in the state you are looking at moving too. No Australian state will straight swap your UK qualifications . Hope this helps, sorry to be a bit negative but ive seen too many familys arrive totally unaware of what is required of them. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I agree with Cal its not that easy, each State is like a little country on its own and has its own regulations. My friend was a hairdresser in NSW and she could not work as a hairdresser in Victoria. Also even if you work in the pub in one State and have tickets, you have to get new ones when moving to another State. Victoria is a hard nut to crack, of course it can be but as previous poster said make sure you know exactly what you have to do. I think I read somewhere on this forum that plumbers have to work with another plumber for a year. Good idea to do a good search of this forum as there is a lot of information in the older threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 have to agree with the above posts wa is one of if not the worst state for red tape, especially plumbers and electricians, need to do courses and even pay to apply to see if you qualify to apply for a course for restricted elec license for gas/plumb. also note a lot of these plumb jobs asked for 3years + experience as it is different here. dont be put off tho, as said earlier come prepared then no shocks. if you do worry, you prob need a cert to do that too :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Cal, your wording at bottom of Your posts makes you stop And think and try to make it worth while. Great choice of words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thehoe5 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 This isnt quite correct. The rules DO vary state to state but plumbers and electricians IMO have it the toughest once they land on Aussie soil.Regradless of what skill assesment you have had in the UK ,you CANT get a plumbing licence here without jumping through a few hoops. Take QLD , i have known a few FULLY SKILLED and LICENCED plumbers arrive here on a PR visa. To get the visa they all had skill assesments done in the UK. Some had their own companys ,others had done the job years. EVERY SINGLE one of them had to attend some sort of college course at THEIR expense just to get a basic 'allow you to work' licence, this alone can take a few months dependant on when they can fit you on a course. To work unacompanied its more courses and of course more $$$$$$$. This was a massive slap in the face for the guys who werent aware their UK licence means basically diddly squat. It meant they couldnt work in their trade when they first arrived and also meant a big chunk out of their savings. PLEASE make sure you know EXACTLY what awaits you in the state you are looking at moving too. No Australian state will straight swap your UK qualifications . Hope this helps, sorry to be a bit negative but ive seen too many familys arrive totally unaware of what is required of them. Cal x hi again sorry for the info but we were told by the ASA group that the assessment we would do with them gave us the plumbing licence my hubby would need to work in Oz???:confused: Im soooo confused as you would think they knew what they are talking about as the guy ( Nick) I spoke to said he worked for the Aus goverment for a while?? Well I dont know what to think anymore :arghh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thanks again , I'm going to e mail the wa plumbers licensing board to ask what I need to do once I land. I know alot of people use there trades just to get the visa but plumbing is all I know and I love it. ( just don't enjoy working for moaning english people)!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest denverplumbing Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Wow! This is great. Thank you for posting this… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kifter88 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Hi I have just started a plumbing course over here which is new to the uk, it is through a company called tradies down under. they re job is to get english plumbers and electrician trained before you go out there,its down london fri,sat,sun for 3 weekend and they teach you all about plumbing in oz.Dont be fooled in thinking you are qualified when you get there it just means you will have your license when you get there, you then have to get employed by a plumber over there and he will sign off a list criteria of plumbing jobs over 12month, Then you can apply for your plumbing license.this course it no cheap costing me £3000 and you can do it over there for most probably a quater of the price but its nice to know you dont have to go through collage when you get there. They also help you out with work contacts and sign you up for construction agencies.Iv only just completed my first wkend learning about sanitary systems, they have flown a plumbing college tuter out to teach us.Oh and they also get you your white card which is just like a cscs card over here.Im not quite sure how its goin to pan out for me but ill keep you posted im just goin to go out there on a working holiday visa and see how it goes, hopefully get sponsored and get a permanent visa that way.Dont forget you have still got to do your vetassess which i think is about £1200, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 Hi I have just started a plumbing course over here which is new to the uk, it is through a company called tradies down under. they re job is to get english plumbers and electrician trained before you go out there,its down london fri,sat,sun for 3 weekend and they teach you all about plumbing in oz.Dont be fooled in thinking you are qualified when you get there it just means you will have your license when you get there, you then have to get employed by a plumber over there and he will sign off a list criteria of plumbing jobs over 12month, Then you can apply for your plumbing license.this course it no cheap costing me £3000 and you can do it over there for most probably a quater of the price but its nice to know you dont have to go through collage when you get there. They also help you out with work contacts and sign you up for construction agencies.Iv only just completed my first wkend learning about sanitary systems, they have flown a plumbing college tuter out to teach us.Oh and they also get you your white card which is just like a cscs card over here.Im not quite sure how its goin to pan out for me but ill keep you posted im just goin to go out there on a working holiday visa and see how it goes, hopefully get sponsored and get a permanent visa that way.Dont forget you have still got to do your vetassess which i think is about £1200, good luck! Hi mate, i did my vetasses practical yesterday and there assessor from Melbourne has never heard of these courses. i had a chat with him and showed him on my I pad that I had downloaded a gap training course for plumbers in Perth . the course over there cost $3000 for a 10 day one. He hadn't heard of it and was going to look into it for me. He gave me his e mail address etc. i am also communicating with a guy who has just moved to Perth, he texted me last night to say that the only course he needs to do is a plumbers license course which cost $600 which is a lot better, I'm going to try and find out more. i looked into trades down under but was worried that it might not mean anything over there , I'm not saying negative things it's like ll this migrating stuff it's a gamble. even the vetasses guy yesterday said that there really trying to stop all the red tape that's involved for plumbers and Sparkies once you get over. When I find out more ill post it . If you need to find out more about the vetasses exam let me know and I'll do my best to help. if your a everyday plumber it's a walkmin the park Cheers ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 [TABLE=class: tborder, width: 100%, align: center] [TR] [TD=class: alt1, bgcolor: #F9F9F9]Hi all, these are some links about the gap training course that was on another forum http://www.cpsisc.com.au/resources/P...CD_Booklet.pdf http://www.cpsisc.com.au/resources/P..._Manual_09.pdf http://www.cpsisc.com.au/resources/P...r_Guide_09.pdf hope this helps ( this is what i showed the vetasses assessor yesterday and he'd never heard of it) !!!!!!!!!!! Its such a headache, wish someone wold come out in black and white and just say , you have to do this and pay ths $$$$$ [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sanderm2 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Hi everyone , I've been over in NSW for over 2 years and only managed to get 6 months Plumbing work. The work is different and most of the time I spent digging trenches . I'm in Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast and have now been out of work for 12 months :cry::cry:. As far as I know when you get here you WILL have to take all the licensing exams and pay for them and it can take a bit of time , the assesment in the UK is for the Visa not working here . May be ok for you but I have struggled . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolphinboy Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 [TABLE=class: tborder, width: 100%, align: center][TR] [TD=class: alt1, bgcolor: #F9F9F9]Hi all, these are some links about the gap training course that was on another forum http://www.cpsisc.com.au/resources/P...CD_Booklet.pdf http://www.cpsisc.com.au/resources/P..._Manual_09.pdf http://www.cpsisc.com.au/resources/P...r_Guide_09.pdf hope this helps ( this is what i showed the vetasses assessor yesterday and he'd never heard of it) !!!!!!!!!!! Its such a headache, wish someone wold come out in black and white and just say , you have to do this and pay ths $$$$$ [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] The middle link was excelent in giving an insight into how you will be assessed in Oz and what is expected of you as a plumber. Great thread! I am still debating if it is worth me doing the plumbers vetesess or not ( gas fitter visa application) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beevman Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi All, I have moved from the UK to Melbourne back in September 2011, I went through all the hurdles like vetassess etc. When i Got here it took over 3 months to even get a interview with the PIC. At the same time finding work was near impossible no plumbing firm would hire me as i was too qualified to be an apprentice and under qualified to be an actual fitter. The vetassess exam meant nothing to the pic and they only granted me a registration in mechanical services. I still have to do assessments here in hot and cold water supply, drainage, gas and sanitation. All of which i practiced continuously working for myself for 10 yrs in the uk. Fortunately i landed a job in maintenance but i am barely touching plumbing, (i haven't soldered or brazed a pipe since i've got here). I am still awaiting the dates of my registration assessments which i have had to pay for upfront of around $1000 plus $300 for registration. Then once that is done its another exam and a fee of $75 per a category of plumbing for your plumbing license if you want to work for yourself or subcontract. It has been hard but the lifestyle here is very worth it, even though i am not currently plumbing i am getting paid more than i have ever earnt in the uk and i am living better than i ever have. I just miss doing plumbing and i came here unprepared for what i had to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolphinboy Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 nice post beevman, I am noticing a distinct 2 sides with regards to living and working in Oz. Some peeps have just got on and done whatever was going to begin with and so can focus on getting the right qualifications where others go out and expect everything to stay the same as they have in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuffythetugboat Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I'm in NSW and where I work I know of 5 plumbers, 3 of them Australians, employed but not as plumbers. Goes to show how much plumbing there is about. One of them is from bonnie Scotland and has not obtained his plumbing qualifications because of the time and cost of getting them. He finds it degrading starting over again when he had his own company in Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolphinboy Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I'm in NSW and where I work I know of 5 plumbers, 3 of them Australians, employed but not as plumbers. Goes to show how much plumbing there is about.One of them is from bonnie Scotland and has not obtained his plumbing qualifications because of the time and cost of getting them. He finds it degrading starting over again when he had his own company in Scotland. I wouldn't look at it as starting again , you would just be applying your experience to learn how they do it in Oz. The cost is the usual thing in any country , to create revenue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea4two Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Don't know where you guys are but my other half took a different approach after getting nowhere and companies laying off Plumbers around here (our friend from back home works for a Plumbing firm here but he was lucky and kept his job)...he searched for companies doing hydronic heating (central heating) as there aren't many here qualified in that compared to plumbing...a few emails later he had a all, an interview and he got the job...starts on Monday. 5 weeks after we arrived so not too bad I wouldn't wait for jobs to be advertised, i'd call and find opportunities...but we agree, don't think there is a need for Plumbers at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea4two Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 We are in Melbourne by the way so heating was an option lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie bound Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi Ian Dont worry plumbing like most trades is transient work going from job to job so most companies dont really advertise, prob best bet is word of mouth it would not be on skills list if they dont need them.You will have to get your skills assessed with TRA this gives you an Oz diploma and you can get your licence then over there and yes if you dont have your licence you can only work as a plumbers mate but once you have your certs you get the licence quickly. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 The middle link was excelent in giving an insight into how you will be assessed in Oz and what is expected of you as a plumber. Great thread! I am still debating if it is worth me doing the plumbers vetesess or not ( gas fitter visa application) . Hi mate, To be honest I think the best road to go down is the vetasses route, pick the gas route ( not roof plumber) , get your visa and then do the gas yourself once your over there. i did the plumbing practical last weekend, comprises of installing basin( wall hung), toilet, stub stack and waste and piping hot, cold and gas to a jig. you solder but don't test hot and cold, install gas using steel( threaded joints) carry out tightness test. Answer a few question and all done by 2 pm. If your a regular plumber you'll p*** it. the guy from vetasses was saying that there trying to change the structure for plumbers and Sparkies so there's not so much red tape when we get over. When I've got time I'll post a proper day description of the practical assessment Cheers ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi Ian Dont worry plumbing like most trades is transient work going from job to job so most companies dont really advertise, prob best bet is word of mouth it would not be on skills list if they dont need them.You will have to get your skills assessed with TRA this gives you an Oz diploma and you can get your licence then over there and yes if you dont have your licence you can only work as a plumbers mate but once you have your certs you get the licence quickly. Hope this helps Hi mate, if I'm going through vetasses , do I then have to get accessed by the TRA, or how does it work. sorry or sounding thick!!! cheers ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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