Guest christonynathan Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 You can work as a plumber but supervised and depending on who you are working for, each state has a different licence,if you have a city and guilds you can RPL (recognition of prior learning) to get a full licence it takes about a year at college,lots of plumbers here are self employed and it is difficult to get work on high rise buildings unless you have worked on one before,i was lucky and got a job as a maintenence plumber with Queensland Health,no one told me that i needed a plumbers licence before we got here and we struggled for about six months and college costs vary from about 2,000 to 5,000 dollars depending on who decided that week what to charge,i paid 2,000 and some lads who came after me paid 5,000 and we all did the same course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kifter88 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi, I have just got back from my gap training down london, on my last post i was not sure if i had made the right choice but im sure i have. iv been speaking to the plumbing commissioner from oz who has flown out to teach us, he said you need to do your gap training(theory) before you can get your license.then when you have got your license you need to work supervised until they sign you off which takes about 12 months, so when i land in oz and go for my license they will say have you got your gap training and ill say yes through down under tradies,after iv been signed off i can apply for my level 3 and become qualified, this course is run through swindburn uni in oz(look it up) he also said if u went over there without your gap training you will have to do a night course in your own time, but if your the only one who wants to do it at that time the college will keep you waiting until the class is full, which could take months.this is not your vetassess thats just to prove you are a plumber and you only have to do it if you are going for a perminant visa, im going on a working holiday and thought i needed it but turns out i dont which is great iv just saved 1200 pound. Not only that on saturday they set up a skyp and we spoke to a guy who is looking to take 10 lads on and an agency guy flew out to see us about bigger jobs like rigs and mines, you also get your white card which is your cscs card. i told him about the guy from vetassess not knowing about the course and he wants to know his name so he can get hold of him and explain, this is a new course and i think its going to be massive, it was set up to stop plumbers getting there vetassess and thining they can go over there and plumb to find out they cant, i know 3000 is a lots of money but they open doors that you couldnt and its nice to know i can start working when i get there, oh and the guy who is teaching us is going to be a ref for us, we all thought he was just a teacher but turns out he is the plumbing commissioner and is well know in the plumbing world in oz which has got to help.this training has been approved by all states as well so i can get my license from any. iv got my last weekend of training this week and ill let you know how i get on, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 I contacted the WA plumbing board and this is there reply Dear Ian, Thank you very much for your email. Prior to migration your best option is to obtain a successful offshore technical skills record for Certificate III in Plumbing (issued by VETASSESS - for more information regarding the VETASSESS pathway please see http://www.vetassess.com.au/index.cfm?menu=1.3a) you would be eligible for a Tradespersons licence in Western Australia. If you were to pass the VetAssess skills assessment you would not be required to undertake the basic hand skills assessment during the application process, however a familiarisation course in the Australian Plumbing Standard (theoretical and practical) would still apply. You may be able to apply to Vetassess for an onshore assessment once you have migrated, please contact them directly to discuss your options if you are interested in applying through this pathway. If you will not be applying through the VETASSESS pathway for a trade skills assessment prior to migration each application will be assessed on its own merit once it is received by the Board. You may be required to undertake a one-day practical assessment at a registered training organisation as part of the application process, prior to determination by the Board. Should it be required, the applicant would be notified and referred to a registered training organisation via letter and you would be required to be present in Western Australia to undertake an assessment at that time. To apply for a tradesperson plumber licence as an overseas applicant, you will need to provide the Board with: - Completed application form (see here: http://www.plumbers.wa.gov.au/PDF/Forms/2011_Tradespersons_L.pdf) - 2 x passport size photographs certified on reverse by a competent witness - $195.00 for 3 year licence $21.10 application fee - Certified copies or original qualifications documents, information from TRA and VETASSESS (if applicable) - 2 x written references from previous employers/clients (signed and on letterhead) demonstrating at least 4 years experience in the industry and citing specific examples of water supply, sanitary and drainage plumbing work carried out (originals or certified copies only) - Certified copies or original passport pages - ID page, Date of Arrival stamp through Immigration, Visa evidenced in passport (if applicable) - Original or certified copy National Police Clearance/Background check (if applicable) Depending on what kind of visa you are on you may need to provide a national police clearance / background check. If you are on a working holiday visa you will need to provide a police clearance/background check from your home town within 3 months validation. If you are on a permanent residency visa you do not need a police check providing you apply for a licence within 3 months of entering Australia. If you have been in Australia more than 3 months on a visa you will need to obtain a national police clearance from a post office here. As mentioned above it is also a condition of the licence that the applicant undertake a migrant gap training plumbing course, basically a WA familiarisation program, within 6 months of the licence being granted. Pursuant to Regulation 9(1) of the Water Services Licensing (Plumbers Licensing and Plumbing Standards) Regulations 2000 carrying out plumbing work without a licence carries a maximum penalty of $5,000. The policy for processing time of a licence application is approximately 10 days from the date the last piece of information to determine the application has been received. The plumbing assessments are conducted at Challenger Institute of Technology and also MPA Skills. You may only undertake those assessments once you are in receipt of a referral letter from the Board. For gasfitting & electrical licensing you will need to contact Energy Safety on (08) 9422 5200 or email energysafety@commerce.wa.gov.au. They will be able to advise you of licensing requirements etc. for that type of work. For more information regarding the Board's operations and regulated plumbing work please visit our website at http://www.plumbers.wa.gov.au/default.html If you have any queries, please contact the licensing team on (08) 9476 1377, or by return email Christie Z Licensing Officer Building Commission | Department of Commerce | Government of Western Australia A Level 1, 31 Troode Street, WEST PERTH 6005 P Locked Bag 12, WEST PERTH 6872 T (08) 9476 1315 F (08) 9476 1333 W www.commerce.wa.gov.au | www.plumbers.wa.gov.au -----Original Message----- From: ian parkhouse [mailto:ianparkhouse1972@hotmail.co.uk] Sent: Saturday, 3 March 2012 4:21 PM To: Plumbers Subject: Qualified uk plumber/ plumbers licence Hi, I am a city and guilds qualified plumber in the uk and have been in the industry or 23 years running my own business etc etc.( your probably fed up with these questions, sorry) !!! I am currently going through my visa process 176 and have been certified as level 1 by vetasses for my qualifications and experience, and I have just had my vetasses practical exam in London. The question that I need help with, is that I keep going on Australian forums and seeing that plumbers cannot work on arrival to Perth WA unless they have a plumbers licence .( no one seems to know what actually is required ) Is this true? if so please could you advise me on what I need to do when I arrive or is there anything I can do to prepare over here in the uk. Also lengths of any courses or cost. I've seen a web site about migrant gap training in Perth and in London there is a company called 'tradies down under ' who claim to give you all the training required to be able to work in Australia Any advise that you can give me would be really appreciated We are looking at moving over in February 2013 Thank you for for time Kind regards Ian Parkhouse. Sent from my iPad This email is from the Department of Commerce and any information or attachments to it may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please reply mail to the sender informing them of the error and delete all copies from your computer system, including attachments and your reply em Hipe this helps , the MPA skills courses believe is a 10 day one at a cost of $3000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolphinboy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Thanks for sharing Gorgiajoe I still read that as you will still may have to do a gap study even after you get there. It's a pretty open ended statement ' we might ask, we might not ask' type thing. I think if you got the 3k in your budget then do the course otherwise wait till you get out there and do it then. I understand what you were saying Kifter88, but I cant help the feeling of a bit of a sales pitch from downunder tradies ( i hope i'm wrong ). We all are desperatley searching and preparing for the biggest move of our lives and people only have to 'suggest' we need something for us to get worried and before you know it we think we have to have it. You know what I mean? It might be because it is a new course but , if it is recognised australia wide why have no other people ,other than the select that they tell you to contact, heard of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kifter88 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Fair point mate, i honestly dont know how this is going to pan out myself iv just gone with my gut and hopefully it will pay off, dont get me wrong its a big chance but im going on a working holiday visa and havnt payed thousands on visas like a lot of people have im just hoping to get a sponsor when im there, there are some guys on the course with me who have forked out about 10k with visas, vetassess and gap training, its them i feel sorry for.im from wales and it costs me £80 to london and back £130 for a room for wkend and about £150 spendings because we just go the pub at the night ha, so over 3 wkends you do the math, well its my last one this wkend and ill defo keep you all posted about any more info, if any one wants me to ask them any questions or info you would like to know just post it on here,oh im also going to perth sometime towards the start of next year so we will have to meet up for a beer ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiajoe Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi guys, i Have a new question regarding gas wrk in Perth. I'm still in the uk and am gas safe registered . my gas elements ( the ccn1 , boilers, fires, cookers etc ) 5 year ticket runs out in July. is it advisable to re new them ( cost £1200 plus week off work), is it better to come over witha valid ticket or isn't it worth he paper it's printed on . I don't want to pay for the course over here if I'm moving to Perth next feb, if it's not beneficial . thank you for any advise ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolphinboy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Fair point mate, i honestly dont know how this is going to pan out myself iv just gone with my gut and hopefully it will pay off, dont get me wrong its a big chance but im going on a working holiday visa and havnt payed thousands on visas like a lot of people have im just hoping to get a sponsor when im there, there are some guys on the course with me who have forked out about 10k with visas, vetassess and gap training, its them i feel sorry for.im from wales and it costs me £80 to london and back £130 for a room for wkend and about £150 spendings because we just go the pub at the night ha, so over 3 wkends you do the math, well its my last one this wkend and ill defo keep you all posted about any more info, if any one wants me to ask them any questions or info you would like to know just post it on here,oh im also going to perth sometime towards the start of next year so we will have to meet up for a beer ha I wish you the best of luck with it all and we can only go with our gut instincts I'm sure it will be fine, it will certainly give you a 'heads up' before you go and that can only be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolphinboy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi guys, i Have a new question regarding gas wrk in Perth. I'm still in the uk and am gas safe registered . my gas elements ( the ccn1 , boilers, fires, cookers etc ) 5 year ticket runs out in July. is it advisable to re new them ( cost £1200 plus week off work), is it better to come over witha valid ticket or isn't it worth he paper it's printed on . I don't want to pay for the course over here if I'm moving to Perth next feb, if it's not beneficial . thank you for any advise ian I am in a lucky position that i dont have to pay for my re-qualification as i'm employed but i still think it may be beneficial. If the worst happens and you have to come back for whatever reason it would be one less thing to worry about, but I guess you gotta make the call , it's a big chunk of money and moving to the other side of the world aint cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kifter88 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I will find out for you this weekend mate, iv got a feeling they might have to be in date for your vetassess as you have to give them all your certs, with regards to taking them over you might as well whipe your arse with them, the great thing over there is when you do get qualified you dont have to go back every 5 yrs which is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kifter88 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Just got back from my last week of gap training, had a whole weekend of tests on water gas drains and white card, i have been given my cert from swindburn uni that arrived today, all i have to do is get over there and get my license, we was given information for every state about where to get the license from, so when i get there i know where i have to go, i can put it on if anyone wants it. All i can say is you will need to do this course here or when you get there that is a fact and iv looked on this site and a guy in oz went over without it and payed $2000 but he also knows a guy that payed $5000 and had to wait around 6months until he was ready. I know £3000 is a lot of money but im so glad i have got it out the way. my advice to any plumber that wants to go over and hasnt got a clue about what to do is get on it, i can see how people might think this is a stunt to get people on the course but trust me it aint, i honestly dont care if no one takes my advice thats totaly up to you, i can only tell people what i think.well its time to pack my bags ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ywool Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 so mr down under tradie did you get that job from the guy in Melbourne??? or any other job for that matter???? doubt it been there, skype interview, big promises if we did course we would get job???? I smell a rat or a scam!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Have to say the plumbers i have spoken to have said all is quiet and not many looking to take anyone on in the near future yet people i speak to say its a nitemare trying to get a plumber out. chap here says he had a plumb biz in sydney and it bottomed out.. pay seems to be btw 25-35 dols per hr. working on new builds I dont know much about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kifter88 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 well you just keep sniffing that rat you plonker, like i said i DO NOT care if no one takes my advice if you think this is some scam well the only fool is you mate. you just carry on with what you are doing and ill keep you posted, did you do your gap training over there if so how much did you pay, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jak2503 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) well you just keep sniffing that rat you plonker, like i said i DO NOT care if no one takes my advice if you think this is some scam well the only fool is you mate. you just carry on with what you are doing and ill keep you posted, did you do your gap training over there if so how much did you pay, mate you have been well and truly had, i spoke to qld plumbing today and they informed me unless you have a cert 4 plumbers and drainers ticket you will not be given a licence, if you have a vettasess cert which is basicly a cert 3 in plumbing then you will get a provisional licence, its as black and white as that. there is currently no one licencesed to give gap training in the uk, vettasses only do assessments to make sure you meet the required standars for immigration, oh and by the way a white card can be done over the internet for 45 bucks and takes half an hour. also any experiance you think you have got probably isnt worth much over here, unless your hands on with aus tools and products your not getting experiance, sorry to be blunt but thats how it is. get used to it or dont bother trying here, aus is full of red tape and bull laws and regulations, you cant get round them so you just have to accept them. Edited March 15, 2012 by jak2503 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jak2503 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 "Participants who have successfully completed Part A AND Part B can then apply for their Certificate III Plumbing qualification through Swinburne University, and apply for Journeyman Registration" just been on there site, "tradies down under" what a load of bollocks, sorry but a vettasses assessment gives you the equivilent of a cert 3 , you need the cert 4 to get the full licence, sorry but thats the reality of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ywool Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Who's the plonker now??? That's exactly what we found out went down the road with this company and thankfully found out just in time it was a scam they even went as far as getting a guy to skype us about job in oz who said he would give us a job if we completed course. He said he was from a reputable company but would not put anything in writing so we dug further and were advised by various plumbing commissions that it was useless you still have to do oz regs course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 easier to become a brain surgeon than plumber here in WA :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ywool Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Lego an is it really that bad??? Seriously having second thoughts about it now! Hearing nothing but horror stories even saw plumbers from uk and Ireland advertising on job rapido practically begging for work and as we are bringing kids worried it will all go belly up on us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Listen, go for it 100%, the red tape is awful and by the aussie own words the standard of workmanship is shocking, ( looked at a chaps hot water unit y,day to find his hob connected to 1 meter and his hot water connected to another meter next door in block of flats. turns out he been paying the hot water bills of the family next door for 11 years!!! whilst he lived alone ) I hear they are standardising the regs across australia and implementing the WA methods,. get here, do what needs to be done and put your skills on the market. dont believe the hype about mega money its not and with the cost of living high dont think you will be rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jak2503 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Listen, go for it 100%, the red tape is awful and by the aussie own words the standard of workmanship is shocking, ( looked at a chaps hot water unit y,day to find his hob connected to 1 meter and his hot water connected to another meter next door in block of flats. turns out he been paying the hot water bills of the family next door for 11 years!!! whilst he lived alone ) I hear they are standardising the regs across australia and implementing the WA methods,. get here, do what needs to be done and put your skills on the market. dont believe the hype about mega money its not and with the cost of living high dont think you will be rich. im looking forward to the regs going national, hopefuly it will make life easier in qld, your right about the money though, and rich we are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Jay Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hi. Just wondering if you could tell me more about this course as my husband is thinking of doing it. Now you have completed it, have you been given any contacts for jobs etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 hi everyone hoping someone could help as in a pickle. my husband is a gas fitter apprentice trained 15 years experience , city guilds level 3 in gas fitting and plumbing we are just about to pay trades down under 3000 for the course , however reading this forum don't know what to do for the best as seems more geared to plumbing and also have been told 10 jobs there as other people have stated they have been told. currently house is up for sale and were trying to get visa sponsorship with 2 children aged 9 and 5 are we coin the right thing ? many thanks for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ywool Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 It's a scam we have been looking into this since last nov and contacted every plumbing board in oz all said same. We also had the carrot dangled with 10 jobs in December and checked out company concerned and their website mo jobs posted and no one in human resources knows anything about it. Make up ur own mind we r just glad our money is still in our bank and feel we had a narrow escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Jay Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 hi everyone hoping someone could help as in a pickle. my husband is a gas fitter apprentice trained 15 years experience , city guilds level 3 in gas fitting and plumbing we are just about to pay trades down under 3000 for the course , however reading this forum don't know what to do for the best as seems more geared to plumbing and also have been told 10 jobs there as other people have stated they have been told. currently house is up for sale and were trying to get visa sponsorship with 2 children aged 9 and 5 are we coin the right thing ? many thanks for any help We are in exactly the same boat - we have our PR visa, and my husbands skills as a plumber were assessed by TRA. We just thought that doing this course would save us having to wait to get on a course in Oz. Really not sure what to do for the best now. My husband is also a fully qualified gas engineer over here and wants to go into the mines in Oz. Can anybody help as really don't want to part with the £3k if it is not going to help us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Jay Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 It's a scam we have been looking into this since last nov and contacted every plumbing board in oz all said same. We also had the carrot dangled with 10 jobs in December and checked out company concerned and their website mo jobs posted and no one in human resources knows anything about it. Make up ur own mind we r just glad our money is still in our bank and feel we had a narrow escape. I know this is cheeky, but we want to go to Queensland too. How did you manage to get a job offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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