Working in auz

[Harbour]

Hi there was just wondering of anyone had any stories or info on working in auz,
I'm 27 fully qualified sparks started pretty much from school so got quite abut of experience. I want to go to perth on a year working visa to see if i line it and then if i like it maybe try get sponsored and stay,but have been told with out my OTSR ( offshore technical skills record) will be hard to get recognition for my Certs from uk which I think will cost about £1600. Just wanted to see if any one else has been down this route and if yes the way they went about it.
Cheers

 

[Jabbajaws]

Its a shame you dont have a relative out there because that would help you visa and also strengthen your case if you want citizenship later on.

My ex-wife's father did this.

Two other things.

1. A criminal record may prevent you entering at all. (dont think speeding offences etc count but dont quote me on that.

2. The temperatures in lofts out there can be unbearable in temperatures reaching over 90 degrees F, and a little visitor which is highly poisonous of the 8-legged variety is quite common in lofts in Oz.

Good Luck... If you can do it then go for it...

 

[ian.settle1]

Don't think you will be working as a spark as you need an Oz licence to do electrical work which may mean you have to work as a mate until you get it.

Try this link UK qualified Electricians working in Australia : British Expat Discussion Forum

 

[Maddison]

I'm working in oz at the moment as a mate on a big prison new build. Yeah ideally you'll be working toward getting your A grade license but there is a hell of a lot of work for sparkies and mates out here. Recommend getting your trade recognition before coming out as that will save you effing around when your here. But you'll need to do a regs course equivalent to gain your license which the quickest way is doing it in Adelaide. I'm working in darwin and a lot of us are having to fly down to Adelaide (5 hours ) just to sit a regs course so bear that in mind but you can just work as a mate just make sure you bring your Certs with you. You'll earn a hell of a lot more out here too. Yeah it costs more to live here but you'll earn a lot more too. Best decision I made coming here on a working holiday. Hopefully going down the skilled migration route and getting full time residency. Hope this helps

 

[Engineer54]

As far as i'm aware, if you go to Oz on a 12 month working Visa, then you can't extend or transfer that visa to a permanent/residence visa, you have to return to the UK and apply again, going through all the appropriate channels. Very handy to get all your Aussie certification done while on that 12 month visa mind, it will go a long way in smoothing the passage when re-applying for that Oz residence visa in the UK!!

 

[BLBelfast]

I am in Perth on a working holiday visa. I am a time served approved electrician. The way people are telling me is I need to get my skills recognised through ARTC. Don't even know how to go about this as the internet is filled with conflicting stories.

Then I have to get a A grade licence, again I have no idea how to go about this, and get a oz logbook with 1000 hours or work here logged. If I can't get work with an Aussie company how is this possible lol?

Any help appreciated

 

[Jay Sparks]

As far as I know, you will be classed as a TA (trades assistant) then you would need to go to college for around 6 to 12 months to get your licence. Its just basically getting to know their regs and wiring systems. I have heard its a piece of pish if you are a qualified expat sparks.

Jay

P.S. As a TA, you would earn the same as a qualified sparks in the UK. Then with your A licence it goes up to around 40K, depending on the area.

 

[Engineer54]

As far as I know, you will be classed as a TA (trades assistant) then you would need to go to college for around 6 to 12 months to get your licence. Its just basically getting to know their regs and wiring systems. I have heard its a piece of pish if you are a qualified expat sparks.

Jay

P.S. As a TA, you would earn the same as a qualified sparks in the UK. Then with your A licence it goes up to around 40K, depending on the area.

Nooooo, ....Depending on if your qualifications and experience have been accepted, all you need to do, is attend and pass a regulations course. (similar to 17th regulation course) You then are required to gain a years experience under the supervision of a contracting company/registered full ''A'' grade electrician!!


So much for what the UK asks for, next to nothing!! And even that can be circumvented by joining a Part Pee Scheme Provider with an open book 2 day course and exam!!

Bringing the same sort of Electricians Registration process, to that, that the Aussies have, can't come a moment too soon to the UK!! lol!!

 

[Jay Sparks]

Nooooo, ....Depending on if your qualifications and experience have been accepted, all you need to do, is attend and pass a regulations course. (similar to 17th regulation course) You then are required to gain a years experience under the supervision of a contracting company/registered full ''A'' grade electrician!!


So much for what the UK asks for, next to nothing!! And even that can be circumvented by joining a Part Pee Scheme Provider with an open book 2 day course and exam!!

Bringing the same sort of Electricians Registration process, to that, that the Aussies have, can't come a moment too soon to the UK!! lol!!

I was nearly right.lol
I have looked into this myself a few years ago. You even have to sit an exam in London to prove your competency but again, from what I've heard, its equivalent to a 2330 level 1/2 exercise.
And I'm not sure if it has changed since but a while back, you couldn't even work in certain parts of Oz without the A licence. You would have to gain your licence in say Perth, then you could work in say Brisbane.

 

[Maddison]

As a TA you earn a lot more than a qualified sparky in the uk. We were earning only $4 less an hour than the A grade sparkies. Give skill shortage solutions a call they will sort it for you tell you what evidence you need. That's who I went through. As long as you got NVQ 3 AM2 references etc you'll be ok, will cost around 1600 dollars. 600 to skill shortage, 930 to trade recognition australia. If they accept your application then it's just a regs course you'll need to sit. Cost 700 dollars but is really hard and needs a lot of revision. It's not a walk in the park 17th edition. Lots of calculations on three phase. Star delta. slip percentages on motors. Volt drop. Etc etc all the best hope this helps abit

 

[SparksNZ]

Just be aware that there are six different states in Australia, and they don't all automatically recognise each others licences. I think they are working toward a common licencing system to allow geographical migration of workers, but not sure if it has been implemented yet. The other thing to be aware of is that there are different classes of licence (to be ascertained dependent on state) depending on fields of expertise. If you have only had domestic experience, you may have limitations on the kind of electrical work that you can do. Before you travel half way around the world, just check that you have the relevent experience to fulfill any mining positions of interest, would be heartbreaking to go all that way only to be the stop/go lollypop person in 50 degree heat at the main gate for the mine. The electrical bible is AS/NZS 3000:2007 incorporating Amendments 1 & 2 (equivalent to UK's 17th edition) and can be purchased online in hard cover, spiral bound, mobile or PDF from this link...

SAI InfoStore ? Standards, Legislation, Codes and Technical Information

or from Standards New Zealand, as we both share the same bible, just not the same registration or licencing however. There will be regulations and a parliamentary act as well, though not sure on the Australian version. The NZ versions are free online though.

Good luck with your endeavours

 

[garrywatters]

As sparksNZ said. You can get your licence in South Australia but it won't be recognised in Northern Territories or Western Australia. Queensland licence is only recognised in Queensland and not in the other states/territorries. So pick which state/territory you want to work in and go from there!