Western Australia licenced Electrician moving to the UK.

[Joelar]

Hey all, I searched for other threads of this but the threads seem to be a few years old. I'm a 36 year old Electrician from WA with 18 years experience within the large commercial, industrial and mining industry, I've also been a supervisor at times.

The Wife and I are discussing the possibility of moving to the UK for a change soon. She's originally from Southampton and all her family is still there. I'm also a dual national due to my Mum being English so no issues with a VISA. I've got a few questions about transferring my electrical license to the UK.

Firstly what is the job availability like over there currently? I understand the wages are lower then WA but obviously I'm not doing this for money.
From what I've read my WA licence is recognised for a ECS Gold card but I also need:

• ECS Health and Safety Assessment.
• 18th Edition Training Course.

Is this correct?

From what I've read I'm better doing 18th course and then working as an Electricians mate while I complete the rest.

Cheers.

 

[Toploader]

Hey all, I searched for other threads of this but the threads seem to be a few years old. I'm a 36 year old Electrician from WA with 18 years experience within the large commercial, industrial and mining industry, I've also been a supervisor at times.

The Wife and I are discussing the possibility of moving to the UK for a change soon. She's originally from Southampton and all her family is still there. I'm also a dual national due to my Mum being English so no issues with a VISA. I've got a few questions about transferring my electrical license to the UK.

Firstly what is the job availability like over there currently? I understand the wages are lower then WA but obviously I'm not doing this for money.
From what I've read my WA licence is recognised for a ECS Gold card but I also need:

• ECS Health and Safety Assessment.
• 18th Edition Training Course.

Is this correct?

From what I've read I'm better doing 18th course and then working as an Electricians mate while I complete the rest.

Cheers.

Hi

You will an need to have your 18th Edition,
ECS Health and Safety
Electrical BS7671 Qualification

 

[davesparks]

From a practical perspective it would be sensible to spend some time working with a UK electrician just to get a hang of the differences in the way things are done here versus what is done in Australia.

What sort of jobs are you looking for here? Not all jobs require an ECS card.

 

[Joelar]

Hi

You will an need to have your 18th Edition,
ECS Health and Safety
Electrical BS7671 Qualification

Thanks mate. I’ve since contacted ECS and they have advised the best route is the Experienced Workers Assessment which includes everything you’ve mentioned and the AM2E assessment. Only looks to cost around £1500 all up.

From a practical perspective it would be sensible to spend some time working with a UK electrician just to get a hang of the differences in the way things are done here versus what is done in Australia.

What sort of jobs are you looking for here? Not all jobs require an ECS card.

This would be the plan. We’re in the fortunate position of being able to rent our house out here positively geared and I’d also have 3 months paid leave available to me (holidays and long service). Combine this with not having to find anywhere to live initially since we’ll stay at the in-laws.

All this would allow me time to get my qualifications done and find any work I can to gain some experience.

I’ve never been a domestic Electrician expect for a small stint during the 1st year of my apprenticeship (over 17 years ago). I’m happy to do this initially though just to experience the basics.

Ideally I’d try to aim for the commercial/industrial sectors once I have my gold card. That is where my bulk of Australian experience is, although it’s my understanding that containment over there is more involved. This wouldn’t be an issue since I’ve had plenty of experience with this over here. The only thing would be re-learning steel conduit since I haven’t worked with it since my mid 20’s when I was doing mining construction. This wouldn’t be an issue though.

I also used to specialise in testing and commissioning especially in medical area certification testing. Although I’m not sure about the certification specifications for medical in the UK.

At the end of the day I’ll take whatever I can get and then go from there. I’m confident in my ability to learn new skills. I’ve always been able to pick up things quickly.

I’m also well aware wages are much lower but at the end of the day I’m not doing this for the money. My Wife being able to live back home with her family for the first time in 9 years and see her nephew grow up is a good thing.

I also love the UK. I’ve been visiting twice a year since I met my Wife. Granted working there might feel different to holidays but you never know until you’ve tried it.