Is it really that bad ?

[Littledragon]

Ive been reading though the forums and everything i read tells me that moving to oz is a bad idea ! My oh is a carpenter and so many saying they have had little or no work since moving to sa ??

What is realy going on out there ? are we setting our family up for heart ache bringing them out there ?

How hard is it really to find work? and when you do find work can you live on the wages without having kk's and kk's in the bank to live on ?

Realy finding this stressful reading there is no work about !!

[D&L]

Hi LittleDragon

Everyone's experiences are different, and you'll find on forums that it tends to display the negative more than the positive as people struggling/having a hard time feel the need to 'get it off their chest' more than people having an easy time of it.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on carpentry work as neither of us have any experience of it. I'd suggest looking on gumtree, and the job sites for Adelaide (can't think what they're called off the top of my head) and see if there are many jobs in the areas you want. This will only give you an idea if there are jobs, but not if there are loads of people going for them, of course! I think there is a recruitment consultant who deals with trades too, so it might be worth googling for them and dropping them an email before you arrive to see what the prospects are (although if you're not due here for another 18months, that might be a waste of time as things change!).

HTH

D&L

PS, we're having a great time, but DH had a job lined up before we came and we have no kids - so totally different circumstances to you, so figured it's irrelevant to your query!

[Weez]

D&L I have to disagree with you saying people need to get things off their chests when things are bad for them, i wish when we came here we knew how different the work side of things would be, we read so many stories about how good things were and how work was better, more money less hours etc, well i can speak for quite a few tradies and i know that this is not true, work here is hard for them, even before the recession kicked in. ozzie tradies seem to be very competitive and will stop at nothing to be the top dog on site, employers are complete arses who will do anything to not pay up when the job is done! I think people recently on this site and other forums have finally come out of the woodwork and have started saying 'hey its hard, this is what is actually like' but then again you can't expect to move to another country and to think that work is gonna be exactly the same, its a long hard slog and we are finding that more and more tradies are getting out of the job and training up to do other work. we love it here and would want to be any where else but if i could change the struggle i have had to see my OH go thru again and again to provide for his family then i would seriously think twice about moving out here.
Anyway this is just my opinion, i am not get things of my chest i just am telling people what i wish was told to us before we moved, and also this is just our experience...who knows how it will be for others.....just think very carefully, no amount of research will prepare you for it.

[D&L]

Well, fair enough, Weez. It was just my experience, as I've never felt the need to post an OP where I've not been asking for advice etc....as in, I've never felt the need to post that we're having a great time, and it's been pretty easy so far. And, I vaguely remember seeing a sticky/post where people were encouraged to post updates when they've been having an easier time of it as hardly anyone was coming back to do so, it was just people who needed advice/support and weren't having a good time of it, giving quite a 'negative' overview of the whole thing. Bad news gets people talking, good news just gets aknowledged.

I also said I had no experience of tradies, but was trying to advise research should be done. Think I'll just go back to asking questions and not offering advice.

[johnosmad]

I have to say that there is almost always work wherever you go, just depends how much you want to find it, have to agree with D&L a bit when they said there is a lot of negativity, I have moved around a couple of times over the years and find that if you are willing to try hard then you will be o'k.

Some people just aren't cut out for moving and when they do they just look for the negatives because it is not what they saw on some TV program, I have met a hell of a lot more people who are doing well over here than people who are struggling.

Granted, there may be times in the beginning when people cant find they job they want but there's plenty other temporary jobs they could be getting on with to get by, such as removal work/temp contracts with agencies etc.

www.seek.com.au
www.careerone.com.au
www.gumtree.com.au


Just a couple of places to look for jobs and get an idea

[jomark]

@johnosmad your location says Brisbane, r u still there or in Adelaide??? The OP's post was about the construction industry in adelaide at this moment...no we are not new to adelaide (so im not minny moaning cos its not like the tv programs) and yes have seen some good times working here but AT THE MOMENT it is bad, alot of people we know who have built up many contacts (us being one of them) are struggling....things can get good again as fast as they went bad so to the OP it will be a case of see when u get here...no one will tell you any different cos no one knows...

Jo

[johnosmad]

Hey, I'm coming down to Adelaide in a couple of weeks but have been looking around down there for jobs through agencies and have friends who are there at the moment and I am quietly confident, I guess the point in my post was just from past experience you have to be willing to rough it a bit at the start and maybe do other jobs before getting the one you want, I wasn't in anyway saying it is all good or all bad so apologies if it came over that way. I just don't want people to think that they are signing a death warrant by moving as if I hadn't spoke to people who were doing well/bad I would possibly think twice as well!!!

[jomark]

I just don't want people to think that they are signing a death warrant by moving as if I hadn't spoke to people who were doing well/bad I would possibly think twice as well!!!

fair enough :0) usually im very upbeat about the construction industry in adelaide, just not at the moment :0( seems to be ...when its good its great but when its bad its terrible, im sure the same was said when we were in england :0)

Good luck to the OP
Jo

[Weez]

QUOTE D&L I also said I had no experience of tradies, but was trying to advise research should be done. Think I'll just go back to asking questions and not offering advice.

offer as much advice as you like i was not having a dig, just expressing my opinion, everyone is entitled to them!!
Also it IS hard at the mo especially if you have a family to provide for not much in the way of savings and be told when you go for other jobs you are not licensed, experience or find yourself competing against 100's...yes 100's of other applicants..we love it here and are not budging, i don't discourage anyone from coming and giving it a go, for some it might be easy for others it may be very very hard......just expect the unexpected...oh and wear sun screen!!

[ian mc]

I have been here 14 years and never seen the building trades so bad as just now, this time last year i was saying no to work had too much just now I am working day to day more or less just got enough to keep myself going and still have to have the odd day off during the week.