Electrician out for a pre-move recky

[808shaun808]

Hello, my family and I are coming out in February for our pre-move survey. We are planning to move to Adelaide around September, October once our eldest has completed his college course and our middle lad has finished his GCSE,s.

I am an electrical contractor with a good few years experience, I have designed, supervised and carried out a wide selection of projects.

I have read a number of posts on various forums which basically describe the process of obtaining an electrical licence as a bit of a challenge. I for one love a challenge but first however I feel you need to get a job which for me I feel is probably the hard part.

Any way while we are out on our recky it would be great to perhaps meet up with any would be employers or any electricians that have gone through this exiting challenge.

I'm not usually this forward but if you don't ask you don't get, as my Nan used to say.

Thanks for taking the time to read my plea, it would be great to listen to some else's story.

All the best

Shaun

[Gumster]

Hello, my family and I are coming out in February for our pre-move survey. We are planning to move to Adelaide around September, October once our eldest has completed his college course and our middle lad has finished his GCSE,s.

I am an electrical contractor with a good few years experience, I have designed, supervised and carried out a wide selection of projects.

I have read a number of posts on various forums which basically describe the process of obtaining an electrical licence as a bit of a challenge. I for one love a challenge but first however I feel you need to get a job which for me I feel is probably the hard part.

Any way while we are out on our recky it would be great to perhaps meet up with any would be employers or any electricians that have gone through this exiting challenge.

I'm not usually this forward but if you don't ask you don't get, as my Nan used to say.

Thanks for taking the time to read my plea, it would be great to listen to some else's story.

All the best

Shaun

 

hi Shaun I've PM you

[DarkfireUK]

Hi I'm an electrician too, finally making the move in Feb 22nd/23rd & plan to start the ordeal of obtaining my A class licence! Would be great to meet up if you're still about.

Regards Leigh

[808shaun808]

Hi I'm an electrician too, finally making the move in Feb 22nd/23rd & plan to start the ordeal of obtaining my A class licence! Would be great to meet up if you're still about.

Regards Leigh

 

HI Leigh

 

We are there until the 28 th Feb so if you want to meet for a beer that would be great.

Have you made any progress on the work front? To be honest it's going to be a bit alien to me as I have owned my own business for the last 15 years.

I'm contemplating doing the gap training in the UK but it's really expensive, but it may reduce the time it takes to obtain a license.

Any way thanks for the reply Leigh if your not to busy it would be good to see.

 

Kind regards

 

Shaun

Edited January 26, 2014 by 808shaun808

[DarkfireUK]

Hey mate,

 

not got a job or anything lined up yet, joined SEEk and been looking around for what jobs are on offer, not applied for anything yet as when we arrive we got plenty to sort out and we want a few weeks of chilling out,

 

looking forward to having a bit of time off as not really managed a holiday last year with all that was going on, money was a bit short as well with paying for visa, ielts, medical, police check, vetasses, agency and finishing house ready to get it on the market and sold...

 

looking into doing a course in Site coatings inspection NACE LEVEL 1 + 2 and then a welding inspection course and getting out of engineering and electrics altogether..

 

I just wanna get over there now and get all this behind me and start a new life..

 

regards

 

Leigh

Edited January 26, 2014 by DarkfireUK

[808shaun808]

Hey mate,

 

not got a job or anything lined up yet, joined SEEk and been looking around for what jobs are on offer, not applied for anything yet as when we arrive we got plenty to sort out and we want a few weeks of chilling out,

 

looking forward to having a bit of time off as not really managed a holiday last year with all that was going on, money was a bit short as well with paying for visa, ielts, medical, police check, vetasses, agency and finishing house ready to get it on the market and sold...

 

looking into doing a course in Site coatings inspection NACE LEVEL 1 + 2 and then a welding inspection course and getting out of engineering and electrics altogether..

 

I just wanna get over there now and get all this behind me and start a new life..

 

regards

 

Leigh

 

Hey Leigh

 

Yes it's a lot to sort out isn't it. We have just sold our house and living in rented accommodation. I know what you mean about the money it's cost us a small fortune but hopefully it will be all worth it.

Wow changing your career is a brave move but I guess if you have to jump through all the hoops to be an electrician you may as well do it to do something else.

Good luck with your courses. I have considered retraining but I'm not sure what to do.

 

Regards

[Jessica Berry]

I'm contemplating doing the gap training in the UK but it's really expensive, but it may reduce the time it takes to obtain a license.

 

I am certainly not an expert in the electrician field, so someone else who works in this sector and has been through the requirements may be able to offer a different perspective, but sometimes doing the courses here at the right place can have benefits and lead to work/opportunities. I used to work in Adelaide as a Trainer and Assessor (in a different field) and we regularly had employers contacting us about employment opportunities and wanting me to put forward students that were suitable. I have a friend that also works in another sector as a trainer and she also puts students forward to employers. By doing the course here you will gain local knowledge and information. I know of someone that attended a course and they were meeting me afterwards, but the course finished earlier than expected so they had some time to kill, they asked the trainer about potential jobs and the trainer recommended them to try a certain place, so they went and asked and they were offered a job there and then.

[808shaun808]

Hi Jessica

 

Thanks for your interesting comments. The only reason I am contemplating doing the gap training here is to reduce my down time when we finally arrive. I agree with you about doing the training in Oz as it could open doors.

Thanks again

[minty]

Hi all. If you have done vetassess to get your visa then it's best to do the gap training here. Trying to find an RTO who will recognise the off shore courses is a nightmare. They will just end up assessing you again, remember it's the RTO here who issue you your cert 3 so they want to make sure. Even if you did you will still have to do your on shore diary here before you get your unrestricted licence. This has to be Oz work only. The gap training is a 3 week course at PEER followed by completing your on shore workplace diary. The old TRA route is no more. The good news is the gap training in SA is funded so free. If you want more info or to chat with a sparky here or just have a beer drop me a PM.

 

Good luck,

 

Chris.

Edited January 26, 2014 by minty

[DarkfireUK]

That sounds great chris,

 

Don't want to hijack this thread but hope to speak and have beer soon if thats ok chris..

 

Thanks

 

Regards

 

Leigh

[Guest polg1983]

Hi all. If you have done vetassess to get your visa then it's best to do the gap training here. Trying to find an RTO who will recognise the off shore courses is a nightmare. They will just end up assessing you again, remember it's the RTO here who issue you your cert 3 so they want to make sure. Even if you did you will still have to do your on shore diary here before you get your unrestricted licence. This has to be Oz work only. The gap training is a 3 week course at PEER followed by completing your on shore workplace diary. The old TRA route is no more. The good news is the gap training in SA is funded so free. If you want more info or to chat with a sparky here or just have a beer drop me a PM.

 

Good luck,

 

Chris.

 

 

Hi mate, just a quick question on your comment about the courses being funded? is there a website i can find out more about the funding for skilled sponsored migrants.

[Jessica Berry]

We are planning to move to Adelaide around September, October once our eldest has completed his college course and our middle lad has finished his GCSE,s.

 

I'm not usually this forward but if you don't ask you don't get, as my Nan used to say.

 

Nov/Dec/Jan are generally the more difficult times to find work, as Adelaide 'shuts down' over the Christmas/summer school holiday period and things start winding down in November. Just something to consider if you are planning on coming over in Sept/Oct and then undertake your training when you arrive, you will heading into this period.

 

I agree with your Nan! As a new migrant you need to be able to step outside of your comfort zone and like your Nan used to say if you don't ask you don't get. The Aussies are usually very friendly and will help you out, but if you take the p*ss you often won't get a second chance. I know migrants that have burnt their bridges with employers (and they often have no idea what they have done!) because they don't understand the way things work over here.

 

While you are over I would recommend getting The Advertiser on a Saturday and checking out the job supplement.

[808shaun808]

Nov/Dec/Jan are generally the more difficult times to find work, as Adelaide 'shuts down' over the Christmas/summer school holiday period and things start winding down in November. Just something to consider if you are planning on coming over in Sept/Oct and then undertake your training when you arrive, you will heading into this period.

 

I agree with your Nan! As a new migrant you need to be able to step outside of your comfort zone and like your Nan used to say if you don't ask you don't get. The Aussies are usually very friendly and will help you out, but if you take the p*ss you often won't get a second chance. I know migrants that have burnt their bridges with employers (and they often have no idea what they have done!) because they don't understand the way things work over here.

 

While you are over I would recommend getting The Advertiser on a Saturday and checking out the job supplement.

 

Thanks Jessica. The holiday period is interesting, over here in the UK this is usually a very busy time for electricians as a the schools, colleges and councils etc carry out their maintenance and upgrading.

I take in board the p*ss taking bit, I totally understand. I have employed a few electricians in my time and had it taken out of me a few times, needless to say word gets about fast. Any way it's not in my nature.

I will.look at the advertiser when we are over thanks for the tip.

What's your story Jessica, are you from the UK if so how has your experience been?

Cheers

Shaun & Karina

[Jessica Berry]

Thanks Jessica. The holiday period is interesting, over here in the UK this is usually a very busy time for electricians as a the schools, colleges and councils etc carry out their maintenance and upgrading.

I take in board the p*ss taking bit, I totally understand. I have employed a few electricians in my time and had it taken out of me a few times, needless to say word gets about fast. Any way it's not in my nature.

I will.look at the advertiser when we are over thanks for the tip.

What's your story Jessica, are you from the UK if so how has your experience been?

Cheers

Shaun & Karina

 

I am not sure what electricians workload would be like over this period, but certainly brickies and other tradies would have a break over this period and work would generally slow down. If you were a casual/temp contract worker this is also a time when you might get laid off for a couple of months. A lot of businesses shut down over the Christmas/New Year period and will have at least 2 weeks off. Major construction projects will often completely shut down over this period, there will be people working on these projects that have come from all around Australia and this is the time to go home and be with their families. Parents take time off through January as it is the kids summer school holidays.

 

Yes I am from the UK, we have been here almost 7 years now. My OH works in IT so we came as a result of his skills. We sold up in the UK, our property, all the furniture, took the equity and ran! We arrived in Adelaide with 3 suitcases and 2 holdalls (basically our clothes and shoes), with nowhere to live, no jobs and not knowing anyone in Adelaide and got stuck in! We have had a few ups and downs along the way, probably no different to most people, but we feel we have a good life here and we still think Adelaide has plenty to offer people. It isn't for everyone and I think some people come with unrealistic expectations about life in Adelaide/Australia and then can be disappointed. I am not sure whether programs like Wanted Down Under help or hinder in this process! I was also talking to a couple not long ago that were over on a reccie and I was very concerned about the information they had been given at a migration seminar in the UK about the availability of jobs in their sector and also the salaries they were told they were going to earn, which in my experience and knowledge of the Adelaide job market was wildly inaccurate.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Jessica Berry

[808shaun808]

Yes I do agree with your point of view on the tv programs in the uk. They do seem to fluff it up a bit and make it look like you have more play than work.

This will be our second visit in 3 years and I came out about 20 years ago with my parents so I know Adelaide reasonably well.

I have relatives and some friends so wont feel quite as isolated as you guys did.

Myself and my wife have a pretty good work ethic so as long as we get a chance I'm sure we will be fine. Both of us have some really good friends so that will be hard to leave behind.

We have already sold our house and currently are living in a rental so other than getting the kids through their school year and me striking a deal with my buisiness we are good to go.

Thanks for your reply

Kind regards

Shaun & Karina

[minty]

Hi mate, just a quick question on your comment about the courses being funded? is there a website i can find out more about the funding for skilled sponsored migrants.

 

The gap training for SA migrants is funded through skills for all.

[Guest Ianhemenz]

Hello shaun

when you get back would be interested to hear how it went there, I'm also an electrician starting on that long road, got my ielts next week and would really like some info as to what it is like on the ground there. Hope you and the family had a nice time

cheers ian

[808shaun808]

Well or reccie went really well and we drove around and around so much we forgot where we had been the day before.

The beaches are fantastic, the people we met were friendly and the weather was great. (Although it did absolutely throw it down the first day and flooded parts of the city)

I was introduced to a local electrician and we chatted about work in Adelaide, he was from the UK and has been there 7 years. He said there are plenty of opportunities for work but you have to jump through all the hoops first. Do the gap training and get your restricted licence, find an employer who is willing to take you on and see you through to getting your full licence. This is the hard bit as he said that there has been so many times were UK or other electricians have been taken on by employers and for one reason or another they have let them down and left. I'm sure there are many people who have not done this but it seems that you will really need to sell yourself to your potential employer and give them confidence in you.

We looked at houses and found that the further you went south the newer the areas with more modern looking properties. We would like a more modern open plan type bungalow Sheidow park and Hallet cove area seemed to fit the bill. There are more areas further south like Aldinga but we felt it was little to far from the city area.

Finding an area that you are happy with is a personal choice and we all have different views and opinions, from what we experienced the newer suburbs are clean, modern and well

Spaced but lacked character (not sure if that's true as we didn't live there, just how it looked).

We stayed near the city in Unley, it was a great location for our visit but probably not where we would chose to live.

Any way I hope this helps I've never done this before, I welcome any comments and good luck to all who are starting their adventure.

Shaun

[Guest Guest12727]

Great post Shaun. Glad you enjoyed your time here.

 

Just wondering whether you looked North, East or West or just concentrated on the South? There are many modern suburbs that are closer in, for example

Mawson Lakes, http://www.mawsonlakesliving.info/

Lightsview, http://www.lightsview.com.au/

Lochiel Park http://www.lochielpark.com.au/lochielpark/

St Clair, http://stclair.net.au/

 

I think these are all within 13km of the CBD. Of course prices are a bit higher due to the central location. There are many pockets like this around Adelaide, where land use has changed into housing and new developments are springing up.

 

In Adelaide, most houses built since the 80s have open plan living and many older properties have been renovated to this style.

 

If you love the areas you have seen that is great, this is just adding extra information for others.

[808shaun808]

HI Howde

 

That's good info for us I can only comment on what we have seen, we only had 2 weeks so couldn't go to all areas.

Ta

[Guest Branksies]

Minty, massively interested in the qualifications and transition - just en route to completing my colour service(Forces) and am currently conducting EAL (Parallel with C&G) Level 2 & 3 + 17th Edn to complete the qual - bearing that its all fresh stuff, is there still a requirement for assessments by VETASSESS or is that accumulated as Accredited prior learning (or RPL)? Although not looking to head over until Jan 16 - to give me time to get as much experience as possible in before conducting the assessments if required. Would also find an embedded source of info highly influential - there is masses of good advice on this forum but i need to start at the beginning or i lose the tracking of the threads of advice. My thanks in advance.

[Jessica Berry]

This article mentions 70 electricians have lost their jobs today, so just worth taking into consideration as I would imagine they would now be looking for work unless they get picked up by other companies once word gets round.

 

 

 

Jobs gone as electrical contractor PSG Services, working on RAH, convention centre upgrade, collapses

 

• by:VALERINA CHANGARATHIL
  
• From: The Advertiser
  
• June 03, 2014 3:23PM
  

 

 

 

 

 

The new Royal Adelaide Hospital construction site on North Tce.Source: News Limited

 

 

 

 

A MAJOR electrical contractor with jobs pending on the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Adelaide Convention Centre upgrade has collapsed, sacking 600 workers nationally, 100 of them in Adelaide.

 

 

Pacific Services Group, which has been placed in administration and receivers appointed, also has unfinished work on the Tonsley Park infrastructure project.

 

Staff at Pacific Services Group’s Klemzig office in SA and workers in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland were informed at a meeting this morning, the Electrical Trades Union said.

 

Staff were told PSG had a $10 million debt and no future.

 

Workers were told financial mismanagement is to blame for the company’s woes and it is yet to be confirmed if employees will receive all of their entitlements.

 

ETU SA organiser Doug Buchanan told The Advertiser about 70 electricians and close to 30 staff lost their jobs immediately.

 

“It happened quite suddenly. People just found out this morning that they have no jobs and everyone’s just running around trying to take it all in and figure out what to do.

 

“They had a number of unfinished jobs around some big projects so we have been talking to the builders on the sites to see if they will rehire them to complete the work,” he said.

 

He said the builders did not anticipate delays on the projects due to the development.

 

PSG had delivered multimillion-dollar contracts on the Adelaide desalination plant and the Hindmarsh Entertainment Centre and the $80 million cutting-edge Learning Centre for the University of South Australia, which opened in May.

 

About 200 staff in Victoria and a similar number in Tasmania have lost their jobs.

 

KordaMentha have been appointed receivers of PSG and PPB Advisory as the administrators.

 

KordaMentha will look at recovering money for its clients by selling PSG’s two manufacturing plants in Melbourne and Queensland where it produced electrical equipment.

 

A comment from the administrators is being sought.

 

Also today, administrators of the struggling Custom Coaches business at Royal Park announced 50 full-time employees, including 19 in Adelaide, would lose their jobs with immediate effect.

 

“Unfortunately, current and future sales and manufacturing volumes mean there is insufficient work for around 18 per cent of the workforce and it has been necessary to make 50 employees redundant with immediate effect,” said Vaughan Strawbridge from Deloitte Restructuring Services.

[KennyKen]

Heard about that. Builders are looking to employ them just to finish job which makes a lot of sense. As I am one of those unfortunate sparkies looking for work. I hope they come to some agreement.

[808shaun808]

That doesn't sound very good for me. I'm coming out in 2 months.

Kennyken hi

What's your take on getting work in Adelaide.

I'm a bit concerned!!!!!!

[KennyKen]

Hopefully the builder takes over the electrical contract or if a local SA takes it over there's a possibility of further employment as pacific service group was not based in SA and had quite a lot of interstate sparkies on the job. Shaun I'm not going to lie bit the process for sparkies is ****. The 3 month gap training is making it next to impossible to become employed. But hard work pays off! I've been networking and contemplating working for free to get my foot in the door! It be ok though I found work in UK during bleak times!