Firefighter / Fire safety & Childcare Training employment advice

[C4rlyb]

Hello All,

 

My family and I will be emigrating to Adelaide from the UK in March 2015.

My other half has been a Firefighter in the London Fire Brigade for 13 years now and is keen to get back into the fire service in SA. Does anyone have any information or advice on potential recruitment drives for the SA fire service? He would also be interested in employment within the Fire Safety & Security sector or Fire Safety Training. Does anyone know of any companies he could contact or have any advice on what areas if employment he could explore in case the Fire Service are not recruiting for a while?

 

As for myself, I have worked in the Early Years sector for about 15 years and worked my way up to co- managing a crèche in a major shopping centre in the UK. I have also been a Childcare Assessor at a training company for over 8 years and have been working as Lead Internal Quality Assurer (IQA/IV) in the company For the last 4 years. I have a level 4 diploma in Early Years and a degree in Childhood and Youth studies.

I would be very interested in finding a position within a childcare training organisation in SA if anyone has any advice, guidance or useful information I would be grateful. I am also happy to go back into aChildcare environment as a nursery / day care assistant.

 

Would also welcome chatting with anyone employed in theEarly Years sector.

 

We are looking to live in the Seaview Downs area but am happy to travel for work, so location is flexible.

 

look forward to reading your responses. Thanks

 

 

Visa granted 07/10/2014

Flights booked for 14/03/2015

Carly - Quality Assurance / Childcare trainer & Assessor

Chris - Firefighter

Abbie - 13 yrs old

Kian - 10 yrs old

Jaimie - 8 yrs old

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Hi Carly,

Welcome!

My OH also worked in the Fire and Emergency Services before we moved here.

Fire Services are split between Metropolitan fire and rescue and the Country Fire Service. There are also some possibilities within the airport fire service.

My hubby was also a fire safety officer for the last 7 years of his overseas service. What rank is Chris?

I remember my OH applying for a position as a training officer within the country fire service here. There is a very large volunteer force and it was something that he had done overseas. He's an associate member of IFE. They didn't even give him an interview! When he contacted them to find out why they said that they were not allowed to employ him as a training officer within Australia because he didn't have a Certificate 4 in training and assessment. He then went to TAFE for a year to get this despite him having fire service "train the trainer" qualifications. No point in banging your head against a wall...just give them what they want!

There are a number of fire equipment companies that may be useful as a stop gap job between the recruitment times that the brigades have.

Best of luck with your move.

If you want to get hold of us next year and if we can help you please let me know.

 

Tamara

[DougM]

Have asked a 'friend-in the-know' to contact you via pm. Hopefully your questions will be answered.

[Linda21]

Hi Carly,

 

We're across at the moment on our reccie and on my 2nd day here I managed to get a job within an Early Years Centre. Although I am a qualified teacher in the UK, they are taking me initially as an unqualified assistant until my qualifications are assessed by ACECQA (which I will try to do from the UK), then a qualified assistant and then once I do my 0-2 training with them there is a teacher position for me. I just contacted them onspec so feel really lucky!

[C4rlyb]

Hi all, thank you for your replies.

Tamara, any additional info you may have on what your OH does within the fire service that would be great. I have an assessor qualification and IQA qualification already so if Chris needed to do that it would be fairly easy to organise. He is just Firefighter rank although has been acting up as crew manager for past year or so. Do you know of any fire equipment companies that we could contact at all?

Doug - that would be brilliant thank you, what does your friend do?

Linda - well done you that's fantastic news. I had my qualifications assessed with ACECQA last year and am equivalent of diploma level 4. I would need to go back to uni to top up my degree to obtain teacher status so may try and do that once I get to Adelaide. Sounds promising though and good to know that Early Years jobs are readily available. If you need any help with the ACECQA application let me know I am currently helping one of our ex learners who has moved to Melbourne and is trying to get hers done at the moment. when are you hoping to move and settle in Adelaide?

 

Thanks again x

[DougM]

Hi Carly, sorry to say my friend isn't 'in the know' about your situation and can't help.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Hi all, thank you for your replies.

Tamara, any additional info you may have on what your OH does within the fire service that would be great. I have an assessor qualification and IQA qualification already so if Chris needed to do that it would be fairly easy to organise. He is just Firefighter rank although has been acting up as crew manager for past year or so. Do you know of any fire equipment companies that we could contact at all?

Doug - that would be brilliant thank you, what does your friend do?

Linda - well done you that's fantastic news. I had my qualifications assessed with ACECQA last year and am equivalent of diploma level 4. I would need to go back to uni to top up my degree to obtain teacher status so may try and do that once I get to Adelaide. Sounds promising though and good to know that Early Years jobs are readily available. If you need any help with the ACECQA application let me know I am currently helping one of our ex learners who has moved to Melbourne and is trying to get hers done at the moment. when are you hoping to move and settle in Adelaide?

 

Thanks again x

 

Hi Carly,

My OH is not currently in the fire service due to illness.

If Chris did want to go into the training side he could perhaps get RPL credits (recognised prior learning) towards the training and assessment qualification. The training qualification would also give access to other fields such as community education, various non profit trusts for burns education etc. Did he focus upon community education or fire safety code enforcement?

If Chris does decide to do the training and assessment please let me know. I know that my OH still has his old notes from the course as he supplied them to friends of ours who had to do the qualification for child care training. It might make things a little easier and that's what it's all about when you need those Dollars to come in!

There are many fire companies that offer a range of services from training to fire equipment maintenance.

Examples are Trojan, Compliant, Spectrum etc. Do a google search and many pop up. It might also be an idea to ask on this site as I know that a previous guests of mine does work for a fire service company.

My OH often scans the newspapers, Career One and Seek and there have been loads of jobs over the past few years.

 

The Government of South Australia web site address is: http://www.vacancies.sa.gov.au/NOVPUblic/asp/public/Home.aspx

They have a set format for submission of applications and it might be a good idea to see what they are looking for so that you can get things ready before you get here. Don't let Chris be put off by their jargon and list of requirements! They often have seasonal positions listed as well but not within easy commute!

Hope this helps...

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

The Adelaide Metropolitan Fire Service were advertising for firefighters in this weekends jobs section of the newspaper:

 

All the details are also provided on their web site:

 

There is a very detailed explanation of the requirements at: http://www.mfs.sa.gov.au/site/join_us/fulltime_firefighters.jsp

 

Basic Search FieldsSearch Term

Full-Time Firefighters

 

 

Applications are now being accepted for Firefighter positions within the MFS.

 

To apply, click here Applications close at 5.00pm Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT) Friday 28 November 2014.

 

Late applications will not be accepted.

 

 

Potential applicants are advised that the first stage of the assessment program (PAT 1 - Shuttle Run) will not commence until late January 2015. This is however, subject to change without notice.

 

Care has been taken to ensure that this website provides you with all the information you will require. We therefore ask that you please ensure that you have read all the information provided.

 

Telephone inquiries will be referred back to this website where necessary.

 

 

 

 

[Jessica Berry]

There was an article in the paper this week regarding the recruiting for firefighters, as Tamara has posted above. It says the MFS hasn't recruited since 2011 and they are expecting to receive more than 1,500 applications for 18 places. There was also an advert on seek recently for firefighters but you required Australian Citizenship to apply. I would suggest it may be a good idea to have a backup plan, which you have already mentioned, for employment.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Jessica Berry
typo!

[Jessica Berry]

The Northern Territory are now advertising for firefighters. I would expect that a fair few people applying to the South Australia MFS will also apply to the NT, not because they want to live in the NT specifically but because they want to be a firefighter and there is a lot of competition for the jobs.

 

http://www.seek.com.au/job/27699608