paulm

Hi I am a QS working in SA been here for 3.5 years. The 'Contractors QS' is a strange being in Oz and is slowly taking shape in the industry as a whole. The role is focused more on Procurement, contracts admin and contract management and then babysitting the useless Australia engineers and project managers so be prepared for a lot of frustration. There are jobs paying avg salaries in SA for Estimator and Contract administrators but there is not much high end or they arent advertised as its all about who you know. In regards to employment its few and far between working for contractors in SA. Contract Administrators are the equivalence to QS's over here. Best bet is to try the consultancy they will usually be interested for UK qualified QS but i doubt very much they will sponsor however its worth a try. As i said Australian contractors are only just realizing the benefit of QS and most specialise in contracts and dispute. Drop me an message if you want any more help. Look at Rider Levett and Bucknall Aquenta Consulting Donald Cant Watts

Hi All, I have just completed the process of buying a plot of land. I would like to recommend Vincent Woodall of Pathway Finance. I dont usually like recommending anyone and I usally have issues with most sales people especially here in Australia (currently arguing with potential housebuilder) All i can say is the Vince has the patience of a Saint and is a true gent. In my opinion most Australian Sales people are out to shaft you and even when you are clued up they still try. I love this country but I cant stand the way they do business. Anyway Vincent goes above and beyond what required really does give you the best deal and actually cares. his number is 0451 596 575.

Hi Given anyone recommend a licensed house builder. i know about all the big ones and have had a terrible experience. Are any expats house builders in Adelaide? Let me know if you can help.

I have been here two years looking too build so land and house

Hi If you email me at paulmcard23@hotmail.com i can organise something for you.

Thats shocking mate I work in the building game over here too and some of these firms are right dodgy characters. If you are still looking for work try formwork carpeter they pay around $29 to $35 and you get 9 hour day plus ot. I would be intrested to know the name of this mob as I run numerous tenders in SA and will look out for them PM me

Hi All I am a QS/Estimator who can offer Full quantity takeoffs, estimates and cost plans for your new home, extensions etc. If you just want the Quantitites to obtain prices or a price estimate for budgeting or if you want a full service of estimate and obtaining actual prices and setting up contracts I can assist at compettive rates. Do you have an investment property in SA? then I can carry out a depreciation schedule for you Save $$$ over the years. Contact me for more info.

I was in a similar position I just got my visa before the rule changed but I got my police checks done before and risked it and got my medical done the day after i lodged.

It can be done maybe setup a few interviews before you come over state in your covering letter you are looking at moving over ASAP. In regards where to live depends on your age etc.

The $150 i quoted includes mobile and internet. I have only ever had one electricity bill for $1000 over the summer months when i was leaving the aircon on most days. My elec bill in a 3 storey two bed town house is usually $320 per qtr gas about $150. I dont pay water or rates as I rent but my gf has her own place and she pays strata etc and i would say $150 pw still covers everything.

In regards to wages per hour for sales assistant on casual your looking at $20 to $25 ph casual and about $40,000 inc super on wages I know this as my Gf worked for a well known retail store. In regards to how much can you survue on I had the same question 2 years ago and people can never give you a answer so here a breakdown of average in my opinion cost living in Adelaide Rent - $300 P.W. - Decent suburb cheaper in far north and south Food-$100 PW (groceries) based on two people family of four say $150 but go the market on a saturday cheaper and fresher Bills - $150 PW phone, gas, elec, net Fuel- $50 - Small car So I think you can survive on household income of $65,000 incl super. you wont have aluxorious life but will be similar finacially to the uk. General rule is if you earn good money in the uk then you will earn the equivalent here or probaly more what i found. hope this helps

I was on a 457 for 12 months if your parents can apply for PR then I would recommend doing that as you are basically 'owned' by the employer I would use the 457 as a mean tog et here but start the PR process ASAP. Never listen to employers as circumstances can change.

Hey all I thought I woudl share my visa process with you all. I applied for a 176 offshore visa and I am currently in OZ. To get all the documents together took me about 3 months to contact all ex employers in the UK and get letters from them stating i worked there and my duties. Skills assesment took 4 weeks (Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors) IELTS took about 3 weeks to get results. UK police check took 4 weeks AFP took 4 weeks. I obtained UK police check before i lodged, and then as soon as I lodged I went and gor meds done and sent awa for AFP checks. I got a CO within 2 weeks and all they requested was the AFP check I received it 2 weeks later and got a pre grant the day later. The lodgement process took exactly 4 weeks to the day. I would like point out that I didnt use and aganet and it was relativly easy as all I had to do was obtaina ll the info from employers, contact assesing authority and collate and get docuemnts certified, then upload documents to DIAC so if you have the points I would recommend doing it yourself. The Visa cost me about $4000 approx inc DIAc fee, skills assement IELTS etc. I now have to leave the country and come back so im going back tot he UK for 2 weeks so that wil cost a bit but overall i have saved a bit soing it myself.

hi if you were to do labouring on a building site your looking at abour $25 to $30 ph based on working in a mangement role on a large project and dealing with numerous subcontractors An apprentice Im not sure but I hear can be as low as $10 ph but I am sure someone will correct me.

Hi all I dip in and out of POA now and again an I am not a regualr poster but i thought I would share with you my experience here so far. I decided to give Aus ago in Late 2010 and started to look into work as it was becoming more difficult to find half decent work or any work at all in the UK. I am a Quantity Surveyor so the recession hit building hard. I came to Aus after I left uni to do the cliche backpacking thing for 6 weeks and althught I enjoyed the experience I never thought or even wanted to Live here as I nievly considered Aus much like the UK and would much rather live and work in somewhere exotic. Anyway I came to the decision that the UK was not going to be fixed over night and as the Tories say Britain was broken etc I sort of agreed but I still had a love for the UK and considred Aus as a temporary 'experience' until I could come back 'home' when the sun was shining again!. I had worked for myself as a QS and in other industrues I even worked on the markets and helped run bars and nightclubs to pay the bills so I am not shy of trying new things! So i seriously started looking at Aus in September 2010 by going on Seek and looking at QS roles and applying, I was pleasantly suprised to see how high the wages were and initially thought wow it must cost a fortune to live in Austrlaia as everythign is relative so I did a bit if diggging and realised althought cost of living is higher is isnt extreme and I would be better off. So I applid for must of been 1000s of ads and got a few resposnses mostly saying if you where here we would place you or sorry we dont recruit unless in Austrlia, had a few phone convos with peple but again not until your here. However I kept at it and made my nightime job to apply for Jobs in Aus and not give up. Then one day in December I ge an email form a a guy saying he is intrested in my CV can we arrange a call, I initially thought it wa s recruitment consulatant so didnt expect much. Turns out he was the Director of a large subcontractor in Aus who was looking for a Temp QS to work in Adelaide. I could not believe my luck ok it was only temp but this get me in the door. So after two telecon interviews they offer me the job the day before Xmas eve and I had 6 weeks to arrive I decided the 2nd week of Jan I am off. and so the Adventure began..... I booked my flight immediatly after xmas luckily the firm would put me up in accomodation for two weeks so that was a bonus. The best thing in my opinion was i did it all quickly I didnt have time to think about it as I think and have expereinced from people the longer you thing about such a big decison the more you look for the what ifs and the negatives. So i sorted a Working holiday visa out as this was suitable for what I was doing and remeber I only wanted to stay for a a little while! I arrived in Adelaide on the 20th Jan on my own knowing no one so it was alittle daunting but I was prepared to give it ago as there was nothing at home, dont get me wrong I left a great family and group of friends but was determined to give this a try. So long story short I started the job it was pretty good the pay was good, I found somewhere to live an little unit in Glenelg, got a flatmate who in turn opened social doors for me and I had a drinking partner from that I made a good circle of friends and confidence grows. 5 months in the job was ok but not for me so I strted looking again by this time I knew I wanted to stay no matter what so I needed a working Visa. I applied for a job with a big Oz firm on a large Project here in Adelaide not expecting much as most firms dont really want to to hire on a WHV. But luck stiked again I got an interview and within 4 weeks I was working in a new job with a 457 visa. I have been in this job almost a year and couldnt be happier. On a personla note I live in the city with a workmate who is alos from the UK I have an Aussie bird and wild horses could not make me come back to the UK. I went back for Xmas and in Febuary after an unexpected death of a family member but even that didnt change my mind Australia and Adelaide is my home now, my parent have just finished a 3 weeks vist which was great and they love it too. I am currently preparing my submission for PR and fingers crossed all goes well, just sat my IELTS test and awaiting state sponsorship. are aleady here or planning on moving. If you are planning on moving or even thinking about it Just do it the lifestlyes better, carrer aspects, the people the crime rates are low. but remeber you only get out what you put in. I would give the following tips:- Be open minded Be outgoing Constantly do something that scares you and or is outside the norm socialise and talk t people you would not normally talk to If you have a S*it day just think could of been a S*it day in the uk where theres a recession, riots, and rain at least is sunny here Think about things but dont over analyse At least give Oz ago After all home is only 24 hours away if you need to go back You only bave one life....Live it. Cheers Paul