Curly

Hi I work for a small company of about 15 guys and we specialise in Commercial and Industrial Electrical Installations. We are currently looking for sparkies if anyone is interested either qualified and already living in Adelaide or even if you are moving out and looking for work. I have been working with the company for 4 years now. I was a UK sparky when we moved out here and got my qualifications transferred so I could get a full license. I work in the office now as a project manager We have a massive year coming up with lots of big projects and need some extra staff. The company offers stable employment with plenty of overtime available if you wanted it. If interested drop me a reply and will send over the information for you to get in touch. Thanks

Hi we have been here for 6 years now and we are from Cheshire and North Wales. I am an electrician and had to go through all the stuff your husband is probably doing now. We live in the Southern Suburbs at Seaford Heights. It’s a new estate so built our own home up on a hill with a sea view. Only a couple of minutes from the beach and also the amazing wineries in McLaren Vale. Our daughter goes to a private school mainly because we didn’t like the look of the state schools in this area. We are happy that we did it and it’s not too expensive. If you want to be near the beach definitely look at the southern suburbs. Depending on your financial situation you can go from Glenelg/Brighton that are expensive all the way down the coast roads down to Seaford or Aldinga. The roads are not too bad so commute can range from 35 to 50 minutes to the city from here depending on time of day. The southern footy league is pretty good as there are a lot of Brits in the south. I also play casual 5 a side on a Tuesday night and always looking for fill ins if wanted a kick about. Can’t advise on the camper van but we sold our camping stuff when we left thinking we would never go camping here but we are nearly back to where we were before because we love camping here an lots of places to go. Good luck with all the medical and police checks and hopefully it won’t take too long for the offer to come in. Craig

Welcome to PIA. where will your job be located? Would you prefer city, hills or beach? They will be things to think of to help you identify an area you would like to look at.

Just received my ceremony date for the 21st March. we applied in July and got the test date in September. this last bit feels like it has taken so long but glad to be finally getting it done

Hi Clare We moved out to Adelaide 5 years ago and had never been to Australia so had lots of emotions to run through and plenty when we arrived to. These are pretty normal and if you have made your mind up to come to the other side of the world you just need to give it a good go when you are here. We have not been back to the UK and can’t say I want to either but it does take some time to settle but once you start work and making friends it feels more normal. Just take a bit of time to have a look around and enjoy the beautiful beaches.

Hi Good luck with the move and hopefully it will go smoothly for you. I’ve met quite a few people on this site and have some good friends from here so definitely a good place to try and arrange meet ups. It’s not as busy as it used to be on here lately but if you reach out people still touch base on here. you will find that a lot of people do the same thing and come here without visiting first. We did and don’t regret it one bit. We still have a lot of Australia to see but we are settled here. What area are you moving to? I live in the southern suburbs and a lot of people I know are also south of the city

In all honesty I think the ratings can be a little off putting. You will get the feel for a school once you have a look around. Like you said you didn’t have much options in the UK you just pick the school that’s closest. I think the school system is quite similar to the UK and use the same learning tools just teach it differently. We went around 3 schools when we got here and picked the one that felt the best. We were a little concerned when she first started as just seemed to be lots of drawings and craft but they use that as a way of teaching and We are happy with her progress now.

Hi Mark My daughter is still in primary school at the moment in year 6. Hers is the last class that will still be in primary in year 7 as in 2022 year 7 will become secondary as it is in the UK. She is in a public school now and we are happy with it. She is still in the school she was in when we first moved out here. We live further away now but pass the school for work so it’s not too bad. I have heard some of the schools around the south are not that great but we honestly haven’t looked into it that much yet. We went to the open day at Tatachilla last week and we liked the feel of it there but it’s a private school so need to weigh up our options. Aldinga is having a brand new reception to year 12 built and will be ready in 2022 but not sure what sort of standard it will be. You will get good and bad points with all public schools but unless you can afford private just have to make the best decision that you can. You will be zoned with most schools but some do offer Scholarships or will waive the zoning for the right people

You will always get the scumbags wherever you go but I don’t find it as bad here. I came from a small village in North Wales and then moved to Birkenhead with my wife for 8 years before we came out so it’s nothing compared really. Everything is so spread out here so you don’t get the big groups of kids hanging around the streets apart from near the shopping centres. Yeah house prices are much better down south. We used to live near Marion and like the area but just too expensive to buy a house there. We built a big 4 bed on a decent block of land for less than what our old rental sold for and that was a 3 bed on a small block.

The crime is very low here mate. One of our friends had his truck broken into at Noarlunga but I haven’t really seen anything. The news here shows break ins but it’s stuff that wouldn’t even get mentioned on the UK news. There are areas all around Adelaide that they class as rough areas but if you compare it to a council estate in the UK it doesn’t even slightly compare.

I like it down here. I work just the other side of the city and takes me roughly 50 minutes to get to work in the morning traffic. We are only a 15 minute walk from the train station and can get the train in. We don’t go to the city that often only really when there are events on. It’s a lovely city and really nice in the night with all the lights on. If I drive down usually takes around 40 minutes and park on the outskirts and use the free tram system. We’re going down tomorrow to go to the fringe. Was there last Sunday too watching the Adelaide 500. Generally if we need to go to the shops we would go to Marion as has a big mall there with most of the shops similar to what you would find in the city. That’s only a 20 minute drive

No I hadn’t done it in the UK. I wanted too but the opportunity never come up so it was nice to get it over here. Yeah Adelaide is nice like that as you get the seasons. I really like Autumn here as it’s still in the mud 20s and dry. The winter generally only lasts 3 months here and it will start to get settled again. Im sure you will enjoy it mate and settle pretty quick. have you had a look at your job prospects here and do you need to update any of your skills?

I’m an electrician. I was a supervisor in the UK but then came here and had to work as a TA until I transferred my skills over. The company I worked for were quite happy to let me work as a spark even though I wasn’t being paid for it. I worked as a supervisor with a different company and now got a job in project management. Like I said there are ways to get back up through the system as long as you work hard for it. there is much more to do on the weekends. You can actually plan ahead here for most things and not have to worry about getting wet. It can get pretty wet here in the winter but the rest of it is quite nice. It’s been a funny summer. Would have days of 40 degrees and then drop to 25 the next day. It has been pretty dry though hence the fires in the hills and KI. The kids will love it and sounds like you are coming out with the right frame of mind so you should love it too. I don’t even want to go back to the UK for a holiday I’m quite happy here and would rather use my time to see Australia when we get the chance.

Hi Mark Yeah the Rego is different for all cars. We have a Triton truck but used to have a Peugeot 307 and that was only $192 per quarter so I think it goes on the engine size. I think you might not have to pay sewerage costs when you rent also on your water bills but haven’t had a full water bill for our new house yet so not sure what it will be. Yeah you will probably have to drop back a bit but if you prove yourself I’m sure you can progress pretty quick. People here are happy to give us responsibility as the training we get in the UK is decent and know most people who come over have a good work ethics. We have been out here just over 3 years now and we love it. You still have to get up everyday and do everything like the UK but you have lovely beaches on your doorstep, big wide open spaces and obviously the weather. There is plenty of things for the kids too so they will love it. Parks are everywhere and then also the wildlife parks like feeding kangaroos and seeing the Koalas.

Hi Mark i will try my best to help but it does vary quite a bit and everyone has different circumstances. I will break down a little what we have to pay and it’s me, my wife and 11 year old daughter. Rent $350-400 per week (No council tax to pay until you own a house) Car REGO (Car Tax) $300 per quarter water rates $200 per quarter Gas $200 per quarter Electric $450-$650 per quarter (depends on time of year) food shopping $150-$200 per week school fees $350 per year (public school) Car insurance $70 per month we have just moved into a new house so now have a mortgage and we live in Seaford Heights and council rates are $1350 per quarter. I'm sure there are other things I have missed but they will give you an idea of the basics. What work do you do? you will be coming at a good time of year and will start warming up ready for summer cheers

Anybody know of any decent concreters to carry out some exposed aggregate driveway in the Seaford Heights area? We are hoping to move in early December and will be looking to get it done the same time Thanks

Hi A lot of schools offer outside school hours care (OSHC) which is really reasonable. The cost depends on how much you earn as when you sign up to Centrelink and you are on a permanent visa you get subsidies to help cover the costs. We use it for our daughter for after school and we pay roughly $9-10 for her after subsidies. I’m not sure what it is before school but I imagine it would be similar. My daughter goes straight there after school and they stay there until 6pm if required. This service is generally available in the school holidays too which is very handy and they carry out lots of activities for the kids. We roughly pay around $22 for the day which is really good and our daughter actually enjoys going there to see friends and the activities are quite fun for them. Thanks

Hi Good to hear you have done the 1st step in getting your OTSR. While you are still in the UK get in contact with some colleges and also the funding program that will help pay for your gap training when you arrive. If you look at the previous threads you should get a lot of the information you need. When you sign up for the gap training you can get that all funded as long as you are on the correct visa for their requirements. You will need to pay for a restricted license which when I met with JSmull recently I think he said it now costs around $500. Once you have gained a Cert 3 from your gap training you can then upgrade to an A Class license which I think is another $100. You can do other courses like Low voltage rescue and resus and also the EWP which will all help and you could also apply for a CITB card which will cover a lot of the cost on these too. You will definitely need to get a White Card so you can work on sites which is basically a H&S course but most places require this. It can be pretty expensive to start with so just make sure you allow for that. In regards to wage as a TA you will be looking between $25-$30 per hr depending on who you work for and if you are casual or full time. Once you qualify you should be looking at an extra $10 per hr. Work is pretty good out here right now with plenty going on so if you are willing to put the time in you could find something pretty quickly. Hope this helps to start thinking about what you need to do. Cheers

Hi Phil Im an electrician so work in the industry over here and I can say that the construction market is booming over here and they have got plenty more work coming up in the future. I don’t think you will struggle for work regardless of if you want to work in the domestic or commercial market. I couldn’t really tell you about the wage you could expect but I would have thought you could earn a minimum of $25-30 per hour. Good luck

Hi our visa took about 9 months from first Emigration interview to gaining the visa. Are you doing it yourself or going through a company? I have heard if you do it on your own it can take up to 18 months. It probably depends on what visa you are coming out on too

Hi Not too sure about teaching jobs but there seem to be nurseries popping up everywhere at the moment. I think you would find a driving job pretty easy over here and would maybe go for a forklifting job so you could have more sociable hours to enjoy life more. If you want to be near the beaches You could go from grange all the way down to Aldinga. I think would depend more on where you will be working. We are currently about 10 minutes drive from Brighton beach but we are moving to Seaford area this year. My job is just north of the city but will still only be about 40 minutes drive which I don’t mind. I would definitely rent for a little while and just explore areas to see what feels best for you. We prefer the Southern suburbs rather than the North but it’s all personal preference.

Hi Me and my family moved to Adelaide around 2 and a half years ago and we had never been here or knew anything about SA other than what we had read. We have a 21 year old and 10 year old daughter who live here with us and a 25 year old son who is currently in Sydney. I’m an Electrician so similar type of role that you are looking into. I have to say that jobs in the construction industry is booming at the moment whether you work in commercial or domestic. The jobs market is different over here where it’s better to get out there and introduce yourself to companies rather than doing it on line. You will have to get a license to work over here also but you will probably get to that when you are closer to the move. We haven’t really been anywhere else in Australia but we love it in Adelaide and we are looking at building our first home in Seaford this year which is not far from Aldinga. We have lived just about 15minutes from the city for the last couple of years and like it around here but a little bit too expensive. We prefer the south of the city rather than North. The beaches are really good and much quieter. The roads and connections are pretty decent and improving all the time. Adelaide is classed as a small city and it’s very easy to get around and public transport is very good. We never really struggle for things to do. Hopefully this helps in some way and I’m sure there will be other people with advice on different areas

It with be really easy mate. You will have a train station not far from you at Christie’s downs and the Adelaide train station is about a 5 minute walk from the oval pretty much across the river. The trains will run pretty often and you should be ok getting back also. You could check timetables on Adelaide Metro. Alternatively you could drive in park on South terrace or peakock street for free and get the tram at South terrace free of charge will will take you straight down by the Oval

If you can’t find anyone else running the course I would provisionally book yourself in. Yeah there are plenty of jobs out there in construction at the moment and Solar would be a good thing to get into. They are running incentives here at the moment for battery storage too so that side is pretty good and maybe you could install it for me when we get our house built haha. I know it’s a pain to start work and then have to do the college work but just log the work you are doing and it will still count towards your 6 months logging.

Hi Mate I wouldn’t look into the job sites too much until you’re a bit closer to moving out. It might give you an idea though of companies out there. Are you still looking at the servicing sector? Try a college called training Prospects. That’s who I used to do my gap training but not sure if they are still doing it. You could always try TAFE also but I think they were stopping running those courses. I’m quite surprised that PEER are not running any others until October. You could also try ATEC but they may just deal with apprenticeships. Did you get in touch with Skills SA. Bear in mind you will need to speak with them before you enroll on any course to be able to get the funding. Hope it helps