The Whites

Hi all. Ive heard that you can come as go as much as you like until your visa expires. After that if you leave aus you won't get back in unless it is special circumstances. we arrived in. June 2012, our 176 visa expires in 4 years time, after that time if we left we might not be able to get back in unless we become citizens or we are leaving because of a death in the family or something similar. this is just what I've heard but your best bet is to check with the DIAC andy

Hi there, we've been here for 8 months now and like you wasn't sure of the prices of things. For us we are renting a 2 bed unit, the gas is about 160 to 250 dollars quaterly for summer to winter and that is for the hot water only. We pay about 250 for the electricity and that is general use and the over and cook top. Our water is a strata, which means there is one meter for 6 properties and is the meter goes over an amount then the households pay the extra, but we've not paid anything yet. As we are renting that's all we pay as far as utilities. We've both got mobiles, only thing else is home and contents insurance and that is about $25 a month. hope this gets you started Andy

Hi Nat and Steve. Yeah you've got it about right. I did the studying in the UK, but i didn't book my exAm untill i had finished the work book. So the only dates avaliable was the 30th of July, hence the long wait. Advice to others, they don't need to see the workbook until you arrive at the center to do the course. so make sure you book the course far in advance so that there isn't a long wait once you arrive here. The course at PEER (which is about 10 mins north west of Adelaide city center, on Port road i think) is a 4 day revision and then an exam and a practical test of a mock up installation. If you private message you email address i've got some bits to send to you that will help you out abit before you book up the course. I didn't and still don't have my ARTC yet. I've been told by them that the won't look at it untill you have been in the county for 3 months. What i've done is brought it all with me and i have found a place in the city called Skills Recognition Services, and they help migrants with advice to get your skills assessed in Aus. They guy there (Adam) went through my application and told me what needed to be adjusted and changed to give it a better chance of being approved. They then book with a Justce of the Peace to get your forms and certificates certified for free. In the UK it cost me £2 per sheet to be certified by a solicitor. Rather then going on and on, i'll just answer questions that are asked because i could go on for days . Cheers Andy

Hi Nat and Steve, We're currently in Adelaide at the moment. We've been here for about 7 weeks now and the process for licensing isstill dragging on. From the uk google PEER Veet, Adelaide. Look for the As/Nzs 3000 course via correspondence, you need to submit a expression of intrest to them, if you put that your in the uk and are looking to train to be able to work in Aus. You should get a reply from Rebecca Turner, she's the upskill administrator and will help you out. You'll need to book the course and order the books (if you PM I've got some thing that might be usefull). Book the exam for about two to three weeks after you've arrived, to save waiting, (I'm doing mine next week) That sorts out the wiring regulations. You then need to apply to the TRA (trades recognition Australia) to get your ARTC (Australian recognised trade certificate) once you get that you go in tho the city and hay presto a A grade licence. For your ARTC don't mention Vetassess. Or your be going back to college for 6 months. This is the quickest and cheapest way to do it. If you need any more help let me know and I'll give you my take on it as I'm currently in the middle of doing it. Cheers Andy P.S check out my other posts on here on PEER and also look at the British expat forum as they've got lots of info on the above subjects

Thanks for the info guys, i really appriciate the help. I'll start at the beginning and contact them all. Andy

Hi all. We've booked our flights and our rental accommodation and now beginning the hunt for work. I've applyed to TRA but they wont process my application untill i arrive in Adelaide in June. I have also started my wiring regulations correspondance course from the UK. Once i arrive in Adelaide i will take the exam. I am begining to look to electrical companies that would be willing to employ an UK qualified electrician or anyone that would be able to put me in contact with companies that would. I know that this is a big ask but i would really apriciate any help that i could get. Thanks Andy

Hi Guys, sorry i haven't replied recently, been on holiday and no wi-fi. Its great to hear the the Vetassess might be recognised by TRA. It does seem to be a waste of money otherwise. I'm still in the process of writing mine. I might as well do it as duggy said its only$300. If it changes then i'll just have another bit of paper. The areas im going to cover are; A statutory decloration about my current employment, A reference from my employer while i was doing my apprentership, About my time at college, Explanation of day to day work, Explanation of Part P, whats involved in being a qualified supervisor. Im just going to woffle on about each one trying to cover as much stuff as i can. Great news about booking your flight wes. i bet you cant wait to go. If you PM me duggy ive got something that might interest you if you've not already got it. My next thing to do will be to get on to Vetassess about being TRA recognised. Knowing my luck there will be a cut off date and ive just missed out! Andy

After reading many, many different posts on many different forums, i'm going to try and explain how it all works. Firstly your VETASSESS is only done in order to get you the visa. It wont get you a grade A licence. Once you have had your visa granted you can then apply to the TRA for your ARTC. It will cost you AS$300. You fill out the application form online and print it out. You then need to attach as much evidence as you can. Treat it as if the people reading it are inexperianced! This might include. References from current,previous employers, your employer you was with for your apprentership. Explaination of your role at work. Etc. People are saying the more you put in the better. Some have done 4 pages, some 50/60, and i read that one person had written 150 pages! So i'll leave it up to you. If you have supplied enough evidence you should get your certificate. If you havn't they will book a technical interview, where they will ask you a wide range of electrical questions. For more on this look at the British Expat Forum. Once completed they would send it to an AUS address. If you havn't got one they will hold on to it untill you arrive in AUS. If you've got a friend in AUS they could send it there. Once you have got your ARTC you can then apply to PEER to do the AS wiring regulations. As far as i have read it appears to be like the BS7671 course. It will cost you AS$750 (i think off the top of my head). You will then need to purchase the books to revise with. These will cost you the same as the course. Once applied they will send you out a workbook to work through. This is like the british update course, ie find the reg number in the book and explain. There are people to contact if you need assistance. Once completed you send it back. You can then book the one day revision and exam for when you arrive in AUS. They do a exam every two weeks, so could be arranged around a holiday or during the first weeks of a move. The exam is apprantly just like the workbook and it is open book so you can take in the regs books. I have read that they will give you the result there and then, so that you can take the 15min journey to the Adelaide city office of the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs to apply for your license. You can then take this to any state in Australia and they will transfer it for you. I hope that this covers most of it, i'll appoligise now if i have missed anything out. Andy

Hi Wes, We're still in sunny England. Yeah what you've said is right. It's just so frustrating, going through all the Vetassess day and now we need to jump through hoops to be recognised. I'm still sorting out my ARTC. I'm using my stat dec and my reference from my first employer, and i'm going to cover as much of my day to day, aprentership and qualifications as possible. Hopefully that'll satisfy them. Have you done yours yet? I've got some stuff to send to you by email for your PEER. Hope it's of use to you. Let me know how your getting on. Andy

Hi Duggy, Try looking on the British Expats forum. There's lots of stuff on there in there electrician part. If you search for ARTC then you should find whay you looking for. http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=718213&highlight=artc This link has got a post from Steve O, who seems to know everything. He has uploaded some of the forms from his application. Hope this helps Andy

Hi Wes, Not sure if you remember me, i was on the VETASSESS coures in London in Febuary. We swoped emails. I thourght you was at scar.com not sky.com So your going out there in November. Unfortunatly we cant afford to go on a recce, so we're going to hopefully sell our house and make the move in one go by middle of next year. It would be good to hear what you think of your recce Andy

You can do the PEER course oversee's. When i made an enquiry they said that they wanted me to have the ARTC cert before applying, and that it could take a couple of months to do. For the PEER course i believe you apply and pay the (i think) AS$750 for the course, and about the same for the books that you need. They send you a work book to work through, once done you send it back to be marked. Once you arrive you can book you 2 day revise and exam. Apparently the exam is just like the work book, which is just like the BS7671 regs open book exam. ie find the reg number in the book and explain.

Thanks for the info

Hi all, I've been doing some research about the ARTC. You need to apply via the website, you print the form off and fill it in. On it you apparrently need to write down in great detail what you do. If you can get it references from you previous employer. As haven't told mine yet i need to do a statutory decloration explaining everything. Theres a lot of info on british expat forum, just search ARTC. On the written side some people have written 4 pages, one wrote 50/60 pges and on there one person wrote 150 pages. so you can see how in depth everything needs to be. Once you apply, at a cost of AS$300, apparrently if you have written what they want they sent you a cert, if not they will arrange with you a phone technical interview. Answer the questions right and then you get your cert. It needs to be sent to an Australian address or they will hold on to it untill you arrive. Hope this helps Andy

Hi everyone. We are a family of 3 Andy, Kat and Phoebe (2), Would love to meet up, we live in SUNNY Bognor Regis.

:jiggy:WOO HOO finally after neally two years of one thing after another we have finally been granted our visa:jiggy: Now i suppose that real work begins, seling the house, sorting out flights, accommodation and all the other stuff that we have overlooked or forgotton about. Thanks to everyone that has helped along the way and im sure that there will be many more questions to come Andy, Kat and Phoebe

Hi all. I am having a few issues reguarding TRA, ARTC and the PEER training. Ive done my VETASSESS which i believe is my part of the TRA. Ive read and looked in to doing my Peer training whilst here in the UK and then do the exam in Aus and apply for my grade a licence. The problem ive got is the ARTC. Im not sure what it is?, how i get it?, if i need it? etc. If anyone can give me the 'idiots' guide i would be most grateful. Thanks Andy

Thanks vey much i'ii PM you my email address

Thanks alot i'll look in to it.

We have just recieved our State Sponsorship and have applied for you visa's through the DIAC. We've booked the medicals and are in the process of finishing up the rest of the paperwork. After looking through other threads on this and other sites i've go ta few questions about the PEER training to become an A grade electrician. Its supposed to be oversea's training but i've read that you need an Australian address, so how can that be possible if your applying form oversea's? I've also read about a company thats called 'Down Under Tradies', and they say that they do a course that is in England and will do all of the theory here, which means you should be more employable in SA. All for £3000. Also is any of this required, or is it possibe to get a job just with my British qualifications? If anyone could help me out i would be very grateful Thanks Andy

Thank you, I hope so too. Nice to meet you. The whole process of applying to move to Australia is all new to us so any help would be appreciated. Does anyone know how long it usually take to get a response from the visa people? Not that we have appled yet, hopefully we will in a few months time.

Hi! Were new on here and very new to forums, I'm Kat I have a fiance called Andy and we have a 10month old baby girl called Phoebe. We are hoping to move to adelaide in about 2 years time depending on the current credit crunch. Both of us have never been to Australia but we are very excited about starting a new life there, we are not going in to this complete blind we have been doing lots of research on just about everything that we need to know for when we hopefully move there. We still have lots of things to find out and we hope when getting to know all of you that you will be kind enough to share your experences and thoughts with us about almost everything to do with moving to adelaide. I would really like to know what it is like out there for young children? As we are hoping this move will mean a better way of living for our daughter. thanks for taking the time to hear me ramble on. Can't wait to hear from you all.

Hello everyone, We've just joined the forum and we've got loads of questions to ask, but we'll try and start at the beginning. In our small family there's me Andy, My fiance Kat and our loverly 10 month old daughter Phoebe. We're looking to move to Austraila in about 2 years or earlier if possible, depending on the recession and house prices. I'm an electrician and was wondering how my qualifications would be recognised. My qualifications are as follows; City and Guilds Level 3 certificate in electrical installation part two, City and Guilds Level 3 certificate in inspection, testing and certification of electrical installations, and IEE 17th Edition wiring regulations update. I've been looking on job recuitment web sites and all i can really see is jobs for an A-Class electrician. Am i one of those? Oh yes one more thing, where can i get my hands on any books to do with there wiring regulations. I've looked at the usual places but they show the BS7671 which is the regulations for the UK. do they use the same system? Thanks to anyone who responds:) The Whites