A question of the Aussies

[Stone Fox]

What's a well paid trade in Australia (preferably self employed) Plumber? Electrician? Both of those get paid a mint over here (around £20-40 per hour)

[dougirwin13]

Yep. Both.

Mining operator pays better (around AU$120k/year) and you work two weeks on, two weeks off.

-doug

[Hang11]

If you're thinking about going to Aussie as a sparkie or a plumber, I'm pretty sure that UK ones have the same problems as in NZ - the local lot don't recognise UK qualifications very much, and you end up having to re-sit loads of exams, and basically do another apprenticeship, and earn crap money while you're doing it.

I know an English plumber here in NZ, that has 20+ years experience, all the qualifications in the UK, had his own solar and plumbing firm in the UK, and he's having to work a 3 year apprenticehip here on $22 an hour (about 8 quid). The plumbing registration people make it real hard to move here from the UK, even though the government encourage you to do it, because the skills are needed. It's a bit out of order really.

I'm pretty sure it's the same sort of deal in Oz too. If you're thinking of doing it, it would probably be a better idea to train in oz in the first place.

[dougirwin13]

Pretty sure you're right Hang11. I've heard that said about most trades. Can't verify tho.

As an aside the mining thing requires 6 weeks training (supplied for free and at a modest salary). Then you start operating big machines at AU$80k-AU$100k and it creeps up quarterly. Fine if you don't have kids or a missus.

-doug

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

come to hawaii, you can make 10-20 an hour as a plumber, and pay 700-1200/mo. for a one bedroom apartment. no health insurance. woohoo.

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

plus only 2-3 weeks off a year.

hows vacation time in UK?

[Hang11]

As an aside the mining thing requires 6 weeks training (supplied for free and at a modest salary). Then you start operating big machines at AU$80k-AU$100k and it creeps up quarterly. Fine if you don't have kids or a missus.

There's thousands of kiwis heading to oz to do that for a living. Not sure I could cope with the heat or the flies, but hammering around in a big truck all day must be good fun.

Just move to NZ and go on the game. It's legal, you get loads of time off, and make good coin apparently. From the look of some of the toothless hookers that hang around outisde where I work, there's no upper age limit either. And just my very humble opinion, but NZ is much nicer than Oz, more water, better rugby team, and less people

[kitesurfer]

plus only 2-3 weeks off a year.

hows vacation time in UK?

I get 43 days a year.



KS

[Dec]

I get 5 months

[Real Pol]

I get 32 days, + 6 days public holidays.

Thats enough for me, I like my job.




(yeah right! I'd give it up in a shot)

[Stone Fox]

Thanks for the comments guys, I am by trade, a computer engineer. But I don't really want to do that anymore as it bores me, so I've been bumming about for the last year doing random jobs while waiting to re-apply to London fire service.

I am starting to get the arse with this county and if I'm going to retrain, I figure I might as well do it in a trade that'll let me move to a country with better weather and surf, i.e Australia, Thailand etc.

Yeah, Hawaii would be nice, but I hear it's kinda hard to settle in the USA for good. And would I have the same problems?


Some interesting points have been raised regarding retraining in my destination country rather than at home, but surely if I'm planning on emigrating then i need to already have the skill that that country is looking for when I apply?

[Hang11]

Depends really, if you a visa based on your current skills, get in then re-train you should be fine. I know more about NZ than Oz, but you could probably get into NZ easily enough if you're a computer engineer, especially with some formal qualifications or a degree, then it's up to you what you do after that.

I know it's a bit harder to get Permanent Residency for Oz, but not impossible. I think the easiest way is to get in to there on a 457 visa, which is employer sponsored and it locks you into that job. A couple of mates have done that really easily. But if you showed up as a tourist, talked someone into giving you a job as a trainee plumber or something, that would work too.

Best way to do work it out, is to go to the immigration website for Oz, have a look at the ways you can get in, and fill in an online application there, and see what it says.

[Milo]

I`m self employed. i can have as much time as i can afford, which is`nt that much, but if the weather looks ok i`m there.

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

im not sure stonefox. america has beautuful landscapes but the infastructure usually sucks. like hawaii. no health insurance and barely any vacation time. national debt increasing because of iraq. plus a lot of other obvious problems that everyone knows about because of our outspoken media. i wouldnt move to the states if i were you.

[drowningbitbybit]

I think the easiest way is to get in to there on a 457 visa, which is employer sponsored and it locks you into that job. A couple of mates have done that really easily. But if you showed up as a tourist, talked someone into giving you a job as a trainee plumber or something, that would work too.

Sponsored applications are the easiest, and you're locked into the job (or at least need to re-start the visa application if you swap) for two years.
However, for a sponsored application the employer has to show that the skills are not locally available, so even with a skill you may not be able to get sponshorship. You would still have the skills 'points' for the visa application though.
You cant go over on a tourist visa and then swap to a working visa.

Best way to do work it out, is to go to the immigration website for Oz, have a look at the ways you can get in, and fill in an online application there, and see what it says.

Not as easy as that. You can do the points test and see whether you are likely to get a visa. But its only an indication and has no legal basis whatsoever. The only way to find out if you'll get the visa is to try. And that costs money.... quite a lot of it...

[Stone Fox]

ouch.

Hmmm.... How about Thailand?

This'll probably come to nothing but I'm fed up with this country, and I'd like to learn a skill that will pay well in a nice warm country with good surf. Is that too much to ask?

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

why not hawaii? i may not like it but it might be your best bet for surf. you could go to the other islands if you want something more laid back. big island is huge. or oahu if you like living in an overcrowded city.

[Dec]

Hmmm.... How about Thailand?

Well aside from the ridiculous visa situation, its a good country to live in.
Basically in Thailand you cannot work, full stop. Any work that a thai national could do, or be trained to do you cannot do (as a foreigner).

Also you cannot own land or basically anything. It all has to be owned by a thai company. There are loopholes to the system (IE. making your company 51% thai owned, but giving them no power) but it's a real hassle.

But if you don't mind that, come visit!

[Milo]

Hmmm.... How about Thailand?

Well aside from the ridiculous visa situation, its a good country to live in.
Basically in Thailand you cannot work, full stop. Any work that a thai national could do, or be trained to do you cannot do (as a foreigner).

Also you cannot own land or basically anything. It all has to be owned by a thai company. There are loopholes to the system (IE. making your company 51% thai owned, but giving them no power) but it's a real hassle.

But if you don't mind that, come visit!

Imagine if they did that in the uk, the do gooders would have a field day.

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

its funny how you live somewhere 'cold' and want to move somewhere 'warm' and i live somewhere 'hot' and want to move somewhere 'cool'