Jobs outside of UK?

[rich the cool]

hello im rich, im 23 and have over 4 years experiance as a service engineer working on a wide range of equipment (Splits, Chillers, Commercial, Industrial plant etc) before i got into refrigeration i did an apprenticeship as a industrial electrician so i have 2 years experiance in that aswell.
im very intrested in relocating outside of the UK and wondered if anyone knows of any oppertunitys out there currently?
thanks, rich

[simon@parker]

hello do not want to seem rude but unless you have worked 168 hrs a week since you qualified you wont have enough experience i started on tools at 16 did a refrig course and electical as well and can honestly say untill i had been in the game 10yrs i was no more than a fitter and i worked on every type there is domestic to industrial had a good teacher who helped me a lot and a killer service manager who pushed me alot if you want overseas work try reed recruitment but if yr abroad and out of yr depth different time zone ya cant be callin yr mates for help you either sink or swim :) good luck wot ever you do make sure you enjoy it

[1torr]

hello im rich,

Alright, dont rub it in.

[rich the cool]

hi simon, thanks for the reply, i can definitly see what you are saying but as you say you either sink or swim and theres no better time than right now for me to do this, i feel confident in what i am doing right now and i know going to a new place can be a whole different ball game but the best way to get experiance is to be chucked in the deep end right? if i dont try it now then ill probably never do it.

[Tesla]

Hi Rich
I tried going abroad when I was 21 and ended up making more money in a factory but ended up back home until I tried again at 28. I think you are doing the right thing. As an immigrant you will get paid less for the first year. The biggest problem is the qualification - it is not easy to get them transferred or recognised. I think Australia is a good place with fair work conditions and good pay, there is plenty of opertunity for those who want to make a go of it. You could even get a job offer before getting here but you will need the right papers - working visa etc. Check out www.seek.com.au to get an idea of the jobs available.
It costs a fair bit of money and energy so preparation is key.

[rich the cool]

Hi tesla thanks for the reply, australia sounds like a great place and is somewhere ive always considered, its just a bit hard to know where to start with all the immigration stuff do i have to do tests? Did you move over by yourself?
As for qualifications i have
NVQ l2 performing engineering operations
NVQ l3 electrical
NVQ l2 refrigeration and AC
National certificate electrical
Fgas 2079
Are these recognised i have a feeling ur gonna say no lol

I would definatly take the route of trying to get a job first before moving do u have any idea how much it might cost me?
Thanks, rich

[Tesla]

Back in 1993 I landed in Perth with $500 bucks in my back pocket, stayed for 6 months then returned to NZ. No your quals are not reconised off the bat. You will need the gas license so check out http://www.arctick.org/contact_us.php and see what you need to do to get it. Once you have it you can work as long as you have a work visa. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are good places to start. It's not all that hard though - I am only just getting my Arctic now. I have to study the course work on refrigerant handling then do a few open book tests then do a two hour practical test at the local fridgie school. This will cost me $1100 plus $150 for a craft certificate plus money for the fair trading department plus money for Arctic - not cheap. After 10 years here I would not consider going back to NZ. If you know about controls you could work for a BMS company like I did where you don't need any Ausie Quals and it's easy work to do.

[rich the cool]

thanks for the help tesla, do you think i can obtain an arctik license whilst in the UK? also ive noticed quite a few jobs ask for a "restricted electrical" license, would i be able to get one of those too?
what sort of time scale could i be looking at before i actually get to australia? i think i have enough money already saved, a few thousand £
thanks, rich

[r.bartlett]

It used to be that you needed qualifications +5 years post apprenticeship experience to get approval for AU. Kev the tool has just finished the process I believe ask him

[install monkey]

rich is minted! haha

[mad fridgie]

When i was a similar age, i was offered a job, in the mines in Aus, i started the immigration procedure ( I am from the UK), this takes for ever, and the job was lost, how ever as a youngster, you are able to go to Aus on a "young persons working Visa" sort of a holiday with the ability to work, companies will employ without quals, sort of a senior appentice. You can then get your quals while working. There are some restrictions on how long you can work for a company in a single stint, but there is always methods around this. When you are there and if you are any good then you can be sponsored by the company for full residency. Remember that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence, same shyte different place

[simon@parker]

am not rubbing it in :) just being honest as i wish someone had been to me and i would prob never taken up the trade lmao :) also without new guys entering all the old farts like me would have no overtime :) thats a joke am looking abroad myself but thinking more fixed term contract overseas to get me somewhere nice and hot so i can be busy and warm while i work and it beats polishing stuff which i mostly do lol any way thats off topic would suggest you get as much experiance as you can of all different types of refrigeration and air con and maybe dare i say it go into supermarket fridge as the more types of kit you have worked on the easier it is to adapt to something new also supermarket a real killer but fun an believe me you learn how a pack works at 3 am when your on call and still have 2 calls to do wish you luck with it :)

[CJG21]

Does anyone have any experience in looking for jobs in the US or Canada? I don't have much service experience but based in design, R404A and CO2 mostly as well as coldroom erection etc....

I don't fancy Australia but have a bit of a notion on Canada.