Regan

We are looking for a Handyman with a carpentry or tiling background... You will need a great eye for detail as we renovate domestic homes and word of mouth is how we run our business. You will require your own selection of tools, ABN, well presented and police checked. This isn't position to start after the Xmas holiday. Please forward you resume or email a description of your knowledge and experience. home-solutions@bigpond.com

Give Michael Allen a ring. He is an independent registered builder trading as Chartwell construction and comes highly recommended. When you ring, tell him you got the number from Regan at "the trade directory" 0415 275 513

Hi mick Are you in perth yet. I am a project supervisor for a Reno firm and always need ceiling fixers, flushers, cornices etc who are reliable and CLEAN Regards Regan

Hey TEF I'd love to get back on the off road saddle again but sadly not for a couple of weeks as Im just finishing building a house. I had a trip down to pemberton last month and got back on the saddle for 4 days.... It bloody killed me but had a good ride

Hi Skit I done my gas licence last year on a migrant crossover at MPA. We were told to buy the Pearson book but then we didn't even open it. All you need is the regs and the standards. All the exams are open book so you just need to know where to look for them.

Hey TEF I was a keen cross country mountain biker in the uk and rode 2-3 days a week. I've been here now for two years but like yourself, no body local to ride with so the off road has gone by the wayside. I couldn't do every weekend due to family commitments but a couple of times a month. I'm 39 and not as fit as I used to be but willing to get back into it Thanks Regan

A lot of employed plumbers have only there plumbing licence and go onto do there gas later. You may be able to get onto a gas conversion course but you will have to fill out a log book with a qualified fitter. A guy I worked with last year did the same, he has been in perth for 7 years and then he's employer wanted him to get his gas so he did the conversion but because he hadn't done anything for so long , he had to do a workers log book and get it signed by a registered fitter. Regards Regan

Hi scotgirl09 I am a uk trained plumber / gas fitter with corgi- Gas safe. I have heard of people coming over on WHV but it's very time consuming to swap over licences. The system over here is very different. You need to approach the building commission in Perth (formally "plumbing licence board") and ask permission to enrol on a migrants conversion course. You will need to give evidence of your experience. Once you have the go ahead for the course, they run them generally every other month. The other way you could do it is approach Fremantle Tafe and do a Hand skills test which will allow you to take the 2 week course course. This is the expensive way around $7000. Both options will give you a cert III in plumbing and then you can work for a plumbing contractor. Starting wage is around $28 ph up to around $35 employed. You may struggle to get on a gas conversion course due to the time out of the trade but if you can show evidence that you have carried out gas work recently, they will allow you to do the conversion. Failing that, you can do the full course but cost $$$$. All this still won't give you a permanent visa but will allow you to talk directly to the plumbing companies over here. It's a long shot but worth it if your persistent. My advice is Go for it and when your here try to get a sponsorship visa. Regards Regan

I contacted them amongst others when I was first setting out, the guy I spoke to seemed very clued up and up to date with all the changed but there costs were extortionate compared to others I contacted for the same end result. I would highly recommend Go Matilda

Hi Keith I was in in your position only a couple of years ago. I'm a uk plumber, gas safe engineer that came to perth 2 years ago. My advice is not to fight the system as Aussies love to have a certificate and a course for everything. Plumbing and gas are 2 separate trades here and you would need to register with 2 organisations. You can do gap training for both gas and plumbing which will allow you to work for a contractor. The going wage if you can prove your worth is around $30 p/h to start going up to maybe $36-$38 per hour with vehicle and phone. If you wish to work alone and self certify then you will need a plumbing contractors licence and a gas contractors licence which is a heap of money and a heap of time spent but well worth it financially. Contractors are earning between $90-$130 p/h and work is plentiful. As a plumber, be prepared to dig. Aussies believe that English plumbers can't do there job and there plumbing is very different but in the real world, our experience is way further advanced than Aussie plumbing. There are a few differences with pipe sizes but it takes no time to pick these up and some of the fittings are called different names but the guys in the trade suppliers are mostly English and will help you if you don't hide the fact you are fresh off the boat. If I can help further, send me a private message and I'll pass on my email Regards Regan

Our cat was only in there possession for a couple of days until her flight but the service was great and we were kept up to date. Also there was no surprise invoices as I've found with some other companies

Hi We used Parair 18months ago as we were living in Essex. I can recommend them. Although they were quite blunt, they looked after our cat, they turned up when they said they would and told us everything we needed to know. We even had to pay for a stay in Sydney for the cat as perth was fully booked for several months and they also booked the additional flights. When our cat arrived, she had been well looked after and in very good condition. Any question, please ask as I can put your mind at rest. Our contact in Essex was Sally

Hi Alex I moved over here 18months ago and had the exact same problems with challenger. I booked onto a migrant course with a start date of 4th jean, booked the time off work for two weeks and when I turned up, the Tafe was closed. I spoke to the admin staff there and they stated that all courses start on 4th February. I then showed them my paperwork with the start date and they responded with... Sorry it's just a typo error. I then lost two weeks work and had to rebook time off work. The migrant course is mostly a government money making scheme where any standard plumber that has done an apprenticeship could do with his eyes shut. I've now gone onto doing my contractors licence but sadly challenger was the only Tafe that done an intensive course so I had to go with them. I felt that the Australian tutors don't like English plumbers and do not like it if you give your experience or comment on something they are teaching. Thankfully now, I'm passed and never want to go back there. I carried out my gas conversion with MPA which were fantastic but sadly the tutor has moved on so they can't do the migrant gas conversion anymore. I can't comment on polytechnic but it seems that they are the better company. Good luck guys Regan

I lived 30miles out of London so wasn't a big issue for me. There was a couple of guys that stayed in one of the big hotel chains such as travelodge etc. One guy brought his tools and clothes in the same case

Don't worry too much about the exam or the tools. I took my vet assess exam in north west London college and decided to take my own gear. There is generally only about 6 guys at once and most people bring there own so if your in a position where you can't then use the college tools. The tests are very basic and the technical Knowledge questions are trade related basic stuff. I hope this helps Regan