welshie

I'm really surprised as there seems to be a shortage in bricklayers at the moment.

I'm not sure, there has been huge cuts to schools in the areas. Our school lost $300,000 in funding this year and a friend of mines daughter was told my her university lecturer to consider changing courses. She's halfway through a degree in education.

Hi I was employed by a large mining company in Perth when we first arrived and had no Aussie training or experience here. They love SAP over here but i worked for the NHS back in the UK and the company that employed me used the same system as them (Alesco) I'd look into doing a MYOB course, it shouldnt be that expensive. Welshie

I dont think a migration agent would advise on getting his license, only for the skills part of the visa? I can only tell you what my hubby did to get his A grade license, so here goes. As he is an australian citizen (but living in the UK for most of his life), he didnt need skills assessment for visa purposes. We were advised that he get an ARTC which involved them recognising his Uk apprenticeship. For this you literally have to list EVERY tool you have ever used, plus every kind of job that you have completed. It was very lengthy but he managed to complete this without assistance. They will only send an ARTC to an Aussie address, so we had it sent to a friends. Once we arrived in Perth, he took the ARTC to Energy Safety who gave him a restricted license enabling him to work supervised, and permission to attend TAFE to complete a 2 week ETL course. The wait for the course can be quite long. Once he sat the course, he went back to Energy Safety and the gave him his A grade license.

Hi Target and KMart sell car seats, anywhere between $70-$300 depending on the age of the child and the make etc. We didnt realise this and went to Baby on a Budget, where we paid $800 for two car seats!!! If you are definitely moving, i'd buy and store them here if you can.

He's been lucky Hodgey, he started work 2 weeks after we landed after a recommendation from someone he knew. The company he is with employed him on his restricted license and made him permanent once he got his A grade. He's still with them, but is now FIFO 2 weeks away, 2 weeks at home. It's all about who you know in Perth, it can suck at times. I know a lot of unskilled people working up north earning top $ as they know one of the bosses there. Network as much as you can!

Hi all We've been here for 2.5 years now so things may have changed but my hubby is a sparky and i'll list how he got his A license. He applied and got his ARTC whilst we were in the UK (it must be sent to an address in Australia however) Once we arrived in Perth, he contacted Energy Safety who gave him his restricted license which enabled him to work supervised,and permission to sit the 2 week Licensing course at Rockingham Tafe. (This gets booked us fast, he had to wait 4 weeks to get on the course) Once he sat the course, and passed, he was then given his A grade License. So easy! He now works in Karratha and loves it

Hi fellow Welshies, My hubby is from Builth Wells, we have lived in Secret Harbour for just over 2.5 years. He's an electrician, and used to commute to the Kwinana strip every day before going FIFO. I'm a stay home mum at the moment. Secret Harbour is full of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, it's difficult to find someone that doesnt have a UK accent lol. If anyone needs any help with schools, info on the area, let me know

I'M NOT WELSH!!!! Lol only joking, this week i've been called English and Welsh, a woman in Woolies asked if I was Irish??!!

My six monthly water bill was $632, no pool, and my husband is FIFO so only the kids and I at home for most of that. As it was the second bill of the year, depending on the previous tenants useage, you may be getting charged at the higher rate.

Hi Welshies, I think it depends which Visa you are applying for I know that its expensive, so we did our partner visa ourselves. Welshie

Hi My husband sat a two week electrical licensing course at TAFE, but you can only apply to go on the course once you have taken your ATRC (trade recognition certificate) to Energy Safety. They give you approval to complete the course and issue you with a restricted license which enables you to work supervised. Once you've completed the course, you then go back to Energy Safety and they issue you with your A class license.

I'm not sure and I can only speak from my experience of living in Secret Harbour. At first we thought it would be an ideal family location, but we regret the day we moved here. There is another interesting post about the high school on here too, so you get my drift lol. I would try to stay clear of the Brit's favoured places, like the Rockingham area, Joondalup etc and try find somewhere where there is a nice mix of people.

Not been on here for a while, but im in Secret Harbour and here you will struggle to hear anything but a British accent. My little girl gained an Australian accent when she attended day care, but since she has been at school, she has lost that and now has an English accent due to the amount of Brits in her class! (We are from Wales lol) If i had my time again, I would stay clear of Secret Harbour as yes it feels like living in Britain..with just better weather. As for the cars, I never experienced the young guys where we lived in the UK doing burn outs like they do here. I think, and this is only my opinion, is that the cars here with big engines are more accessible to the youngsters. They seem to favour these utes with V8 engines, puts my 1.2 litre Fiesta to shame lol

Hi We have been in the same situation recently, just built a house and weighing up the options air con wise. We finally decided, for now, that we are installing a large split system in our living/kitchen/dining and games area and ceiling fans in the bedrooms. We had got as far as putting a deposit down on an evaporative system, $3800 for 8 outlets, but after hearing so many bad stories we cancelled the order and decided on the split system. Evap puts "wet" air into the home, and my friend has recently discovered mould spores in the furniture that is placed under each of the outlets. She gets her system maintained and cleaned every 12 months as standard and was told that this is happening more often. Our air con installer told us that Perth is not as dry as it used to be, it is humid and for that reason they no longer install evap systems. We paid $2k for an 8kw split system and would much rather have that for now, and save up for ducted reverse cycle.