WHV Work thread - What Industries Are Still Booming Down Here?

8loopy8 wrote: »

hey looking for a bit of info on any1 who has worked in the mines in western oz iron / or ,,, have read in various places lads can get driving dumpers on Irish truck licences earning up to 50d an hour is there any1 on here that is working in the mines with no degrees just good construction workers? im gona give it a whack regardless flying into Perth and taking it from there slum-dog style any info would be much appreciated .. also if anyone can explain the roster lingo i know its mostly 12hour shifts minimum but the week or day dose be written 7/7 or 4/4 is this weeks or days and are you paid for the days off as in 52 weeks a year or are you working up the time off with 12 hour shifts sorry for the spelling

I can gaurantee you that no mine that complies with the law will allow you drive a dumptruck on irish licences,you will need a minimum Australian HR licence most companies expect you to have a dumptruck ticket which consists of a 5 day course costing around $3500,im not trying to deter you from trying to get a job in mines but people have to be realistic,there are loads of Irish coming to Perth with the notion that its a simple hop skip and jump and your on a plane up North it not that easy
The mines are a complex operation where safety is a must and boy do there go into every detail of safety,so on that basis they will always want the most competent and experienced persons to the relevant job they want filled
Now rosters you can do 12 days on 9 off in some places but 2 weeks on 1 week off is more commom,but 3 weeks on 1 week off and 4 weeks on 1 week off are avalible too depending on the operation
You only get paid for the time you work unless if your on a salary,most times you work your time and thats it week off with out pay and you dont get sick pay or holiday pay
Have you experience in driving earthmoving machinery?

Something to look into with the licensing.

http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/20669.asp

Looks like you may need to pass the practical test here in WA if you want to use your truck licence.

Zambia wrote: »

Could you

Come over, hand in your Irish truck licence and get a WA HGV licence?

Just speculating here?

I think since January 2011 they have tightend the loopholes on this,you can tranfer the licence in some catagories but it depends on how long you have held the licence,i did the HR licence here in Perth took me around 3 weeks and cost close to $1000 for lessons and test

As per the link I posted above you will need to sit a practical test if you want to transfer your heavy vehicle licence in WA. You can now only transfer your car and motorcycle licence directly. You will need to book HR through a truck driving centre unless you know someone who has a roadworthy vehicle you can borrow. The truck driving centres do run packages where you do 2 hour lesson followed by the test. Rates have recently increased to around the $120 per hour mark.

I don't want to be the voice of doom here. I am just trying to be realistic because the media does tend to overblow the mining boom here, especially with regards to the number of jobs.

Yes, you do not need a HR licence to get a job. You may have seen jobs advertised that state that while a HR licence is not essential it is highly desirable. Basically you want to be better qualified than anyone else going for the job with a HR licence. And even then if you get the job you may be expected to get the HR licence within the first 3 months.

I would also advise anyone coming here on a WHV to seriously consider whether forking a couple of grand to do a dumptruck course is really a worthwhile investment. A lot of people do these courses, it does not guarantee a job in anyway. According to the media, which I don't always believe, there are a lot of people who have done this course who cannot get a job. A lot of people that do drive the dumptrucks are middle-aged females.

The reason it can be difficult to get a start on a WHV is because of the initial training costs that companies have to spend on employees. While you can get your licences, marscta and other courses yourself the mining company has to pay for all your inductions on site. You would probably have the minesite induction and then another induction for your job. A lot of investment for someone who can only work for 6 months.

If anyone really wants to get a start I would advise them to head to a mining centre and try to get into a residential job. I really have never heard of anyone on a WHV getting a FIFO job.

Here you go, try this:

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/doingbusinesswithus/trafficcontroltraining/index.html

Also, check out the travellers resource center on level 7 of the Dymmoks building on George Street. There is a place in there that run those courses. And you can pick up a free Irish Echo while your there !!!

You'll find Tech support / Sales a lot easier to crack than law - esp with a working holiday visa

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Finally making the move after about 3 years of humming and hawing. I've been working odd jobs here for the last year for both IT and retail consultants, but seeing as I have a master's degree in mechanical engineering, I want to put it to good use.

Moving to Sydney on a WHV, hoping to secure some temp work either through an agency or just working in a bike shop for the first month or two to provide me with some money and time to assess my options.

Ideally, I would be hoping for sponsorship with an engineering firm, anything really: bio, HVAC, renewables...heck if I got desperate I guess I would head off to the mines.

Whatever happens, I'm just excited to be going and seeing Australia.

So long Stinktown!

Yeah I reckon you will do alright, Australia has been good to me last 7 years.

Sunday_Roast wrote: »

I recently graduated with a B.A.I. in Electronic/Electrical Engineering. I currently have no experience and am wondering what are the chances of finding a graduate progame on a WHV in Melbourne. Will companies just plain out refuse to employ with no experience+WHV. Telecoms would be my ideal field but would work in any area. Is Seek the best place to start looking? Any help would be very much appreciated

I'd say your chances on a graduate program would be slim. Most of the bigger companies that have graduate intakes, like Telstra, only offer permanent jobs to people with PR or citizenship and the grad process is all about taking on long term, permanent staff and investing in them through training etc.

Your best bet might be looking for some entry level/contract work with a company and hope that you can impress enough to get offered sponsorship. Seek is first stop for this but if you have any local contacts in the industry here follow them up too, LinkedIn very handy for this.

whats the story with brisbane??im going there in april...please tell me there is plenty of jobs in construction side of things!and my girlfriend is hairdresser!any specific areas that have more opportunitys i shud be aware of?north,south...etc!

Hi everyone,
I am unsure if this is the most appropriate forum for my query but thought I would give it a shot! I am an Irish female who is planning on heading to Australia (specifically Melbourne) on a WHV (working holiday visa) in late January/early February of 2012.

I have a four year undergraduate degree in psychology and I have also completed a masters in applied psychology (1 year). I am currently working as a psychological research assistant in a university (adolescents and adults), and I have also acquired experience as a psychological researcher in a hospital (children). Other experience involves volunteer work as a helpline call facilitator and community care work with vulnerable children.
I am keen to pursue clinical psychology in Ireland and to this end I would like for my year in Australia to involve some sort of work that may count as clinical experience. The jobs I'm referring to are mental health support worker, ABA therapist, assistant psychologist, research assistant, etc. I plan to gain membership of the APS (Australian Psychological Society) but I think that I probably wont be eligable for registration.

My questions centre mainly around psychological job opportunites in Australia for psychology graduates. I would like to know if anybody has any idea about how difficult it is to acquire a mental health job in Australia and what employers are looking for? Does anybody know anyone who has gone over to Australia before looking for clinical experience? I was also considering directly contacting various mental health/rehabilitation centres or universities to enquire also about work, would this be appropriate? If anyone could provide any advice or even any links to more relevant forums that would be great. Thank you.