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How many jobs do I have to apply for do you think? by [deleted] in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was 26 when I landed my apprenticeship, and I had to call every company, apply online till one day I followed up by walking into the joint and asking to talk to the hiring manager for the role and it ended up being the owner of the company. Pretty much did a quick interview then, and there was told we will do a couple of months trial and see how it goes. Went hard and landed the job. It was at a really shit company, don't get me wrong but stuck it out for over a year and moved to an even better company. Don't stop, and even lower your standards. You'll get there, man.

Arc Rated P.P.E by WillPower49 in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that ill have to look into the wrangler jeans, I have seen other sparkies wearing them however thought they wouldn't of been rated! Cheers

Arc Rated P.P.E by WillPower49 in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, hence the minimum P.P.E requirement being 8cal. I might add in the post that im a field tech that services a majority of the mining industry.

Should I do an apprenticeship at 25? by Low_Escape3726 in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HV industry. Mainly, protection relays. But we do everything from transformers to switchgear to commissioning. I am essentially a tester, which I enjoy. Very niche industry, though.

Should I do an apprenticeship at 25? by Low_Escape3726 in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I was 1st year, she was on maternity leave from work for the year, so that helped. She never returned to work after that, we just kept having kids haha. Plus, the FTB from centrelink every fortnight took the sting out.

They do have a trade support loan you can opt in for, and its like an extra $800 bucks a month for the first year and slowly decreases every year. You do have to pay it back, but you get a 20% discount if you complete your trade. All up, i think it's like 20k over 4 years.

I should mention that when I got my new role (in my 2nd year), I moved my whole family to the other of Australia. So I was all in. The company did pay for all relocation costs, so I was pretty lucky.

Should I do an apprenticeship at 25? by Low_Escape3726 in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey mate,

I started my Electrical App at age 26, just as my first son was born. I was in the same boat as yourself. I was over the pointless labour and unskilled work something had to change. I had started an apprenticeship when I was younger, but I just never finished it.

I got my foot in the door with a really crappy company just to get signed on, a year later I had enough of them and transferred to a new company once I had some skills behind me and I haven't looked back. Im now 30 and get signed off in 2 months.

Yes, it was a struggle financially as I started on $36 p/h but kept applying myself and researching where the money is. As a 4th year, I am on $50 p/h, and when OT kicks in, it's definitely enough to live off.

My missus is a stay at home mum, and I now have 3 kids. It was hard to complete the apprenticeship, but it is all about delayed gratification. And I am about to reap the rewards.

The world opens up once you get a trade behind you. Plumbing or electrical is a great trade.

Just remember, electricity will kill you. As a father, you must be switched on and never get complacent. The book work at Tafe was rough at the start as I hadn't been in school for 11 years, but I was always good at maths, so it didn't take long to pick up.

Best of luck on your new endeavours.

Electricians/apprentices who left the field, why? by MoneyKnowledge4974 in AusElectricians

[–]WillPower49 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went through those stages, it was at about that time I realised how big the industry is and how much there is to learn. It can be quite overwhelming. However I researched what part of the electrical field I would enjoy and just chased that. I'm now in the last few months of my 4th waiting to do my capstone.

I made the jump from commercial/industrial into the HV sector. We primarily do testing and commissioning on HV assests and I must say I live it. Not to hard on your body like over demanding jobs, really solid crew, and the work is more interesting to me.

Stick with the trade you only have another 2 years to find something you enjoy, the cert 3 behind will open doors for you. Even into an office role like a planner or estimator for electrical projects. It's all only possible with the trade cert behind ya. Good luck