Perth. Carpentry and Geology.

the keen edge

Please bare with the following ramblings; just a few thoughts going on in my head atm that I'd like to get peoples opinions on.

I was a self employed carpenter for 12 years. Two years ago I decided,(against most of my peers advice, and not due to the employment outlook) to hang up my tools and fulfill a lifelong ambition of going to Uni and studying Earth and Ocean Science a subject which I'm passionate about.

Anyway the change in career has been amazing, and I've never been as happy and content; however college is expensive from the point of not earning a wage during the academic year.

So firstly I'm considering, more so wondering, about the prospect and economic viability of heading to Perth next summer for a 4 month carpentry based smash and grab to earn some of the big money talked about!.

What are peoples opinions on my get rich quick scheme!
I can say with modesty that I'am highly skilled, have a comprehensive cv, have trained apprentices form fresh out of school to qualified tradesman, etc etc. (Unfortunately I have only limited experience of commercial formwork, will this limit my employment prospect, or can a eager chippie learn the basics on site)

And secondly, as luck would have it my new choice of career, Geology, also seems to be in demand!
Anybody on here involved in this work in Perth?
Any pointers on which fields, specialism of geology are, or will be in demand in the coming years.

All feedback greatly appreciated folks.

figarofigaro

geology, lol. who's going to pay you to look at stones?

CatFromHue

What age are you? The WHV is for 18-30 year olds.

Also have you factored in cost of flights into the smash and grab?

the keen edge

CatFromHue wrote: »

What age are you? The WHV is for 18-30 year olds.

Also have you factored in cost of flights into the smash and grab?

As per the OP my thoughts are just off the cuff, and not credibly researched.

I'm just gone 34 years of age, so WHV is out right? Are there other visa available?

From what I've read here on boards.ie, and else where on-line, formwork carpenters are supposedly earning $AUS 55-60 ph in the Perth area(isolated camp work I'd imagine). Anyway factoring in flights and the excessively high cost of living over there, I would think that saving up to, and return home to Ireland with, €10K over the 4 months wouldn't be an unreasonable goal.

I know this is all hypothetical; hence this thread!

CatFromHue

You should look at the visa situation first. Unless you want to through emmigration I don't see it as a runner. Sorry about that.

Do a search on here for visa options.

Sundy

figarofigaro wrote: »

geology, lol. who's going to pay you to look at stones?

Not sure if serious...


geologists earn big $$$ in WA.

Qualified ones that is

the keen edge

the keen edge wrote: »

Please bare with the following ramblings; just a few thoughts going on in my head atm that I'd like to get peoples opinions on.

I was a self employed carpenter for 12 years. Two years ago I decided,(against most of my peers advice, and not due to the employment outlook) to hang up my tools and fulfill a lifelong ambition of going to Uni and studying Earth and Ocean Science a subject which I'm passionate about.

Anyway the change in career has been amazing, and I've never been as happy and content; however college is expensive from the point of not earning a wage during the academic year.

So firstly I'm considering, more so wondering, about the prospect and economic viability of heading to Perth next summer for a 4 month carpentry based smash and grab to earn some of the big money talked about!.

What are peoples opinions on my get rich quick scheme!
I can say with modesty that I'am highly skilled, have a comprehensive cv, have trained apprentices form fresh out of school to qualified tradesman, etc etc. (Unfortunately I have only limited experience of commercial formwork, will this limit my employment prospect, or can a eager chippie learn the basics on site)

And secondly, as luck would have it my new choice of career, Geology, also seems to be in demand!
Anybody on here involved in this work in Perth?
Any pointers on which fields, specialism of geology are, or will be in demand in the coming years.

All feedback greatly appreciated folks.

Hi, have you considered a masters in Geology here downunder? Not sure how they view "Earth Science" here as alot of the Geology course here are tailored towards mining. If you have the right qualification you can earn excellent money. The work is tough and that line of work here means you`ll spend your working life in the middle of nowhere. It is why they fly people in and out. But being a student here will get you contacts. You could be taken on here under a 457 visa which is a 4 year temporary work visa.

Normal trades and other associated technical professions will spend a year or two working for a mine then move to the coast with a lump sum saved -maybe a deposit for a house or a car paid in full - but geologists are tied to the mining areas for their work. Be aware of this.

figarofigaro wrote: »

geology, lol. who's going to pay you to look at stones?

Some stones are worth their weight in gold

ellaq

You can earn good money as a geologist. But the big money is for people with lots of experience in the mining industry. Have a look at seek to see what geologist really earn.

You could probably make more money as a carpenter in the mines than as a geologist.

You could use your trade to apply for residency and while you are waiting continue your geology degree. PR takes a while to get but you could work as whatever you want when it is granted.

the keen edge

Thanks for the helpful replies to my vague questions!

I'm only starting my 3rd year of the degree next September, my first two years of study have only given my a grounding in general earth science, the subsequent years will be more focused and I hope to graduate with a well recognized degree(AFAIK the EOS degree programme at NUIG has a good reputation); albeit a broad geology degree with a final year project on a specialism where I would like to make a career.

To Blindjustice I agree highlighting realities of the working life of a mining geologist. I don't know if I'd like to spend my life working in the middle of nowhere. To earn the big bucks I'd imagine as you suggest my study would need to center in on geology study specific to mining; then effectively I'd be signing myself up for that lifestyle.

I didn't embark on my career change for financial reasons; more so due to my interest in the study earth science, so therefore my primary goal in my new career isn't monetary.
However, atm, I'm playing about with the idea that if next summer I could get carpentry work in a mine/power plant/etc I could: firstly earn a few pound to relive the financial pressure of being a student allowing myself to concentrate on the final year of my degree: secondly I would get to experience the mining/remote lifestyle, helping me decide what area of Geology to specialize in.

Ellqa are you saying that I could earn more as a experienced carpenter vs. a graduate Geologist?

What I really need to do is find out is the talk of big money for carpenters just pub talk, calculate a realistic figure of what I can make and save in four months, look into what visa I can apply for given my age and then seek out a concrete job offer.

ellaq

Graduate geologist positions can start from $90000 but you usually get extra benefits like extra superannuation and private health. Have a look at seek.com.au for different types of positions available.

Geologists are salaried, carpenters would get paid by the hour. Carpenters would work more hours per day than geologists. Geologists might work an 8/6 (days) roster, carpenters might work 3/1 (weeks).

I don't how you would get around the visa issue. You don't qualify for a WHV. Sponsorship is often 4 years. And getting work in the mines without experience can be difficult by itself.

s.c

the keen edge wrote: »

Ellqa are you saying that I could earn more as a experienced carpenter vs. a graduate Geologist?

Just to give you an idea, a formwork carpenter in Melbourne would earn around $40 an hour, overtime paid at double and work somewhere between 50 - 55 hours a week.

Sundy

Being a Geo isnt all just about being on site. All the big (and small) mining companies haves Geo's of all grades in their offices here in Perth. Even one of the smallest Iron Ore companies have about 4 in their Perth office and a couple more on site.

I'd recommend you finish your course and go towards mining, its where the money is in geo. Maybe try get a summer job in Europe if possible.

aido79

Sundy wrote: »

Being a Geo isnt all just about being on site. All the big (and small) mining companies haves Geo's of all grades in their offices here in Perth. Even one of the smallest Iron Ore companies have about 4 in their Perth office and a couple more on site.

I'd recommend you finish your course and go towards mining, its where the money is in geo. Maybe try get a summer job in Europe if possible.

I second this advice. Its alot of hassle going through the visa process for 4 months work and unless yoiu can get your application in before 1st july then it will be even harder as they aren't taking new applications between july and january 2013. One of the prerequisites of a skilled visa is 12 months experience in the past 24 so this would go against you as well. There is the slim chance of getting sponsored but a company is unlikely to pay you big bucks if they sponsor you. A quick phone call to a migration agent may give you some more options.

Geo_Tim

the keen edge wrote: »

Please bare with the following ramblings; just a few thoughts going on in my head atm that I'd like to get peoples opinions on.

I was a self employed carpenter for 12 years. Two years ago I decided,(against most of my peers advice, and not due to the employment outlook) to hang up my tools and fulfill a lifelong ambition of going to Uni and studying Earth and Ocean Science a subject which I'm passionate about.

Anyway the change in career has been amazing, and I've never been as happy and content; however college is expensive from the point of not earning a wage during the academic year.

So firstly I'm considering, more so wondering, about the prospect and economic viability of heading to Perth next summer for a 4 month carpentry based smash and grab to earn some of the big money talked about!.

What are peoples opinions on my get rich quick scheme!
I can say with modesty that I'am highly skilled, have a comprehensive cv, have trained apprentices form fresh out of school to qualified tradesman, etc etc. (Unfortunately I have only limited experience of commercial formwork, will this limit my employment prospect, or can a eager chippie learn the basics on site)

And secondly, as luck would have it my new choice of career, Geology, also seems to be in demand!
Anybody on here involved in this work in Perth?
Any pointers on which fields, specialism of geology are, or will be in demand in the coming years.

All feedback greatly appreciated folks.

Geologist here, been working in Oz for about two years.

At the moment there's a lot of oppotrunity for anyone with geology qualifications (usually a 3/4 year degree is whats needed). But if you were to go to college now it's very hard to know what it will be like in a couple of years, the mining industry and job market go up and down a lot, and they depend very much on commodity prices and the international markets. Even in the last three months there has been a small downturn. It could all still be booming in a few years time, probably will be, but there's not a lot of certainty. (Just something to consider if you're going to go to college for a few years).

Most of the jobs available to graduates are in exploration (looking in relatively unknown areas for new deposits) or on mine sites (helping determine what direction to mine in next etc...).

The conditons are usually pretty good and for the most part you are well looked after. The work is usually pretty interesting and different all the time. There are also tonnes of office jobs for geologists going around at the moment but they usually require a small bit of experience. A typical career path would be for someone to do a few years working FIFO in the field(on site) and then move back in to the city to an office job (if they want to, the option to stay out on site is always there).

The FIFO rosters vary, most people work something like 8/6 (8 days on, 6 days off), 14/7, 7/7, 14/14, 10/4. It just all depends really on a comprimise between how much you want to work vs. how much you want to get paid and a little bit of luck in finding a good one that suits you.

Some people here were saying about how you might be able to get paid more as a carpenter than a geo. I don't know about that, from anything I've seen, a geologist would usually get paid more providing they are on a comparable experience level. But there is certainly a lot of money to be made if you have a trade it's just maybe a bit harder to break into the industry.

About the visas, in the current market it's quite easy to find someone to sponsor you as a geo, even with minimal experience. And there are a huge amount of geologists over here on 457's.