need help

[andre]

hi all my name is andre i am a 37 year old south african.I am a plumber with 10 years experience in the field,which 5 off those years i have been running my own business.The problem is that i never went to write my trade test thus i do not have any qualifications on paper.How do i legally and safely get myself my wife and 2 young children into nz.

[Taffy]

Hi Andre,

You may find that your experience alone would be enough to get you through the door. I'm not sure whether you have to be qualified as such to be a plumber here, you will just be restricted to what you can work on legally (such as gas appliances etc). Plumbers are in such high demand in NZ, if you're really lucky you could even find an employer willing to get you certified if need be.

I'd contact a few employers and see what they have to say. It may be easier than you think!

[MotherBear]

Hi Andre and

I'm not sure how you'd go about becoming a plumber in NZ because a plumber is required by law to be registered and it may affect your application if you haven't got recognised qualifications. This is the official site for plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers.

I'm sure you would have to complete some sort of examination before becoming registered. The vital element here is whether they would accept you with no formal qualifications although I believe the PDGDB isn't totally accepting of quals from outside the country anyway. There's quite a lot of blurb on here , but have a read through and see if it answers some of your questions about the process.

It could be possible that you'd have to retrain in NZ and then go for registration. As plumbers are much needed there, you may be lucky to find an employer who will put you through the training.

[andre]

thanx would realy appreciate it

[MotherBear]

Andre, if you are refering to Taffy's comment.......

I'd contact a few employers and see what they have to say. It may be easier than you think!

I think he meant for you to contact them and see what you can work out with them. It would be a lot easier if you can explain your circumstances to them and hear what they can offer you by way of help.

If you didn't mean that, then I'm sorry for butting in. Just ignore me.

[BEVS]

A bit late to the party but I'm here now.

To migrate to New Zealand as a plumber you really must have formal trade qualifications. This is if you want to come into NZ on the skilled migrant route.

The New Zealand Immigration Service will check with the Plumbing and Drainlaying Board of New Zealand that the plumbing qualifications are good enough. Please google PGDB and look at the plumbing board website. You can contact Kern Uren from the PGDB to discuss the requirements further.

The above does not stop you coming into New Zealand under a temporary work permit, should you find a job offer in the plumbing trade. You would be allowed to work in the plumbing trade under a PGDB limited licence. This is the licence issued to plumbers hands and apprentices.

You could think to further your plumbing training in New Zealand. Be aware that the fees would be HUGE as you would be deemed an international student.
The PGDB of NZ can give you details of the plumbing training providers here.

Should you choose this, then you should look to gain the National Certificate in plumbing. From this, and with New Zealand work experience you could then , in theory, go on to apply for Residency here.


hope this helps