Thread: Seeking opinions

At 26 will you be able to live on an apprentices wage?

alot of people prefer an older apprentice (provided they're willing to listen !), being they're more mature & reliable ,mostly keener to work and have a better idea about what they want outa life.
A small business will probably be better for you rather than a large/ gov type employer
If you're keen & can handle a few years of low pay ( a good boss might provide extra benifits), and enjoy the work you'll succeed
Friend of mine started plumbing in his mid 30's, now he's in partnership with his boss & talking about buying the buisiness

brett

Originally Posted by disco2hse

At 26 will you be able to live on an apprentices wage?

Adult apprentices in Oz get a substantially better rate of pay than a traditional apprentice...

Originally Posted by Tombie

Adult apprentices in Oz get a substantially better rate of pay than a traditional apprentice...

Thanks. Is schooling a part of the wage package generally? There will no doubt be block courses that need to be attended and paid for. What about on the job assessments? I realise these are probably industry related but I would think in most industries there would be a contracted assessor for workplace assessments. Is that right?

there is another option to you if you find it hard to get an apprentice ship you can work in one of the trades and get an RPL style qualification after a shorter period. I did it as I couldn't get signed up to one employer I just worked as a laborer till I started doing the same work as the tradies. Then found someone qualified to assess me and did some gap training at tafe and got my trade certificate that way.

pros : you get paid better during your time on the job
plenty of places to get assessed (usually a list from bsa)
can get qualified quicker (less than the 4 yr term)
cons: can cost a bit cause you have to pay for training and assessor (off set by increased pay)
your employment status isn't as stable doing it this way

Hi Tom, along similar lines to some other replies, you would need to look at what you will earn while doing the apprenticship - if you are still living at home with your folks, then I would advise staying there for the time being. 26 is not too old to start, and if you're keen, you will find someone to put you on. Regional areas can be a bit hit and miss, but Bendigo is probably better than some at the moment, and isn't really that far to Melbourne. Once you have a trade under your belt, you will always be able to find work.

I have a friend who has just started an Electrical apprenticship at 28, so I went over all this stuff with him a few months ago.

My opinion would be to go for it mate.

Cheers - Gav

My opinion is also that you should go for it, if it is what you want. I know people who have done apprenticeships at your age and have been very glad with the decision.

Do you know anyone in the industry you are looking at? After all, its not what you know its who you know!

I cant imagine it would be difficult lining one up. They are always banging on about a 'skills shortage' and there are good incentives for people to begin apprenticeships.. well, there were a while ago. Not sure about now.

Anyhow, good luck!

I would consider a trade that will land you a good job (high paying) in the mining industry, along the lines of Mechanic (truck and heavy machinery), Fitter/machinist/turner, Electrician, Boilermaker, Welder.
Not knocking Carpentry but IMO it is a dying trade, most carpentry nowdays seems to be building formwork, just about everything else is prefabbed by labourers, Regards Frank.