Salary: Plumber (Adelaide)

[SandraStemmet]

What can my husband earn working for a plumber in Adelaide?

[Bob]

Every Australian worker has a wage or salary set by an Industrial Court. This is called an "award".

The award rate of pay for his trade or profession wouldn't be a great deal, as that is the least that a tradesman can be paid in employment. Paying him less would be an offence and he could take the employer to the Industrial Court for loss of pay.

It would be around $700 or $800 a week.

However, my son is also a tradesman . . . a motor mechanic.

If he were working for an employer, he'd get about the same rate of pay as his award, but he's chosen to go out on his own and started up a workshop servicing people's cars.

He gets a lot more of income that way.

Your husband would be wise to look into going out on his own, getting his own income.

If he didn't get $60 000 to $100 000 a year, I'd be surprised.

My son does.

[Mara]

The question is, I guess, does he have to undergo re-registration in Australia to work as a plumber, like the electricians? For electricians, even if you hold all the qualifications you can, in RSA, does not mean that you don't have to go through a period of almost 'apprenticeship' in Australia, before you will get your registration. Just throwing the question out there, I have no idea.

[SandraStemmet]

The plan is for him to work for a plumber and do the course(s) at the TAFE college or take a trade test... We won't have money to start his own business.