Engineering Certification RPRQ - no Australian work experience

briony on 04/12/2020 - 10:13

Asking for my partner who is semi retired. Has many years experience as a self employed consulting engineer working in Canada. He is Civil specialist in Water.

He currently lives in Fiji and does occasional work for his own company. I live in Brisbane and we are applying for a partner visa. Once he gets here permanently and has work rights I would like him to continue working part-time so he doesn't drive me crazy. He is ambivalent about continuing working. I am ambivalent about having a bored Engineer sitting round the house all day.

He has never worked in Australia and RPRQ require 2 referees to speak to his work in Australia over a 12 month period.

He is registered as PEng in Canada and has his own company there.

He is unlikely to work for anyone else to gain the 12 months supervision to obtain the references.

I know he can take up work interstate but he hates flying. I can't move due to work commitments.

Is there anyway around this?

I would appreciate any constructive professional (not relationship) advice. He will barely engage in a conversation with me and insists he is going to retire (he is 62) so I am left to make my own enquires.

TIA.

Education & Work

Comments

  • redfox1200 on 04/12/2020 - 10:18
    +3

    you don't need RPEQ to get a job

    • brad1-8tsi on 04/12/2020 - 12:53

      exactly what I was going to say.

      I get paid as an engineer (in the water industry). I haven't got a degree (just a 4 year Associate Diploma from TAFE and a trade).

      There is truckloads of work for experienced civil engineers in the water industry. NSW is about to raise 2 dams and build another with several other jobs in the planning stages. There is lots of contract work everywhere.

      The draft hire guidelines for government contractors came out earlier this year and the emphasis is on experience (somewhere in the world) as everyone has a similar base qualification. Most of our engineers are Indian or SE Asian and they certainly didn't go to school here.

      I can get where he is coming from as I'm 59 and want to retire next July. You get to a point where you are a bit over the BS. Why not let him follow his plans. He will get bored after a while and follow his dreams.

      From a relationship POV, the lack of communication and agreed goals would be my concern. You need to get on the same page for both of your life's goals, not just his.

      • mskeggs on 04/12/2020 - 13:41
        +2

        can get where he is coming from as I'm 59 and want to retire next July. You get to a point where you are a bit over the BS.

        Same, since 17.

  • hatchbackracehorse on 04/12/2020 - 10:19
    +1

    Let him retire and take up a hobby?

  • Chandler on 04/12/2020 - 10:51

    I'm with hatchbackracehorse - let the man retire.

    But if you insist, as redfox1200 said you don't need RPEQ to get a job, although it will help, especially if he's seeking a high paying role.

    He may be able to get CPEng with his overseas experience, and some places treat them as equivalent.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2020 - 11:03
    +1

    (he is 62)

  • NuclearWessels on 04/12/2020 - 11:12

    From memory the requirement is 150 hours CPD in 3-years, plus 5 years experience within the last 7 years. If he is retired this may be an issue?

  • Hithere on 04/12/2020 - 12:11

    insists he is going to retire.

    So if you can afford it, let him.

    It's hard enough for the young ones to get a job currently, I hate to think how a 62 year old person will manage unless it's a job that qualifications aren't required - cleaning etc.

    • brad1-8tsi on 04/12/2020 - 12:55

      The bulk of our term hire engineering staff (we would have 50+) are old blokes. It's a field where experience and rat cunning counts for a lot.

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