Apprenticeships In Melbourne

[OMGGTR]

Hi guys,

Just wondering if any1 has any connections at all with performance shops or any type of mechanic like that because i want to get into the performance scene from scratch but i want to work with jap cars and don't want to join your average Joe workshop and be changing oil for 4 years if you get me...

any advice would be greatly appreciated

even learning to use a dyno and tune cars or what not..

i haven't got a career yet I'm 21 getting a bit old for an apprenticeship but its all i can think of..

thanks guys!

[blackeagle299]

im up for the same issue as well, but currently still under uni degree, would like to learn more bout mechanics and stuff, hope anyone could help, Thanks.

Jeff

[geraus]

Yeh same here, im turning 21 in 3 days... and i want to start a career in the same field... i can take off turbo's, do exhaust systems... and other simple modifcations.. performance and stuff...

[battery]

mechanic's work way too hard for not enough money.

be a plumber, electrician or carpenter.

[Jezza-gtR]

i want to get into the performance scene from scratch

Don't even think about it if that if you want to get into the trade, not gonna happen, you gotta start at the bottom like everyone else. I've worked in a small local shop and a dealership (currently there now) and you hear good and bad from both sides but the big thing is just the people you work with and you have to have initiative and show your willing to work hard and learn.

I'm currently 2nd year, 3rd in a couple of weeks and the amount of stupid qualified mechanics i have seen come and go is amazing. If you really want to do it, then just work hard for it, learn the basics first, anyone can change a turbo. But be prepared for long hours, hard work, lots of headaches and sfa money

[tin-pain]

mechanics money bites ass

[WARLORD BAS]

yes i agree, for the work you do, the pay isnt so good.

but having said that, there is alot of money to be made, you can make an extra 2-300 a week just from backyarders.

and performance to be honest proberly doesnt have a good future.

i work for volkswagen and its a great brand to be in.

its amazing the prices ppl pay and how easy the job may be.

and forgot to mention, if your 21 and older, you get paid mature age wages, so roughly double what a normal apprentice gets.

Edited September 26, 2009 by WARLORD BAS

[R31Nismoid]

Start off @ a major car maker for 2-4 years and then try move over.

No-one will take you off the street, if i owned a performance shop, last thing i want is some green kid coming in and costing me money.

[Rowdyr32]

Start off @ a major car maker for 2-4 years and then try move over.

No-one will take you off the street, if i owned a performance shop, last thing i want is some green kid coming in and costing me money.

I would personally prefer to train a clued on person from scratch and have them do everything perfect from the start than take on a guy who has only ever done oil and brake changes for 4 years. Apprectices learn way to many bad habbits these days and don't get the correct training. I know a few guys that work at dealership and when it comes to diversity they don't really know that much. I would know more than some of them!

Apprentices only cost money when they either they descide to do things unsupervised or have not been taught/advised how to do a job properly.

We take people of the street for apprenticeships and we're working on $400k up to $3.5 million dollar helicopters where making any type of mistake isn't an option. And thats the difference. We train young guys to that standard!

Just one main rotor blade is worth more than a R34 gtr and an R35 gtr is just pocket money. A 35 gtr would only just buy the turbine module of the engine minus the FCU, compressor and gearbox. Just the engines are $500k plus. So one mistake can cost the company's I've worked for hundereds of thousands. Not just a $5000 worth car engine parts worst case. In eight years in aviation I have only cost the companies maybe $5k in mistakes which is only one dropped part and one incorrectly inspected part where I missed one a chipped spline which was found during rework. Not bad when I have stripped, inspected, assembled and dyno'd over 200 gas turbine engines and modules. Costing a company $5k for over a few million dollars worth of profit isn't to bad. Never ever had one module fail on the dyno or ever grounded and aircraft due to a mistake made by myself.

I just went door knocking and they took me off the street after a weeks work experiance.

People talk up the performance car scene but like any job its the standard of the guy doing the work that gets you the quality of the job. Workshops that everybody love like Racepace get such a good name because of the quality of the work they produce. Thier machanic must be a smart and maticulous guy. Not leaving banjo fittings loose/hoses off and measuring everything to the ten's of thou is the difference.

It doesn't matter where you come from.

Some people have it and others don't!

If I were you guys I would stay away from working on cars and be a sparky, plumber or get an industrial appreticeship etc and leave the cars to be a hobby. You will earn that much more in other trades and can do cashies! You can then just pay people to work on your cars. I couldn't stand sitting in front of a computer all day or listenning to lectures for 3-4 years after finishing school and found avaition to be a well paid, mainly clean highly respected industy.

Good luck. Just get out there and go door knocking. Its the only way you'll get into a good company and job.

[R31Nismoid]

How many people in the company there Gareth? How many mechanics/technicians in the group?

[blackeagle299]

sry might off topic, for the mean time, anyone have any part-time job oppotunities around Melbourne area ? currently 2nd year uni student. Whatever jobs that dont require a cert would be fine, just need some cash, Thanks, hope anyone could help.

Jeff

[adis]

Im electrician, and even tho tafe is much harder as opposed Mechanics, job is probably cleaner (most times), easier and better pay. Tafe is not easy for electrician (lots have failed and never got license) but if you can do it, i recommend it. In saying that, the trade is not as easy as some make it out to be. Its hard work that pays of eventually.

In saying that, if you love cars and want to work on them, i would go for it, wouldn't care what anyone else thinks!

[Rowdyr32]

How many people in the company there Gareth? How many mechanics/technicians in the group?

In the company there would be about 20 in each company but thats in many different areas including all the rework departments and the office people.

On the floor about 6 tradesmen and one or two apprentices usually going at a time at both companies I have worked for full time. It really depends on the type of effort the guys put in with training you. The first company as an apprentice they really pushed quality and took a lot of time to train people but where I am now as a contractor the full time guys don't seem to push the apprentice that hard and don't get up him for doing average work. They should push them to do better work but when the guys above them get lazy and don't spend the time to teach the apprentices, the apprentices don't really have that much of a chance to better themselves unless they get more self motivated in themselves. They can't teach temselves though if they don't understand whats going on. I've recently started spending more time to teach the one where I am now. The more they know and understand, it can be transfered into different areas of the trade and the risk of making mistakes lessens.

Adis my brothers a sparky and had to quit one company becasue they were just using him for labour really as a second year. They wouldn't sign his release papers so he just stopped turning up on time and took heaps of days off until they had had enough and eventually signed them. Lots of rough ins and fit outs where the tradesman would just drop him off and go and do other things usually not work related. Years later he's started a business with one of his old boss's and does more than ok for himself. Payed off in the end big time! Stick with it.

[R31Nismoid]

6 full time + 2 apprentice... says it all. 8 in total.

Of course they could afford to take unskilled workers on and train.

It is a far cry from most places that have 2 mechanics, one tuner/fab and that is the entire payroll.

A mech/perf workshop as being discussed here does not have that liberty all the time... and especally in this climate where there isn't a lot of work.

I honestly don't think its going to happen at all. Hence to at least get a start - go to a dealership and at least get a year or two, will make you much more attractive to a business that otherwise isn't necessarily looking

[Dorifta]

work work work

Edited October 4, 2009 by Dorifta

[Dorifta]

thats the qusetion, do u take a job because u enjoy it or for the experiences it allows u to have outside work, I did 2 yrs on euro cars and 6months at nissan, then a performance shop, which was right time right place, ill tell u know, dealerships are shit boring and if ur an apprentice ur definately a shitkicker lucky to be doing an oil change, maybe a boring tedius major service. My advice, if u want to grow in business for long period, go dealership, but if ur after serious skills stay away from dealerships. u learn 1 brand. I learnt far more at independent co working on all makes and at the performance shop, than I could of at a dealership in twice the time. Its all relative, where u want to go, what knowledge u want, and yes theres not much money in the technician side of the trade, unless ur in heavy diesel, sparkies, plumber earn heaps more, my mate is a refrigeration service tech, earns top dollars and has it very easy

Edited October 4, 2009 by Dorifta