Jobs for Carpenters in Australia

We’ve asked Joe, director of Wainwright Facades, questions about his move to Australia and setting up his own company. Joe is originally from a small town in the UK. He looks for Carpenters regularly on the DUC Employment & Relocation Hub.

So you are originally from the UK and came to Australia to travel in 2012 and now you are a successful director of a cladding company called Wainwright Facades? Tell us more?

Yes, I came here to visit on an around the world trip and arrived in Canberra to visit a mate and never left. I had been in Thailand for a while, then Singapore and turned up to my friend’s house with no money. So I got a job and never left.

You have an impressive team of Carpenters, what do you look for when hiring?

Whenever we hire new employees, we are always looking for work ethic and personality over all other attributes. We feel that if you are a hard worker and can get along with others, then you will fit in with us and easily pick up any skills you require as a Carpenter after starting.

Is there any advice you would give to Carpenters moving to Australia from the UK?

Enjoy the ride! Australia is a great place to come and work as a Carpenter. Employees are looked after here by all employers and it’s a rapidly growing country which makes for a lot of work. I always think this is the land of opportunity if you are willing to work hard then you can rise quickly and achieve whatever you want, so go after it and have a good time doing it.

Why did you decided to start up your own business? Was it a hard process as you are not Australian?

I worked for other companies for a few years first, but have always wanted my own company. The hardest part about starting was not having the support network that I would have had in England and not knowing too many people in the industry as I hadn’t been here long. But once I got started, I always tried to go above and beyond and do the right thing by people to ensure I’d get more work with them.

What do you enjoy most about working and living in Australia compared to England?

It’s probably cliché but the weather. We do a lot of external cladding and when I worked in England, it was very miserable at times. I think that being from England you appreciate the weather here and nearly every day having a blue sky makes it easy to get out of bed.

You live in the beautiful ACT, what do you love about Canberra?

Canberra is the hidden gem of Australia. Most people in Australia talk down about Canberra and most people also haven’t been here. It has cool bars, restaurants. Mountains to walk and lake burley griffin to walk around. Canberra also has a booming construction market meaning that there is plenty of work here.

And finally, I know there is something you really miss about the UK…What is it?

Obviously my family, but that goes without saying. So the main ones you want to know are Greggs, double deckers, twiglets and no responsible service of alcohol laws haha.