John’s Interview

Interview

What were you doing before you studied Carpentry?

I lived in England with my family, my wife and son. In the UK I was working as a fire fighter. My wife and son came with me to Australia

Where do you live in Aus?

I live in Cleveland which is about 30 minutes from the school in Brisbane. It is a nice area close to schools with a lot of free council events so that my son can make friends with other children and things like that.

Where do you study?

I am studying the Cert III in Carpentry at TAFE Skills Tech in Brisbane.

How many days do you go to class per week?

I go to class 3 days per week. And soon as we will have vocational placement blocks where we go out and get experience in the field.

Did you have to buy a carpentry tool kit?

No, everything was provided by the TAFE. There are all sorts of power tools and hand tools we can use.

Do you do vocational placement? If so, where?

Yes it is part of the components for the course. I think we do almost 400 hours over the 2 years. We do it in blocks of weeks.

How are your teachers?

I am over the moon with the teachers. They have been nothing but helpful and I can’t fault them. They all have previously worked as carpenters for many years.

Tell us about your classmates?

We have students from all over the world. UK, Brazil, Asia, lots of different countries.

What is the average age of classmates?

I am probably one of the older students, but students would probably be around 25 – 30.

What is the most difficult thing about coming to Australia?

Probably the unknowing and not really having a specific idea of how things will go. We packed up and brought the whole family out. But it has worked out really well. Something that is a little difficult is childcare is quite expensive.

How are the facilities?

The facilities are outstanding. The workshop where we work and learn in is so impressive. We share the space with other domestic students which allow the facilities to be such a high quality.

What are your plans when you graduate?

Obviously I am taking this class to work in the industry.

Do you feel like you are learning a lot?

Yes, a lot.

How do you feel about the school?

I am impressed with the school so far. As mentioned before the teachers are excellent and equipment and facilities are first class.