Apprenticeships

[EvilElmo]

Already did a search on this, and yes I know what I am getting into, and yes I am finishing year 12.

Does anyone know any performance garages that take apprenticeships. I am planning on completing an apprenticeship @ a performance garage + extra year. Then going to uni full time, getting mech eng degree and returning to that garage to be a qualified engineer on site to fabricate their own equipment.

But hey, thats just idealy

Anywhere in Australia, I have found it very hard to get any places to give me any time to explain what I want to do. I guess they think I am another time waster. So if anyone knows the owners of a garage or are regular customers etc. Let me know, I need all the help I can get

Thanks heaps!

[always_me]

most mechanics get sick of working on cars after the first year, i know it sounds exciting working on cars, but the building industry is a much beter place to start, just my 5 cents.

[EvilElmo]

Ok, cool. Thanks for the input. But I have made my mind up to do this, and if you read the entire thing I should be, in about 10 years (probably less) fabricating my own turbos etc. etc. or if the garage doesnt want me back I will open my own garage and fabricate for myself instead.

Anyways, thanks but no thanks

[DRFTR33]

dude you have no idea what your getting yourself into

i acually did part of my aprenticeship in a garage were we did alot of performance work on nissans and mazdas

its not usualy easy to get a position in a workshop dealing with performance cars and fabrication

but if you think your good enough go for it, its the most rewarding part of the trade

but in ten years you wont be doing what you expect. i thought i was going to be working on sweet peformance cars forever, but now i work on stock standard fords

i could be wrong, this is just what happened to me

working on cars for a living ruins a good hobbie

[xRHETTx]

I'm currently in my final year of a mechanical engineering degree, and i can tell you that you get no hands on fabricating knowledge at all from doing the course. If you plan on doing any fabrication at all you will have to complete another tafe course or whatever.

But good luck, i'd love to work with a performance workshop once i graduate, but engineers are more likely to work with larger companies, rather than at the workshop level.

[EvilElmo]

Ah well, thats my dream

Thanks for the input guys, but I'm set on it. I will do it

I just need the foot into the industry with an apprenticeship @ a performance garage. I am set

[CONAN]

If thats his dream, let him be.

EvilElmo, better off doing it this way. Find an apprenticeship at an ordinary mechanic, learn the basics first, during that stage, do tafe as well. Then when you think your ready (at least 1yr), move up to the peformance workshops. University is going to be a long way away, and one of the hardest things you'll ever do. Its a really expensive step as well, so be sure to think twice about it.

[Damien]

GO FOR IT!!!!

Your young and keen!

If it falls through, well at least you know you tried!

Youre not going to get anywhere if you wait for things to happen for you!

I'm not saying jump straight in, do it logically and not just with your heart!

Ask all the performance garages and be PERSISTANT, it can't hurt!

If you get knocked back try again, all they can say is no again, but

on the other hand they may like your persistance and see how keen you

really are!

Do it all now before lifes commitments make it alot harder on you!

My 2c!

[xRHETTx]

Some places do tafe courses in things like motorsport and race engineering and stuff like that. Im thinking about doing one of these courses when i finish uni if i get a chance. Maybe an apprenticeship and something like that would help?

But yeah keep bugging the performance workshops, i mean they have to take in apprentices at some stage?

Dont do mech eng at uni unless you are competant at maths, most of its theory. And by competant i dont mean adding up and dividing etc, i mean calculus, integration etc.

[gatty]

i'd say you should do an apprenticeship at a normal workshop - maybe even ford/holden/nissan dealership etc

once finished yu can work at a performance garage while doing uni part time, or work part time while doing uni

it might sound stupid but with the ford XR's being turbo'd now, and some supercharges SS's getting on you will still get to do some work on the performance side while learning the basics...

i don't think a performance shop would take on an apprentice - mainly because their time is allot more valuable - and often the work is a little more complex/involved

[EvilElmo]

Thanks heaps for the input guys I am continuing to call around to different workshops and stuff, going to the workshop, dropping in my resume. Just getting my name in then in a few weeks drop in again and ask agian.

Keep my name there so when/if they get an apprentice, my name comes to mind

Yeah I am pretty good at maths n stuff and yeah I know its all theory, but if its all prac then you wont be able to come up with anything origional cause all they will show is how to do stuff thats already been done The prac side I can learn, the theory I need to understand.

[bmxwrx]

Also, do you have any idea of what sorta money that you gonna earn at a car workshop?

When you're at uni doing mech engineering and your buddies you studyed with are bragging about how they earn 100k plus a year in industrial design i reckon you'll change your mind. Car workshops pay shit house compared to big companys.

Workshops have gotta stay competitive with the others around the area or they don't get sales, a 10k motor job would be considered a "big one" by a car workshop.

But for industry, 10 grands is shit all, big places would'nt even bother with a job worth 10k.

[Baz]

I myself am following a similar path to Evilelmo. I came out of Year 12 in 2003 doing what we call "TEE" over in WA and was competent in Physics, Chemistry and Applicable Maths. One of the hardest decisions I made was going and doing an apprenticeship rather than doing uni. The reasons why I decided to start now, rather now than later is

1) The pay is really crap as an apprentice

2) You basically just clean all day when you first start

3) Workshops generally won't take on older people

As Gatty said I choose to start my apprenticeship at a Ford dealership, not that I'm an overall huge Ford fan the new series of BA Falcons are really quite something, also the XR6T is a sign of things to come. I looked at the options of working at various peformance shops in Perth and its quite easy to say that there didn't look like there were exactly many apprentices in there workshops. They only way I could see getting an apprenticeship at one goes by the old saying "It's not what you know, its who you know". Anyway being at a dealership would give you a better knowledge overall than if you specialised specifically in one aspect of the motor.

I've looked into doing various tafe courses as a night course but havent found anything specific with what I want to do as xRhettx said I looked into Mechnical Engeering as an option but it doesn't seem apply much on a practical level. The only other option I came across is that there is a uni in Melbourne which specialises in Motorsport Engineering or something like that.

The main thing to keep in mind is stayed focused and determined. I coped quite a bit of crap initially about it but 1 year in all is going great. I'll just have to see what the future holds.

[Baz]

BMXWRX is right in what he is saying, it really depends at the end of the day whether you want the passion or the money more.

[redline2003]

I also wanted to do the same thing. I dreampt of installing high mount turbos, fabricating manifolds and piping, rebuilding whole engines etc. I wanted to do this because i have a passion for cars. But i decided against this, mainly because it would be a minimum of 8 years before id be fully qualified and paid, and even then i wouldnt be running my own workshop. I also just bought a late model nissan turbo car and need a fair bit of money, something full time study and/or mechanic apprenticeship cant provide. I want to be able to enjoy my youth. I believe it is VERY hard to have a job that you wake up wanting to do every morning. Even race car drivers get VERY frastrated with their job as they arnt performing to a good standard. I've spoken to a few guys who work with performance cars and do the things i wanted to do and most of them look at their job as just that, a job(they hate what they do). So i picked something with good potential to make money, actually has jobs available in Australia and the ability to create my own business very easily and cost effectively(no physical shop/site), and get paid good money in the mean time to pay for my mods and other needs and wants. Maybe this isnt what you want to hear but it might be good if you listen to it. If you really want to do this then an apprenticeship in auto mechanics then a mech/auto engineering course followed by a Fabrication course(held at various TAFEs) would pretty much prepare you to get started on working in a performance workshop. I think finding an apprenticeship at a performance workshop like say ICE or Racepace would be like finding hen's teeth, simply because they take on qualified and expierenced mechanics who know their way around engines. An apprentice wouldnt really have a place there. An apprentice would mainly be doing servicing, cleaning, maybe repairing a bit, etc. Try get an apprentice in a workshop specialising in prestige cars(mercs, porsches, etc) as they are a fair bit more engineered then say camry's etc. But dont take my word for it, keep trying as it wont hurt, just make sure you do your research about it and your not misinformed. Good luck with it.

[EvilElmo]

Thanks guys, and yeah redline your right, its not want I want to hear. But I am still listening.

Short post, will post longer when I get home. Rushed for time.

[EvilElmo]

Ooook, thanks heaps for the posts and everything. Like I said above, its not what I want to hear, but its helping me make my decision. I am set on doing it And by the time I am 30 I will have my own garage open. It's what I want to do

You're all very helpful in giving me advice and I have concidered it, but I will still do it I am looking to dominate the performance scene. N all I want is to have the oppotunity to get my foot in the door, even if its just my pinky. I want to work in a performance garage, I wont settle for less. I have driven to about 5 performance garages in Sydney and handed in my resume. If they threw it in the bin, I don't mind. In a few weeks I am gonna pop in again and talk to them again about it.

Some might call me crazy or whatever, but when I have my head set on something. I will strive to get it.

[r33GTS-t-200kw]

I have started an apprenticeship with Midas straight outta grade 12. Pay is shit house but it keeps going up each year, after ur qulaified money is good, 600-900 for 38 hours. plus bonuses and overtime. Im staying with them until i have finished my apprenticeship then going to performance orientated things.. You need to know every little thing on a car and how it works before u get into the good stuff.

Just my 2c

[DRFT33]

I'm doing my apprenticeship at BMW and i reckon its great. i didn't think i could get into a prestige workshop but hey... it was the first workshop i tried and i got it. the only thing i had to do was sit a test - maths, english and science, and a couple of weeks work experience. And i've never spent a day cleaning up... we got cleaners.

Eitherway i say go for it and best of luck.

[EvilElmo]

Thanks mate

I have had one breakthrough at a GREAT workshop, I've only ever heard of good things coming from them.

I will do some work experiance with them these holidays, then hopefully from there get an apprenticeship @ end of the year.

*fingers crossed*