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rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 12:39 PM
hello first time poster long time looker....

ok here is the deal. i'm from Calgary but moved to Quebec and in may I am moving back and going to go to school at S.A.I.T to become a welder(first year apprentice) and I am just wondering how hard it is to find a company to apprentice me after I take my first 12 week course without any experience.
And i'm not into the money or anything just think it would be a cool job, but what kind of salary do they make?

any input will be appreciated.

mike

Jason Lange
01-19-2009, 01:37 PM
It may be harder to find a job right now as a welding apprentice with little to no experience just because quite a number of the shops are a little slower than normal and aren't really doing any new hiring. I think typical 1st year rate is between $15-20/hr (should be 60% of journeyman rate).

Jim Rome99
01-19-2009, 05:19 PM
That pre-apprenticeship program is a rip off. Instead of paying thousands, you can do it in six weeks for $700 at SAIT after you've put in 1500 work hours. Phone the apprenticeship board and ask them for a list of welding companies indenturing first years. Failing that, go through the yellow pages and call all welding shops one by one.

You'll likely have to start out welding bed frames and things like that, but once you get experience you can easily catch on making BIG money in fort mac and many pipelines.

First year wage is $18-$21/hour.


www.tradesecrets.org

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 09:04 PM
thanks i will look into that:thumbsup:

dj_rice
01-19-2009, 09:08 PM
I know of a place that might take you on as an apprentice BUT it will not be the type of welding you want to do, its line production welding and its all about quickness and the #'s you produce....if your still interested I can give you the details...but I highly recommend my option as a last resort as this place, throw all your welding knowledge and techniques out the window, they manufacture farm and ranch equipment like holding pens, fencing etc...

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 09:13 PM
Originally posted by Jim Rome99
That pre-apprenticeship program is a rip off. Instead of paying thousands, you can do it in six weeks for $700 at SAIT after you've put in 1500 work hours. Phone the apprenticeship board and ask them for a list of welding companies indenturing first years. Failing that, go through the yellow pages and call all welding shops one by one.

You'll likely have to start out welding bed frames and things like that, but once you get experience you can easily catch on making BIG money in fort mac and many pipelines.

First year wage is $18-$21/hour.


www.tradesecrets.org


QFT. But, be prepared to put in that first 1500 hours as a grinder/cleaner before you get to go to school, most shops have it happen like that. After your first year, you should see 60%, but its not written in stone, they dont HAVE to pay you that as i find out. I get paid 27 where i work as a third year, but i have alot of weight on my sholders. Im CWB supervisor for my shop, as well as shop foreman coming soon. I go for my third year in may, then im journeyman. You couldnt pick a better trade tho man, just wear a respirator as much as you can stand and youll be ok.

dj_rice
01-19-2009, 09:19 PM
Originally posted by sr20s14zenki


You couldnt pick a better trade tho man, just wear a respirator as much as you can stand and youll be ok.



I couldn't stand wearin my respirator all the time especially with glasses, it would always fog up and not to mention I couldn't fit a pair of safety glasses over my glasses so thats fun

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 09:23 PM
Originally posted by dj_rice




I couldn't stand wearin my respirator all the time especially with glasses, it would always fog up and not to mention I couldn't fit a pair of safety glasses over my glasses so thats fun

Right now i have an optrel evolution helmet, and i love it. Optrel now has a PAPR out, so basically a battery pack and motor hang on your belt, small, and light weight, and a hose goes from it to the top of your helmet, not the one i have, but its based on the evolution, just gotta get the new helmet with the system. Your whole helmet seals with your face. Heard good reviews, and its supposed to be around 900$. im gonna check it out. Speedglas has had one for awhile but its freaking 1800$. my shop is well ventilated, and lately i do more fabrication than welding itself, so i havent had a respirator on. I deal with flux core dominatnly now tho, so when do a production run, i wear my respirator.

dj_rice
01-19-2009, 09:31 PM
Originally posted by sr20s14zenki


Right now i have an optrel evolution helmet, and i love it. Optrel now has a PAPR out, so basically a battery pack and motor hang on your belt, small, and light weight, and a hose goes from it to the top of your helmet, not the one i have, but its based on the evolution, just gotta get the new helmet with the system. Your whole helmet seals with your face. Heard good reviews, and its supposed to be around 900$. im gonna check it out. Speedglas has had one for awhile but its freaking 1800$. my shop is well ventilated, and lately i do more fabrication than welding itself, so i havent had a respirator on. I deal with flux core dominatnly now tho, so when do a production run, i wear my respirator.



My old shop was NOT properly ventilated......combined with MASSIVE dust in the shop, it was awesome breathing in welding fumes and dust and end of the day blowing your nose or spitting and have it come out grainy and black :thumbsup:, I had breathing problems almost like wheezing, a month or 2 after I quit welding, my breathing was awesome, lungs nice and clean and my arms are free of splatter burns :thumbsup:

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 09:33 PM
Originally posted by dj_rice




My old shop was NOT properly ventilated......combined with MASSIVE dust in the shop, it was awesome breathing in welding fumes and dust and end of the day blowing your nose or spitting and have it come out grainy and black :thumbsup:, I had breathing problems almost like wheezing, a month or 2 after I quit welding, my breathing was awesome, lungs nice and clean and my arms are free of splatter burns :thumbsup:

So you quit welding completely i take it?

dj_rice
01-19-2009, 09:36 PM
Originally posted by sr20s14zenki


So you quit welding completely i take it?



Yeap, where I worked, taught me such bad techniques and things about welding that I decided for a career change and health change....couldn't stand all the peeling skin weekly even after wearing SPF50 sun tan lotion and how dirty you get at the end of the day and all the burnt clothes even with coveralls and sleeves on

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 10:08 PM
Originally posted by sr20s14zenki



QFT. But, be prepared to put in that first 1500 hours as a grinder/cleaner before you get to go to school.

I actually registered for school before i get work so i have some knowledge of the trade before I go head over heels in. but yea I expect to be the B*tch of the shop haha

any advice you have about welding would be awesome.

thanks

mike

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 10:09 PM
Originally posted by rdy2xlr8


I actually registered for school before i get work so i have some knowledge of the trade before I go head over heels in. but yea I expect to be the B*tch of the shop haha

any advice you have about welding would be awesome.

thanks

mike


Yah, dont do pre-employment, its a waste of time and money. Get experience, THEN go to school, it wont work the other way around. You wont have the hand skills you require until you maybe mig for a bit and learn to run a decent bead.

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 10:13 PM
do they do hands on testing first year. because like you said I wont have the skills to do it if there is.
also how do you record all the hours you work im not sure how that whole thing works...

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 10:17 PM
Originally posted by rdy2xlr8
do they do hands on testing first year. because like you said I wont have the skills to do it if there is.
also how do you record all the hours you work im not sure how that whole thing works... You will start working, then you will get them to register you as an apprentice under the alberta apprenticeship program, they will get a bluebook, which you get, it logs your hours. You can go to school before 1500 hours is up, but you still require 1500 hours to complete each year. If you pass school, you arent officially a second year till you get your hours. Your work writes your hours and stamps them in the book, and after school, you send the book to the apprenticeship board and they stamp it, completing each year.

Usually the schedual works like this

come to school, 8:00-11:00 is welding, they teach you various processes, and test you every week, maybe twice a week depending how the curriculum goes. Ie. First week is OAW welding, so you learn old school, run lines of fusion, do some brazing, and the kicker is, it helps you learn skills for tig when it comes cuz its pretty much the same thing. You do get to practice, but youll find its not as easy as if you had experience before you went in. There were lots of people in my class who only ran grinders and never welded, and they REALLY struggle.



Yes there is hands on training, but not enuff. Its better for you to start welding as an apprentice and THEN go to school. Ive seen many pre-emps fail, to the cost of like 3000$+

Jim Rome99
01-19-2009, 10:23 PM
Get out of the pre-employment program if you can still get some of your money back. Even if you can't, I wouldn't recommend going to school first.

Here's how it works: you find a company to indenture you. This means that you have a company that are willing to give you your start in the trade and apply to the apprenticeship board for your blue book. It is basically a record book where all of your school marks, hours, and work experience are recorded and signed off. In order to progess to the next year of your apprenticeship and get your raise, you need to both complete that year's schooling period and also get all your hours. Your company will keep track of your hours through payroll records.

You can book yourself into school anytime - typically it goes September-October, November-Christmas, January-February, March-April, May-June, with a break from July-August. There is no rule saying you need all your hours before you go to school, but you need your hours as well before you advance to the next year.

www.tradesecrets.org has all the info you need. It is the Alberta Apprenticeship Board's official website. Spend an hour or two reading through it all before you make any decisions.

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 10:27 PM
what about hands on testing? or is first year pretty much theory and safety.
see the problem is that I already gave them my cash and i am really not into failing.

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 10:28 PM
Originally posted by rdy2xlr8
what about hands on testing? or is first year pretty much theory and safety.
see the problem is that I already gave them my cash and i am really not into failing.

its all hands on testing man, you have to pass the hands on tests at the end learning each process.

Ie, youll learn to do a 1f, and a 3f with mig, and there will be hands on testing following learning it.

and btw, i believe you are allowed to cancel with a small fee if its a week or two before the course

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 10:43 PM
do they give you time to practice at all? or is like this how you do it now your going to be tested

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 10:44 PM
Originally posted by rdy2xlr8
do they give you time to practice at all? or is like this how you do it now your going to be tested

LOL NO they dont just throw it at you LOL

you weld 3 hours a day, thats your practice time, then, one day, is a test day, so you get tested on what youve practiced all week.

if you think you can pick it up that fast, go for it, i know i couldnt have, i had enough trouble as it was.

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 11:07 PM
but you said my first 1500 hours will be grinding and cleaning so it really doesn't matter.... does that make sense?

im not trying o argue or anything just trying to suck all of the information out of you.. haha

sr20s14zenki
01-19-2009, 11:13 PM
I mean your first 1500 hours at the shop will be bitch work with some welding here and there. But enough to learn a bit know what I mean? That's how most shops do it from what Ive seen. You aren't worth a thing until after your first year of school

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 11:23 PM
ok great. now for the job hunt in our shitty economy.....

rdy2xlr8
01-19-2009, 11:26 PM
P.S thanks for all your help