Young readers interested in getting into the industry...Forget about apprenticeships with Qantas mainline..Try getting into a regional like REX/Eastern/Sunstate/Alliance/******/RFDS/NJS/Airnorth...Your career will be far more rewarding, you will be trained and you will actually get to work on aircraft.And the money is as good in most cases.
Qantas 737a/f and eng = Heavy $55000 Line $75000
Alliance F100a/f and eng= $70000-80000
For single category LAMEs you will earn more out of Qantas, you will have far more job satisfaction and a greater oppurtunity for employment.
You will not be able to hide when the big jobs come up, slonk off on the same people that carry the old gerries night after night.You will have to swim, and this will make you in most cases a far superior engineer.
Look at prevoc courses run by companies like Australian Aviation, more and more companies a sourcing apprentices from such training facilities.
Forget Qantas you will regret it...
