Frustated

[beulah]

We have been in Aus for 5 months now. I'm here on a Temporary Long Stay Visa. My kids are in school and loving every moment. My "package" includes our rent, school fees, a cheap little car and a small cash allowance. My husband is finding it extremely difficult to find a job and this is putting strain on him. He started working for a guy who does maintenance work in the City but this guy hasn't paid him for nearly 2 months. Problem is, he was paid cash in hand as a cashual so his employer isn't too concerned about repercussions. My husband is feeling very low as he is not able to provide. We've knocked on doors, sent cv's just about everywhere but no luck. He has registered with every employment website in Australia but nothing. Can someone please shed some light for us? If my kids were not so happy here then we would seriously cobsider going back to SA where he was GM of a fast food franchise.

[Riekie]

Firstly, your husband is entitled to his pay. The employer can not provide proof that he paid your husband, so your husband could make a case against him. Every employee in Australia, no matter what kind of work you do or what format your employment takes on (permanent, casual etc) must get a payslip! This employer probably also didn't contribute to a super fund, paid payroll tax etc which is illegal! Your husband should go to the ATO and report him. This is the kind of employer who give Australian employers a bad name. He is probably in contravention of many other laws too.

What is your husband's line of work? I know you said he was a GM of a fast food franchise, but could he be a GM of any other type of company for instance? Does he have qualifications? What sort of work experience does he have? If you give a bit more info, someone might be able to assist more.

This must be a terrible time for you, but it is still early days. Don't give up.

[Mara]

Hi Beulah, I have known two other couples that have had this problem, in both instances it was the wife that held the visa and the husbands accompanied them.

1. Often you find that employers do not want to invest in staff that "in their opinion", are not here for the long haul. It is crazy as I do believe that on average staff change their jobs here every few years.

2. Many employers, especially the smaller ones do not always know the difference between the visas and all they will see is the word "temporary" and that is enough to put them off.

I agree with Riekie above, perhaps give a clarification of what abilities your hubby has, you never know, perhaps there is someone on the forum that can put in a good word for him.

[zamunda]

Mara is correct. A lot of businesses keep away from those who are not with a permanent visa. We know of someone who had the same issue. But they hung in and as time progressed things worked out. No pain, gain was their attitude.

As frustrating as it can be, five months is way too short to get settled in. We have been in Oz close to 18 months and we are still not completely settled.

Hang in there.

[AshB]

A recruitment agent called me one night to run through my resume and then asked me what a 'pr' permanent visa meant on my resume... these Aussies are ????

[Mara]

Ash, not really, it is quite possible that the agent knows nothing about migration. I find it amazing, all over the world how many people still think "have passport can move and travel to live and work anywhere in the world".

[DXB2OZ]

AshB, to be fair, how much do any of us know about the different types of work permits for SA or the hurdles one has to jumpy through that side (had a friend who did it)? Just because we live, eat and breath the visa process, there is absolutely no reason why a local would know anything about it as they don't have to go through it.

[HansaPlease]

these Aussies are ????

????!

I'm with DXB - just because you know about visas doesn't mean other people should have to. They may have never left the country, or, if they did, they didn't need a visa.

Beulah- Like others have said - hang in there! And let us know details of your husbands experience and quals, maybe somebody can help.

Edited March 12, 2015 by HansaPlease

[monsta]

Hey,

The standard advise you will get from here is very good.

1) Apply for short term contracts. A 3 month contract will be a good foot in the door

2) VOLUNTEER! Go clean the toilets at church or braai sausages for a charity fund raiser. Then get a reference from them and a few new Aussie connections on linkedin. Being a "nice guy who will do what needs to be done" will get you very far here. As far as I remember, Seek.com.au has a volunteering section.

3)Talk to locals. Your husband's CV may not translate into Aussie. Find someone in his industry and ask them, "what does the GM at your take away franchise do?". Or even, I applied for a job doing xxx; What do you think an xxx does? Then use those tips to update his CV and focus on jobs where the locals can see his job history is a match. The locals are generally pretty keen to help... especially if you are helping them (e.g. volunteering with them).

Cheers

Edited March 12, 2015 by monsta

[HansaPlease]

Fantastic advice on the volunteering. It's very well regarded, and it may lead to a work opportunity!

[Jordy]

Just to add, to base a decision on whether or not your kids are happy after only 2 months would not be wise. I don't think many kids could settle in, in that short a time span. Also it is around this mark when home sickness sets in. Your husband probably has homesickness too, but we men don't like to admit such things. So combine homesickness with no job and unhappy kids, and the thoughts turn to packing it in.

The irony is that another 8-12 months you will be in such a different place emotionally and economically that you will never consider going back but more worried about how to make this permanent so that you dont have to go back.

Can't help with the job advise, except to say that perhaps your husband should not over-emphasise the Temporary nature of his visa. As said above, 99% of Aussies do not have a clue about visa types. What they want to know is do you have the right to work? The answer is yes, I have the right to work - enough said unless pressed further. If they discover 2 years down the line your visa is about to expire, and you are valuable to them, they will sponsor your for PR.

I am always surprised to discover some people have been here 20-30 years to discover they are still on a PR visa. It is often people from countries that do not allow dual citizenship and they do not wish to lose their original passport.

[OubaasDik]

We have been in Aus for 5 months now. I'm here on a Temporary Long Stay Visa. My kids are in school and loving every moment. My "package" includes our rent, school fees, a cheap little car and a small cash allowance. My husband is finding it extremely difficult to find a job and this is putting strain on him. He started working for a guy who does maintenance work in the City but this guy hasn't paid him for nearly 2 months. Problem is, he was paid cash in hand as a cashual so his employer isn't too concerned about repercussions. My husband is feeling very low as he is not able to provide. We've knocked on doors, sent cv's just about everywhere but no luck. He has registered with every employment website in Australia but nothing. Can someone please shed some light for us? If my kids were not so happy here then we would seriously cobsider going back to SA where he was GM of a fast food franchise.

Beulah,

Your post isn't totally clear to me. That "Temporary Long Stay Visa" - is it a 457? Are you the principal on the visa?

If that is so, then your husband should not even mention the temporariness of the visa at all and if anyone asks, he should just say his t's a work visa. Only if they ask should he clarify.

Then he should jump into anything he can get, including volunteering.

[SurferMan]

Yeah, I will add that I too didnt know what PR was, had to have it explained. Assuming that all Aussies are migration savvy is a bit far off. He must any any job, I have been without work for almost 4 months, and it's really hard, cash is almost zero.but you MUST keep PUSHING, NEVER GIVE UP. Success may be around the corner. And it helps I have 4 mouths to feed. No time to feel down!!! (Im tryng my best to pep talk your bubby!)

[beulah]

We live in the Hoppers Crossing/ Werribee suburb of Melbourne.