WORK AVAILABILITY

[pkn]

MFfamily, good luck with the job search, maybe you should broaden your scope and look outside the insurance industry. What are your core skills...degree credits etc. Start with the basic building blocks of who you are and go forward from there...sterkte!

[zoot]

MG Family have you found out about temporary or short term contract opportunities - that would at least give you some "local" experience and may be a chance for you to develop some contacts in the industry.

[MG Family]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will keep on knocking on those doors!

MG

[quinswan]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will keep on knocking on those doors!

MG

Networking is everything here.

I agree with elleneo. You have to attend stuff even if it is boring. The other way is to search online for all sorts of seminars, presentations and short courses in stuff, preferably in your field.

Even offer to do some presentations on stuff yourself to various clubs and organizations like rotary etc.

I have been to about 10 seminars, gave 2 free presentations and attended a one week course, all in my first 6 weeks here. I was rewarded after 4 weeks here with a job.

what I did find that at these event it is best not to be too pushy, but to meet and greet as many aussies as possible.

Ultimately they will be the ones handing out the jobs.

I have heard (PLEASE DON't QUOTE ME ON THIS AS GOSPEL) that very few people get helped via the South African network, probably because most saffers are trying to sort themselves out first.

[Mara]

Qwinswan, honestly, I think for some it is the South African network that has got them through. I know of quite a few that found jobs this way. Perhaps this depends on the city you are in? Again, some do and some don't.

MGfamily, I would almost believe that the insurance industry is saturated perhaps, I do know that if you are into "life insurance etc" that the Aussies do not seem to be too worried about it. In our office, it seems only the boss and I actually have life insurance.

Have you had your cv done Aussie style? I know that this change has meant a breakthrough for many.

If there is any way that I can assist you, please do not hesitate to make contact.

[Galahadsmum]

Thanks for this advice.. we have just been in Brisbane on a LSD... unfortunately we timed it badly... arrived in the midst of their horrific floods.. so the city was flooded, inaccessible and appointments we had were cancelled...

We did laugh about it as the timing was so lousy.. but wondered if it was a "sign"... perhaps it was! We will take your experience on board in future.

[Mara]

Galahadsmum, do not let your trip to Brisbane, in the midst of the floods, influence your decision to move to Australia. It is, after all, a big country and it does not begin and end in Brisbane! There are many areas of Brisbane that were not at all affected.

There is a whole country out there waiting for you, perhaps there is just two pieces of advice I can give:

a. Do not live in a low lying area, make sure you sit on the high side of the road and preferably on top of a hill, stay away from the riverside.

b. Do not live in a highly treed area, I know they are beautiful, but you will be surprised at how well the beautifully green gum trees burn and blow up with fires.

Other than that, life is a breeze!

[Darrin]

Good day all,

This is our first visit to this site, refered to us by a friend..... I think it will take us years to work through all this relevant crucial information posted here....

We have just decided that it is time to pack up and go, however we want to try the root of applying directly from SA to AU trying to get a sponsored job - I know I read it - chances are slim.......

I am a qualified Electrician so hopefully that will make it a little bit easier. What we wanted to know was which areas to look at - someone told us more countryside instead of cities as it is easier to find work there. We need names of towns, cities etc where we should look at applying.

Could someone assist with some ideas..... advise ..... do's and dont's..

Thanks

Darrin & Maryke'

[Toitjie]

I have a question about the job market in Canberra:

If someone only has matric, with no other formal qualifications, only experience, what are the prospects like?

[Mara]

Darrin

As an electrician you will have to undergo some training and sit some tests in order to be registered as an A1 electrician in Australia.In country areas there is always a shortage of qualified people, so quite frankly, any country area would be good to try, there are not specific ones that would be better than others. I think a way to help you make a decision would be what kind of weather you like or that you can live with. Here is an idea:

Northern Territory - Hot, hot and hot and humid!

Queensland North - as above

Queensland South - Hot and humid

New South Wales - Northern part hot and humid, southern part hot and not so humid

Victoria - hot, rarely humid, cold in winter, and four seasons in one day, however the further you go into northern victoria, the hotter and less changeable the weather is.

Tasmania - cool temperate climate but cold in winter.

South Australia - hot and dry in summer cool to cold in winter.

Western Australia - hot and dry in summer and the further north you go the hotter it becomes.

So now you can get up a google map of Australia and see what takes your fancy!

As for cities, you can follow the same guide as for country areas above, the purpose initially is to get yourself here, trained up, and registered! After that life is not so complicated, there is a huge possibility that you may eventually move, to somewhere that you fall in love with.

Australia is a huge country, with very differing climates, cultures, pricing, laws etc. If you do not particularly it in one area you can move to another, but being here, you can now check it out for yourself.

Good luck with your choices!

[Mara]

Toitjie, unfortunately I cannot help with an answer to your question as it is city specific and I have no knowledge to impart about Canberra. My suggestion is that you start a new thread, with a new heading, that way you may get an answer. A lot of people will skip over your question here as this particular thread may not interest them.

[Toitjie]

Thanx M, will do

[Heather]

I am an incredibly positive person, and believe that things work out the way they are meant to. You just need to committ to your decision, and it all will fall into place.

I have proved that once already - we moved to a small Caribbean Island on a whim 8.5 years ago. We did not know the culture, we did not speak the language, and we certainly did not understand the small island business ethic. We thought we would going to take our successful Jhb business style and teach THEM a thing of two....and boy where we wrong!

But we survived. And made it work. And in the 8.5 years, we have achieved alot. And we have remained self employed the entire time. It has not been easy, and there have been times when I have wondered what the hell I had signed up for......but looking back, I would do it all again.

This move to Aus is far more considered. We have done our research. It is different this time. We have a child, we are older (me 40, and my OH 57) and we cannot afford to "waste" a couple of years whilst we find our niche. It needs to count first time around.

So......Gold Coast here we come......and I certainly hope that there are some opportunities there for us !

I think it is all a matter of attitude.

Gold coast is awesome !!!!! give us a shout when you are here as there are soooo many awesome people here on the GC and we meet once a month for a ladies lunch - so PM me and I will send you my numbers etc.

Nix

P.S. And yes....I DO feel apprehensive!

[Lien]

Well, we are here since December 2009 and I still struggle to get a job.

I have had excuses that I am the perfect candidate, but that my accent is too thick! Some say I first have to get Aussie experience! Others say that you have to be a Australian Citizen! The list go on and on and on...

Sometimes I wonder why the Australians came to South Africa in the form of Conferences, inviting us to come and live in their country, telling us how many job opportunities there is. Just to get us here and guess what? Immigration made a lot of money out of the visa app. You are here now. There's definitely a lot of jobs, BUT you are lucky if you get one.

That is one of the reasons so many South Africans go back home.

[Enrica]

Most of the time its who you know not what you know regarding getting that first job.Network Network network.

I have to agree with the statement regarding the Aussie Experience, once you have had your first Aussie job, the rest are much easier to come by.

CSV you do not say whichstate and city you live in or what line of work you are in, perhaps you should introduce yourself.

Since the GFC crisis I DONT KNOW anyone that has gone back to South Africa.

When you get issued your visa it comes with a little piece of paper that states there is no guarentee of a job. The reason most of us are in Australia is not becuase we were invited but becuase we wanted a better future.

Unfortunetely, if you are dealing with the public, the avergage Australian has a difficult time trying to understand and very broad Africkaans accent.

It was no differnt to the why the Afrikaaners treated the Portuguese and Italians 25 years ago.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Enrica

[Mara]

CSV, where do you live and what do you do?

[pam abrey]

I must admit that I read Mara's post before I moved to Brisbane and it scared the daylights out of me. However I went to a brilliant agency called Robert Walters who were so proactive and helpful, and I got the very first job that I interviewed for! I am now a Communications Manager at Ergon Energy and started working less than 6 weeks after I arrived. So don't get put off other people's experiences because your particular skill might be sought after. In addition I do believe that Brisbane has changed and the recruitment agents will confirm that. It is the faster growing city in Australia and there are so many more opportunities here. I have also seen a massive change in the city in the four years that I have been visiting. The secret though is finding an agency that is keen to help you and believes in you. For those of you in Marketing and Communications I would highly recommend going to Robert Walters, especially Oliver Molinari and Caine Rain. Caine is from South Africa originally and heads up the Marketing and Comms desk. They will tell you that you have to take a few steps backwards in your career which everyone has to unfortunately however I am earning pretty much the same as I was in South Africa. I am on a contract which is great because you can get a feel of the work here without being tied in long term but you can also renew the contract.

[zoot]

I think you hit on a key thing there Pam firstly an agency who bothers to get to know you and what you do. Some go through the motions but it is in one ear and out the other you are just another warm body for their performance quotas also the fact that you met an ex South African is also a big plus. I have found organisations who have employed South Africans or agencies where you get South Africans working are often less phobic (for want of a better word) of non Australians and those not from that particular state. Unfortunately it is the luck of the draw though. I would imagine that the growth in Brisbane especially with regards to the mining boom would mean more foreigners flooding in and the realisation that these people have valuable skills which an employer would benefit from.

[Settled]

http://www.seek.com.au/Job/business-systems-support/in/brisbane-brisbane/21109619

Any accounting people with sage pastel skills? PM me about this.

[pam abrey]

I realised I had written Caine Rain from Robert Walters - apologies i meant to write Callan Raine. The Dutch project manager I am working with was also placed by Robert Walters but through a separate department so it seems that they are very good with placing foreigners and open to assisting non-Australians. And a word of caution - if they suggest you work in a government department don't get a fright! It is nothing like working for South African government departments! What it does mean is you get more flexibility and easier working conditions and I'm getting paid as well as I was working for corporates in South Africa. However I leave work at 4.30pm to get home in time for my son and I get to work from home when I need to, and a lot of corporates aren't so amenable to that. It is also not as pressured as a corporate environment which I realised I needed after the stress of immigrating but you need to be able to handle bureaucracy and ensuring you consult a lot of people. Some great advise I was given by a South African here was not to go into the workplace guns blazing and trying to prove yourself. Australians are very team focused and it doesn't pay to be ego-centric or try to change things too quickly. They really don't like self-promotion or blowing your own trumpet and I've already experienced a couple of people who have alienated themselves for doing that. So I was advised to keep my head down, produce the work and all good things will come in time!