Looking for vacant Accountant positions in:

[Christo and Marie-Louise]

Hi Everyone,

I am planning to arrive in Australia towards the end of June 2009 if our permanent resident visa is approved during +/- May 2009. I am an Accountant on the Critical Skills List and lodged our application in September 2008.

I am looking for anybody who do have accountants as acquaintances or do know of any accountant positions that are vacant at the moment at accounting firms or in the commercial sector as Management Accountant in the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Mackay, Bundaberg and Rockhampton (in order of preference).

I am considering furthering my career as an accountant in a Public Accounting Practice to obtain the necessary knowledge and experience related to businesses in Australia.

My qualifications assessment from the CPA for accountants came back positive and I am allowed to register as an Associate CPA member. I am also writing the final exam in May 2009 for the Chartered Management Accountant (CMA) qualification, which will according to a mutual agreement between the CPA and CIMA institutes provide me with full membership status of the CPA when I passed the qualifying exam of CIMA and thus becoming a Chartered Management Accountant.

A few questions I would like to ask are:

• Where would I fit in a Public Accounting Firm based on my resume? I see that the levels advertised are Intermediate Accountant, Senior Accountant, etc.
  
• Salary expectation?
  
• How easy will it for me to obtain work as an accountant (in Public Practice and Commerce) based on my experience and qualifications if I came to Australia with a permanent residents visa in June 2009?
  

I sincerely value your opinion on the above and I hope that you will be able to assist me.

Christo Snyman

Edited March 27, 2009 by Christo and Marie-Louise

[LeaveLeft]

Send a PM to Strawberry... she is an Accountant in here in Mackay... she might be able to help you with the information you require...

[kento]

Hi Guys, not to put a dampner on anything but I do want to let you know its tough getting employment here at the moment. If you ask the recruiting agents they say things have slowed down, and I'm experiencing this at the moment as I'm also looking for an Accounting position in Brisbane. The Agents are saying that their clients are been a lot more specific about the type of people they are wanting to employ. In a lot of cases you have to have a specific skill rather than a general accounting experience ie 6-8 months ago it was apparently easy for accountants to get jobs but it has become more difficult because the clients are now more specific as mentioned - They may require someone who has had project management skills in construction industry whereas 6-8 months ago if you had project management experience they would have taken you. Its this sort of thing that makes it a bit more difficult to land a position.

One thing you do need to do is ensure your CV/Resume has been done the Aussie way, and if you do happen to have "SA" meaning South Africa anywhere on your CV/Resume, ensure it states 'South Africa" as the Aussies take this to mean; SA; as South Australia.

You guys may be blessed and get a job straight away which would be awesome, but you need to give yourself sometime and don't stress too much in the beginning if you don't get a job straight away, hang in there as their are jobs but it may take a bit longer for you to get it.

Wish you all the very best, and I'm sure you will enjoy it here. It is very different here but you will enjoy your freedom to catch public transport, walk about at night and not feel threatened. My family and I have been here just over 6 weeks and we are enjoying ourselves. Good people here & they are friendly and helpful.

Good luck

Kind regards

Kent