LSD/Job search: How long in each area?

[Cole]

Hi everyone,

We'll be doing a visa activation in the coming months, and plan to use the trip to do some serious job hunting while on Oz soil. My husband has a degree in heavy current electrical engineering; and has 9 yrs plant, production, and (coal) mining experience in the mining and cement industries. He's interested in maintenance, projects, consulting, and plant work. He's currently updating his cv, and is on LinkedIn etc etc, so regions where this is in demand would be where we want to go, and recommendations or advice are very welcome!

I was wondering whether anyone would be willing to share tips on how long you reckon one should spend in each area? This trip will be less holiday, more job search (but will be taking place while my husband is on leave at his current job - we'll have approx. 1 month available for this trip).

We would like to try to set up interviews in advance with companies/recruitment agencies in the areas where my husband is likely to have the most success, and my guess is that we need to lock down our itinerary and flights etc first, and we have no idea how long we'll need in each relevant area.

Also, anyone willing to share their awesome travel itinerary will be inducted into our hall of fame as legendary (we'll be travelling with a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old). We don't necessarily want to travel to each major city in Oz but want to focus on areas where his chances of obtaining work will be highest.

Thanks so much!

[Sunnyskies]

When we did ours a long time ago we did 5 days in Perth and 10 in Sydney. After arriving I was requested to go to Melbourne for 2 interviews so we did a lightening trip to Melbourne and that is where we landed up for the next 6 years. Now in Brisbane, another city that wasn't on my radar until last year August!

Moral of the story maybe concentrate on 2 cities that you think are most likely but be flexible and have the funds to fly somewhere else if necessary.

[Cole]

Thanks so much Sunnyskies, that sounds like really sage advice. This trip has to double up as an activation trip, and there are 4 of us that have to go; so the costs of flights for 4 pax to each city add up fast, I would love to cut that down if I can. If I can remain relatively static with the kids and my husband fly in and out to more cities if need be for further interviews, sounds like a great plan (although it's a shame to miss out on the adventure :-) ).

[Sunnyskies]

Yes, try and have as much holiday as possible. I spent most of our trip in a suit having interviews and going out for lunch with prospective employees. My husband saw all the sights with the kids. It is so stressful for the person on the interview circuit that it is hard to relax but if they have a home base and know that you are sorted it makes it easier to concentrate on the task at hand. There are probably enough forumites for your OH to connect with if spending a night away from you and the kids, perhaps even a spot of couch surfing which is much easier on your own and on the fly.

[SaffaNZimbo]

Have a look at seek.com.au and other recruitment websites to gauge demand in each territory and get a feel of the best job prospects. Australia is a massive place and demand for skills varies greatly between territories for each skill.

OH applied for a few jobs ahead of our reccie and had 1 interview whilst we were on our reccie (but the job didn't appeal to him). We spent our reccie doing lots of touristy things but also drove around Perth (we had a WA176 sponsored visa) to get a feel of the suburbs and drove into the SW area (where we now live!).

Lots of Aussie companies won't respond to job applications from candidates not already resident in Australia but there are a few so perseverance is key!

Your OH's skillset sound ideal for the mining sector WA/NT but job searches will confirm demand for his skills.

Good luck!

[Enrica]

Hi

You have not said when you are actually planning on moving over. At the moment , jobs in the Engineering field are very few . I work for a major Engineering company and they have been laying off Engineers almost monthly, so please don't be disappointed if you don't get any interviews. We are hoping that things will change , but the resource sector in WA is absolutely flat att the moment

[Cole]

Thank you Enrica, not good news, but good to hear feedback for that area. Our goal is to move over asap, but we're aware that it's very difficult to get jobs from SA. At this stage we plan an LSD for Feb/March next year to activate the visa and job-hunt, but if we got something before then, we'd be on a plane fast! :-)

[Peterthe1]

Most jobs in the mining sector would be either QLD or WA although most of these are on casual basis only. I work for BMA in QLD on a casual basis. BMA has had an employment freeze (for permanent positions) now for over a year. There are occasional permanent roles that do come up but these are few and far apart. Keep your eye on Employment /Labour Hire Agencies sites like WorkPac, Hays, One Key Resources, Chandler Macleod etc. You may have to take a slightly different role to start just to get your foot in the door. Cement Australia, Boral, Hanson, Wagners and Holcim are cement companies to look into. SIBELCO is a large international Limestone quarrying/processing company. Might all be worth having a look into.