WHV Work thread - What Industries Are Still Booming Down Here?

grace_159

we went to the expo in the RDS last wk and a trade company told him that its not recongised! Usually those who had qualified from Fas could still work in Oz but were getting appre. wages and how bcoz things have tightened up theres no work unless he is Oz qualified. True?
Alot of these posts are pretty mixed reading back on them some say there is work out there some say theres none CONFUSED!!!!!!

The Sweeper

TomRooney wrote: »

zambia, i will give whatever advice i deem neseccery, who do you think you are...? this is not china and you are not chairman mao, so get off the high horse.

Tom, if you're unhappy with a post, report it, don't get into a row on-thread.

miss_shadow

I'll be finished nursing course at the end of april. (Go me) and was thinking of travelling for a while and oz is a good choice. so if i were to get a job there i'd only be able to stay a year is it??and i wouldn't be allowed to re-apply? What is the childcare like, does it burn a hole in all your pockets or just one?! Any info with thanks!

Diamondmaker

The results of the stimulus package should be coming through now...

We have had 2 school projects come through. They are only small fry but will at least keep people in employment.

These are directly as a result of money being made avaialble to education Qld from the stimulus package to renovate and upgrade.

I have also noticed lots of construction work available in the infrastructire and civil areas. Its all regional QLd.
Again as a result of the stimulus packages.
The site based would be pretty grim, in the middle of no where, out side of places like Rockhampton... but at least the professional side would bebased out of consultancy offices in Brizzy or other centres.

As well I noticed most of these adds were also reruting high level positions asuch as engineering manager and director level. Sign that confrims Civil engineering as the only remaing skill shortage area in constrcution and as per the Occ in Demand list in its current state.

hussey

http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,27753,25274141-462,00.html

THE news is all bad for job seekers, as new figures show that employment prospects are just going to keep getting worse as the year continues.

A new survey has found that professional and trade jobs are becoming harder to find, with the Skilled Vacancies Index showing a 10.8 per cent drop in the number of job advertisements in March.

The Index, compiled by the Federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, is down a massive 57.9 per cent from last March.

missannik

miss_shadow wrote: »

I'll be finished nursing course at the end of april. (Go me) and was thinking of travelling for a while and oz is a good choice. so if i were to get a job there i'd only be able to stay a year is it??and i wouldn't be allowed to re-apply? What is the childcare like, does it burn a hole in all your pockets or just one?! Any info with thanks!

Congrats! You shouldn't have too much trouble finding agency nursing work throughout Australia, although bear in mind that you need to register in the State you'll be working at (so if you want to work in Sydney, you need to register in NSW and then if you go to work in Melbourne you'll need to register in Victoria as well... national nursing registration will come into effect in 2010.) You can work under the WHV or you may be able to be sponsored (I know my work, a small facility of 82 beds, has been sponsoring internationals left, right and centre... so I doubt sponsorship will be an issue ATM.) Feel free to PM if you have any other nursing questions.

As for childcare... I'm not too sure about prices, but I do know there is a shortage of places, so it might be difficult to get a spot for your kid(s).

Tupins

Hi sorry if this has been asked before but i did a search in this forum and nothing came up.

Basically, does anyone know what the situation is with mining towns in Australia? I've heard that a lot of people go there to save money. Seemingly, you work a lot but make very good money. Accommodation and food is provided so no bills. Shifts work out like say, work for 10 days then have a week off. It's mostly men working in the mines, construction, labouring etc but there are cleaning, admin jobs available too. Apparently, the towns tend to be small out of the way places with not much to do so not very attractive for social life etc but we wouldn't care about that as it would be temporary.

My husband and I are considering going for 6 months or a year as we are sick of being broke basically. He works in a trade but work has seriously dried up for him lately. I am lucky enough to be in a permanent job but I don't earn that much (barely enough for us both). We don't have any savings so it would be an all or nothing venture for us. Plus I am thinking would I be mad to leave a permanent job in this climate? (Although who's to say what's permanent nowadays!!). The idea would be to go, save some money and come back to a situation where there is a bit more work available here in Ireland for him.

I've looked on google but to be honest there's so much info that it's a bit overwhelming - would love to hear from anyone who has experience first hand or knows what's what.

Are we dreaming?????

Diamondmaker

I think you are dreaming, mining has been one of he hardest hit in Oz to date.

Zambia

Sadly Diamond is right , anyway if its a WHV your going on by the time you found that high paying job you would be flying back.

NaiveMelodies

does anyone have a number to call for fruitpicking or any farm work anywhere in australia?

aiecquest

As suggested earlier, if you are not fussy, fruit picking and harvesting in regions see Harvest Trail http://www.harvesttrail.gov.au and lets you see what other opportunities are available....you might be surprised as everyone focuses upon big cities.....cheers Andrew

population

robert hunter wrote: »

hey there! this is a great thread im after reading through the whole thing and gotten a lot of info from it,im meant to be heading over to auz with the gfriend and a mate in a months time but after reading through this i just dunno:( but i just cant imagine things being any worse there than ireland at the moment so my question for ye is this myself and my mate are both qualified electricians and im just wondering where would ye suggest we head when we hit auz to try for work we have to go to perth first to get our electricial liscences but to where then i cant decide,were heading over on the wv which i cant see being to much of a prob in my line of work as contractors would usually only keep us on for a few months at a time anyways!!!!!any thought's or suggestions would be much appreciated!!!!!!

Just keep in mind construction is in a trough worldwide, OZ included. Also different states need different licences. When you do your papers in QSLD, you have to do it again in Victoria for example. On a WHV doing exams over and over again I am sure is not appealing.

MilionMilesAway

Right here's my two cents.

As with one of the earlier posters, I also work in the Engineering sector. Specifically the water industry in Sydney. My company does a lot of alliance work which is more often than not tied in with a state or federal body (RTA, Railcorp, Sydney Water that kind of thing) and a few of those projects and prospects have been shelved or canned.

My company has put a recruitment freeze on and I think that they are going to start letting the more non-productive people going some time soon. I've heard that several other consultancies (SKM/GHD/Hyder) have been letting people go. Likewise the companies that were in our various alliances with are also not hiring people. So anyone planning to come over here would likely have to get in line behind those people. But in fairness, a lot of companies could just be using this "downturn" as a broom to clean all the dead wood out, so you wouldn’t know what to believe.

As regards people applying for jobs in Oz from Home, waste of time. No company is going to take a punt on anyone uprooting from Irl to come to a job in Oz. You would need one hell of a hot CV to be able to swing that one (like having designed the Pyramids or something like that).

I've had a good few mates on to me asking if I can get them a job in Sydney. I've passed there CV's onto a few companies, but sadly no-one's biting.

My company is currently taking the tack that they want to be in an advantageous position to hit the ground ruining when this "recession" ends so they will hold onto anyone semi decent, which hopefully includes me.

Earlier in this thread someone said that it couldn’t be any worse than it is at Home, well it might not be as bad, but its not good. Take advice or you could always spend the 2000 odd yo-yo's to come here and find out for yourself?

I do have a question for anyone that can answer it.
I'm two and a half years into a 4 year company sponsorship visa. I was wondering is there any legislation that says that Aussie employers can cancel sponsorship visas en masse for many ex-pat workers, as opposed to laying off Aussie citizens?

I'm probably being paranoid, but if I loose my job and have to go home I'd be in a spot of bother considering I'm no longer eligible for the dole back home having not paid Irish taxes for the last three years.

Would I be better off applying for a skilled migration visa (loose a year and a half’s LAHFA, gain medicare and more security). I checked the last day and I still am fine with the points, but the two grand outlay is not to be sneezed at.

Any advice is very much appreciated.

Diamondmaker

MilionMilesAway wrote: »

Would I be better off applying for a skilled migration visa (loose a year and a half’s LAHFA, gain medicare and more security). I checked the last day and I still am fine with the points, but the two grand outlay is not to be sneezed at.

Any advice is very much appreciated.

Ca you not apply for independant migration right now ?

I am lpanning based on what my agent told me to go for independant after 2 years of sponsorship. Your compnay can nominate you to go solo.

I must research this myself some more but its still over a year away.

Aside in these troubling times I would apply for a SMV, its an insurance policy. Only you know how likely or not you are of being laid off so make that call based on cost benefit !

Im pretty secure having secured another 2 projects to run for a year and I would still apply I think....they run for 4 or 5 years and hey the recession may be worse in a year !!

juju40

my son has been living in brisbane for 8 weeks has applied for work all over the place,he is a tiler by trade,but does not expect to work in this industry as the building work is drying up a bit,and as a consequence all other trades associated with this have also suffered.he is a brilliant sales person has been a supervisor in 2 high profile retail companys,even being named sales person of the year in one of these positions.he is only 20 years of age and is very unhappy about not being able to find work and feels ashamed that he might have to come home,even though myself and his farther have said that there is nothing wrong with him doing that.he is a very conciencious worker and has a brilliant personality but just doesnt seem to be able to get his foot in the door.
we hope that he will be able to stay but dont hold out much hope.
has anyone got any advice on what he should do next,he is on a one year w.h.v.,has a full driving licence and has car,so he can travel anywhere.any advice would be much appreciated.

The Sweeper

Change cities - worst case scenario, if he has a car he can sleep in it once or twice if he needs to, thereby saving money on accommodation.

If he moves further out into the countryside (less fun, more working opportunities), he may get work - possibly not as a tiler.

Tell him to apply to the project builders - these are the building companies that build houses off the plans - not sure who's in Brisbane, but in Victoria the list would include Simonds Homes, Burbank, Porter Davis, Metricon, AV Jennings, Orbit Homes, Hotondo.

There's currently a big building boom in Victoria, spurred on by the local first time buyer's grant, meaning FTBs in Vic are getting up to $29,000 as a housing grant. This is creating a building rush here - and tilers are in short supply, I think, in north central Victoria. (Or at least they were six months ago when I couldn't bloody get one to finish my house for love nor money).

FreeAnd..

meaning FTBs in Vic are getting up to $29,000 as a housing grant.

I think that runs out the end of the month, best bet for your son is to try reginoal north queensland...I heard of a few people getting work in townsville but I wouldnt wish that place on anyone...

Brisbane is overrun with Irish tradespeople looking for work and as usual during a recession a country looks after its own workers first...that and the rep of Irish WHV trades people is sh*t, in Brisbane anyway...and if you met any of them drunk on a Monday you'd know why

watna

A guy at work today told me his two Irish flatmates have had to head home after being here a month or two because they couldn't get work. I didn't think things were that bad in Wellington at all so I'm quite surprised.

Mr Benevolent

Heading to Melbourne in July... hopefully there's at least two jobs left when we (the gf and I) get there!

m@cc@

Confab wrote: »

Heading to Melbourne in July... hopefully there's at least two jobs left when we (the gf and I) get there!

Good for you. Heading to Sydney in June with the gf. I think the message is, don't be fussy about what your offered and take it from there.

trailerparkboy

Heading to Brisbane in June for 2 weeks and then im outta there leaving for regional Aus small towns/cities where i dont care what work i get, ill take almost anything, so i dont think ill have much of a problem, but just in case im well financed.

FreeAnd..

Heading to Brisbane in June for 2 weeks and then im outta there leaving for regional Aus small towns/cities where i dont care what work i get, ill take almost anything, so i dont think ill have much of a problem, but just in case im well financed.

My only advice is to try to source work in the outback before you leave or at least get a good idea of where the most work is...you'll understand if you travel to one of these places and then realise you should have went somewhere else...getting between places in regional australia is not trivial or quick so best to hedge your bets and go to the biggest place first with most access to regional places that there may be a chance of work for you - have no idea of where these places might be - I heard of work in Townsville but im not sure if its still going on (and that town was forged in Hell) - they were in the midst of an Irish style building boom when I was there and it seemed as unsustainable but Im not sure if they have caught up yet...

Its a big enough town and is a good hub for travelling either further north (Cairns) inland (Mt Isa, Cloncurry etc) or south (Bundaberg, Mackay etc)...the only thing about regional queensland is that the mines have been badly hit and a huge number laid off...all these people are now looking -returning to jobs and alot of these would be in regional qld...

Not sure about outback in the other states but WA is far too big to have to travel between outback towns looking for work

adonis

Dunno if many of you guys are techie or working in IT but i have just spent a week applying to IT jobs in melbourne and finally got something. I was level 3/Sys Admin before i left to come here and now i could only get level 2! there were 75 applications for the job i went for so its a tough market out here....anyway take what you can get and then go from there seems to be the order of the day in oz at the moment

The Sweeper

FreeAnd.. wrote: »

I think that runs out the end of the month, best bet for your son is to try reginoal north queensland...I heard of a few people getting work in townsville but I wouldnt wish that place on anyone...

The housing grant in Vic ends at the end of June 2009, and it's dependent on you being able to move into your house within 26 weeks of applying for the grant, so there will actually be a heavy, short-term push to get all of those houses built, which in theory would create more jobs for tradies in Victoria at least over the next six to nine months.

FreeAnd..

The housing grant in Vic ends at the end of June 2009,

As far as Im aware the boosted version of the grant is available throughout australia until June 30th but im not sure if that has led to an increase in demand for Irish tradespeople - there is record grants being given out in QLD but it doesnt seem to be helping the huge number of unemployed Irish tradies around here but cant really comment on other states...

On a side note, I pity the poor people rushing to complete to avail of this extra grant - i imagine it would have been seen as a good idea in ireland 2 years ago but the consequences of it are inevitable

eringobragh

adonis wrote: »

Dunno if many of you guys are techie or working in IT but i have just spent a week applying to IT jobs in melbourne and finally got something. I was level 3/Sys Admin before i left to come here and now i could only get level 2! there were 75 applications for the job i went for so its a tough market out here....anyway take what you can get and then go from there seems to be the order of the day in oz at the moment

I'm here a month now. Looking in Sydney for work 2 weeks now. I 've done level 2 in Ireland. Any tips?

Diamondmaker

eringobragh wrote: »

Here a month now. Looking 2 weeks now here in Sydney I done level 2 in Ireland. Any tips?

Genuinely not being smart here but I was reading about how when there are 50 - 100 or more applicants little things like grammar, will have your applocation in the bin. Especialy for professions....

Its all about quality of 1st appearance just to get a CV even read these days....

god luck

eringobragh

Diamondmaker wrote: »

Genuinely not being smart here but I was reading about how when there are 50 - 100 or more applicants little things like grammar, will have your applocation in the bin. Especialy for professions....

Its all about quality of 1st appearance just to get a CV even read these days....

god luck

Cheers, the last post I wrote was hit and miss!! :P I've read over my CV / Cover Letter and its all in order. I've been given a template in a Australian format to work with if that makes sense.

I'll keep you guys posted.

trailerparkboy

Does anyone know what Tasmania is like for work? It seems a small enough Island to be able to travel from town to town looking for work.

myhorse

eringobragh wrote: »

I've been given a template in a Australian format to work with if that makes sense.

And thats a great starting point. The Aus CV should read different and longer than an Irish or UK CV. Aus HR departments usually wont even bother to read if its not in the format they recognise. Also the CV should vary for every job app as every job will be looking for different skill sets. Read carefully what is being advertised and adjust accordingly