Are people who can't get work on a WHV unlucky or just lazy?

master-t

So, with a little over a month to go before I set off on my adventure to Oz, I am hearing contradicting stories and tales regarding the actual use of a WHV.

I have many friends over in various parts of Oz at the moment, the majority on a WHV. However, I am yet to hear consistent stories regards getting work. My friends who have trades (I do not) have managed to do their needed courses and get work. Those who have their degrees and masters tucked under their arms however, are the ones who have the differing stories.

I have heard that office jobs are very difficult to get as companies are not interested if you can only work for a max of 6 months. So customer service, administration, credit control positions etc. I have heard sales jobs are handy enough to get, but you could go a week without a sale, and therefore pennys for a wage.

But what i am asking myself, is it a case of these people without jobs are just not trying hard enough, are they just not gettin any luck or are they fighting a tough battle due to their WHV.

On the otherhand, I have friends who have got office jobs and have had little to no problem getting them.

Those with jobs can't understand how people complain about not getting work and vice versa.

Can you folks who are there on a WHV (no trades) shed some light on this as I don't know what to think?

Main areas of Oz that friends I have been talking to are based in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth BTW.

Cheers

zweton

Yes i often wonder about this as well, prob a combination of things i reckon e.g attitude, work ethic, a decent and well prepared cv for the actual position you are going for, also age and a certain amount of luck is involved id say. Seek seems to be the main site for jobs but alot of these are advertised by recruitment agencies and we all know what they are like to deal with in general. I have been trying to find some job websites where by i can apply directly and cut out the middle man. I am arriving on the 7th of March so will know soon enough i guess,cant wait:)
The girlfriend is also going and she has 5 years with a multinational here with alot of SAP experience which should stand to her but who knows i guess we will have to see what happens when we get there.
Will prob chill and do a bit of travel for the first 3 weeks, guna rent a car and drive to adelaide via great ocean road weather should be nice.
Jesus i really cannot wait:)

zweton

master-t, have you booked travel insurance yet?

master-t

Not yet Dude, have been looking at various sites though to see the average costs. I am stopping in Thailand for 3 weeks on the way over so I need insurance to cover that also. Multi Trip seems to be the best IMO. Roughly 159e for the year's cover. What about yourself?

Yeah, I think attitude and CVs are the things that would allow a candidate to stand out from the average chap arriving in a wife beater and boardies asking for 'any jobs?'

It's always something I will worry about as I am arriving with roughly 5k dollars and don't want to blitz through it all staying in hostels and spending it on rubbish. I arrive in Melbourne March 20th. Would love to be able to get a job fairly quickly but that's the dream We are thinking of just going straight to Mildura in early April to get farm work and save some money. Friends worked there lst April - July and got approx 1k a week (hard work, but a great way to save).

Have been on SEEK, but I was wondering do these jobs excluse WHV candidates.

When people say 'we know what recruitments agencies are like', what exactly are they like?

zweton

master-t wrote: »

Not yet Dude, have been looking at various sites though to see the average costs. I am stopping in Thailand for 3 weeks on the way over so I need insurance to cover that also. Multi Trip seems to be the best IMO. Roughly 159e for the year's cover. What about yourself?

Yeah, I think attitude and CVs are the things that would allow a candidate to stand out from the average chap arriving in a wife beater and boardies asking for 'any jobs?'

It's always something I will worry about as I am arriving with roughly 5k dollars and don't want to blitz through it all staying in hostels and spending it on rubbish. I arrive in Melbourne March 20th. Would love to be able to get a job fairly quickly but that's the dream We are thinking of just going straight to Mildura in early April to get farm work and save some money. Friends worked there lst April - July and got approx 1k a week (hard work, but a great way to save).

Have been on SEEK, but I was wondering do these jobs excluse WHV candidates.

When people say 'we know what recruitments agencies are like', what exactly are they like?

ya thinkin multitrip also, they get good reviews and you can insure your iphone, laptop etc. Would prob do the same myself but im 31 so wont qualify for 2nd whv. Well my exp with rec agencies is you never really know where you stand with them (not all) but a good 60/70% of them.
Im sure we will ge grand:) Formula 1 is on the 15-18th so id imagine it will be a crazy few days:) Must book flights tomorrow.

LizOHagan

Hello....there is no real answer to your query however the reality is

- a whv is intended for you to travel and do short period of work
- some industries have larger skill shortages than others so more vacancies exist which gives opportunities to backpackers i.e health, engineering and construction
- it is difficult to secure employment from outside of Australia especially as the holder of a whv
- a good CV is essential - Australian Companies and recruiters expect professional CVs in australian format (generally more details than Irish CVs)
- the 6 month work limitation does makes it more difficult for 'professional occupations' to secure work while on a working holiday visa
- look outside the main cities of Sydney, Perth and Brisbane as this is where most people are so the job market is very competitive
- try the likes of Freespirit, Robert Walters, Geoffrey Nathan plus a search on Linkedin and twitter will link you to agencies who are targeting the backpacker market

Please don't listen to hearsay or generalise - each job applicant will have different skillset, years of experience etc so this will make a difference. Approach all job applications with utmost professionalism and commitment rather than a means to earn a few bob and go off traveling. The reality is some professionals will end up in unskilled work while they are on a working holiday visa so if you want to avoid that consider your long term visa options for Australia before you even leave Ireland.

Good Luck with the research. Liz

zweton

Liz, do you know if its possible to put my partner on a 176 once we reach the 12 month living requirement? Currently only have 8 months and hoping to make the rest up in aus?

LizOHagan

Hello Zweton....you can add a defacto to an application prior to visa grant but I would at least advise DIAC of your intentions etc at time of application. The risk is if you lodge and a decision is made quickly by DIAC then you miss out. Processing times are unpredictable so careful management is required. Alternatively, hold off lodging till you meet the 12 months defacto.

Hope this helps...Liz

zweton

Thanks Liz.

Batgurl

Advice for WHV (not my little rant like the last time)

1. always do a personalised cover letter, iv been told that was one of the few things that scored me my interview to my current job after qualifications and relevant experience etc

2. realise that you WILL NOT get work straight away. if you get an office job within 4 weeks you're doing well. there are jobs out there but oz recruitment process it slow.

3. be flexible. my first job involved an hour and 15 min commute each way. the agency told me they weren't able to get someone who was willing to travel that far and said that if i'm flexible with regards this they would be able to get me lots of work.

4. contacts contacts contacts: like Ireland, it's not what ya know its who ya know. all the places iv worked, when a vacancy comes up, its always thrown out to staff first if they know anyone suitable for the position. My friend has just been offered sponsorship from a office job I recommended her for!

5. don't underestimate gumtree. especially for cafe/bar jobs. if cash is an issue and you need to start work straight away (although why someone would come to Oz without means to support themselves is beyond me-see previous rant) gumtree jobs are generally start straight away and they expect people on WHV to apply so are aware of visa limitations etc. also i got my regional work on gumtree and had the time of my life doing it!

6. agencies need hassling. don't just sign up and assume they will get you something, email every monday and phone every thursday. these are the days vacancies most likely come in.

7. patience. no one will be waiting for you at the airport offering you a job. you need to work at it and wait. iv seen people who can't understand why they havent got a job yet. when asked how long they've been applying they say, over a week!!! :eek:

Um...im sure there is more but im bored now...gonna go have a twinnings irish breakfast tea and kick the person who needs to read this advice off their bed/my couch!

mandrake04

To be honest there is bound to be job saturation as there was something like a total of 115,000 WHV at the end of September, there are only so many jobs available and since sponsorship has increased a lot of jobs that might have turned over more often (especially in construction etc are being filled for 3 or 4 years). Add in that there are a slightly more illegals over-stayers that are hanging onto jobs that off the boaters might have had the chance of filling.

Despite RTE's folly that Australia is an endless pot of jobs there are only finite pool of available work, there are jobs in certain highly sought skilled area's but the rest is dog-eat-dog.

Same thing happened in 2008 worked dried up a bit and plenty of people struggled and lot ended up doing the walk of shame.

6ix

I think Batgurl has probably said everything I would've added. It's important to realise that you'll have to work at it and be patient, especially if you're looking for a skilled job/something in particular.

I arrived in Sydney 4 weeks ago and had a job within 5 days in what I do (TV production). I have plenty of experience and qualifications in similar roles at home and the job opportunity arose the day I arrived. It was just a right time/right place kinda thing, I got lucky. I could easily have been looking for a lot longer as I haven't seen many similar roles advertised since.

My girlfriend, who is a tax consultant/accountant with excellent experience and qualifications is finding the whole thing a bit slower and nothing has turned up for her yet. Although I might add that she's looking for particular roles that will add to her experience, so it's probably not fair to say that she can't get a job at all.

Basically if you're willing to be flexible and take any job then you'll probably be sorted relatively quickly but if you're looking for a particular type of role then it'll probably take longer. Either way, there are plenty of jobs. To finish on a positive note, I'm sure it's happened, but I haven't heard of anyone leaving Australia because they couldn't find work - you will find something.

markymark21

Batgurl wrote: »

Advice for WHV (not my little rant like the last time)



Um...im sure there is more but im bored now...gonna go have a twinnings irish breakfast tea and kick the person who needs to read this advice off their bed/my couch!

Ha that stuff ain't bad is it? I was getting the tea fix from that stuff before the mother sent other a wagon load of Lyons!


Anyway Master-T if your CV is good and you go about yourself in a Professional manner you should be fine. Don't just be another unshaven, laissez faire back packer!

After one day of searching on Gumtree me and the girlfriend were offered six jobs each. Loads of work in hospitality!

Digitalism

OP im guessing your looking for skilled work/something in particular and not a bar/shop/supermarker job? Id imagine the latter jobs wouldn't be too hard to get if you apply in many places and give a good CV. correct me if im wrong though.

Legend100

6ix wrote: »

My girlfriend, who is a tax consultant/accountant with excellent experience and qualifications is finding the whole thing a bit slower and nothing has turned up for her yet. Although I might add that she's looking for particular roles that will add to her experience, so it's probably not fair to say that she can't get a job at all.

Hi 6ix,

Can i ask what sort of roles your girlfirend is going for? i am an accountant & tax consultant also, got a job within 4 weeks of getting here, postion is a bit below what i wanted to do but it is in australia tax which is change, plus the job is in a listed company so handy to have on the cv when i go to look for a job when my contract ends. Am interested to hear what other people in my situation are doing?

master-t

Digitalism wrote: »

OP im guessing your looking for skilled work/something in particular and not a bar/shop/supermarker job? Id imagine the latter jobs wouldn't be too hard to get if you apply in many places and give a good CV. correct me if im wrong though.

Hey Digitalism!

Well, I've a masters is Marketing and experience in this area also. I also have extensive experience in Customer Service and Credit Control and ideally would be looking for one of these roles in Oz. I see plenty of jobs advertised for these positions, but I just wonder if the WHV will be a hinderence.

I agree about being professional when going for any job. This is a must. I'm working on the CV to beef it up from 2 pages to 3 pages now with detailed descriptions of previous roles. I have taken on some very good tips from a previous post about CVs and the note about contacts.

I will be applying for positions the day I arrive in Melbourne but we have the option of heading off to do our farm work nearly straight away, so I guess i'll just have to play it by year (in this case week)

dRNk SAnTA

When I arrived i found it hard to get work, places like Melbourne and Sydney are saturated with backpackers during the summer so it's competitive. I ended up working in a recruitment agency, which was a good job, and i can tell you none of my agency's clients would even want to see a resume from someone that didn't have full Australian residency.

In saying that, regional Australia has plenty of work available. I finished working in a restaurant in Broome 3 weeks ago, the pay was 25 an hour and they found it so hard to get replacement staff that they've had to fly wait staff over from Melbourne on a really short term contract!

markymark21

dRNk SAnTA wrote: »

When I arrived i found it hard to get work, places like Melbourne and Sydney are saturated with backpackers during the summer so it's competitive. I ended up working in a recruitment agency, which was a good job, and i can tell you none of my agency's clients would even want to see a resume from someone that didn't have full Australian residency.

In saying that, regional Australia has plenty of work available. I finished working in a restaurant in Broome 3 weeks ago, the pay was 25 an hour and they found it so hard to get replacement staff that they've had to fly wait staff over from Melbourne on a really short term contract!

Just wondering, how'd you find broom?

dRNk SAnTA

markymark21 wrote: »

Just wondering, how'd you find broom?

We loved it there, but that probably had as much to do with meeting some cool people and finding a nice place to live. It's small but the biggest town around for at least 600km so has a sense of importance. The water is turquoise, fishing is brilliant, it's hot and humid but there's always a sea breeze so you can survive. There are a couple party bars (has one of WAs only weekly yet tshirt comps) but to be honest we just worked the whole time there. Made great money.

When I was there it was/is wet season so it was quiet enough. I'm told the place explodes to life in winter and gets crazy busy. Definitely worth a visit, a very cool town.

I should ad that the west coast is a must see, there are so few tourists and it's so much less developed. Feels more like the 'real' Australia. Ningaloo Reef is the best place i've seen in Australia. Coral 50m off the beach, no other tourists, no expensive tours to buy, literally just paddle out and spend as long as you can discoverying what you can. We were there just after Christmas, found 2 giant sea turtles and followed them around. Just brilliant. And at Turquoise Bay you swim out an the current carries you over the coral and then drops you off at a sandspit at the other end of the beach, like a ride. Just go and do it again and again! Never seen anything like it, can't recommend it enough.

markymark21

dRNk SAnTA wrote: »

I should ad that the west coast is a must see, there are so few tourists and it's so much less developed. Feels more like the 'real' Australia. Ningaloo Reef is the best place i've seen in Australia. Coral 50m off the beach, no other tourists, no expensive tours to buy, literally just paddle out and spend as long as you can discoverying what you can. We were there just after Christmas, found 2 giant sea turtles and followed them around. Just brilliant. And at Turquoise Bay you swim out an the current carries you over the coral and then drops you off at a sandspit at the other end of the beach, like a ride. Just go and do it again and again! Never seen anything like it, can't recommend it enough.

Great post - super info. Ya really sold it!

To be honest I wasn't really thinking about heading over to the West coast, but recently I've been talking to people who would know more than your average back packer and to be honest its really starting to sound really tempting!

Seeing as me and the Girlfriend will be getting the second year visa I think we'd be mad not to hit up that whole area

podgie.

Legend100 wrote: »

got a job within 4 weeks of getting here, postion is a bit below what i wanted to do but it is in australia tax which is change, ?

Hey Legend100,

Did you have to do many job interviews before getting the job or was it easy enough to find,? Were they considered with the 6 month employment rule.? I'm a trainee accountant,

Regards

Podgie