CPA and Plumber moving to Perth

challengers

Hi

I am new to boards.ie and I joined to get some info on moving to Perth WA, as we are considering moving there in January 2013 for a minimum of one year

I will be traveling with my husband and we are eligible for a WHV and this seems to be the best visa option initially

I am a qualified CPA with post qualified experience as a management accountant and financial controller and my husband is a plumber with experience mostly in domestic plumbing. We would like to secure work as soon as possible on arrival, we would prefer to have jobs confirmed prior to travel as we are anxious that we could travel out and not be able to get work!!

We have been told by agents that we need to actually be there before we would be considered for any jobs

I have been in contact with several agents who have said the job market for accountants is ok at the minute and that I have a good chance of getting placed quickly however it would be great to hear from any people in Perth who can give impartial opinions

So far we have got very little info on plumbing work in Perth, if anybody can tell us anything about jobs in this area that would be great

Any info that we can get in relation to job markets and also useful websites and agencies and likely rates of pay would be really appreciated

Also we have not been to Australia before and I want to ask the question to people there, do you recommend it?? We have heard lots of great things about Perth but we don't actually have any friends there that we could ask!

Thanks!

sponge_bob

Don't know about accountants jobs over here, but your husband will have to do a test (or something like that I think) before he can work as a qualified plumber over here, Electricians have to do the same thing.
someone else might come along and clarify it a bit better for you.:)

challengers

Thanks for your reply!

He would be happy to work in construction if there was work going rather than have to start doing tests as I have heard it can take a lot of time to get this sorted. Does anybody know if there are still plenty of jobs in construction?

Cooperspale

For the plumber
http://www.plumbers.wa.gov.au/Content/Licensing/Overseas_Applicants.html

CPA will probably get a job quicker but highly unlikely to get it from Ireland.
There are others on here more in the know.

Banks just cut mortgage rates again this week so there's a slowdown but its not recession territory yet.

As for recommending Australia, it's a good place if you work hard, show initiative and get used to it being far away from the rest of the world. Summers will be hot, insects will be big and ferocious and the cost of living ain't cheap.
If you've never been here before, the first month or so will be a steep learning curve but after that she'll be right.

catbear

An accountant friend got work two weeks after arriving but she was on her partners 457. Things get a bit slow from around mid Dec till mid Feb, it's their silly season. I applied for loads of stuff then but with few replies but it picked up after that.
Try to live near a train line, we still don't need a car when work and beach are just a few stops away.
Things are expensive here while you wait for your first paycheck but it gets easier after that.

challengers

We have not been to Perth before but we have friends there which is good however they have completely different backgrounds so they can't tell us much about getting jobs in accountancy or construction

We are very excited about the move however we are very anxious that we might not be able to secure good jobs when we arrive!! We have enough savings to keep ourselves for about the first month when we arrive but we would need to get jobs within a few weeks to ensure we can stay

Batgurl

challengers wrote: »

We have enough savings to keep ourselves for about the first month when we arrive but we would need to get jobs within a few weeks to ensure we can stay

A month really isn't a lot of time, especially in Australian HR land. Sometimes it can take a month just to get from application to being called for an interview...and it's way worse in January as that's summer holidays over here so everyone takes leave.

TBH I'd really be waiting until ye have enough cash to last ye at least two months MINIMUM.

Perth is expensive and what you think will last you a month, may only last ye two weeks.

I mean, one of you could get lucky and land a job straight away or relatively quickly but do you really want to travel half way around the globe on a wing and a prayer?

challengers

I have been in contact with several agents and they are going to arrange interviews for me on arrival and have suggested arranging some via Skype prior to arrival also

I do find that agents are very optimistic and give a very positive picture, each one that I spoke to was confident that I would have a job easily within the month however I do not know anybody who has secured work through and agent and it would be good to speak with someone that has

sponge_bob

challengers wrote: »

I have been in contact with several agents and they are going to arrange interviews for me on arrival and have suggested arranging some via Skype prior to arrival also

I do find that agents are very optimistic and give a very positive picture, each one that I spoke to was confident that I would have a job easily within the month however I do not know anybody who has secured work through and agent and it would be good to speak with someone that has

Oh don't start me about agents:mad:

challengers

Would you not recommend using agents and do you know are there many job websites? We have registered with SEEK and most of the jobs coming up seem to be advertised through agents

sponge_bob

You have to use them, Its the way things are done over here.
But Iam here 3 mths now and since arriving I have successfully gotten 4 jobs in the mining sector which is where i want to go, and 2 jobs in construction in Perth, I have done 3 medicals, been to several interviews by the main company where I was told that I had the job and Iam still sitting here waiting to start work.

I really don't know what the fcuk is going on. I continue to apply for everything that comes up in my line of work, because from what I can see these companies and agents out here have no problem in telling you that you have the job and then leave you waiting, I keep in touch with all these so called gauranteed jobs and they keep giving me excuses like, " you are deffinetly in we are just waiting for the nod to start the next stage" "we are just waiting for the extra machinery to arrive on site" and if you are working for a subcantractor they blame it on the main contractor:mad:



Might well be different in your line of work, but this is my experience.
Also kinda getting pi**ed off with it over here ATM so my views might be slightly biased:mad::(

catbear

I wonder if it's actually the general slowdown taking effect.

ellaq

Spongebob - you might get a call next week or next month and be expected to get on site immediately. That has always been our experience. Good luck. I reckon the downturn has made things worse though.