Irish lad looking for work in Brisbane

little_divil

Hello fellow boardies! Bit of a long shot but sure here goes!

I arrived in Brisbane last November along with my missus who was relocated from Ireland to Brissy by her job....so I'm on her 4year 457 skilled visa as de facto until 2017. I have been looking properly since before Christmas, where I had 1 interview which I lost out on and another temporary job fell through also.

My qualification is an honors degree in Environmental Science and Health, so I have worked in Environmental/Health and Safety management back home for 5 years. I have been focusing on Oil/Gas, Mining (although that's shagged at the moment), Manufacturing (not many sites in Brissy) and Construction.

Does anyone know of companies where they might have contacts in (family, friends etc...), who would be looking for someone like myself? I am looking on seek.com.au and other websites, have met recruitment agents and am fairly active on linkedin, but no joy.

If I can't get anything in my field, I really just want something to do during the week that will bring in a bit of cash. I am fairly handy IT wise, well organized and a friendly lad (that's the Irish mammy influence for ya!haha). The work I did back home is no monkey's job, so I do have plenty of cop on.

Any sort of temporary admin work with "normal-ish" full or part-time hours would be right up my street. I want to avoid bar work etc... if I can since the missus is off nights/the weekend.

Would be great if anyone could help me out!!!

Cheers

rightyabe

Have you considered Traffic Control?:D

little_divil

I haven't as of yet. Heard the money can be half decent though. Any contacts for me then?

rightyabe

Try Go Go Girls, I'm living in Perth but I see me mates missus in Brisbane works for them..worth a try:)

little_divil

Problem is I am NOT a girl.....well last time I checked anyway!haha

rightyabe

Sory misread your post, worth a try anyway. I know a few lads working up in Mackay and Gladstone on big construction jobs, might be something up there.

crushproof

Crikey mate, you've got a 4 year visa and have 5 years experience in a well sought after sector in Oz and you can't even get work.......there's no hope for the rest of us!!!

catbear

I was in a similar situation a year ago, came over for my wifes job however most of the jobs I've got training for require that I be a permanent resident. we're in the process of applying for that now that my wife has done a year and we're feeling settled.
After a few months of getting no where I broadened my search and just looked at any basic jobs locally, got one that is as easy as muck, pay is ok but less than the stop/go crew (which I was tempted to do but I've done my years on motorway projects).
When the PR is hopefully sorted I'm going back to applying for what I was training in.

jackbhoy

crushproof wrote: »

Crikey mate, you've got a 4 year visa and have 5 years experience in a well sought after sector in Oz and you can't even get work.......there's no hope for the rest of us!!!

Time of year is a big factor here. December/January are worst possible months for job hunting in Oz, things should start to pick up from around now...

dodderangler

Try the mines and don't be looking for work because of your qualifications
By the sounds of it any job is a job mate and you have to take whatever comes
My mate left here last year with nothing and no job lined up 3 days later got a job in the mines
**** job but fcuk the money is great
Atb

little_divil

Jackbhoy: that's what a lot of people are saying to me so I'm taking some positive from that. Some recruitment agents have said that most companies prefer to hire people with oz experience if they are hiring through agents (makes sense i suppose considering the fee is high). My best bet is to contact companies directly and take it from there. So that's what I am doing now, while still keeping an eye on job postings on seek/agency websites etc...

Dodderangler: My first preference is for a job in line with my qualifications, brisbane based OR FIFO (fly in fly out). I am not fussy, as long as I can avoid ****ty antisocial hours as in weekend nightwork and then sit at home all week twiddling my thumbs


Regardless, the sun is shining!

little_divil

catbear wrote: »

I was in a similar situation a year ago, came over for my wifes job however most of the jobs I've got training for require that I be a permanent resident. we're in the process of applying for that now that my wife has done a year and we're feeling settled.
After a few months of getting no where I broadened my search and just looked at any basic jobs locally, got one that is as easy as muck, pay is ok but less than the stop/go crew (which I was tempted to do but I've done my years on motorway projects).
When the PR is hopefully sorted I'm going back to applying for what I was training in.

Well we are here just over 3months, so PR is a bit away for us! I'm looking into temp jobs now, anything to fill in the midweek and still be able to job search in my free time. Be nice to have some cash coming in so we can head off travelling etc... over the next while without hitting savings too hard!

Popinjay

Have a look at the governemnt and local government websites too. They often employ their own in house environmental & H&S places.

smartjobs.qld.gov.au and the various council websites:

brisbane.qld.gov.au
moretonbay.qld.gov.au

and any others, I'm sure there's a list of local council areas somewhere. I'd only use the moreton bay on if you're northside based as it'd be a pain to get to from the southside.

Just remember, for the most part federal govt jobs require you to be a citizen. Even if executive bodies.

Youredeadright

Hey OP

Long time lurker here. I've worked for the last 2 years on and off in a similar field in Brisbane but was in a similar position to yourself when I came first. For the environmental health jobs http://www.lgjobs.com.au/ is another good website as Councils would be one of the main employers.

One thing on the horizon is that the Sunshine Coast council have decided to split up again into separate councils so there might be opportunities coming up there with the different councils having to hire for new positions. This is only in early stages but worth keeping an eye on.

Another thing to note is that for the gas companies they will have separate units for environmental, environmental health and health and safety due to the scale of the projects. Being across all three might not be a strength for applications/interviews as they may be looking for more specialised backgrounds. This changes as you move down the chain to their contractors and sub-contractors who go for more general positions often rolling all of these into one.