Touring Australia for a few months and then looking for a job - What is the best way

MrNormal

I'm planning to travel to Australia on the 21st of April, tour around and start working sometime in July. The plan is to travel around Australia and then end up around Melbourne and Sydney in June.

I work as a Software Developer (over 30) and want to get sponsored by an employer. I want to work in Melbourne and Syndey so June seems an ideal time to set up any physical interviews.

However, most employers probably wouldn't be interested in looking at CVs in February for someone that won't be able to work in July so I posted any CVs yet. So I'm not really sure when I should start posting them. I don't want to post them too late either, worried I might miss something pivotal which will be difficult to fix when I'm already in Australia.

Most people applying for jobs must be getting the job and then traveling to Australia right? In this case, is it all done through phone interviews? Maybe I can just get get the job in advance? There's still the two months of holidays....

So I guess what I want to figure out is (a) when should I start submitting CVs, (b) what the normal review process is for Irish expats, and (c) are they are any easily overlooked things I need to worry about.

silja

Mod note: Moving from Living Abroad to Australia forum for more expert/ local answers.

aido79

MrNormal wrote: »

I'm planning to travel to Australia on the 21st of April, tour around and start working sometime in July. The plan is to travel around Australia and then end up around Melbourne and Sydney in June.

I work as a Software Developer (over 30) and want to get sponsored by an employer. I want to work in Melbourne and Syndey so June seems an ideal time to set up any physical interviews.

However, most employers probably wouldn't be interested in looking at CVs in February for someone that won't be able to work in July so I posted any CVs yet. So I'm not really sure when I should start posting them. I don't want to post them too late either, worried I might miss something pivotal which will be difficult to fix when I'm already in Australia.

Most people applying for jobs must be getting the job and then traveling to Australia right? In this case, is it all done through phone interviews? Maybe I can just get get the job in advance? There's still the two months of holidays....

So I guess what I want to figure out is (a) when should I start submitting CVs, (b) what the normal review process is for Irish expats, and (c) are they are any easily overlooked things I need to worry about.

I don't mean to put a dampener on your plans but it is very difficult to obtain sponsorship from outside Australia.
You are basically hoping an employer who has never met you or seen you working is going to take a chance on you based on your CV and an interview. They may also be responsible for the cost of relocating you back to Ireland if it doesn't work out.
Most people coming to Australia do not have a job sorted before arriving in my experience. Having lived in Australia for 9 years I have only met a handful of people who have had jobs sorted before arriving.
I'm not saying there is no point in sending out CVs before arriving but unless your CV really stands out then you are unlikely to hear anything back.
Have you looked into applying for permanent residency? It is a much better visa and will give you more chance of getting a better job. In my opinion sponsorship is possibly the worst visa to be on in Australia for a number of reasons.

MrNormal

I did read a post on this forum (I can't link it because I'm a new user) post saying

going to Australia on a holiday visa in the hope of finding a sponsor (we have had a number of people recently turned back at the airport in Australia due to trying to enter Australia with the intention of finding work which is against the conditions of the holiday visa

Which is exactly what I was planning to do. It doesn't seem illegal or even unusual so I guess the immigration guys are sometimes just wary of guys doing this? In which case I can just not say anything about job interviews.


By permanent do you meant Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)? That would seem a lot more complicated to sign up for. And I believe the Australian government would be less willing it give them out. It seems like going on a temporary work visa and applying for a permanent one is how it normally goes.

aido79

MrNormal wrote: »

I did read a post on this forum (I can't link it because I'm a new user) post saying


Which is exactly what I was planning to do. It doesn't seem illegal or even unusual so I guess the immigration guys are sometimes just wary of guys doing this? In which case I can just not say anything about job interviews.


By permanent do you meant Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)? That would seem a lot more complicated to sign up for. And I believe the Australian government would be less willing it give them out. It seems like going on a temporary work visa and applying for a permanent one is how it normally goes.

Contrary to what you seem to believe it is actually unusual for someone to attempt to do what you are considering doing. The chances of you securing sponsorship while on a tourist visa are quite slim in most cases. It really would be a lot more difficult than you seem to think.

An employer willing to sponsor you is legally obliged to pay for the visa, which costs thousands if they go through an agent (most will), and you would have certain conditions attached to your visa that a citizen or permanent resident would not have. To be honest you would probably have to be either willing to work for a lot less money or have skills that a permanent resident or citizen doesn't have to secure sponsorship.

I have no idea what the job market is like in your profession in Australia. Is this something you have researched? Your best bet would be to get in contact with companies directly and get an idea of whether or not they would be willing to sponsor you. Don't waste your time getting in contact with or applying through agencies as they will be unable to provide sponsorship.

The 189 visa requires a lot more paperwork and is a longer process but would be a much better option for you.
Most people who go to Australia on temporary visas are on working holiday visas(417), not sponsorship and either go from that to sponsorship (457) or permanent visas.

MrNormal

aido79 wrote: »

MrNormal wrote: »

I did read a post on this forum (I can't link it because I'm a new user) post saying


Which is exactly what I was planning to do. It doesn't seem illegal or even unusual so I guess the immigration guys are sometimes just wary of guys doing this? In which case I can just not say anything about job interviews. 


By permanent do you meant Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)? That would seem a lot more complicated to sign up for. And I believe the Australian government would be less willing it give them out. It seems like going on a temporary work visa and applying for a permanent one is how it normally goes.

Contrary to what you seem to believe it is actually unusual for someone to attempt to do what you are considering doing. The chances of you securing sponsorship while on a tourist visa are quite slim in most cases. It really would be a lot more difficult than you seem to think. 

An employer willing to sponsor you is legally obliged to pay for the visa, which costs thousands if they go through an agent (most will), and you would have certain conditions attached to your visa that a citizen or permanent resident would not have. To be honest you would probably have to be either willing to work for a lot less money or have skills that a permanent resident or citizen doesn't have to secure sponsorship.

I have no idea what the job market is like in your profession in Australia. Is this something you have researched? Your best bet would be to get in contact with companies directly and get an idea of whether or not they would be willing to sponsor you. Don't waste your time getting in contact with or applying through agencies as they will be unable to provide sponsorship.  

The 189 visa requires a lot more paperwork and is a longer process but would be a much better option for you. 
Most people who go to Australia on temporary visas are on working holiday visas(417), not sponsorship and either go from that to sponsorship (457) or permanent visas.

Thank you for your candid advice. A more negative perspective is very helpful.

The process for getting a 189 visa is simply too long for my personal circumstances. I'll be in Australia April-July, either I'll get a job offer then or I'll go home and get a job in Ireland. 

Software developers are in pretty high demand so that's what I'm counting on. 

You are probably right then it comes to avoiding recruiting agencies. A 457 visa application is probably too much work for a recruiter that have to sift through hundreds of CVs a day.

aido79

MrNormal wrote: »

Thank you for your candid advice. A more negative perspective is very helpful.

The process for getting a 189 visa is simply too long for my personal circumstances. I'll be in Australia April-July, either I'll get a job offer then or I'll go home and get a job in Ireland. 

Software developers are in pretty high demand so that's what I'm counting on. 

You are probably right then it comes to avoiding recruiting agencies. A 457 visa application is probably too much work for a recruiter that have to sift through hundreds of CVs a day.

Sorry if I sounded negative. I was just being realistic. It's not an easy thing to obtain sponsorship in Australia but you would have the added disadvantage of not having working rights.
Having a qualification in high demand is a big advantage.
Recruiters do not deal with 457 applications because they are not able to provide sponsorship so that's why the direct route is your only real option.
Feel free to keep the thread updated as it may be useful to other people considering this idea in the future.