jtipping

Sorry to hear about your experiences. I not only got through the AIM assessment but I was also accepted as an Associate Fellow of AIM. I did not experience any issues at all. However I did not just have HR generalist experience I also worked in mergers and acquisitions and more in the business sharp end for the company I was employed by at the time. I am currently an National (looking after an Australia wide Company) HR Manager working in Brisbane and working directly for the CEO in our organisation.
HR is a small world out here in Brisbane. In the HR field networking and who you know is everything. Half the jobs advertised are not really jobs at all and all the good ones go before they even get advertised. My current role was not advertised.
The employment laws are complicated and all different in the in the individual States as Awards are applied for many employees. However the laws are changing and frankly its a nightmare to unravel at the moment. Depending on which organisation you work for depends on how HR is viewed !!! Having said that I am on a six figure sum and I work hard (average 60 hours per week).
Do your homework on the AHRI I haven't joined and dont intend doing so. There are ( or were none when I last looked) accreditations from CIPD so I was going to have to pass other exams and requirements for a decent meaningful level of membership. This may well have changed - AIM is a more recognised body over here in my experience as it suggests you have wider business experience than 'just HR' (a phrase I experienced when being interviewed for roles) and then it suggests you are more value to your organisation. I have kept up my Chartered Fellow membership of the Chartered IPD as have other HR professionals I know over here that have come from UK.
Please note these are my experiences only some others in the HR profession may have an entirely different point of view.
Good luck.

Sun n Surf

Hi Mhari,

Wow that is such a coincidence! Yes we had exactly the same thing except my husband never even finished his city and guilds! But we still passed the TRA. We sent off our visa application on the 10th Dec and the credit card was debited on the 21st Dec but we haven't received any acknowledgement from ASPC, did you receive acknowledgement? I'm going to have to phone them if I hear nothing. I notice that you have got your medicals this Friday, did ASPC request you to get them or did you just decide to do them? Just wondered as we are about a month behind.

Where are you looking of settling? Can't remember if I posted a good job web site to look at on here but if you go to www.seek.com.au that will give you an idea of the HR jobs that are out there.

Cheers

Sun

jonjon

Hi Jtipping

Many thanks for the post and the feed back, sorry for the delay in reply but have been out all day.

I appreciate what you are saying in relation to the AIM and I was not anticipating going in at a fellowship level as I am in the uk but would based on my experiences in stand alone business setup role expected to achieve the very basic requirements for the AIM. My concern is not with the fact that I do not necessarily meet there criteria for a “Senior Manager” but the fact I applied to be assessed as a HR Manager and to be rejected on the basis listed is frustrating especially the fact I am to focused on HR.

The roles I have always required me to be self sufficient and self supporting in the management and development of the HR systems and strategies and as we are both aware HR managers operate at a variety of level some very senior with complete autonomy with little to few direct reports. Yet as already indicated this is not taken into consideration.

I have already started taking an in depth look into work choice and the prospective changes and am aware of the lack of awareness and opposition to the proposed change.

I made contact with the AHRI who have said that based on the skills and qualifications they will allow me to take member status and then upgrade after 2 years membership. I was waiting to have the argument with them closure to coming out about taking my CIPD fellow membership into consideration,

I would be interested to see what people working with HR in Australia think of my experience and skills in relation to HR & Operational management and how my skill base would stand up.

I am also having difficulty finding relevant operating best practice policies and procedures especially in relation the management of disciplinary’s, and terminations of employment out there and guidance to suitable resource sites or polices would be gratefully received.

Many thanks for the posting

Regards

Jon

Ozzidoc

I left my Oz HR role nearly 8 yrs ago, for an HR role in London.

AHRI used to be the world's biggest joke - being a member added nothing to your credentials...absolutely nothing like CIPD.

AHRI went thru some changes about 5 or 6 yrs ago - I understand that they are little more reputable now.

Regarding employment law - which is what my HR degree focussed on - well, it's actually pretty difficult to get your head around a lot of it, the differences between federal, state, enterprise etc.

Of course, HR is obviously about a lot more than employment law, and there often will be external advisors. I developed my professional skills immensely purely by changing countries, industries, and cultures, and recommend it for anyone who can do so. (My particular favourite was comp & bens.)

On another note.... do you enjoy your current HR role? No chance of it being based in Aus, with monthly/six weekly travel? Probably not, but you'd be amazed at how receptive some organisations can be.

My accountant cousin was based in Paris for a while, decided to return to Oz, kept his Parisian job.....just went back there every six months or so, and was available by email and telephone from 7pm-12am Oz time. It worked fabulously for him.

Good luck
Ozzidoc
(former European HR Manager; current med student who gave up £500k to tend to the great unwashed)

Centurion

My application was with AIM and I was awarded 60 points under General Manager but it was no mean feat. I had (rather ironically) a HR consultant draft an independant job evaluation Hayes profile together with a company analysis.

I found the process with AIM to be helpful. They do make it clear from the outset what the requirements are. From memory you had to be in a position to qualify for Fellow to achieve the 60 point credit, even if you didnt take that up afterward. They equally do go to great pains to make it very clear that a broad and interdepartmental management experience/strategic management is required with several reporting lines to you.

Although I am really sympathetic I wonder if, given your actual job, AIM is the best route to take as it does seem that if you look at the criterion you may not indeed have met it from the outset. There are as you say other bodies to go to and best of luck with that.

Mhairi

Hi Sun

We posted application on 11 Nov. They received it on 14th and acknowledged on 26th. The fact that they've taken your payment is reassuring. I've heard they have quite a long Christmas break, so maybe that's the reason for the delay.

We haven't heard a thing since the acknowledgement letter, so yes, the meds will be sent unrequested along with the police checks. Looking at other people's timelines for MODL I'm not expecting the final decision before April. We're planning to go in August (my Personnel Officer who is my second in command) has just told me she's expecting a baby on my planned leaving day, so now I have to replace both of us!

We've never been to Australia before, so we're planning to travel for 6 months with a view to settling somewhere in time for the new school term which I believe is Feb. We're thinking about Perth, just based on reading what people have said on this site, but we're keeping an open mind.

Having read some of the recent posts on this thread, I'm also keeping an open mind about staying in HR!

Mhairi

Sun n Surf

Hi Mhairi,

Oh well will wait for acknowledgement with baited breath. Yes I was just thinking the same thing about perhaps reconsidering whether to stay in HR or not, looking at the posts on her. Sounds pretty complicated!

I've never been to Perth but I think that travelling around will be a great idea as you will suddenly get to a place and think this is where I want to live! I've been to Oz a few times and the last time we went, we went to Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns and Brisbane and instantly knew that we wanted to live just North of Brisbane near Noosa or Marochydore, it is lovely there. We are hoping to also go around August so I really am hoping that we hear about our visa by early summer if poss.

Good luck with all your plans and keep me updated.

Sun

spalen

So guys - I got AIM GM too and thought i'd be 'invited' to join as a fellow - but nada from them. Did you guys approach them - is it worth it ? (Im happily and gainfully employed in a senior job so wondering if its worth it at all?.).

I found AIM to be pretty clear on what they wanted up front , I recall a matrix of roles that matched to fellow/associate/etc and you needed to qualify as fellow to get the assesment as GM. One of the jobs I had with some 700 staff pan-european they discounted as not senior enough ;-) cripes!. But others with less staff but more broad responsibility counted. It is a tad open to interpretation but they're generally amiable at appeal and giving guidance -I thin k because they dont do many of these and dont pass many people so they are not processing hundreds at a time.

phoenixinoz

Apparently it's not just the amount of responsibility in terms of people,it's the type of work and size of organisation.

A mate of mine from Uni got knocked back because, although senior, the company wasn't a big one therefore his experience was apparently deemed to be of lesser value

As for AIM cert. Nope. Didn't apply, was awarded it and thought this was normal procedure I suppose you could always write and ask

jonjon

agreed overall this was the underlying problem with myself was the size of organisation. What was the term they used

“based on the size of organisation we find it difficult to envisage that HR played a key role in shaping and influencing the development and direction of an organisation through establishing objectives, policies, strategies and tactics”

Whilst I Appreciate that size may be importance to some (come on no quips please) (what is it they say normally those with lack of confidence) the role of HR/Good Management, Its importance in developing strategies and directing an organisation and the basic development principals are the same regardless of size, A fact that is missed by the AIM.

jonjon

Hi SPalen how the foot/leg did you find out what bit you in the end

spalen

It was clearly a monstrous snake or spider that was so speedy it managed to run away before anyone else could see it, and clearly so toxic that it would floor at least an elephant if not a herd of elephants, in fact no on further reflection it was a whole FAMILY of snakes or spiders , it must've been to put me in hospital..


(my wife thinks it was a bull ant - what was that about size being important? )

jonjon

as long as it was not the wifes cooking !!! (don't tell her i said that)

glad to hear you are back to your old self

no doubt jet setting around as usual