luckyloop

Hello fellow Brits

We moved to Brisbane at the end of November. We love the city, have a great house to rent and the owners are incredibly nice and we are very slowly making new friends. My H. has a good job but I can't get any work. I am an accredited counsellor and have worked for many years in the NHS both as a counsellor and prior to that, as a PA and Office Manager. I am hard working and have many years experience. When I arrived, I discovered that I could not work as a counsellor here in Brisbane as I do not have a degree. I thought I would work hard to save up to do a degree BUT can't get a job. Every application says that I need to have prior work experience in Australia, employment agencies don't come back to me and I am lucky if I eventually get a response from applying for work. How do I get work experience if I can't get a job. I am now doing voluntary work but that isn't going to help me pay any university fees. I feel very low, all my work experience seems to have been thrown out of the window. Is it because I have a 457 visa, is it my age (57) or because I am British. I have met many other people (including Aussies) who are also unable to get work. What is going on here in Brisbane - I feel discriminated against.

verystormy

The QLD economy has slowed a LOT in recent times. Partly due to the state gov laying off a lot of people, but also because the mining sector has slowed a lot and laid off a huge amount of people.

I think that, with your age (not saying i agree with it) is the issue.

I would question doing a degree in order for work at your age. To save up international student fees - tens of thousands, is going to take some time. Then 3-4 years of study, probably just isnt worth the risk that someone will employ, what they will see as a new grad aged mid 60's

luckyloop

Thanks for your advice, although many of the people I have met looking for jobs are young - fresh out of university or younger. If my age is the factor, then I find that really really hard! If I paid for my degree in stages, I would become self-employed at the end and would not have to rely on being employed by others. I never had trouble working in the UK, so it is a shock to find it so difficult to get employment of any sort in Brisbane.

chris955

As VS says unfortunately Brisbane and Queensland as a whole has slowed noticeably and work in many different sectors is becoming much harder to come by. Your age doesnt help, not being nasty but its just the situation Im afraid. Just keep plugging away is all I can say.

quoll

Probably all of the above. You lack qualifications for counselling and as there are psychologists in every nook and cranny going for the counselling roles and being eligible for registration - change your job focus! At 57 yes you are too old TBH, especially as you don't have a skill set that cannot be matched by younger Aussies which brings up your third strike - temporary dependents are always going to find it harder to get jobs, you're just not really marketable across the board unfortunately. Volunteering or retirement would seem to be your best options unless you fancy shelling out tens of thousands to be a student - and go for psych if you fancy counselling, and be prepared to do the 4 (or maybe 5) yrs study to get registered. It probably isn't because you are British, if that is any consolation. And don't take the age thing personally, it's accepted that over 50 is over the hill in Aus!

luckyloop

oooh well - thanks for putting me straight with your honesty. Having had a very very good job in the UK where I specialised in a particular field of counselling, I am suddenly not marketable. Well that is a hard lesson to learn! If the Aussies "retire" people who are in their 50's, they are going to have to find a way of supporting a very large part of their population for many many years to come and I don't mean expats

luckyloop

This is something that I have read which may be of help to people like myself who are in their 50's and are being told that they are too old to work and are not marketable (despite having had very good jobs in the UK). They are only sections of the article, but perhaps it is something that employers should take on board:

In an increasingly competitive global market for skilled older workers, Australia should significantly revise or remove entirely its age restrictions on workers (up until a couple of months ago this was 45, and now it has just been increased to 50 largely to accommodate the needs of the mining industry).

We have one policy inside Australia to encourage older worker participation but this stops at the border, unlike the USA and the EU, which do not impose age restrictions. If we are to attract older workers, particularly for the care industry, we need to change 20 year old regulations that no longer fit the times. It’s skills not age which are the issue.

Given demographic shifts, global competition for workers of all ages means that Australia may be left behind if it puts unnecessary restrictions on older workers. A number of respondents to the first consultation indicated that age ranges should be modified or abolished (South Australian Government, Seniors Australia, COTA, ACTU).

Perceptions of older people are changing both nationally and internationally, with policy developments that emphasise the value of older workers and the extension of working life to accommodate a longer life-course. For national economies older workers produce benefits of increasing tax dollars and personal savings and reduce claims on the state through pensions. In terms of migration, older adults bring assets and other benefits generated elsewhere into the host economy, as skilled workers or as active retirees. It has also been argued that older societies may be more productive as a consequence of the contribution of older citizens.

Nations that create barriers to older migration, such as is currently the case for Australia, run the risk not only of perpetuating age discrimination, but failing to take advantage of population change in a global context.

gumtree

I think Aged Care Industry stilll need a lot of people in all States if you consider switching to this area. No bother getting a degree but getting a job-related industry certificate is more practical.

quoll

I'm sorry, re-reading what I said, does come across as blunt (it was late and I was knackered!) and, being an older person myself I can but agree with you! I don't know what your area of expertise is but if you had to look anywhere, I'd check out drug and alcohol counselling (pretty thankless and not everyone's cup of tea) because the qualifications for counsellors in that area are often not as rigorous (ah the irony, give the most needy, the less qualified support - often happens!) and you can get away with a cert iii or cert iv in D&A studies. There's a fair mobility in D&A counselling, usually through the local charities. Homelessness might be another area to look at.

They will, of course, never tell you that it is your age that puts them off, because that would be discrimination! (And we all know that Australia never discriminates against anybody!!!!)

carolinephillips

Well, I'm doubly sunk, as I'm 52 and have MS. The only job I can get is as a walker delivering leaflets- funny that, since many people, especially employers, see all people with MS as disabled/cripples, AND WE ARE NOT!!!!

I was a primary school teacher/preschool special needs co-ordinator in the UK, but to get my qualifications recognised would take too long and be too expensive. So I do what I have to, to at least get me out of the house and get pocket money ($25-30 dollars per week.)

spouse of scouse

'Counsellor' is a dirty word in Australia, as anyone with an internet connection and 2 weeks to spare can get a diploma from Dodgy College and set themselves up. I'm not saying that everyone without a Masters in psychology isn't fit for a counseling role, but given the level of expertise required when working with vulnerable people and the enormous damage that someone who doesn't know what they're doing can cause, I can see the reasons behind the Masters requirement. It's likely that the accredited training in the UK is far more rigorous than what's available here.

I read from time to time on BE how Australia is 'ageist' when it comes to employment, that's not my experience both as a 55 year old worker and as someone responsible for hiring staff.

Luckyloop, you obviously have some great skills. When you look for jobs, do you check out community service jobs with your local council? Organisations for people with a disability, low level nursing care homes, not for profit organisations in the community services field? You sound as though you'd be an enormous asset to all these, perhaps coordinating care provision or activities, sourcing employment and training opportunities for older people, younger people with disabilities, disadvantaged youth. All these fields/jobs require staff who can communicate effectively, empathically and professionally with a wide range of people, perfect for someone who's had the experience you have. Think outside your usual field and don't give up, there's a job out there with your name on! Best of luck.

luckyloop

Thank you everyone for your supportive comments. I am learning to look in a wider area and yes I totally agree that there are some people who call themselves "counsellors" and can do a lot of damage to people who are vulnerable and choose to put their trust in the process. In the UK, the BACP are arranging for all practicing counsellors to go through the accreditation process and yes, it is very rigorous and not everyone gets through. At the end of the day, all the letters after someone's name doesn't necessarily make them a good counsellor. I will keep looking and am thinking of setting up a small private practice instead. Thank you!

luckyloop

To the person who has MS - I feel very cross on your behalf that you feel you have been labelled as "crippled". I know quite a few people with MS who have good jobs and lead a very active life. Don't give up - keep looking and someone will realise that you are a bright star and will see you for your capabilities, not your MS.

spouse of scouse

the troubadour

You could perhaps try Relationship Australia, as I know someone that recently got a job there and another who is 61 and non English background immigrant who has been working close on 5 years with them.
A lot of folk do the rounds in NGO agencies here so are in the loop. It is a bit of a revolving door by all accounts and not the easiest of workplaces.