barton90

hello there , im a 22 year old Scottish electrician currently working in Afghanistan , as the war is drawing to a close and the americans are pulling out its looking likely of only a few months more work here , id love to get the ball rolling and get to Australia to work , preferably perth in the mines , can anybody point me in the correct direction to get the ball rolling ? . ive tried a bit of research but im finding it a bit confusing . thank you, james

Jockstar

At 22 then you will probably fall short of the time required for PR. Why not come over on a WHV and have a look around. Enjoy yourself.

barton90

Even with a years experience working in a military base in Afghanistan ? Will be 3 years since my times been out to come summer , what sort of experience do they generally look for ?

Jockstar

7 years. So you may be fine then. But its a long haul. So many obstacles to over come first. You start by getting your trade recognised then you can apply for your PR. Vetasses seems to be the way to go now adays. Someone else who has done it more recently will be able to fill you in more with the actual procedure. If i was you. I'd still come over for a visit ie a WHV and see if you like it. To get work in the mines is another hurdle. ie licences etc.

barton90

Good man , I was thinking that but I don't want to go over end up picking strawberrys for a year , on a WHV would it be possible to do any electrical work ? Would I need sponsored ect ?

colinmaclec

At your age a WHV would be best for you, a lot cheaper and quicker. PR can take up to a year to get and at the moment it takes longer and is more expensive to get your license if you have residence. On a WHV you can work for the same employer for 6 months and you could also start applying for PR whilst you are in Australia if that's what you want. I think you might need 5 years post apprenticeship experience for PR and you will have to pass an english test as well ( harder than it sounds!)

barton90

Thank you , every piece of advice is much appreciated and being took on board , how long would a WHV take to come through , was thinking to try squeeze my compex and roping in when i go back to Scotland on march for holiday , give myself as big a chance in as varied jobs as possible , how hard is it when ur actually boots on the ground to find an employer are they ten a penny ?

colinmaclec

Well there are plenty of jobs advertised but they all want A grade and i found it hard to get replies to jobs i applied for as did others i have met. comes down to who you know here and a bit of luck too. I don't think the job market is as good as it was and there is a huge amount of people arriving in WA every week.

Jockstar

Loads of work In Sydney. Easier place to find work as you don't need a licence like other states.

barton90

from the other side of the world its a guessing game of what to do , you hear that many different opinions on what to do , got another 4/5 months here , going to apply as much jobs as I can around the world if nothing comes of I think itll be a year in Australia when I get there hopefully things fall into place , ill have some money put by hopefully get my feet in the door

Jockstar

In your first year, if you do 3 months regional work. ie fruit picking. You can get a second year. Then after that , maybe go to NZ and do a year there. You're too young to settle down.IMHO