Adelaide
 

Hi all I will proberly get slated for this but I feel that I need to let the guys know in the Uk about our first 6 weeks in Adelaide.

We thought that we had researched Adelaide quite well before we arrived, but nothing can prepare you for when you arrive. Adelaide is a very nice city, most people very friendly, but there is no work, me and hubby are hard workers and have applied for any job going, but we are either not qualified or not got the licences to work (hubby even applied for a pruning job only to be told that he needed a licence to prune)

Hubby got here on his trade but there are no jobs in Adelaide for this trade (he is a gas engineer)

People have told me that you get jobs by who you know but that is hard when you are new.

Sorry for the moaning but we are getting really worried. The money pot will not last for ever.

I am posting this thread because I really wanted to tell people that it is very hard going here and just wanted to people to be forwarned before they arrive.

For people that are doing ok in Adelaide, I am really pleased for you is just not that great for us at the moment.

Re: Adelaide
 

Sorry to hear that things aren't going well but you have only been there for 6 weeks and I am sure that things will get better for you both.

What is your work experience in? What made you choose Adelaide in the first place?

Re: Adelaide
 

I feel for you.
We are hoping to arrive in Adelaide when we get the visa but I'm getting put off because I've heard this about jobs and who you know rather than what you know before.
Like you we dont have a bottomless pit of money to tide us over.
It must be very disheartning when you are applying for any job.
Good luck and all the best.
Jill
xxx

Re: Adelaide
 

Hi there

were you at the Brighton meet in June? - i have a TERRIBLE memory and i am trying to remember if i have met you :)

sorry i cant help with the job thing (i dont know anything about gas engineers) but just wanted to add my general support ...

... and you definitely dont need to apologise for your post. if things are not going great then go right ahead and say so ... noone is going to 'slate' you because you are finding things hard.

I assume you will have looked at options for training and getting licences? Maybe even doing something at college that in the uk you could do standing on your head will give you that bit of ozzy paper that employers will stop and look at ... plus you might make some contacts at the same time.
Other than than i guess you have to keep looking for what is out there ... i am sure the right jobs will come along if you keep at it.

I know this post isnt a great deal of help but if i can do anything just drop me a pm and let me know.
Adele x

Re: Adelaide
 

Hi there. I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear that you are finding it so difficult to get work. You are right in lots of ways in that here it is often who you know and not necessarily what you know. You didn't say what it was that you did? I used an agency called Careerlink when I first got here and they had me in work within 3 days and I'm not really qualified to do anything in particular as always worked for local government. I'm still trying to get into Local Government here and finding that very difficult and more than a little disheartening so know how you feel a wee bit, but I can only imagine how worried you must be with your finances dwindling though so I really and truly hope things take a turn for the better and that everything starts to come together for you both. Feel free to PM me if you ever just want to chat. All the best. Nikki

Re: Adelaide
 

Thanks guys for your replies, we have looked into the licencing for hubby, he had an interview today and was told that his gas qualifications were ok but he needed to have an electrical certificate as well this was in case he needed to change parts - we were told to go along to Tafe and they would be able to put him on a course - not that easy you need to get approval from the licencing authority before you can start the course and because he is a gas enginner the licencing authority will not let him do the course as they say he does not need it as he is a gas enginner, it really feels like we are always getting the wrong advice.

My job is in admin so I am getting the interviews and have just found out that I have got work (12 hours per week) so better than nothing, its just that hubby is so down, he is on about going back to the UK, we have a daughter here who is settled in Tafe and does not want to move again, I just really don't know what the hell do to.

And yes 6 weeks is not long and it does take time, but it is bloody hard, the grass is not always greener on the other side

Re: Adelaide
 

Adelaide is a hard nut to crack, I know we went & came bk the UK mainly because of the work issues,its beautiful there and you do get into the swing of it all, but work is a night mare there!

It really is who you know & not what you know in Adelaide,,id say get out & about meet ppl who can put a good word in for you!

Good luck

Bluekipper

Re: Adelaide
 

Hi sorry for frustration. We have been here in adelaide since last september and ive found getting work is more who you know not what you know!! im a carpenter and ive found work hard to come across without a licence.ive just done the tafe cource/police checks for the licence hopefully thing will be better for us.

Re: Adelaide
 

Hi Nicky,& Alan I'm sorry to hear it is a struggle at the moment for you guys..don't know if you remember us we were at the meet-up in Weymouth and you send me the info about the house...Hope things approve soon .... we are still here in the UK and still trying to sell the house...:(

take care

Debby & Nigel

Re: Adelaide
 

pm'd u hun, its true not what u know but who. dont rely on agencies get cold calling for jobs they might be looking for admin at chris' work but its in hindmarsh also some casual order picking/packing going.

Re: Adelaide
 

We arrived last September and know exactly what you're going through. We knew a little about the local job market before we got here and budgeted accordingly, however, we probably came within a month of cutting our losses and moving on. Despite the odd bashing the place gets on BE, we really like it here and intend to stay as long as the work's available. I'm currently contracting and the plus side of the "it's not what you know..." argument is that once your in (and do a good job) then they really don't want to let you go. Best of luck and stick with it.

Re: Adelaide
 

It's been said on here before about, Adelaide being very "who you know". It may be useful to attend your local Church on a Sunday. I say this, regardless of your religious beliefs. It's not about worshipping God, it's about social networking, it you join a congregation, you join a community and hey, you get to know people, perhaps more quickly than you would by other means.
It's not necessary to have faith, but who's against a bit of singing, and networking with people, who could, potentially, see you into gainful employment?
Cynical? probably, but it's been detective nonetheless. I know that this was worked for incomers to the USA.

Re: Adelaide
 

Has he tried this mob.?.........

http://www.skilled.com.au/
They tend to lead to better things, once you are in.............;)mm

Re: Adelaide
 

Thanks guys for all your replies, well what a difference a weeks makes, hubby has started work, he fits pergolas and verandas and loves it, works for a really nice guy, he has given up on being a "gas enginner" in Adelaide.

Re: Adelaide
 

I worked for Careerlink in their training division. Give them a ring because I know they used to have a lot of state gov't contracts. They do lots of training if you need to upgrade your skills, too.

Another place to get some training (not to mention meeting people who can introduce you to other people) is BusinessSA. They are a wealth of information.

Re: Adelaide
 

I'm sorry to hear about some of you not being able to find good employment.

I feel that there are 'jobs' out there which will help you pay the bills, but it depends on what you are willing to do to make ends meet.

It is true people think the grass is greener on the other side but if you think (unless you are in a skills minority and its highly wanted) you can get off the plane and have a chance of getting a job in your chosen profession in a click of the fingers then you have to be kidding yourself (I mean that with total respect).

I think people think that because its a 1st world country where the first language is english it would be laden with opportunity.

Like one of the other peeps in a previous post put, get out there and network with other people. Do a job you would probably hate but still gives you some form of income you may meet someone you will give you a bigger opportunity.

I think when we leave the UK we appreciate what we left behind in some ways. i.e. the UK job market which we would normally complain about!

Don't give up, keep trying. You make the opportunity ultimately, it won't come to you. Don't be disheartened if you can't find a job that pays the same as when you before you left the UK. Hopefully you didn't leave the UK because of the hope of finding something better in a job in Aussie.

Good luck to all...and to me as i'll be over there in December in the same position. (I am fortunate though that my missus already has a job lined up there as a nurse. but non the less I will work hard to find something that will help me contribute to our outgoings). :thumbsup:

Re: Adelaide
 

While I agree with most of this, you are not in the same situation as the OP. You're still in UK, so have not experienced the "no Australian experience" thing. We were and I understand how difficult it can be. When we lived in Adelaide my husband (electronics engineer with 20 years of experience) could not find a job in his field, so he started looking at other things. He went to the corner petrol station to see if he could pick up the odd shift so we could buy groceries, but without Australian experience they just didn't want him. The local bike shop said that without Aussie experience he couldn't possibly know anything about motorcycles. Well, he's ridden and owned bikes since he was 15.

It finally took an interstate move after 8 months of unemployment for him to get a paycheque. And not for lack of trying. Honest to God he sent out close to 100 CVs every week. That doen't include the cold calling he did.

Adelaide is a very small place in terms of work.

Re: Adelaide
 

I totally agree with you Dorothy. I do believe however that networking works. Its kinda bad when you have to find opportunity through other people than your own skills and experiences but if thats the way the water is flowing then I say go with the flow. I totally concur with some peoples thoughts though. They work their butts off to make a good living in the UK, sit exams work long hours in the UK...they don't wanna go half way around the world to stock shelves. I was just saying to my missus, some people do actually believe Aussie is like the UK but in a warmer climate. But they have a totally different system to doing things from working, banking to education to their financial system amongst lots of other things. I can understand why they won't hire an immigrant in 'some' circumstances. With regards to your bhubbies experience with the bike shop work, its down to people attitudes. Do you remember when we had a flood of euro immigrants? A lot of people were very protective of their jobs and some uk owned companies probably wanted to ensure that the the jobs stayed with people born in their country.

It sounds very small minded but the reality is, it does happen.

I lived in Australia for 1 year in 04 and 05 so I do have experience of what its like. I did find work through friends and persistence. Adelaide... well a million people in a such a small state its understandable as to why its not the most popular choice such as NSW or VIC for work.

Its all part of the lifes gamble. Nobody knows what around the corner. But how will you know if you don't take a look?

I still hope people make that 'calculated risk' and not be put off by this.

Re: Adelaide
 

ive met loads of people here in adelaide who was skilled in the uk in jobs,,ie carpenters/plumbers/sparks/teachers/office work.ect.and doing lesser work just to get by..queit scary.

Re: Adelaide
 

Similar story to ours except we didnt move interstate:(

hubby didnt get anything for 9mths, thats how tough we had it!

bluekipper

Re: Adelaide
 

We had no choice but to move interstate. My hub eventually got a very good offer from a large multinational company but it was in Perth. We did try a commuter marriage for a couple of months, but that's not what we came here for.

Re: Adelaide
 

Hi Nicky and Alan.Sorry to see you are down Its Andy and beck here who you visited in woodcroft. Hows the puppy?! As you know I'm on the trains but the number for my contracting agency is 8332 7210. They are called REXCO. The people I work with say they are good payers I get about $150- 200 more per week working as a contractor but no leave or sick pay.
Things haven't been all rosy for us either, we've moved to a rental in Bridgewater but still struggling missing family and friends and skint too. We feel like going home quite a bit but are going to keep trying and see how we feel in a year or so. Anyway sorry to hear your down you have our mobile no please feel free to pop up for a cuppa or stronger.
All the best Andy

Re: Adelaide
 

I have friends and family in Adelaide, and all of them say that it's not what you know, it's who you know.

Luckily, I will know them when I arrive, and they know plenty of people, so I'm hoping this will be an advantage getting work when I arrive.

I'm not expecting to walk straight into my ideal job. I'm more than happy to start with something like bar work, or similar to begin with to just get some money in, whilst searching for a more permanant job.

I think it won't be as tough for me though, as I am on my own, I don't have a family to worry about, so I only have to feed myself, and if it comes to not succeding and returning home, I only have me to worry about.

The only thing I am worried about, is the "Aussie experience" thing, as I too won't have any, and this may still be a major problem, even though I know people there.

It does concern me somewhat.

Re: Adelaide
 

i was in adelaide on a working visa in 2004 and didn't have too many problems finding finance/admin office work - i went through various agencies - robert walters were the best for me. i did find agencies here are very slow responding after you submit the cv. at the time the working visa restrictions prevented me taking various jobs which slowed things down a bit.

i actually found it harder to get work in sydney that year - more jobs but alot more people going for them!

i landed back in adelaide this week with my aussie OH - this time on a perm visa - so am about to start the job search again - so we will see how it goes this time!! I am hoping that the 6 months work I did in Oz in 2004 will help with the aussie experience issue - although that was never mentioned as a problem to me in 2004.

a few people on here seem to mention lack of aussie experience as a problem, and i also noticed a post saying that it would be the same for overseas people working in the UK. My aussie OH has worked in the UK for most of the last 5 years in various positions and has never had any problem finding work or people asking for UK experience

our experience has been that the working cultures of the two countries is very similar

BUT - i may be back on to post that this has changed - depending on the success or failure of my job searches over the next few weeks!!!;)

Re: Adelaide
 

We were chatting to friends, apparently gas fitters are not in demand - warning to any gas fitters - plumbers here are expected to have gas fitting quals/certs, as uk plumbers usually hold the corgi cert etc.

Job wise in any sector usually requires alot of hard work, leg work/chasing agents/calling back interviewers.
In the UK you have the relevant quals/experience - here you dont, whether they recognise your skills or not - the employers here dont know you from adam and a fair few have had the fingers burnt with immigrant employees, and they all seem to talk to each other....not what you know but who you know phrase again...

One friend of ours is highly qualified in her field - she went to hungry jacks days after arriving, got a job, secured a fantastic aussie reference and is now in a more suitable job for her!

I sympathise with anyone struggling for work - KOH was laid off just before his 3mths probation was up, 3 weeks out of work and has just found another job - after several interviews/dozens of cv applications etc.
Ive just started testing the water, 2 weeks of applying for all sorts and ive finally got 3 interviews lined up.

And another point - the majority of the work in Adelaide is in the city and in the north. So if you want the beach lifestyle be prepared to commute an hour each way!

Re: Adelaide
 

Yep totally agree, chris must have applied for around 50 job before and in the first 2 weeks of arrival. Agencies never got back to him etc. He has 20yrs experience in his feild in sales and was getting cheesed off. Anyway he got his cv aussiefied and i put together a portfolio for him (hes never had an interview for 20yrs!). Managed to find a job in same industry but more a sidestep and his wage has taken a nose-dive by about 20k (dollars). Plus he doesnt have the perks. He works longer hourse, and as we want to live near beach commutes 50 mins each way to work. Again it was who you know as the coompany he works for deals with competitors he had in uk and they even rang them to ask if they knew him!!!:eek: Hopefully now hes in he can climb the ladder but its a job and hes been fortunate to get one. As for me i guess im lucky to be in one of the only professions they dont care where your from they are so desperate for us lol (nurse):rofl:

Re: Adelaide
 

Hi ozziefever and co,

We have also been here for the same amount of time as you guys. I remember we arrived on the same day! Glad to hear your hubby has found work. We are finding it quite hard. My OH is finding it very hard to find a job as a lawyer. Everyone we meet says "oh you'll have no problem finding work as a criminal lawyer!" but they are wrong damn it! Its quite disheartening for him and I want to try and keep his spirits up. He has 10 years of experience and each job he has applied for is extremely suitable for him but he keeps being turned down, each time being told the position has been filled, even after 5 days of the job being advertised. I am begining to feel paranoid that Aussie employers do not really feel enthusiastic about employing British people. Maybe this is just in Law. He never had this problem in the UK.

I am lucky as I have also found work in Admin but feel bad for him. He is thinking about starting/buying a business if he fails to find work in order to get the citizenship after 2 years. Does anyone know just how risky this is? I want to be enthusiastic but not sure if just how risky this will be. I am also worried about the money pot!

Good luck to everyone else making it work in Adelaide. :thumbup:

Mitra

Re: Adelaide
 

sorry hun but citizenship is now 4 yrs, they changed it last year :(. Hope he gets sorted soon, networking does seem to help here though x

Re: Adelaide
 

I have family that live in Adelaide, and we are to join them in a couple of years. I just wanted to bring up a point that members of my family (ozzies, born and breed) have had to take up work in the SA mines to earn more money. Now away from home 2 weeks, home for one week.

I don't think it's just those who have emigrated who are having to make sacrifices to try and get by.

Good luck everyone with the job seeking! :thumbup:

Re: Adelaide
 

Sorry OzzieClaire2b, I meant residency! As in we have to stay in SA for 2 to 3 years before we get residency in order to move to another area of Australia if we wish.

Ahoy there Seacaptin, (liking the name!) sounds like Adelaide is a place where people have to struggle to get employment. Im sure its because its not a very big city. Does it not put you off a bit about coming here when you hear how difficult it is for your family members?

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who knows about starting/buying their own business here.

Thanks for the comments guys and good luck to everyone.

Re: Adelaide
 

i think people need to prepared to take any work in the short-term with a view to finding the "perfect" job for them in the longer term. If you move thinking you can walk into an identical job as the one you left then you are going to struggle. I was a tax consultant in the UK but don't expect to find work doing the same in Australia very easily as the legal/tax system is different - however, my qualifications and work experience have give me a wide range of transferable job skills which should enable me to find temp work of some kind in the finance/admin field relatively quickly - enabling me to build up my Oz experience while looking for the perfect job for me.

Re: Adelaide
 

If you are on the provisional SIR, I believe you can transfer it to other regional areas of Australia, although Adelaide is the only capital city that you are eligible to live in. Check this with someone who knows what they're talking about, but it might be you could move to, say, regional QLD, for example, if you find a job up there, etc. It just widens your options in terms of searching for jobs.

Re: Adelaide
 

Adelaide is a tough nut to crack, I didn't have any hassles finding work there (accountant) but to settle in and make friends took YEARS rather than months, the people there are so parochial that the first question they will often ask on meeting a new face is "What school did you go to?"
All this from state more known for serial killings than anywhere else in Aus ;)

So sympathy from me, been there done that.

Re: Adelaide
 

What a stupid inane ,post go and stand in the corner......idiot,,,,,,,,,,,mm:confused:

Re: Adelaide
 

Drivel.

Re: Adelaide
 

wow! I feel better now!! no really, i guess you are entitled to your opinion, thank you for sharing your experience of adelaide. How long were you here for? Are u in Sydney now? Cant beleive people will actually ask such a question (school) :curse: Glad I havent met anyone like that. Am starting work tomorrow so hoping I can meet people then. fingers crossed!

I have heard that there is less crime in Adelaide than sydney and other big cities, maybe there were a few isolated incidents of serial killings that were so rare they are the most talked about?

But i suposse its so hard to adjust here as we have come from london and knew so many people and its a such a big change. Loved Sydney when I travelled there a week ago, but will have to see if Adelaide grows on me. am sure It will get easier in the summer.

We have to stay here for 2 years anyway, would rather stay here in a city than live in a small town or village somewhere else in OZ.

Re: Adelaide
 

Each to there own........
Adelaide has been good to us, we have worked hard in our careers and in getting out there and making friends. 2yrs and 9 months on.......hubby and I have great jobs and an excellent work/life balance. :thumbsup:
Its hard but it can happen

Jacqui

Re: Adelaide
 

wherever you go in the world its going to take time to settle in and make real friends as opposed to acquaintances.

Re: Adelaide
 

My OH and I were really lucky when we landed in Adelaide as OH had a job already (all be it overseas) I started looking 6 months later, and luck was still shinning got a great job! So for us Adelaide is the place to be.:thumbsup:

My best friend and family moved over a few weeks ago and I have to say for them, its been who they know? Someone was leaving from my workplace, so I recommended my mate, and after the interviews she got the job. Her OH was wisked down to the local front bar (Friday afternoon, around 3pm we found to be the best) and RSL, got chatting with a few of the local tradies (hes a plasterer) got taken on the following monday, and so far things are going great:thumbup:

I know its not plain sailing, and sometimes you have to come out of the comfort zone. But good luck to you all, as bad as its sounds try the local bar, also met some great new friends in them, and of all things learnt to play darts!!!!!!:rofl:

Re: Adelaide
 

We are having a coffee meet on Friday in the city if you want to come along. It really does help to make some friends. Let me know if you want to come and I'll PM you the link to the meet, and my mobile number just in case you can't find us. :)