DianneH68

Hi all,
Just decided I'd look into doing a skills assessment with vetassess (nominated occupation - editor) and according to DIMA you need formal quals or five years experience.
I have a degree but in a completely unrelated subject, and about 10 years experience.
Anyway, looked on the VETASSESS website and it says they only assess quals, not work experince. So how do I get my work experience assessed?

Max&Ozzy

Hi,

You don't get Vetassess to assess your work experience, they just work out if your degree is equivalent to something you choose on the SOL. So, find a subject you think your degree is able to get you into and then get Vetassess to assess it for that. e.g. english degree = sale person on SOL.
You then use your work experience to get the work experience points, as that is also on the SOL.

Graham

DianneH68

Really? This is bloody difficult then...my degree was in Sport Studies so doesn't really qualify me to do anything! (It involved sports management, psychology, physiology, marketing etc). i got the degree in 1994 and have never used it.
Yet I have since had 10 years experience as a journalist and sub-editor. So are you seriously saying that I can get my degree - which I have never used, assessed - but my 10 years work experience is useless?
Don't think I'll bother if that's the case as, like I said, my degree doesn't qualify me for anything! Seems like a ridiculous situation!

Should also point out that this assessment would be for the ENS visa, so points for work experience would not come into it.

Max&Ozzy

I and my partner have never used our 11 yr old degrees either, but got them assessed to a closely related subject on the SOL and then got STNI sponsorship from a state based on having a nominated occupation they liked. We've never worked in those subjects at all. We work in another SOL so we got work experience points from that. Although we didn't actually need it as STNI is a minimal points required visas.
Have a look on the SOL and see what sports / management occupation you can find that Vetassess are responsible for.

G

DianneH68

OK thanks. I will have a look!
Actually though, I don't know if this makes sense on the ENS visa. You need to have your skills assessed for the job for which you are being sponsored, so surely if your degree isn't relevant to that job then you would fail?

suzimc

Although both our occupations were on the list my huband is in a far more senoir role than me, earns over 3 times my salary etc etc, but he never got a degree and for that reason our agent told him he was in fact 'pointless' and we used me for the skills part of the application.

Max&Ozzy

Sorry, not familiar with the ENS visa. But you might find that other visa options open up to you depending on what skill you can nominate, based on what you choose to be assessed. It's actually easy to get through Vetassess. In most cases its just the degree that's the deciding point, as most jobs require degree entry, but not necessarily subject knowledge.
You could find that your sport degree = sports administrator (ASCO 1299) and then if you're lucky that is on a state wanted list, so = STNI. Still, I'd suggest trying for the ASCO 1299 occupation and see if you can get 120 points based on your other attributes.

Also agree with the post above, sometime the easy role is the main lead as it passes all the right tests.

G

DianneH68

Thanks for your replies. It looks like I'm going over on a 457 but was hoping to switch to ENS in maybe a year, so was looking to get the skills assessment done before I go.
That's interesting though...will now go and scour the SOL and see what I can do!!!
Sending karma

DianneH68

I've just had another idea, and wondered if anyone may be able to offer advice.
After uni, I did a one-year professional pre-entry training course for Print Journalism, and then spent two years as a trainee reporter before passing the final exam to become a fully-trained senior journalist.
This was with a recognised UK journalism training body.
How can I find out whether such a qualification would be acceptable to VETASSESS?
Is there a real person I can speak to about this?
Has anybody on here had a UK-only 'professional' qualification assessed successfully?
Thanks

monkeypeaches

Hiya

I don't know anything about 457s or STNI (We're on 138) but I thought I'd share our experience.

My hubby is a journalist and all we had to send to vetassess was his degree stuff - I don't think the degree even needs to be in a related subject. I think that they think that to be a journalist you need to be educated to degree level. My husband's degree is in English Lit & Film so slightly more relevant but on the Vetassess site they say that "Qualifications do not need to be specifically related to your nominated occupation" (that's for general skilled migration anyway). It's DIMA that check your work experience - Vetassess don't need to because your degree is good enough for them.

Anyhow, the vetassess assessment came back ok and we have sent off our application including the Vetassess positive report and work experience details.

Good luck!

Rach x

PS - strange coincidence - we live in Richmond too! PM me if you want to chat!

DianneH68

Thanks rach! Isn't Richmond just gorgeous at the moment?
Well that's interesting...so your husband nominated journalism as his occupation and still passed even though his degree wasn't relevant?
Mmmm...perhaps then I could submit them my degree details and also my NCTJ journalism training qualification...maybe that would do it?

monkeypeaches

Aye, I love Richmond in the summer (well apart from the hordes of tourists, but you can't have everything!)

Sending off the NCTJ qualification along with your degree would be a good idea - professional qualifications are always good. I'm confident that it would be enough for Vetassess (but don't quote me on that!)

Anyway, back to the garden for some more sun!
Rach x