donovandenese

I recently contacted about 25 employment agencies in Adelaide asking about the possibility of them being able to find me permanent, contract or temporary employment on a temporary spouse visa. After 3 weeks I have just 2 responses - both negative! One said they couldn’t help anyone who wasn’t a permanent resident or Australian Citizen as most employers weren’t keen on them, the second said they could maybe find me some temporary basic admin work eg data entry to get Oz experience until my visa was permanent but that was all. The other 23 didn’t bother to reply. Is this the kind of response I'm likely to receive to job applications when I arrive in Australia (I will be moving to Australia from the UK within the next few months on a spouse visa with my Australian husband)? Is the initial “temporary” element of the spouse visa going to be a big issue for employers/agencies?

Has anyone got any advice/similar experience they can share with me?

(Some backgound info!!! - I am a UK qualified Chartered Tax Accountant with approx 8 years experience working in tax for a big 5 accountancy firm, but also have 3 years more recent experience working as an accounts receivable manager for a multinational company. I also have nearly a years work experience actually in Australia on my working holiday visa – a few different roles but all within financial services.

I'm aware that the Australian tax system is totally different to the UK tax system and the qualifications are not transferable, however, I thought that my strong financial services experience and leadership/teamwork/office skills would make it relatively straightforward to find work – especially as South Australia is advertising for people to migrate there, and I said I would happily consider a wide variety of financial/admin roles.

I’m beginning to wonder if we should wait a further 6 months and apply for the visa when we have been together 5 years and would hope to get a permanent visa straight away, as we would struggle to manage without both of us working when we get to Australia.)

Wendy

First thing is that there aren't that many employers who would even bothering to reply to you until you are here.

Second thing, when you apply for jobs say "I have full work rights in Australia". Many employers won't know the difference between a temporary spouse visa and a working holiday visa. When they hear the word 'temporary' they think you will be going back to the UK soon.

There is plenty of admin/financial work around, I really don't think you'll have much trouble. Maybe look into doing a MYOB course though as it will help a great deal to have that as lots of jobs want you to know it

donovandenese

thanks wendy - "full work rights in Australia" sounds like a good way to avoid mentioning the word temporary!

i didn't actually even mention in the agency email that I hadn't yet arrived in Oz, as I thought that may stop people replying.

At a guess MYOb courses will want to charge me overseas fees on a temp visa too!!

Wendy

Get a free e-mail account with www.yahoo.com.au as that may help, also put the visa bit in your CV/Resume. You may still have difficulty though as they'd probably want a phone number so they can speak to you in person. But it's a start anyway. Not all jobs are advertised through agencies either, so you'll probably find there's quite a few more about when you get here.

As for MYOB, you can order the package off here: http://myob.com/servlet/Satellite?ci..._section_links
I'm not sure if you need to be in Australia or not, but even if you just download the free trial for now and have a go at it. It's pretty easy to use.

Siren & Brian

I found that dropping "temporary" from my resume and simply putting "Resident" helped me get the call backs and once you have an interview you can explain that you are on a spouses visa and you have full working rights. Some (not all) companies already understand that it's a temp to perm visa and the ones that don't just need an explanation and are usually pretty good about it once they know you're not leaving.

Siren

Scubaemma

I'm in a similar position and have been wondering the same thing. We're moving over next year with me on a temp spouse visa (OH is an Aussie). It looks like a lot of employers (including QLD Gov't who I hope to work for) will only employ people on temporary contracts, not in permanent positions. But there seem to be a fair few of these around, and they can be fairly long-term (I think!), not like 2 week temping jobs. Pollyana who posts on here may be able to advise (although she's got a permanent job now!).

I think that a lot of employers and agencies just don't reply to people when they're not yet in the country (whatever visa people have got) - so that might not be a bad sign because of your visa type.

Good luck anyway, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, but I'm sure you'll be fine. When are you going over?

Pollyana

Did I hear the magic word Permanent
Qld Govt will only give temporary contracts on a temp visa, but having said that, I've done nearly three years on those, one after another and while its stressful waiting for the next one, I've always been employed, they've led one into another. Now on PR and finally got the Perm Job. As Emma said some of the contracts can be quite long - my longest was six months, but I know people on temp for a year. They are actually employed by the government diectly, like me, not through an agency. For Qld have a look at www.jobs.qld.gov.au and I think all the other States have the same sort of site, though their rules may differ.

More generally - you will be very very lucky to score a job on a temp spouse visa before you get here. Even on a perm visa its hard. They want you here and ready to go. Things here work more on a 2 week turnaround for notice, rather than a month, so they don't want to wait as long as back home for you to start.
And as already said - explain that you have full unrestricted work rights, and that although your visa is temporary at present, it leads to PR in 2 years, as you are married to an Aussie and are here to stay. The word "temporary" makes them think you will have to leave and go home. Once they realise this is a more permanent move you will have more luck.

The jobs are there, I've not been out of work since arriving and know many other spouse visa holders in the same boat. it just may take a little longer, and you may need to be prepared to take anything you can get at first, in order to get the all important Aussie stuff on your resume.

donovandenese

thanks everyone - your posts are making me feel a bit more positive! when we're going is a bit up in the air just now - waiting for police checks back, medical on 1st June, then send it in and wait, unless of course we wait til November to apply when we've been together for 5 years in the hope we get a permanent visa straight away. I'm tempted to do that but hubby's keen to go home "as soon as" after spending 4 of the last 5 years in the UK. Decisions decisions....

Pollyana

If you could wait till November might be worth it to get PR at once - easier for jobs, and no more forms in two years time....!!!

JAJ

What do you mean by "Chartered Tax Accountant"? (there's no such thing).

Do you mean "Chartered Accountant" or "Chartered Tax Advisor"? Depending on the answer you may be eligible for a skilled permanent visa.

saoghalbeag

It's the same prob trying to go back the other way (Aussie to UK) with employers not wanting to have a bar of you if you're not part of the usual crowd - and sitting on their doorstep!

Like the others have said, simply state you have full work rights in Oz, don't mention the temp visa until it becomes necessary in interviews etc. And if your OH has family over here, perhaps use their address/phone numbers for contact details-at least for postage. And definitely get a nondescript email address and send applications via email if possible?

You have to understand that even though migrating across the globe is something you are well-versed in, a lot of the people to whom you are applying for jobs simply don't understand the jargon! And they will often toss out applications that look too hard or confusing. I lost a job in the UK through my employer's misunderstanding of the immigration process.

We used my sister's address/phone number in Bris when our mate was coming over from the UK. He'd apply and if ppl called us we got him to phone them back. He was actually on his way at that point though so might not work for longer timeframe. Good luck!

donovandenese

Sorry - Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) - UK professional Tax qualification. I just wrote tax accountant as I think they are called that in Australia.
I have checked out the possibility of a skilled visa - I do seem to meet the points requirements with my experience & various qualifications (I also have a graduate diploma in business administration) but was under the impression that its a much more complicated and long winded application process than for a spouse visa.

JAJ

Skilled visa is more complicated and long winded than spouse, but not dramatically so. As it gives you permanent residence immediately, it's much better than spouse. In fact, you could apply for both if you wanted to get to Australia, but obtain permanent residence before 2 years.

Are you sure you have the points? The CTA qualification is unlikely to be worth more than 40 points, at best (it's not going to be enough for an accountant skill assessment). Have you ever looked into the accelerated route to membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland? (although if you are planning to leave the UK soon, there may be no time to do this).

Kolothuk

Hi all,

I thought I would bring this thread alive as I have similar question on this topic.

I'm a British Citizen, 23 years old and have been granted a subclass 310 Interdependency (Provisional) visa.

What do you think is the best wording to put on my CV? Given my age I'd be concerned they would think I have a Working Holiday Visa with the incorrect wording. I also wouldn't really be that comfortable revealing my sexuality on a CV.

Any advise would be appreciated thanks.

Pollyana

Same as above, put that you have a "visa with full work rights in Australia". As with the temp spouse visas above, you can also say that you are on a temporary visa which leads to permanent residence in two years. Yours is a type of spouse visa after all, so there is no harm in using that terminology.
It is much easier to get work once you are here, rather than in advance, and there really aren't that many employers that won't touch you on a temp visa like this one. Some govt jobs are PR/citizenship only, but that varies from State to State. I was determined to work for the Govt in Qld and I got in on a temp spouse visa - albeit on a succession of temp contracts until I got PR.