nina25

I moved to Melbourne in Oct and have been trying to find a job, not to much success. I know Dec/Jan are slow times over here and to be honest it was great to have a bit of a break but now I really want to work! (never ever thought I'd say that!)

I've signed up with loads of agencies and even applied directly to employers but unfortunately as I'm not a PR or Citizen they aren't interested. I worked in Insurance at home.

I would quite happily change career and work in a bar or as a waitress but as I have no experience of this that isn't much good either!

I'm sure this is just a tempory thing but I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced this? Or will I be jobless until I get PR in about 2 years?! By which time I would have gone mad lol

Thanks

Nina

SillyOldBag

Hello there!

I'm just about to start looking for work as soon as my daughter goes back to school next week! I thought we'd have a last long school holiday together before I start working.

I think we're in the same sort of position, both out here on PMV. I haven't started looking for work yet, but am certainly concerned that my visa status might put employers off - especially as I currently have nothing in writing to say that I'm allowed to be here let alone work, applied for temp spouse visa end November and am currently on a bridging visa.

Strangely enough, I worked in insurance in UK too but I have no wish to go back to that! Not sure what I want to be when I grow up!!

Kooky.

I haven't started seriously looking yet so hard to tell, but the other day I saw a job I fancied applying for - seemingly low stress admin job with a non-profit organisation.

Unfortunately they specified "must have NSW Driving License". As a 457 holder you can't get one until you've been here six months without a break, i.e., I have to start counting again from the trip I took in late September. Not long to go I know, but I'm going to have to delay a holiday to qualify.

I'm wondering if it's a genuine requirement, if the applicant would be required to travel between branches and insurance requires a NSW license, or if it's similar to what I saw in Singapore where some employers exclude foreigners and Malays by needlessly specifying "must speak Mandarin".

SillyOldBag

Would it be worth throwing your name in the hat for that job anyway? Just state that you have a licence from whatever country it's from and that you will be eligible to do a straight swap for a NSW licence in March. If all your other skills/experience are up to the mark, they might waive that licence requirement as you are so close to being able to tick that box too!

Good luck with your job hunting - maybe we should have a little job hunters support group!

Kooky.

Yep, my thinking too. It's one of the 20 vacancies I've just printed off to take to a meeting with a careers coach in an hour or so.

TBH I'm probaby twice the age of the person they have in mind but it sounds like a "good for the soul" job so nothing ventured, nothing gained...

ABCDiamond

An employer can be fined for employing a person without a valid working visa. The penalty is up to $66,000 or 2 years prison.

It would therefore be hard to find an employer to take a person on, if they are aware that a person does not have the right Visa.

However, some Bridging Visa's do have work rights. If yours does, then I suggest getting some official publications that explain the Visa correctly to a potential employer.

Petals

Its hard for everyone to get jobs unless they have a skill in demand here in Aus. Australia has plenty of people in jobs which are not on the wanted lists that is whey we have the skills list. Admin type jobs in the suburbs near where people live are like gold and often its word of mouth.

For waitressing and bar work licences are needed so courses have to be undertaken through TAFE or other people authorised to issue RSA and Food licence. They are usually a day course.

For gaming room you need Police check and another special licence.

I think people have to realise when they emigrate on a partner's visa that its their partners skill that is short supply and it may be harder for the other partner to find suitable work or may take quite a while.

As the market retracts the Aussies will take their own though even though they are not allowed to discrimination goes on in the work force but its very very subtle.

Kooky.

I'm under no illusions there. I've been known to say much the same on the Far East Forum - the country owes me nothing.

I haven't really tried to find a job yet - just been browsing the jobsites for a few weeks to get a feel for what is (or isn't) around.

nina25

Hiya,

Yes the world of Insurance is a crazy one!

Glad u got ur Spouse visa sent off, I am slowly getting mine organised, had forgotten how much work is involved! I have to get an aussie police check as I'm over the 12 months by a week or so, grr! I wonder if the processing time over here is longer than offshore?!

A job hunters support group sounds like a great idea! It's just the boredom more than anything, my husband (got to get used to calling him that, only got married at the weekend so it's all very new and strange but great at the same time!) works so it's just me and the mother in law at the mo, which is interesting!

I do appreciate why prospective employers would be wary and I totally don't blame them if they chose a PR or a citizen, in a way I commend it (it's a shame it isn't like that back home) but it is frustrating. I do try and explain the visa situation but with the PMV due to expire in March then going to a bridging visa, albeit with work rights, I only feel that until the Spouse visa is granted it will all be a bit stressful. Can't even clean toilets in a hotel at this rate! lol

SillyOldBag

I understand what you are saying, but I assure you I DO have a valid visa with work rights - it's just that when my PMV expired and I handed in the next stage spouse visa, just before that, they didn't actually give me anything in writing apart from my receipt for the fee! I'm actually going to visit the local office to see if I can get something in writing as I would feel a lot happier then! That's a great idea about getting official publications for prospective employers to help them understand the terms of the visa. Thanks!

Congratulations nina - hope the day went beautifully for you and your husband! I've been married 3 months now and still (a) find it strange calling him my husband and (b) haven't worked out a new signature!

Having been told it could take 6 to 8 months before I hear anything about the spouse visa, it certainly is a stressful time - the logical brain says of course they'll approve it, they have no reason not to, having approved the PMV and having complied with the conditions of that but the emotional brain keeps thinking 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!' and it's making me feel really unsettled, sort of a resident of neither uk nor australia if that makes sense.

I think ABC has given us some good advice nina in terms of getting something printed off about our visa and the process we go through and work rights attached as that might encourage potential employers to give us a go - since all we need to do is stay married which I'm sure we both have every intention of doing anyway!!

Re the aussie police check, mine was a pain as I sent mine off just as the fee for it changed, so I had all the papers sent back to me with a request for more money, so I had to do it all again! From when I sent the 2nd application off I think it took no more than a couple of weeks, it was certainly MUCH quicker than the UK!

Petals

If you are married to an Australian emphasise the point, don't mention anything else and see what happens. Only answer what you have to don't feel the need to tell people anything that is not specifically asked. Once employers realise you will get a spouse visa probably be ok.

Short to the point resume. Also agencies only need to know you will get spouse visa.

No lying just not revealing.

asprilla

You need to start off with a 3month contract, and build up trust with the employers from there...

good luck

ABCDiamond

Actually I realised that I worded a sentence wrong, it should have read:

It would therefore be hard to find an employer to take a person on, if they are unsure of the persons Visa working rights.

From what I recall, it is the employers reponsibility to check working rights, and ignorance is no excuse.

However, I do also recall wondering about the situation on employing citizens, who obviously have no visa's. An employer gets around this by getting the applicant to state that they have the correct working rights etc.
ie: On many application forms it will say "Are you PR or Citizen?" If you answer, yes, then they are covered. If you say no, then it becomes more difficult for them.

Personally, on those forms, I would answer YES, and then explain it properly at the interview, once you have a foot in the door.
The explanation would be along the lines of... ( I said Yes, as I have the same working rights as a PR or Citizen)

Pollyana

Those of you on spouse visas - it can help to make the point that your visa leads to permanency, and that it is a spouse visa because you are married to an Aussie. If you just say its "temporary" then they put you in the WHV type of bracket and view you as moving on. The jobs I managed to get were ones where I made sure that I emphasised the only reason I wasn't PR yet was because we hadn't been married long enough. Spouse visas being more unusual, employers are not so familiar with them

JAJ

I will just make the observation here that an employer could sponsor an eligible spouse visa holder for an ENS permanent visa (probably offshore), if the employer is really concerned about this point.

The visa holder could of course work while awaiting the ENS to come through.