PennyBaker

Ive been told about the Opportunities Australia Expos - and this will be the first time Im attending and for some reason I am nervous!

Has anyone been before??
What do I take?
Are they worth it??

Any help would be apprecaited!

Penny xx

SonjaNTony

Sorry i can't help you with this as i haven't been to one either.

I was just wondering where and when this expo is. As i would be interested in going if possible.

Surely it can't be harmful to go even if it is worthless - better to go and it be useless than to not go and miss out on the ideal opportunity.

Tony

renth

I went to the Sandown one about 5 years ago - it was crap.

NedKelly

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Flutterscutter

We went to an Expo for New Zealand a few years ago and that was crap too. Personally i wouldnt waste my money going.
Absolutely nothing there that you cant find online or on your own via other methods.

Jonahs_mummy

Hi Penny

We went to Earls Court last year & found it a complete waste of time! It was full of migration agents but as soon as they found out we had already submitted the TRA they were not interested in us! Also there were loads of job agencies but ALL were geared up for Engineers or Nurses! No good to us at all.

We have also been to York this year & found it better as there were many more removal companies there and general info about Australia, although yet again we paid the entrance fee & stayed only an hour - we got lots of info but also stuff we could have got on the net... you have to ask yourself if the travel costs & freebies were worth it.... for such exhibitions I fear they are not!

However, if you are about to embark on the whole Visa Journey & haven't done an iota of investigation and/or research then you will probably find they are useful.

Sorry to sound so down about them but we feel that we wasted our time going.

Claire
x

stumpysean

Hi there, We went to the one in York and spoke to several people first hand. We personally found it useful and are planning on going to the one in Sandown in Oct (7th , 8th & 9th)
I suppopse it depends on what visa you are looking to go out on. We're planning to go out on the business 163 visa to Perth. For us it was invaluable to speak to the SBDC (Small business Development Corporation) who deals with the state sponsorship. We plan to go to Sandown in Oct because the man 'Bruno Delfante' who processes the sponsorship applications will be there! So for us it's just making ourselves known personally to him ready for when we go on our reky trip in Feb and actually make an appointment to see him.
Hope this helps!
Anyway what have you got to lose? The more info you can find out the better as far as I'm concerned. After all it's not like you are just deciding where to go on holiday, it's a major decision affecting the rest of your lives, not something to take lightly is it? Surely an afternoon at a expo show isn't going to hurt??????

DollyDaydream

Flippin eck Claire, that is EXACTLY what I was about to say, but of course, you said it more succinctly than me!!!

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worzel

The Sandown or York emigration expos are worth doing at least once. As Claire said, the jobs one at Earls court was a waste of time unless you are an engineer or nurse (they will no doubt claim to have widened it this year).

But I can't stress strongly enough the need to organise and attend an ex-pats meet after the show. It might cost you £50+ for a hotel but the friends you will make are worth every penny.

steandleigh

We went to Sandown but it was about 4 or 5 months before we left and so got absolutely nothing from it, whatsoever. we'd already done all the research etc off our own back.

Looking back, it did seem to be full of no hopers and idiots whom had gone along for the day with no hope in hell of being accepted, either.

Don't waste your cash.

OH!!! And one extremely funny woman (on a 'stall') that we spoke to told us that we wouldn't be able to get a mortgage in Oz for the first 3 years - hence why it was "So important" to sign up with her now....

We quickly saw the guy at the Commonwealth stall and he told us it was bullshit. (Which, obviously, since being here, we have also found out to be utter tripe.)

SO BEWARE!!!!!

Brisben

Renth I am wth you on this, I went this year and thought it was crap, I actually found that it was just like a bunch of salespeople trying to get a sale.

Some fo the companies there were most unhelpful.

I won't be going again...

Amazulu

I found the Opportunities Australia Expo very helpful, but then I'm an engineer. I had several interviews out of it & made some contacts that are now bearing fruit.

Sandown was a complete waste of time, overcrowded & too many salesmen talking crap. A waste of a day.

This website is the best source of info for Australia.

Brisben

Quality reply there matey, I agree entirely. Better of staying at home on B.E

Anne4Terry

Oh dear, we were there LOL

DollyDaydream

Ouch, that's gotta hurt A4T!!!!

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