Hi all! This forum was great help when i was in my initial stages of immigrating to Oz. Now its been 18 months since i'm here in Melbourne. I, wife and 2 kids (daughters 8 and 14 years)
I am in no way expressing my verdict in this thread, so i dont want to start WW III. But i would certainly like to share my experiences with my mates here.

This is a great country, with great people and a great multi-cultural culture.

We came here in mid-September 2002. Both me and my wife were able to get work at a call centre just the 3rd day of landing here!!!!! But couldnt continue that for long as we were still staying with friends, but we were scared- a new country-no jobs-no security, so we grabbed the jobs. Moved out to get our shit organised and that took us good 3-4 weeks. My wife went thru with her registration process with Dept of Education (now its thru VIT), as a Secondary School Teacher I started working doing odd jobs thru agencies in S.E. suburbs. Same with my wife.

Shouldnt have left jobs as it was just before the christmas season and employers do their recruitment well in advance, so job avenues reduce just before Christmas. This slow down goes right to mid-March.

It nearly took my wife 4 months to get her registartion for teaching, which i feel is good time. She started doing casual releif teaching work, and i got into a private hospital in Inner East suburbs (casual in the beginning but now since 7 months its permanent full-time). I am an overseas qualified medical doctor. I work as theater technician now.

Some of u would say why dont i sit the test and qualify as a GP!! I did enquire a lot, but the openings exist only in the bush (the far-off areas) and i have to spend 5 years there to get experience and then maybe i come to the city. I havent really given it a serious thought yet. The GPs r verrrry unhappy here.

Thats my story, nothing great.

What i noticed was:
1. Women run the offices and men - the factories.
2. In offices,women do say that its "equal work opportunity" , being a male u would be called for interviews, but not selected, as they infact want a female for that role.
3. People working since many years in an office and who slowly progressed to higher levels very easily get THREATENED by skilled educated migrants. It happened with me once. I was offered a job first without an interview to work as Co-ordinator in the municipal committee, seeing my resume and vast experience, the whole sequence of people involved in the process just started avoiding me. And finally i was told that i was "not elligible" for that job after 7 meetings with the same person!!!!!!!!!
(AND NO!!!!!!!!! I have nothing against women. I am not complaining, just sharing my experienece with u guys.)
4. The employers identify ur overseas skills, train u and transfer ur skills to the new position. So they infact train u at work. Thats really good.
5. And quite often u feel as if one is being told "GET OUT OF MY WHITE COUNTRY" And i have always wondered why i feel that way?
6. Be careful o f the real estate agents, they r really DODGY!

ANY ADVICE, WELCOME
I am considering a job in Pharmaceuticals, but cant seem to fit myself anywhere. Any suggestions? I dont want to work as a medical doctor --- too many hassles!

cheers,

gary

Sorry no idea about Melbourne and the job - glad you are getting somewhere with the wifes work. How are your children settling in?

Is call centre pay as cr*p in Oz as it is in the UK?

Call Centre Work
:scared: :scared:

Gary
Good luck with whatever you decideto do. I think it is sad that you cannot practice as a GP though especially when you consider the time you took to study to become a doctor.

My friend's brother and wife (British ) are qualified Drs.They went to A Hospital at Mt Isla? inland from Brisbane, he is now a prof of Medicine and his wife a Dr of paediatrics . But they now want to move into Brisbane so he is starting up as a photographer!
All that training and it can't be used !

Gary I hope you find a job you enjoy doing.

Whaaaat!! I presume this isn't because he loved looking at X-Rays so much, he wanted to get into the visual arts!

The whole thing smacks of Aussie protectionism...

Well Sandra, my kids have done exceeding well with their settling in phase. Elder daughter (14 years) - is getting good grades in most of her subjects. The younger (8 years) is creative - and becoming better at it each day.
BUT, there is no one inetersted in studying in school - thats what the elder one comes and says. They are in government run schools!!!!!! Cant really afford private/Catholic schools as yet, people do say that Catholic schools in Oz do make something good out of them. I dont know!
cheers,
gunitm

AUD 17/hour + incentives.
Hows that compared to ur rates?
Cheers!!!!

gunitm

I was getting $16.50 an hour, no insentives as it was through an agency, Julia Ross.

There is a call centre in Nottingham (Capital One)
that pays 7.50 per hour part time. I don't think thats a bad wage for part time call centre work?

Plus or minus 3 dollars.

In the UK I worked in a call centres for 4GBP to 6.50GBP an hour.