empty

Hi all,

Was granted PR almost 3 years before, but yet to decide on it and now it has come to the point whether to use it or lose it. Theoretically speaking I can move to Australia last date of my PR validity and yet can extend my PR by staying there continuously for 2 years, but it has risk associated with it, in case if I need to come out of Australia during first 2 years.

Little bit of research shows that getting accounting job is not that easy in Australia. There looks considerable challenge even in getting entry level accounting job. I would have taken a plunge without giving a second thought if I were not having great job. But currently I am enjoying very decent job in my country in South Asia with package far better than the accounting job that I expect to get in Australia.

However, I understand the fact that Australian PR is very difficult to get by and I attach special significance to it given that Australian Citizenship may open up future opportunities or at lease increase my employability in international job market.

However, decision is like - whether to be contend with one bird in hand as against give up the bird in hand for 10 birds in bush. Does it worth it?

My understanding goes that accounting skill is no longer sought after skill in Australia unlike ICT or other engineering jobs. I am member of ICAA on passing a paper on Ethics and Business Application (without local experience as per the MOU) but I wonder if even this qualification would contribute in securing first job in Australia. It appears to me that first job is very tough to crack

Any thoughts or inputs would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Bermudashorts

I think you should focus on the question as to whether *you* want to move to Australia or not. Whether Australian visas are hard to come by or not is irrelevant and definitely not a good enough reason to move to Australia in my opinion anyway.

Very few new skilled migrants are met off the plane with a job offer, we all should be prepared for a period of unemployment whilst we search for work. Most find work in the end and I am sure you will too, it is about taking a plunge.

The accountancy job market is competitive IMHO, but there are plenty of people from overseas working in the occupation and everyone had a first job in Australia. In practice I have seen no evidence of this "local experience" prejudice against Anglo applicants but maybe a tiny amount of hesitation over the applicants from Asia, but definitely not so that it would be a barrier to entry in the occupation.

A very personal opinion is that adding an extra qualification to your name would do little. I am more interested in skills, experience and communication skills.

I sometimes tell Asian immigrants that perfecting their English is the best thing they could do to make themselves more employable, this practical advise is often unwelcome but it is the single most common reason I have seen overseas candidates fail to progress to the next stage of the selection process. I am not talking about perfect grammar of course, but rather diction and fluency. Your written English looks quite good by the way and perhaps your spoken is too, so that is just a general comment that might not apply in your case.

If you do decide to take the plunge then don't leave it until the last minute of your visa, it will in all probability be no easier to get a job in two years than it is now.

Good luck with your decision making.

commonwealth

Looking at the jobs boards, it seems fully qualified Australian CA/CPA qualificatio is required as a minimum?

Bermudashorts

Job advertisements to tend to say that yes, but overseas qualifications are commonly accepted, I doubt that even a third of my team have an Australian CA/ CPA qualification (and I didn't recruit them all).

empty

Hi Bermudashorts

I like the articulation of your thought process, which is very much appreciated.

Whilst ‘Australian PR is hard to get by’ should not be the single most important criterion in deciding for move to Australia, it would definitely affect the timing for my move if ease with which it could be extended through RRV or even through getting fresh PR. So far I have been buying time to move to Australia given the new experience I am getting and new skill set I am acquiring, which are beyond the boundary of traditional accountancy profession. But then, your powerful word – relevance – shall motivate me to reorient my focus on what matters most to me in the decision making process.

I buy your opinion that skill set, experience and communication are more important than array of qualifications in securing a job. They are more important during interview phase though I guess. What about securing interview first of all? Will local qualification help? Alternatively, what makes do you think HR consultant in considering CV without local qualification and experience? Communication skill (speaking) is known only after telephoning or during interview!

Apart from just skill set, experience, and communication, there are perhaps concern recruiting applicants from Non-Anglican countries for the different culture and way of getting the things, which I find totally valid, though I do not know for sure if this is the case.

One of my friends who moved to Australia a year back did not secure an interview despite trying hard for 3 months. Later he secured an interview in the company he worked back at home through reference and eventually got job there. Point here is that he could not secure a single interview for all jobs he applied. I wonder how long he had to wait if he did not get job in the company.

A year back or so, almost all accountancy job vacancy required applicant to be locally experienced, however, this is not the case now as I see. Despite this, securing job from abroad is unheard of. I sometimes think what stops HR consultant in conducting preliminary interview remotely before doing it in person if they see potential in candidates. I have applied few jobs stating I could land in Australia for an interview given short notice but have not got a single customized reply. I hear that the consultants work in accordance to the strict instruction of client but what about the vacancy that tend to remain open. Question is were they not that important in the first place?

Another thing I am little bit confused is the field of accountancy I should be making my career on move to Australia. I have more than a decade of professional work experience – mostly in external and internal auditing - in various countries in South Asia including my experience in PricewaterhouseCoopers. However, since few years, I have gone out of my comfort zone to accept responsibilities that include process management, business process reengineering, change management, business analysis, fraud management and revenue assurance (both in Telco environment). I wonder if I should go back to pure accountancy job in Australia as they are what mostly in demand as I see (?) as well as where my core competence lies and supported by my qualifications.

I am afraid if I have written long.....

commonwealth

here's a tip:

when you see a job opening on seek website etc, try calling the person whose contact details are indicated, instead of just sending an email or uploading a resume. that way you could explain your situation, experience, skills etc and demonstrate your communication skills.

empty

Thank you commonwealth, the strategy may help once I am in Australia. The consultant may have hesitation in picking up the call from the part of the globe that is unfamiliar. But perhaps I should try without being in Australia, there is nothing to lose really.

Tr1boy

I would qualify that by saying I don't think there is any hesitation with Asians that are long time residents and studied in Oz (such as Mrs TB). Mrs TB's English is not perfect*, but pretty good. Her biggest asset is that she studied part time whilst working full time in related fields for blue chip companies. She scored a role in the UK with probably one of the most prestigious and hardest comapnies to get into. It was a contract role, but still a stellar effort.

Her ability to reconcile in multi language and currency, knowing very well how to play the US blue chip corporate 'game' and is CPA, is simply experience you cannot buy.

I try not to be too sensitive to some the 'Asian' comments that get thrown around on here sometimes, but would like people on this board not to tar them all with the same brush. (which I'm not accusing BS of).

* Mrs TB is in Korea (again), at the moment as her father has been taken very ill and is in intensive care in hospital. He fought along side the Americans in Vietnam so is a war veteran which means he gets some care subsidised, but we always have to pick up the tab for the rest. It's part of the culture to look after elders and I take my responsibility to him seriously. It's a difficult time for us to be apart as I am suffering post surgery rehab pain and could do with her here.

So she sent me an email saying I am a very 'royal' husband. I wrote back saying I think she means 'loyal' but she'd better be treating me like a king when she gets anyway

Pollyana

If you ring them, they'll answer. Business people here are quite used to getting calls from abroad

commonwealth

Whenever I receive a phone call, I have no idea if it's from overseas.

empty

What is the time and days I should avoid calling? I am wondering if I should call only during the week days and during office hours!

empty

Looks like CLI (caller line identification) is not displayed properly in Australia in that case, which I find unusual. Not having proper CLI is not that unusual while receiving international incoming call, but not in case of local call generally. The functionality of calling back to the caller or knowing the caller in case of miss call is not there.

commonwealth

No, I'm actually just too lazy to look at the display when someone is calling I just answer it straight away

Pollyana

That would seem to be logical if phoning about jobs!

Bermudashorts

TB - I am not tarring anyone with any brush. I know you say you are not accusing me of that but it rather sounds like you are. I have commented on my observations that there can be some hesitation over Asian candidates (fresh off the boat ones we are clearly talking about here) and that the most common reason I have noted myself of Asian candidates not progressing to the next stage is communication skills. I have been the interviewer in few of these cases, but mainly this is feedback from my peers and my direct reports trying to fill spaces in their teams.

Of course it would be much easier for me not to say this and certainly there is no benefit to me. I think that my advice, especially about communication, is honest and cuts to the chase. Perhaps in future I should save my time and agree that employers are just looking for as many paper qualifications as possible. Won't help anyone get a job but at least it won't offend anyone that way.