Teaching trip
 

Hello Everyone. I am a UK national, looking at undertaking a working holiday trip/work trip to Australia. When I am there I would like to teach, because I am a qualified post-compulsory teacher and teacher of English as a foreign language. Either that or a job aligned to research, as I also have skills in that or something which mixes the two. I am looking to go in the next six months.

I am finding it difficult finding organisations that cater for post-compulsory education. I have read some comments that the TAFE's are good starting places, however, does anyone know how these organisations recruit and when. I am not necessarily just looking for a short term contract, I would be interested in something up to a year in length. I would be especially interested in hearing from anyone who has experience of working in teaching based professions in Australia.

Thank you for reading!
Alex

Re: Teaching trip
 

Firstly, how old are you, you have to be under 31 to apply for a WHV, the only other way would be to get a working visa, and, beware, you will, almost certainly have to have your skills assesed before getting any visa.

Re: Teaching trip
 

I think that your chances of getting a teaching job on a WHV are going to be very slim. The working holiday is meant to be used as a means of seeing Australia and picking up some bar or fruit picking work to pay for your partying while here. If you want to emigrate as a teacher you're far better off getting a skilled visa and registering with the relevant state

Re: Teaching trip
 

In addition to the above, if you are coming on a WHV then you cannot work for an employer for more than 6 months, so you need to think in terms of a max 6 month contract, not one of up to a year.
The time and complexity involved in getting yourself registered as a teacher in one or more states usually deters WHV-ers from trying to teach while they are
here.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thank you all for responding. I am 27 years old, so I could apply for the WHV, but I am not interested in doing fruit picking, bar work or partying. Rather, I want this to be a way of getting some valuable professional development and of course to see Australia too, but for me it's more weekend trips away. I am finding also quite conflicting advice about registering as a teacher, because I am teaching in post compulsory education, not mainstream.

Re: Teaching trip
 

I would think you would probably be looking at teaching at TAFE so I would suggest as a start looking at each state's TAFE site and its reuqirements for the subjects you want to teach in.
On a WHV you would still be limited to 6 months for one employer though, doesn't matter whether its teaching or fruitpicking!

Re: Teaching trip
 

Cant think that you would get much joy out of a WHV if you want to further your professional aspirations. If you currently have a job there might be a teacher exchange program you could look at. I know there are school exchanges but whether there are post school exchanges I have no idea. You basically exchange your life - home, job, vehicles etc

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thanks Pollyana, I think 6 months may be too short for me. I would prefer a year, however, I would consider two different places - i.e. one city, one rural. The only thing is I actually know exactly where I want to go in Australia, so it is not like I want to a grand tour. I will definitely look at TAFE sites though!

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thanks for the suggestion quoll, although I dont currently have the type of job where I think I could ask for a teacher exchange program, I am in teaching but through agency at the moment. However, I understand what you mean when you say that there would be no joy out of the WHV. A lot of people have said to me that they are aimed at the young, who do not really have a skill. I would like to do up to a year for professional development, and then see how I feel. I could then either return to the UK, in which case I believe it would look good on the CV, or stay in Australia I liked it. A goal of mine is also is to look into perhaps doing a PhD in a few years time, which could also influence my decision when there.

Re: Teaching trip
 

You have no choice, there is a six month limit and wiuld be in breach of your visa otherwise.

Professional development on a WHV is a tough ask. This is not a professional development visa, it is a back packing visa. It can be hard to secure professional work on this visa as employers are put off by it. You would almost certainly get better professional development where you currently are.

Re: Teaching trip
 

I don't want to burst your bubble, but a lot of this is done on a voluntary basis in Oz - my wife did it for several years in WA as a volunteer

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thank you for this advice. I think this visa would be a no no for me, I'd be better off going as a tourist on a three week trip! Thank you for your advice about professional development too!!

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thanks, but I have seen job adverts for tertiary education in several states. Fair enough, they haven't been in my subject. Did you wife teach English in WA?

Re: Teaching trip
 

Of course you see jobs advertised, however many more people unemployed and therefore many many more applicants per job. Locally trained with local experience.

Re: Teaching trip
 

And NOT on working holiday visas with a 6 months work restriction.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Ok, sounds like some of you are kind of saying not to bother going ... Think I will delete the post, shouldn't have posted, this has been quite disheartening and I will have to change my plans

Re: Teaching trip
 

Why would you not go? A working holiday is meant for young people to enjoy a gap year.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Because I don't want to be confined to getting a job working down a mine or picking fruit. It wouldn't benefit me at all, it would be pointless for me. If i was 22, straight out of university then things would be different. I'm not, I'm 27 and very focused on my career. I would ideally like to go into research, but figured a year in Australia would look good. Unfortunately, that is why I wanted to go and that is what the WHV cannot provide.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Nobody is saying that you should not go, we are explaining what this visa is for. Some people will find work in their profession, but it is far from a given due to the restrictions mentioned. It is a great visa for a life experience, it is not a great visa to try to develop career on.

If you want to move to Australia to work in your career you could look into skilled migration - what subject do you teach?

Re: Teaching trip
 

Backpackers don't get mining jobs, those are far too sought after! And very few of them do fruitpicking.
A year in Australia probably would look good on a resume, even if you only did casual admin. Shows experience of the world etc. You might be lucky and pick up some teaching, either paid or voluntary, though you do need to check out whether your need to get your qualifications recognised at all beforehand.
But I guess the bottom line is that a WHV isn't designed to further a career, its a working holiday.

Why don't you contact one of the regustered agents who post on here and have a quick chat; I've learnt over the years that there are a few little known visas such as Training & Research visas, and you might find just something that would work. They are little known and so don't come up on forums but a good agent might be able to work something out.

Re: Teaching trip
 

You can work in a profession on a WHV - I did. But if you require registration/certification in order to do so it would be too difficult to achieve

There is a 6 month rule for working in any one job on a WHV but it is widely ignored and not really policed - you'd probably get away with it. What are they going to do if they catch you anyway?

Good luck

Re: Teaching trip
 

I only know one person who tried to game the rules. First working directly for the company, then once reaching the work limitation, working through an umbrella company instead - in the same role. They were almost immediately found out, I assume through tax records, and had to leave the job. I'd imagine worst case is a 3 year ban on coming back in.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Three year ban, and its more widely policed than you would think. Of course if the OP never intends coming back to Aus then its not an issue for them, but it could be for the employer.

Re: Teaching trip
 

I have more than 20 years of teaching experience, PR and full teaching registration. I applied for more than 60 teaching jobs, in schools, in TAFE in language schools ... No chance, they prefer applicants with local (Australian) experience! After nearly one year I got an offer for one morning (3 hours) in a language school. That was all I got in one year of being there.
I was clearly told by principals that they prefer local graduates, who are cheaper and have the knowledge about teaching in Australia.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thank you everyone for your replies. Amazulu, my teaching subjects are in the social sciences, although I do teach English as a foreign language too. I was informed that TAFE would be my best bet, but thank you musicalfever4 for the advice from your own experience. This certainly would make things very difficult. Bermudashorts, I have looked into skilled migration, but I think it is a little risky, when I am not sure what the experience of living in Australia will bring. Thank you though to Pollyana, I will definitely have a look into the teaching and research visa, and have a chat with some agents.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Yeah, I don't know if that one would fit you, but there are some littleknown ones out there, so worth an ask at least :)

Re: Teaching trip
 

Fair enough. It was probably different when I did it back in the '90s. A friend spent a year (this was in the '00s) at one company on a WHV and he is now a citizen

I actually worked here illegally for 6 months during my backpacker days - no employer checked my visa. When I did our PR application, I told them about this episode and there was no comeback at all

Re: Teaching trip
 

WOW OP you are not taking the feedback well. Are you expecting to come to Australia on a 1 possibly 2 year WHV and find you land on your feet. You should not be so reactive to the posts, you are asking people for advice who actually life and work here and can provide assistance.

The WHV is about visiting a new country and experiencing lifestyle and culture, due to the 6 month limit it makes it difficult for potential employers to hire you as they know you will not be long term.

If you are so focused on your career and have a good job, your best bet stay with it and stay in the UK.

If you are willing to step outside your comfort zone, and maybe find an employer that would sponsor you in Australia, then take the chance. It can and does happen.

It appears to me you do not want to do this as you think the WHV will land you a permanent job.

From reading numerous posts on this forum and other expat forums, plenty of people take the risk in the hope of a better/different lifestyle. Some succeed, some fail.

As other posts I have read teaching jobs are hard to secure, especially being a new immigrant. The job market is quite tough in Australia at the moment and not only for teaching jobs, it appears to be all over.

Maybe re-evaluate your situation, could you take a year out and come back to the UK and still get back on the ladder!

Re: Teaching trip
 

Not so easy nowadays.
I used to work with a British guy who has been here about 35 years, came as a tourist, worked illegally (including jobs for the government!)but there was some kind of amnesty back in the late 80s or early 90s when he says a lot of'sins were forgiven and forgotten' and people were given PR if they handed themselves in :ohmy: He's been a citizen for years now. can't imagine that happening now:unsure:

Re: Teaching trip
 

There were actually three amnesties where illegal or temporary residents were forgiven and granted permanent residency visas.

The first was in 1976 but relatively few people took it up. The second was in 1980. I was granted PR via that amnesty - not that I was here illegally, I had an extended WHV and wanted to stay longer - and there was another, supposedly final, amnesty in 1983.

As you say, there's never been one since, though Bob Hawke did grant thousands of PR visas en masse to the Chinese students who were in Australia at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

I knew a guy who lived and worked here illegally for around 7 years. He was waiting for another amnesty. Gave up waiting eventually and returned to the UK. I often wonder what they said to him on the way out..

Re: Teaching trip
 

I soooooo agree with you, kudos! Hubby advertised two jobs (and no, they won't or can't do 457 before I get another damned PM from hopefuls!!!). Year ago, applicants 10-15, this year 300+

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thanks all, I see that a lot of the employers i have been searching are quite particular about having the right to work.

Evets - I am not expecting anything, it is just a line of enquiry that I am looking at. There have been some very good suggestions on this forum and I do appreciate all the help. However, I have never been the type of person to just go with a small amount of change and hope for the best. Actually, this has made me reconsider my direction, not just my plans, so I think it has been extremely beneficial.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Thats really interesting, thanks.I think he would've been in the 1980 batch, though I'm not certain,

Re: Teaching trip
 

My husband's 21 year old nephew (little shit that he is) came over a couple of years ago on a WHV. He wanted to stay for 2 years, so I had quite a few talks with him about what he needed to do and where he needed to do it to get the second year.

After 6 months of enjoying our hospitality, he nicked off to Melbourne and didn't keep in touch. Found out recently that he didn't do his 3 months in a designated rural area - instead he used the rural work details of someone else (who I suspect sold them to him), and got his second year that way.

I'm pleased to say that DIBP caught up with him very quickly, and turfed him.

Re: Teaching trip
 

Looks like DIBP are more switched on now

Actually, I remember one employer asking to see my visa - which I didn't have. I told them that I would fax it to them. I got my mate's passport which had a WHV sticker. We photocopied his visa, photocopied my tourist visa, cut out my name and stuck it over his name on his visa - and them faxed it off. Job done and all it cost me was a couple of 6-packs :thumbsup:

Awesome times