Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

We got our Perm Visas a year ago and are finally ready to start our trip down under. We plan to chill out in Asia for a few months and then on to Oz.

I have family living in Gosford so would like to be near them. I don't particularly want to live/work in Sydney so we're considering Newcastle as an alternative. I'm a Software Test Manager (12 yrs exp) and dh is a Welder + CAD technician. From searching seek.com I don't see a whole lot of IT jobs in Newcastle which is worrying. There does seem to be a few boilermaker/welding jobs so hopefully dh would be ok.

Can anyone comment on the likely job prospects for us if we moved to Newcastle? I liked it when I visited a few years ago and would like to live somewhere with a beach lifestyle and the possibility of work for both of us. I understand there won't be anything like the options in Sydney, but is it likely we'd both find work?

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

Scour the resource companies and their backups. I know UGL have an IT presence in Newcastle.

Mad no, but be prepared to slug it out until you get work. There are some beautiful areas around Newcastle. The area is dependent on the price of coal.

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

Thanks for the honest Ivan. We can always compromise and move to Melbourne and get jobs there but we'd like to try it out first to see if we could make a go of it. Hopefully one of us will get a job when we get there and that we won't both have to wait too long to get sorted!

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

As Ivan said, Newcastle is basically a port for shipping out coal mined in the Hunter valley. Previously it was a large steel city but the steelworks closed down some time ago.

I would imagine a good boilermaker/welder could find work in the area - not sure about IT. However it is the second largest city in NSW and the 7th largest in the country, so there should be a good chance of finding work.

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

There is also work going on in the mines in the Hunter Valley. Not much IT but there is other stuff. I think it about an hour from Newcastle to the valley. I know people who have moved up there to work but they all got their jobs whilst working in Sydney.

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

I just thought I'd update this thread to assist any other ppl considering Newcastle as a place to migrate to!

I was pretty lucky in that I started in an IT role within 4 weeks of arriving to Australia. That said, the salaries/rates in Newcastle are a LOT lower (up to half the salary in many cases) than in Sydney but I was somewhat prepared for that. I've noted that there are very few IT job opportunities advertised in Newcastle, so I'll def be on the lookout for something more permanent than this 1yr contract . I've also noticed that the roles on offer here are much more junior and with much lower scope for growth/advancement than in other cities. That said, the salary I'm on is enough to survive on given that rents are lower here than Sydney/Melb. Def not cheap (esp. coming from the EU), but cheaper than other Oz cities

Husband got a job 2 weeks later working as a Welder in Newcastle so we're both thrilled that he didn't have to head out to the mines west of Newcastle and can get home early in the evenings.

We both feel pretty lucky to have landed roles given that we both applied for tonnes of roles and that the one employer who contacted each of us took us on!!! Very strange and frustrating when you've come from Europe where once you send out your CV's your mobile rings off the hook for days with ppl trying to quiz you up for more info.

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

Now you are in roles it is time to build contacts and reputation. Then that hidden job market will open up.

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

Congrats!!! Have you got used to all the suburbs being named after the UK version of Newcastle yet? lol I still crack up when driving through Jesmond and Wallsend!

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

They mucked up Gosforth though ;)

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

Well done! :thumbup:

Re: Are we mad to consider Newcastle?
 

Yeah hopefully the Australian work experience will comfort those Australian employers who seem somehow suspicious of international work experience :)

Haha ... well, coming from Ireland not as many of the names are familiar but there are definitely plenty of English/Welsh street names all right :) (King, Victoria, James, Edward, Alfred, Llewellyn, Everton, Churchill, Clapham, Oxford etc. )
I do get a laugh out of the reaction of people at home when I explain that I'm living a suburb pronounced "Merryweather" spelled "Merewether" though ;)

Cheers Paul :)