osx_lover

hello...

i'm going to australia in september, holding an workingholidaymaker visa. am i allowed to work as a (graphic design) freelancer in oz? in the advertising business it's quite common to work for several employers just for maybe 5 days or just on one project which takes 5 weeks. i think that wouldn't be against the "work-only-3-months-for-one-employer"- rule...

an advise would be appreciated!

best regards,

osx

Jee

I can't see that it would be a problem. You would probably only get work in Sydney though and possibly Melbourne - forget everywhere else. I work for a media advertising agency in Adelaide and recently we advertised for a humble typesetter. We had over 50 applicants (all from graphic designers) and most of them were unsuitable. There just isn't enough of that type of work in the other states - though of course you could be lucky. Check out the website of aquent who are a recruitment agency for designers etc. They have offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - would be a good place to start.
Failing that, there's always fruit picking
good luck

Wilf

I am not being unkind here, but you must lower your sights and forget the idea that Oz has the career and life opportunities of the UK and USA but with beaches and more space. You may be lucky and get something in your area, but almost certainly not. This is no reflection on you, just a feature of the very poor job market for poms in Oz for nearly everything but trades. Do not take notice of stories of Ozzies getting your sort of work there because there is not a level playing field for white collar workers in Oz and you will be in competition with many Ozzies and, almost certainly, will be overlooked.

It is a hard lesson to learn, but unless you are VERY VERY lucky, you will not get one hour's work in your line. White collar workers like yourself are not in high demand in Oz, especially foreign ones, and so you may well find that retail, cleaning, or call centre work is a better bet. If you feel like saying to yourself "That is rubbish" then OK, but at least you have been warned, as they say.

PeteY

That should'nt be a problem at all. Head for one of the bigger cities like Sydney or Melbourne and you should have no problems at all getting graphic design work.

Its worth emailing a few agencies ahead to let them know when you are coming, what you do and how long you are available for.

By agencies....i mean a graphic design agency, there are several in both cities.

Oh....and don't let Wilfo put you off....hes known to be err....rather pessimistic.

owieb

But remember that on a WHV your primary reason for coming to Oz is as a holiday and you are not allowed to work continuously.

You'll also find companies are very strict on how they employ people as they all get random audits done by DIMA and have to show who they are employing and what visa's those people are on. If the companies break the rules they can be closed down, so they won't take any chances.

renth

Why not use the WHV to do something different, like fruit picking, working on a mine or something that isn't just what you do in the UK but in a different country? be adventurous

owieb

nice one Renth! Are you a careers advisor!? !

PeteY

I can thoroughly reccomend a bit of grape picking if you turn up at right time of the year.......its hard work, but you get to chat with the poeple you work with, as you pick and the pay, for casual work is very good. Good places are Hunter Valley in NSW and the Adelaide hills in SA. Watch out for redbacks though

Also....if you are around brisbane you could try a bit of ginger picking. Not much fun that...you get muddy and VERY hot, but again the pays good considering what you have to do.

osx_lover

thanks for your hints and suggestions. well, as renth said, maybe i should do something different for a while when being in australia. I am allready sitting in front of my computer at work here every day. will keep the fruitpicking hints in my mind!

cheers

laura

however I bookmarked aquent and it´s good to receive some information on the job situation for graphic designers in australia!