Coppock

thanks everyone! All help is really appreciated. I owe you both drinks if/when i get to Oz!

StopDreamingStartDoing

Quite interested in this thread, i'm a printer of twelve years working on a GOSS HT60 OFF SET Lithographic double width press, with 6 colour units for back to back colour, worked up to supervisor level, had no qualifications to begin with but have managed to get an NVQ 2 thing through work. So with 12 years experience and a little qualification i'm keeping fingers and toes crossed with my TRA. But does anybody know if my type of job is up for grabs as it were, it wouldn't stop us applying but it would be nice to know if there are jobs out there that i could do

Cheers Richard

scottyboy

I'm applying under graphics pre-press.
Didn't know there were so many of us 'till I read this thread.
GPP's have been prety thin on the ground around here.

I started off doing a YTS in art and design for a year and then
did a BTEC national in graphic design for another couple.

I've worked at printers, newspapers and at present for a
company that does greetings cards.
I've done it on and off for the past ten years or so.

I'm just dotting to i's and crossing the t's on my TRA before I
send it off to an agent that does a visa checking service.

As Gravyman says "emphasise the repro side and tried not to
mention Graphic Design too much"

Good luck to everybody.

Scotty.

Tricky266

I've worked as a graphic designer for nearly 20 years and have seen aspects of the job erode away from the industry, first was typesetting, then finished artwork, then repro, so whats the big deal with pre press?? - surely its a dying aspect of the print industry. I actually think that its a very valid part of print and its decline has a lot to do with the poor quality print work being produced - but there is an atittude of - hey it's cheaper so it must be better!!

The problem in the UK - hence my reasons for going elsewhere is the fact that I'm charged out at £70 ph (and get paid about £11) which is a crazy amount of money - if I spend just one hour doing simple text changes it costs the client £70. Madness!! - and we are in a rural backwater - not London!! High charges like this just lead to disgruntled clients - or no clients!

Coppock

Yea it used to get me annoyed, I was a trainee getting paid about £6ph, but getting chaged out for £40-£80ph depending on who the client was.

Thinking about setting up freelance design & pre press services . . . anyone know if self-employment will count towards 6 yrs experience?

scottyboy

I'm prety sure it would.
You just have to give more info such as letters from customers,
suppliers and accountant.
There are plenty of self employed that go through the TRA.

chlor

My hubby is a pre-press service engineer, is there much demand for his skills in the perth area?
thanks
chlor

matt-and-jenny

Hey Phil
Wow, all these pre press people coming out of the woodwork on here!

I work in prepress for a small/medium size company (a 5 colour and a few 2 colour machines), but I'm in Brisbane. I did graphic design at uni, and am not trade qualified. I got a job and started work within 3 weeks of getting here. The impression I got was they're not bothered about official qualifications, as long as you know what you're doing, as it's hard to find decent mac operators in Brisbane. I'm also 28.

I haven't worked in the UK for a couple of years, so don't know what it's like over there now, but Indesign took off a lot quicker over here than in the UK, so expect to be using mainly CS2 programs. I hate quark anyway Ozzies pronounce Quark how it "kwark", and not "kwork". my workmates giggle everytime I say Quark, and I tell them to stop quacking at me when they say it Good luck anyway mate.
Jenny

Gravyman

It went the other way with me. I'b been using CS2 for a couple of years in the UK and my current company are still on OS9 and still using Quark 4.1.

It took a while to not only get used to Quark again but also OS9.

I kept trying to find the dock but ir wasn't there.

although on the up side we have Intel G5's with 30" screens waiting to be installed in the next months and I can't wait.

Most companies seem to ask for CS and Quark experience.

Graham

matt-and-jenny

ooooh that sounds posh. I thought my 20" cinema screen was the dogs bollox when they gave me that

Bidd

Hi Phil and all other graphic pre-pressers!

Myself and my husband moved to Sydney in September and my husband is in graphic pre press. He did his training "on the job" and didn't have any formal qualifications so we used an agent - would highly recommend George Lombard, he was so helpful and I honestly believe we wouldn't have managed it without him. My husband found when looking for work that all the job agencies insisted on InDesign which he didn't have too much experience in. He did a two day course here in Sydney and started work a week later (but as is murphys law, his job doesn't use InDesign!!). If you have InDesign and you're coming to Sydney there are jobs aplenty!! If you need info on job agencies, etc. just let me know.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

Tina

manxfamily

I arrived last year on a Skilled Indi visa thanks to my graphic pre-press skills. If you have worked in pre-press then the TRA part is a breeze, once you have that your in. If you need any details on the TRA part just PM me.

I am in Brisbane, and there is plenty of work here. There is usually a at least a couple of posts per week on Seek which you can apply for. In fact, I am studio manager in one of the advertising agencies and I am looking for a mac operator at the moment. Advertised in the Courier Mail and on Seek, lots and lots of applications, of which most of them are time wasters!

If you need any tips / advice then PM me.

Coppock

Its great to know there's a lot of work out there! I hated quark 4, although at the college we seem to have non-stop conflicts with indesign. I just tend to cheat and use illustrator for all my dtp lol. Unless it's a load of pages!

Decided that i goin freelance. Started doin my website again, just need to get work . . .

I never realised how many of us want to gone/have gone . . . this threads been a good gathering.

__phil__

WoW!,

I haven't been on the forum for a while (been working long hours and checking out migration agents). I am amazed at the feedback

Is or has anyone used Go Matilda? I have spoken with them and they believe I have a good chance with an application.

Cheers

Phil

scottyboy

I haven't used them but from spending time on this forum I know they
are very highly thought of as agents go.

Scotty.