kt_and_kris

just wondered peoples opinions on agency work? hopeing to be in Oz for good by 2010, prob in gold coast area but not sure. ill have 4 yrs ICU experiance, do u think a permanent job will be easy to come by quickly or should i get signed up to an agency before i go??

thanks
x

cheshiremark

Hi
Things might change by 2010 but I found it quite easy to find a job. Both New South Wales and Queensland are having recruitment drives at the moment - New South Wales are actually in the UK interviewing next month.

Why are you waiting till 2010? How many points for a PR do you currently have?

Mark

kt_and_kris

hi mark cheers for replying. we have 145 points for a skilled independent visa. i guess i said 2010 cos im scared of committing to a date any closer! have been seriously thinking about it for a yr but the usual things keep croping up like leaving our families, dogs and horse! so when u say NSW r interviewing is this an agency from NSW or reps from the hospitals??

thanks

Tass

G'day !
My husband and I , both nurses, moved from Killie !!!!
Seirously, if you are RN, I wouldn't even consider moving on anything less than a PR visa !! Once you have that visa in your hands , you can work anywhere in Oz , on your terms and not locked into a contract.Also ,other things to consider like free health care and free public schooling.It is a BIG BIG move but once the bug has bitten you , you can't help wondering what it's like on the other side ! 3 years on , I can finally say, It's all good !!!
All the best,
Tass. x

augigi

If you have ICU experience, you'll have no problem getting a job in any state direct through the hospitals.

cheshiremark

Hi,
As far as I know the NSW health uses 3 preferred agencies to find health staff for them. Here is a link to one of them with details of the upcoming interviews.

http://www.healthstaffrecruitment.com.au/nsw-health.php

As Augigi says with ICU experience you'll have no problems getting an ICU job. I see from another thread of yours that you actually want to go to Queensland - I'm hoping to go there myself soon as a CCU nurse. Have you checked out the Queensland Health website yet?

Mark

kt_and_kris

so where abouts r u? did u pick somewhere to live before u went or did u move around till u found somewhere u liked? im so confused!

x

kt_and_kris

yeah i have, i fancy a big teaching hospital so princess alexdandra sounds good but im getting v. confused about the whole thing! how r u ment to pick an area to set up in if u havent got a clue what the areas like?! been advised not to get bogged down in picking an area but i have to know where to go when i get off the plane! wots ur plans?

x

Tass

Yes.We moved with 2 young kids. My husband has an Uncle, whom I had never met, this side of Sydney so we played it safe and came over this way until we found where we wanted to be.We have travelled a lot up and down the east coast including Queensland, by car,but both got jobs very easily in this area and the kids settled well at the local school.My husband is now the NUM in his department and I work as an ACN.I tell them the hours I want to work and I get them. We have bought a house and live 40 mins away from the city center,20 mins from the airport,25 mins away from the beach and 45 mins from the blue mountains.We're central to everything we want to be near to.If we had come without kids it would have been different, we would have still been travelling but we have no regrets.Think about what you really want once you're out here and work towards that. One thing to remember, to make it all happen ,unless you have lots of money, you still need to go to work and it helps if it's doing something you enjoy.Difference is , we get to go to work in the sun !!! Feel free to e-mail me if you have anymore questions or want to bounce things off me.
All the best,
Tass. x

Margaret3

you don work at xhoose do yi

Margaret3

as a killie lass too (andi use the term lightly), i agree 100%

cheshiremark

I had an interview with Queensland Health last Oct and got offered a job with them. I don't know which hospital or even the exact location in Queensland yet. At the interview they asked me to pick two areas of Queensland and I said I like cities or big towns so I picked Brisbane and Sunshine Coast. After they get references and do the police checks they pass my details onto the hospitals for them to contact me directly if they have a suitable position; this is the stage I'm at the moment, so just waiting for an offer from a hospital. Like yourself I quite fancy one of the bigger hospitals and have looked at the Princess Alexandra on the internet and yes it does sound good.

As for knowing what an area is like, well we're relying heavily on the reality tv shows, the internet and word of mouth from people who's been there. Have you been watching the new series of 'Wanted Down Under'? They don't seem to be heading to Brisbane in this series, and a few programmes not even in Australia, but there was a really good one on Cairns last week. This weeks are based on NZ, perth, melbourne and cairns. Now starting late next week they revisit some of the ones who where on last year's series so there will be some Brisbane ones coming up.

Take care,

Mark

kt_and_kris

thats really helpful thanks. i watched it this am on perth and will be glued to it now i know its back on! ha ha so did u just contact queesland health directly to get the interview then?

x

kt_and_kris

no im at ayr! did u come from xhoose??

x

augigi

Area/hospital depends what you want. For example, in Brisbane, Prince Charles Hospital is a large public teaching hospital which does a lot of cardiothoracics, transplants, some LVADs. Quite acute cardiac ICU patients, both adult and paediatric.