samdom1

Hi Everyone, I have done a fair amount of research around salaries etc but I am struggling with working out if a fortnightly salary on Band 6 is roughly $3500 dollars, how much of that would you lose in tax and NI and so what would your take home be...roughly???
FYI I'm looking at Queensland salaries...

Thanks x

seanandmaria

I"m not a finacial adviser and have just worked out some basic numbers for you.
based on your figures then you'd take home approx $2800, but if your employer offers salary sacrifice, which is tax free income you could add around $200 extra per fortnight (depending on the level of salary sacrificing your organisation offers). But Super annuation may be included in the overall annual salary that is offered or it maybe extra (it's usually around 9% of your annual income)
no NI contributions here but you have to pay a medicare levy which changes depending on your annual salary and is paid/deducted at the end of the financial year.
If the package you have been offered includes super annuation then you will have to take that off your weekly wage
Sorry i cant be of more help

Pollyana

Thats pretty right for Queensland Govt salaries, the last fortnight I got $3500, I took home $2700 basic, but salary sacrificing knocked it up $150.

samdom1

Thankyou both very much...really helpfull info.

Am I right in thinking that a salary of roughly $75,000 - $80,000 is a basic grade 5 nurse, Ive taken this from the Queensland pay scales for 2012...
There seems to be lots of negativity about nursing in Queensland around at the mo, is this from the pressures of work? I have seen one or two posts about working longer hours, I'm a bit confused because the salary's are all for 75 hours /fortnight, which is the same 37.5 a week that I do now?

I am hoping to gain either a Band 6 clinical nurse or the role as Im doing now is a clinical educator, then that would be a Band 7...you mentioned that it is very rare for expat nurses to gain these senior roles? Would I be better of applying for junir nurse positions, Band 5 and then working up if the opportunity arises?

Finally can I ask, how long have you been over in OZ and do you work in the public or private sector? Some of the private hospitals look to still be recruiting, around the Ipswich area of Brisbane?

Sorry to have so many questions...I'm sure most people are the same in the beginning?

Pollyana

Personally I'm not in nursing, just have friends who are nurses in Queensland, and have done a lot of research into helping get visas for a nurse friend too. I am a Queensland Govt employee though, and can honestly say the biggest problem in Qld Health at present is the Premier, Newman. He has waged war on public servants, sacked huge numbers and caused a real staffing problem in most departments. Without getting into a political argument, the current issue is that there are few permanent vacancies - agency staff probably have a better chance of working - and virtually all sponsorship is on hold. You'd be unlikely to walk into a high position at present purely because of the number of unemployed staff already here. Morale has been low for the last few months because of the job cuts, and there is more expectation of extra hours being worked etc. Realistically its not good at the moment, but if you can get a visa and are willing to take your chance at starting at a lower level again, or just going for agency work, I think it will pick up again. Nurses will always be needed and there's always been a shortage. Once you are in you can work your way up again, its just a case of proving your worth once you're here
Salary sounds about right, then you would have penalties on top - shift pay etc.
Not so up on the position in private hospitals, they may well sponsor, but it would be a case of approaching them direct, or via some of the international agencies.

samdom1

Thankyou very much pollyanna for your reply I really appreciate your honesty and interestingly I completely understand your explanation thankyou because my niece was in a key employment role within the previous queensland government and she has agreed completely. I am hoping that like england and the nhs right now, where we are trying to recruit nurses internationnaly because such huge numbers of posts were removed from the system, and I'm not intending to immigrate until mid 2014 so it might have begun to. Improve a little?
My family and I are very fortunate in that we will be moving in with my sister and her family in Ipswich Brisbane which will allow me the oppprtunity of applying for lower level positions and working my way up , I'm sure that would still be a very positive move to the sunshine and being close to my sister....just out of interest do you think newman will be re-elected are any of the policies popular and how longs a term in government?

Pollyana

Family support can make a world of difference here

As for newman - I think I'd better claim the fifth amendment on that one in order to preserve my job!! I'm quite happy to say personally that I hope he doesn't get back in and I don't know any colleagues who feel differently. I would also be surprised if he gets back in. However Queensland politics is a strange game and I try and stay out of it - general consensus is though that newman is the reincarnation of bjielke-peterson in the 70s and he is dragging the State backwards rather than forwards