21 weeks in the ACT - some thoughts/feelings/advice

[CommanderMaxil]

After my arrival in mid-March, I thought it might be a good idea to put down some thoughts on my experience of moving to Canberra in case my experiences might be of use to other people considering making the move. In the spirit of full disclosure I should admit that I did ultimately end up leaving Canberra and relocated to Darwin at the beginning of August after receiving a very good job offer but nonetheless I feel I have some (hopefully useful) insights into Canberra, trying to settle there and look for work, particularly for people with a similar background to myself.

So, a little more detail about my background, I’m 37 and spent the past 11 years as a Policy Advisor in the UK government covering a range of issues in Justice and later, Health. In 2011 voluntary redundancy was offered to everyone at my grade in my department and I decided to snap the money up and use it to pursue my dream of relocation to Australia. I applied to come to Australia as a Policy Analyst on a regional migration 190 Visa, sponsored by the ACT government. In all honesty I don’t know if I would have chosen Canberra abut it was the only state looking for policy analysts so it was that or nothing. In addition the Australian visa regime means I have to pay for this permanent residence visa despite my long-term intention being to return to the UK once I’ve done a few years here, which meant things took a bit longer. I applied to come here on my own (although I am currently in the process of applying for my fiancé to join me) which has made it easier to be flexible. I got my visa last December and arrive here in mid-March. In practice the time from when I made the decision to leave the UK govt and apply for the visa until the time I arrived (July 2011 – April 2014) could hardly have been worse for a person like me looking to come to Australia and do some kind of policy work, with cuts to the number of public servants etc.

So what about Canberra then, finding accommodation was pretty easy, I was looking for a shared place as I didn’t know anyone so it seemed like a good way to meet people. I used a website called Easyroomate and was able to arrange viewings of various properties before I even arrived in Australia. Found a fairly cheap place in Evatt and there were plenty of other options as well. The beauty of this system as well is that I didn’t have to sign a long-term lease of any kind and my deposit/bond was also fairly small. I would recommend it to those who are coming by themselves or if you have any doubts about whether you will stay long-term in Canberra.

Canberra itself I liked a lot, very quiet of course after living in London for many years but a beautiful city with much to recommend it. I spent a lot of time in Belconnen and in the area around Lake Ginninderra and I fell in love with it. My plan would have been to move there once I had a long-term job, apartments overlooking the lake are pretty reasonable and it’s a wonderful spot. Getting around Canberra without a car is a bit more difficult, it is very much designed for car use, I used the buses a lot and they are very good, very reliable, just very infrequent during the day. It’s likely had I stayed I would have had to buy a car as it is just something that makes life there much more easy.

Upon arrival I sent my CV round the various recruitment agencies in Canberra and had several calls saying I had a strong CV and that companies would register me, but that it would probably take a pretty long time to find a job because of the cuts in govt departments. One agent told me that 2 years ago (2012) there was so much work that there were more jobs than they could find candidates for but this situation had ended by the time I arrived! In addition there are restrictions on the employment of non-Australian nationals in the public service which severely limited what I could apply for, restricting me to the ACT govt and third-sector organisations/lobbyists etc. I cannot speak for finding more general work in the ACT, but I found it very tough in my field. From talking to my flatmates, I got the sense that knowing people is very important in Canberra (which is something I’ve seen suggested here on this website too), it’s a small place in many ways. Having said that I had no problems getting agencies to take me on and occasionally they would put me forward for jobs. More generally there were policy/govt jobs advertised which I applied for but at first I was getting nowhere with them. Ultimately for every job I put in for there would no doubt be a number of local candidates with experience of the working inside the australian system, so I could hardly blame managers for not wanting to take a risk on a pom who had just arrived, despite my extensive experience in Whitehall and the UK parliament.

After a few weeks in Canberra I realised that I needed to start applying nationwide for jobs. From the point of view of my personal job search the federal structure of Australia was a very good thing, the restrictions that are in place on joining the Public Service here do not apply at state level, and unlike in the UK (notwithstanding devolution) state governments in Australia deliver the bulk of services to the public and better still, they all have assemblies/parliaments which meant I was able to apply for a range of policy positions essentially in 6 different jurisdictions (I never saw anything in my field in Tasmania or WA). I arrived in Canberra genuinely serious about staying for the 2 years I had committed to as part of the application process but ultimately I realised that, once you have arrived, you are out of site out of mind as far as the ACT govt is concerned. That isn’t really a criticism on my part, there is no reason why they should have to help you find anything but, given that you get a national visa that entitles you to work anywhere in Australia, I felt that there was no reason why I should show commitment to them or their Territory either.

To cut a long story not very short I was eventually offered a job in the ACT government, a very good job with a good salary, but only for 3 months initially with no guarantee of extension. At the same time my wider applications bore fruit and I was offered a 12 month contract working for the NT government on excellent terms that included relocation expenses and I moved to Darwin, the one place in Australia I never thought I would get to. Unlike in Canberra all my experience in the UK govt has been highly appreciated here although I get the sense that in part I was able to get the job because it is difficult to persuade Australians to move here. It’s their loss though as it’s a wonderful place. I have no doubt that once I have a years’s experience under my belt here it will be easier to get into other state govts so it’s worth moving. I realise that it’s much easier for me as I had no ties holding me to the ACT/no kids etc but on the other hand I applied for a lot of jobs in my 4 months in Canberra so I feel like I’ve earned my slice of good fortune.

My overall view about the move to Australia is to be flexible. I think that unless you are coming here to a job you’ve already arranged, you need to consider the possibility that you won’t end up in the city/state you planned to be in. I would definitely consider returning to Canberra in the future, but only to a job, or perhaps if I stayed here long enough to get my citizenship so that I could work for the federal govt.

Another tip I would have is that Canberra is cold in the winter. Not as cold as the UK but I found the houses here are in no way set up to deal with the cold weather so I was much colder in Evatt than I ever had been in London. As such I would recommend not arriving as autumn gets underway, try to arrive in Sep/Oct maybe so that you can go into summer. Certainly I have learnt that, once I leave Darwin, whether it be to move to another state or even back home, I shall try to arrive ahead of the nice weather and not at the end of it. I essentially did UK Autumn/winter followed by Aussie autumn/winter and I would not want to do that again

This has probably been a bit rambling but if anyone finds it helpful, and/or has any questions let me know and I’ll try to answer as best as I can. Now that the ACT has taken Policy Analyst off their list of shortage applications there may not be many more like me but you never know I suppose.

[Paul1Perth]

Nice update. You have moved to Darwin just as the dry season is coming to an end. Make the most of the next month or so as it gets pretty sticky and wet after that. Darwin will be pretty laid back after London mate. Hope there's enough going on to keep you busy. You need a friend with a boat and get an interest in fishing.

 

Good luck.

[Slean Wolfhead]

After my arrival in mid-March, .

 

You have the right attitude to survive, you'll be alright. It's all about getting your foot in the door here, especially Canberra.

[afterbang]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Intel on ACT is scarce and it's good to hear some real life experiences. Me being in IT might bring the same issues about the security restrictions as you had. I will be relying on the misses I guess

[canberra2014]

Hi. Thanks for the excellent update.

 

If I am not mistaken, there is a survey conducted every 6 months for the 190 Visa Sublcass by the sponsoring state. How do you intend to handle this? Or have you taken any special permission to shift out of ACT?

[CommanderMaxil]

An excellent question, and one I am currently mulling over. My 6 month survey came through just over a week ago and I had my reminder yesterday. I am torn between ignoring it and letting the ACT have the truth, which is it was either move states or come home (it contains questions asking where you are and if you have moved interstate, why). Was thinking of even starting a thread to ask for advice on how to respond. I'm leaning towards telling them the truth, my job is no longer in the skills-list so it hardly matters either way, am just unsure about any possible repercussions down the line (can't see how they would be, but you never know)

Edited September 21, 2014 by CommanderMaxil
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