Work!

Hi guys.

I have a working visa for a year out here,

Im an NVQ level 3 steel erector (rigger)

onsite welder/ fabricator (boiler maker)

crane supervisor

telehandler driver inc 360 slew

cherrypicker / scissor lift op

pasma (aluminium tower scaff)

safety passport for power stations etc

SSSTS (site supervisor)

slinger / banksman

all competent & experienced in the above

but out here it seems none of my quals mean anything,

or is there a way of getting them changed over?

starting from scratch seems like a waste of 12 years & my skills

any advice welcomed. Thanks

As you have found, most of them will mean nothing.

On on a working holiday, most people take fairly menial jobs such as bar and restaurant work. Given you are only here a year and som of them would take time and or some serious money to redo, I wouldn't see point. The idea is to have a holiday and supplement your money with some work.

Somebody mentioned a way of getting them approved though because they are a proper qualification as a posed to just sitting in front of a screen taking a test almost anyone could pass.

I'm here for a year at the moment to see how i get on but plan on staying permanently that's why I want a job I'm good at rather than just anything. Once I've found a job I can start looking for a home etc.

Thanks for for the response

Hi guys.

I have a working visa for a year out here,

...

but out here it seems none of my quals mean anything,

or is there a way of getting them changed over?

starting from scratch seems like a waste of 12 years & my skills

 

You're not on a working visa, you're on a working HOLIDAY visa. The purpose of that visa is to let young people come and have a holiday in Australia and to earn money to pay for that holiday.

I agree it's not going to be worth going through the process of getting your skills recognised here, unless your plan is to ultimately apply to emigrate.

I expect this is the kind of thing you are thinking of http://www.skills.sa.gov.au/training-learning/recognising-skills-and-overseas-qualifications/recognition-of-overseas-qualifications

That's specific to SA but there will be similar in other states. The requirements differ between states so getting the tickets for one state doesn't necessarily let you work in another.

You're not going to be able to do that on a WHV though - it actually states you need to provide 'pre-migration assessments' which you won't have done.

No expert so do have a good look into it for your preferred state but I would think the time/cost would be prohibitive for someone on a WHV. Best bet might be to try and get unskilled work in the right industry and prove yourself a good worker and get some good contacts/references - there is a slim chance you could get sponsored but more likely you could return home and apply for a migration visa.

Get your white card if you haven't already as you will need that to work on any site doing anything - I even needed it as a software engineer as I was working on implementing systems for a new hospital.

A lot of Australians with Australian qualifications are looking for the same work that you are so you may find it difficult getting in front of them with a WHV.

I don't know exactly what those qualifications mean, but look at the two DIBP occupation lists (SOL and CSOL) to see if you see an occupation that matches your background (e.g. metal fabricator is on the SOL). If you find an occupation, then look at the various skilled visas - if your occupation is on the SOL then look at the 189 visa, if your occupation is on the CSOL, then look at the 190 (state-sponsored) visa and the state occupation lists to see who may be sponsoring. This will at least tell you if there may be some options for you to look into further.