Bibbs

In March 2014 I am moving to Perth and wish to continue as a Agile Web Development Consultant.

 

Can anyone recommend an accountant to help me set up my company and do the books? I understand that contracting is fairly common in Australia but I am finding it hard to find accountants online.

I use Desbrough, as do several of my contractor colleagues.

Took the Accountant a week to get me a company number (ABN / ACN) then another week to get all the paperwork signed off.

http://www.ato.gov.au/General/Enquiry-hot-topics/In-detail/Businesses/ABN-registration/

I think you need a TFN (Tax File Number), so you'd probably need to be here.

I am Australian. I've no details on the time taken for other visas or resident status.

Pensions here are compulsory for the company to pay for employees. It was 9% last year, 9.25% this year and I think it goes up to 12% by 2020 or something (details on the ATO - Australian Tax Office). But if you are a director, you can get round this (dividends vs salary).

Which are the best job sites?

seek.com.au - for jobs.

RobertWalters "SalaryChecker" app - for rates. (They do a qtrly update on their website of how the industry is going)

Is the contract market healthy in Perth?

Seems to be, but a lot of coding work is heading to the Philippines due to costs.

Contracting is common here for all sorts of jobs, not just IT.

What is contacting in Australia like compared to the UK - from what I see it seems pretty similar?

Never contracted in the UK. So couldn't tell you.

Any tips on setting up in Australia. Costs. Time. Umbrella services / verse own company?

I got an accountant to setup the company. budget 40 hours weeks, and 48 weeks a year. Unless you do something special, you have to budget for Super (pension) payments too.

GST 10%, Super 9.25% (but super is sliding up to 12% over the next few years).

Getting a loan will be harder. House loan they want 12 months of invoices and a tax return. Personal loans they wanted 2/3 months.

Any recommendations for accountants / agencies?

Agencies - None. At all. Most are worse than useless.

Accountants - I use Desbrough, as they are a friend of a friend. Slower than the UK, but then so is everything else in Perth.

Is it worth considering a perm job. Perks. Salary. Cover Relocation costs?

It is. But it depends on what you want. Being permi doesn't offer you the security nowadays anyhow.

The problem I have is that after this interview and also after skimming through the current jobs on seek I started wondering if high standards of work (software craftsmanship), Agile methodologies and a general focus on quality are not regarded as very important in Australia? I'm very picky when it comes to jobs and I'd rather go for a lower paid job where I can work with people that have high standards of professionalism over a high paid job where mediocrity and low quality are the norm.

 

What are your thoughts on this? What do you feel is the general outlook of software craftsmanship and Agile in Australia?

There is a lot of dross out there. A lot. Being a contractor means you are always under review though.

My main client is very focused on the quality side. More so that any UK client I'd worked with. But who knows what the people in the next office are like. I even know that within this client different projects are run in different ways.

In the background though, there is a large focus on cost cutting, as the Philippines is cheap for coding. So you've got to add something extra to be valuable here.

The guy in question was after

 

 

So min 5 years experience, with good quals, most people would be doing that stuff after a degree and then wants people to be impressive in front of clients. Those types would be in demand and I reckon min $120k.

 

Different if you're looking for a new graduate to train up or someone to sit behind a desk and write code. Quite a few of those around. A lot of them you wouldn't let near a customer though. They would be maybe $80-$100K. More for a team leader senior programmer.

Yup, that was my take on it. They want the "perfect" candidate, but don't want to pay the price for one.

Like most things : "Fast, reliable, cheap - pick any two"

for less than $100k

I recon that's your issue.

I went to a few IT specialist agencies in Perth.

After 26 months I finally got details of a job available.

Agencies? I wouldn't bother.

What's normal rates? There are a few developers getting made redundant from our place at the moment, some of them are good.

We are after a junior .. so it would be $60k - $90k depending on how good a fit they are.

After another .NET developer. Graduate or junior level for a "blue chip" company.

Perth based, full time, normal rates.

I'm in Perth. Mainly .NET development with SQL admin thrown in.

I've been contacted about 3 full time roles in the last month, but don't want to quit my current client.

Pay would have been "market rates", so $600 - $760 a day going by the latest review on Robert Walters ($75-$95 ph).

I'm contacted fairly often, mainly via LinkedIn. I've had to turn most down though as they all want full-time.

Anyone an AX developer, or looking for work and know Nintex?

A company I work with is looking for both.

If you ever hear of any CCNA/CCNP level Network jobs, let me know

I'm more in Development, but I'll keep my ear out.

I've just been contacted about another role. After a Delphi / .NET developer / Team Leader in Perth.

Let me know if anyone would be interested.

I've just been contacted about another role. After a CRM developer in Perth.

Let me know if anyone would be interested.

Do any of you guys or gals have any experience working long term for the one client as a contractor. My current employer wants me to work for them from Brisbane when I arrive (they are based in Dublin).

 

How does the 80/20 affect your take home pay as a contractor and also how does it affect the employer??

 

Any advice would be appreciated...

It's sort of a guideline, not a hard a fast rule.

Not had an issue yet, but I can see it being a problem for me in the future if this project continues the way it is (I think my ratio was about 97% / 3% in my last/first year).

For anyone looking for IT work in Brisbane, I would strongly reccomened a company called Robert Walters on Eagle Street.

They are very friendly and helpfull and I signed up to them from the UK and was in regular contact with them at various stages of my move and went in for a in interview when I arrived just as a bit of a fall back in case my current position didnt work out.

They also have an iPhone app for Salaries.

I also used this website :-

http://www.peoplebank.com.au/knowledge/salary-survey.php

Nice to read a POSITIVE seeking method, Yes you Must do the Donkey Work, Jobs, will not pop up like Mushrooms (As many seem to think) 10/10....

A lot of Agencies are just CV mining. Put out a tasty job and then pull in the details for the database. The jobs don't exist.

You then get asked 'Where else have you had interviews, so we don't contact the same people?'. All they are doing is finding out who's hiring and going to hamper your search by flooding that company with other applicants to compete against you.

I met with 4/5 agencies, and only one was actually any good at getting back to me (but still didn't find anything - but they were at least trying).

Car Sales/Estate Agents/Recruitment Consultants. Most (not all) would sell their granny for a sale.

I'll add my situation here.

IT Developer (Software Engineering degree, +5 years UNIX dev, +5 years Windows dev). Was based in the Thames Valley area of the UK.

Arrived in Perth in the middle March 2011, took till the end of April 2011 till I got a job (6 weeks).

Agents were useless, so after 4 weeks I did the donkey work myself.

This ment scanning Seek and looking for non-agency roles being advertised.

Currently contracting, long term. Been at the same palce 16 months now with a few other contracts dotted about. It's a non-mining related company.

Mainly .NET and SQL DBA stuff.

Work is steady. Few colleagues have left my current client and started in new companies straight away.

I'm contacted every few months via LinkedIn with new job roles for Developers.

The money is good (a LOT better than being a permi the UK).

Only thing I did to my CV was add URLs of where I worked, and add blurb about what the company did.

I also took off UK qualifications that they's not know about (GCSE/A-Level etc.) and just left the degree.

I'll also add 'need local experiance' is an excuse. It means 'I don't like you and it's an easy out'.

Do you have to fill in a form or just include a wee note saying that you would like a stamp?

 

On your email with the visa details, it states all the info you need to provide.

From Memory :

Recorded delivery there,

pre-paid recorded delivery home,

write your Visa number on the front.

I lodged my defacto app on 24 Aug, CO appointed 3 Sept, medical on 13 Sept my police check was sent on 24 August and have heard nothing since. My letter also said 5-6 months but I'm hoping to hear after 3.5 mths looking at some of the posts on here

 

Good luck

Don't get your hopes up.

It seems to be spot on the times quoted.

Those getting replies in 3/4 months, were quoted 3/4 months.

Congrats Hels

I'll be sitting next to you on the flight

Lets get this house sold and get on the plane!

Its a very testing processing, filled with frustration and the most patient person in the world will crumble under the waiting game and your sanity is sometimes put into question

 

Really?

The wife and I are obviously very different to some people then.

We put the forms in and then pretty much forgot about them. We've been leading our normal lives and when the visa arrives, it arrives.

No point stressing as there is nothing you can do. Just get on with life.

We've emailed the CO twice, the first was for a bit of evidence we forgot to post in, the second was for an update once the lower timescale was passed.

Just a little update,

Wife was told 3/4 months, so dropped the CO an email when it was just over 3 months.

She's got a reply saying it'll be at the end of the month. 4 months to the day pretty much.

Well that is one less thing to stress about. Now need a buyer for the house.

Just a quick question, does everyone still get the paperwork (copies of certified stuff and stat decs etc) back from their CO as we were assigned a CO nearly 2 weeks ago and haven't received our paperwork back yet

Did you include a stamped addressed envelope? If you did, you should get some of the stuff back (the non-form stuff).

It does say on the email that your Passport No should be updated so when you try to enter Australia there shouldn't be a problem, but to keep a print out on you for when you arrive in Australia.

But if you want to open a bank account, how can you show them your visa if it's eletronic?

If you get the sticker, you can show them.