fergal007

Its nowhere near the scale of Ireland or Spain, yes its bad and will probably get worse, but maybe you should try your hand at something else till it picks up again?

Dont believe the news Paul...................................... Add another 2-3% to get the real figures! Its starting to go down the pan here

Hi bakersdozen, there is work in Melbourne but as the others have suggested its a slow enough at the moment. The construction industry has not been in great shape here for the last 36 months. I reckon when the election is over things will start picking up from Feb 2014 as everything comes to a standstill nearly from Christmas till then. The new East-West road link will get a lot of Civils moving in Melbourne, I work in Infrastructure and we will be busy with projects till 2015-16. The commercial end seems to be tepid and residential looks to be improving. There may be plenty of site manager jobs advertised, but many Ozzie employers want local exp before they will even entertain you.

Hi everyone, I have been in Melbourne just over a year now, and would like to let (anyone who is interested) know as to how I am getting on. I came here on the 5th July last year on my own from the UK, the first 3 months were quite tough and I could only find mundane workshop jobs (sheet metal worker by trade, building surveyor by profession. It was tough but I managed to find a place to live and then took off to QLD for 3 months working up in Mackay, made some good dough up there and then chilled over the Christmas period. I spent the new year looking for a better job and lucky for me I landed a 1 year contract in Feb as a construction manager with a state transit company, so this will keep me tied over till Feb 2014 happy enough for now, though the days of a job for life seem to well and truly gone out the window nowadays I have found the last 2-3 months particularly hard, (don't know if its the winter), but I find myself in a sense of isolation here I have some other friends from Ireland and I am not really a social bee these days as I am 33 and don't hang out of the chandlers like I used to! I spend most of my weekends surfing down the GOR and Philip Island and love regional Vic. But why do I feel this strong sense of isolation? I do miss my family from time to time, (as much as they drive me nuts) maybe its the fact that Australia is just so far away? I have been feeling unwell lately and have been using the health care system here, which is very good but it is becoming more and more Americanized every day, which is a scary thought! I have a 176 visa so I am entitled to Medicare, but I don't understand why they are pushing private healthcare insurance so much here? I pay plenty in taxes and the system is far from breaking point? Can someone please explain why this country wants to be so much like the US? The cost of living here is quite expensive and I don't think I could afford to buy a house on my own here, don't get me wrong I earn near 6 figure sums so I am not hard up, I feel that Australia would be a very expensive place to be if I had a kids and a wife in tow, lucky for me I don't! To sum it up, its a great place and nowhere is perfect , I will stay for a few years , but I don't know if its for me in the long term, maybe as I get a bit older i am feeling that it can be nice to have the family in closer proximity? I might not go back to Ireland, but could deffo live in Spain some day I would love to hear how other newbies are getting on

Get your PR if you can while your in Ireland , not many employers will entertain you on WHV as they know you can only work for them for a short period of time and you will probably end up bouncing around doing agency work. Many Australian employers now want 2-5 years Australian experience before they will consider employing you in many industries. IT is also feeling the pinch here, there are jobs here but there seems to be a lot of outsourcing to Asia going on too. As the other people have stated the 457 sponsorship is going to be getting a lot tighter and the whole process will be overhauled in the near future as some employers are exploiting workers on 457.

Well there is that to it too!

Amen................. I will be over for a visit at some stage Oz to France could you have a few ice cold 1664s in the fridge for me and I will bring you a few meat pies in exchange LOL!!

Like in Spain you can get a beer in Burger King! I must admit one night while wobbling back to my friends house in Cadiz I did pop in for a Whopper, chips and a cerveza grande

And one of the best healthcare systems in the world! a lovely language and culture, great bread, cheese, pates and wine.......... oh yea and Kronenbourg 1664 I cant wait to go back to Europe for a visit

In my experience having drove and surfed from Brittany to the Basque country, France does have all the American crap like KFC, Mac Donalds but for some reason they seemed to have placed them on all the last roundabouts on the way out of the towns? They don't let them ruin their own unique high streets or give them a free hand to do what they like and build as many fast food outlets wherever they want. Oz to France I hope your move back to France is the best thing you have ever done and by god is France a great country, I my opinion Europe is the hart beat of the world for culture, food and history and I too plan to move back to the Iberian Peninsula in a few years time Europe is such an easy place to get around these days and one could easily be based anywhere in Europe and work in London, Frankfurt, Paris with ease if need be. Viva la France

I have been offered a job with Boeing @ their Port Melbourne facility making parts for the 787 (binliner) LOL!! and the F/A 18 Hornet through ALG, they seem like a good agency for aviation. I was chatting to a few aircraft mechanics who will be working there, they said the same as the previous post most of the maintenance is being outsourced to Asia as they worked for Qantas and were laid off. Take a look at the BAE site in Australia they were looking for people in NSW and other parts of the country for aircraft mechanics.

I couldn't agree more! plus a lot of industries are starting to drive down the rates too. stay where you are if you have comfortable life.

Big time mate, as things get tighter they will set the bar higher here that's all you will here "we want Oz experience (and 2 years+ in some cases)" Its like talking to a wall sometimes. Agencies are the worst to deal with they rarely call you back.

And lets not forget Ruislip and Eastcote, there are plenty of Polish people there, I lived with a few for a while , nice people , but Jesus can they drink the wodka! I am surprised my liver is still in one piece LOL!!

As far as I am aware the SLC is a private company, and if you look at your loan paperwork this might verify that. So I would say no if that is the case?

I came out here in 2003 on a WHV , got my PR in 2010 and I got a new one!

I know how you feel I have been here since July 2012,Number one rule I have found is "dumb down your CV" many prospective employers will deem you overqualified, I have a degree and a trade and I am currently looking for a junior or assistant manager role (construction or engineering) to no avail so far! Number two, Aussie employers seem more interested in Australian experience , which luckily I have. I have secured a full time job in Melbourne, abet not in the role I want but at least its full time and will allow me to earn money and look for something more suitable while my degree gets assessed.Number three , be prepared to do anything , it can be frustrating but any job is a job! Like me you will find the right job when it crops up I am staying positive for 2013 It is not the best time of year to be looking for work , it seems to me people who I have talked to said things start moving jobs wise from about mid February.

You will have to get it assessed by the TRA over here go to there website and its all self explanatory, you will need a Level II or III NVQ

The Iberian peninsula in my case

The New York pastrami on rye

No , personal debts have nothing to do with your visa application, on the other hand if you owe the government money! well that's a different story!

LOL!! I like your thinking Ken

It was the UK a few years ago and now maybe its Australia's time!

I never said it was true???, I said I heard it on news, and I am sure it does not apply to many retirees .

Could not agree with you more, I witnessed it first hand in Makay young fellas that were used to the mine money but then got laid off, crying that $28 an hour in an unskilled job, was not enough for them and they couldn't live on it, and they were complete knuckle dragers , no skills , no education and there will be no future for them! When it all goes **** up it will be horrendous. The government will have a right mess to deal with. They were lured in by the "big money" but now that things are getting tighter and they are getting laid off they have nothing!