Joanna82

Hi Joanna,

 

After applying online for my citizenship I had to return to the UK suddenly before my test/interview date which wasn't a problem (I already knew the date for my test and arrived back in Oz the week before). After you have sat the test, should you wish to leave the country before the citizenship ceremony they suggest you call and inform them.

Thanks! Was this fairly recently?

Hi all,

I couldn’t find a definite answer on this question, can I leave the country in between applying for citizenship and sitting the test / getting approved? I know I have to be onshore for the approval, but does this include the waiting period?

Thanks!

Hi all

 

Been doing some research for my SIL. She is a degree trained social worker with two years experience and she is looking to move to QLD under the state nominated scheme.

 

My understanding of the visa system is that she can can apply now to get her skills assessed for migration purposes (she achieves the required 60 points with the skills assessment) but she can not apply to join the AASW yet as she has not got 3 years experience. Does she need membership to be considered for a social work job?

 

JOHN

I did my assessment with AASW in 2012 so this might not be current but the requirements for AASW membership and a positive skill assessment are identical. If she has a 3 year degree and less than 3 years experience she most likely wont receive a positive assessment. AASW membership does not seem important to get jobs in my experience.

From the oz websites it seems to be the low end of the average wage for my profession. So I guess I can't be too bad. Just wanted to gauge other peoples thoughts on salaries and cost of living here.

 

so far all we've been paying for is groceries. Which, in comparison to the Falklands where we've travelled from, it's a been cheaper. Especially fresh produce.

 

What bills doyou generally have to pay here? Council tax? Gas? Water? Electricity? Any rough idea how much this cost a month or where abouts we can find out this info. We've actually got our eyes on a property in pipama for $390 a week.

59k a year comes to around $900 a week, less if that number includes super. $390 in rent + utilities will eat half of that. You will need at least one car, public transport isnt really an option down the coast if you have family. Deduct school fees, food etc. and you will have very little left. You will be able to survive but honestly you will be scraping for every dollar in my opinion.

Sorry for the rant, but seriously?

I just spend 75 minutes filling out a rental application, and of course as we are applying as a couple we get to do it all over again for applicant number two. I get that you ask for proof of income and employment as well as rental references. But two reference letters on top of that? The name, address and phone number of the company I worked for in 2005? Copies of license, passport, credit AND medicare card to reach 100 points? My Visa application was less detailed than this. And the best part... it does not even guarantee you a lease. :arghh:

Thanks for the input Cal & Alaska.

 

I went ahead and got a quote for a holiday let at the place we stayed the last time, unfortunately we arrive 5 days before the holiday fortnight so for 28 days the quote for is $4300!!!! and that is with a discount. I will shop about but I doubt anyone will discount the holiday period so that brings me back to looking for a rental. Is there much chance i would be able to find a rental in our first 5 days? Can anyone say if all rentals start with a 6 month tenancy?

Try AirBnB or the like for something short term.

Mate, you write about your job and money. Sure these things are important, but have you been to Australia before and know what to expect? As to the salary, 160k AUD are roughly 140K USD, so if you currently live an expensive part of the country you'll do ok.

Actually it is not confusing at all. You apply for your invitation letter online through any of the numerous service providers. This costs around 10-20 USD. I used http://www.vietnamvisacheap.net/. You then receive the invitation letter via email. Once you land in Vietnam you will need the letter, 2 passport pictures and 45 USD in cash to get the actual visa.

Alternatively, get your visa beforehand through the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia.

If it is not for a specific position you applied for the recruiter will go through your cv/background to get a deeper understanding of what you have done and what you are looking for. Relax, this is more of a friendly chat than an interview. Make sure you let him/her know what you want and not want to do as to not waste time later on. This is also a good time to ask about how to improve your resume and taylor it for the Australian market.

Best of luck!

W.

 

Are there any tips or suggested work arounds to the problem?

 

We are flying on the 16th Jan, have short term accommodation booked for 4 nights, are we being overly optimistic thinking we can secure a long term rental prior to arrival? In other circumstances I would just book into a youth hostel till we sign a tenancy agreement, however I am flying out with 4 children and my wife.

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Also to add, we are looking at the Halls Head/Dawesville area. I have sent a few cursory emails to agents and called a few however things seem to be very slow moving, if at all.

The 100% correct way: Get someone to attend on your behalf, if you don't know anyone put an ad on gumtree.

Otherwise: Call them up and ask for the code, unless the inspection is by appointment only this should be the least of your problems. Actually getting the contract approved without being present will be much more difficult. Not that I would recommend signing a long term lease without seeing the property.

Why would they want to stock up on CVs? I have never really understood that theory.

It makes sense from my experience. We had the situation a couple of times that we needed to hire a temp within a day or two, which pretty much means the recruiters search their candidate database for the right keywords and start sending over CV's within the hour. Not enough time to actually put out and ad.

Well, that's what the recruitment agent said when I contacted her. I fulfilled all the criteria in the ad except the Accountancy qualification... which wasn't in the ad! :confused:

 

I agree, it's odd. They've re-posted the ad, so they are obviously not getting the candidates they are looking for - but that is not surprising given the vagueness of the whole thing. That's why I wanted to post the correct phone number: this might be a great opportunity for someone, but I didn't want anyone to have their time wasted like I did. Am I allowed to post phone numbers on here?

Or it means the job isn't real and they are just stocking up on CV's. Just observe how many of these job openings show up on Seek at the exact same time each week (even if that day is a public holiday).

I have no idea how representative this is but we (ASX listed retailer) use JDE and just spend a huge chunk of money on upgrades. From what the developers say this doesnt seem uncommon and judging by their salaries they are in high demand (or everybody else has moved on to SAP :smile: )

Hi,

my reporting Manager has resigned and I am thinking about asking for a reference letter before he leaves the company as this is my first job in Australia. Is this common practice or do you usually only get a standard letter from HR confirming position, dates of employment etc. and for the rest use verbal references? And how would I go about using a reference that is no longer with the company (feels a bit weird listing a private email and phone number)?

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance!