kimmy1996

Hi Dev, Yes, I made it and we are now settling into our new life and it is worth every bit of the HUGE hassle to get the visa and move. I wish I could give you good news that it was just an informal chat to determine my level of experience (27 years in Marine Engineering or related industry) and knowledge but unfortunately it wasn't !! It was informal in that I was asked to remove my jacket and tie as "this is Australia, it's a lot less formal here" but after that the real Oral began ! I did the exam in Fremantle (there are other AMSA exam centres but that was close to where I wanted to live) and it appeared to me that the examiner was also being assessed as there was the main contact I had been emailing and another gentleman who did the Oral with the first person listening in. The Oral covered most of the topics I would have expected but in much more detail than I anticipated. It took approx 1.5 hours and was the second most stressfull exam I have ever sat, the first most stressful was the first Class One Oral in the UK 17 years before !!!! Before the exam I thought I would not be expected to cover much engineering knowledge but be more focused on rules, regs, class regs etc so was hitting the books on this months before. I worked through MARPOL, SOLAS, and went through the Code of Safe Working Practices for Australian Seafarers (no different really to the MSA one), tried my best to look through Australian Maritime Law. The regs on NoX/SoX were new(ish) to me and I neglected this a little and was asked about it so couldn't really give much detail. They asked about Oil Record Book and asked me to fill out an entry, was asked about steering gear testing and equipment (comms and Controls) situated in the compartment, given a fire scenario and asked what I would do, then added extra things happening etc making the situation worse. Ultimately working to a batten down and smother with CO2 event. To be honest they were actually very good with me and I was "led" by the examiner if he saw that I wasn't exactly sure of the answer (or question). The bottom line is this and I won't give you a load of Bull....t here ----------- Don't expect it to be an easy event, you will need to prepare as per your first Oral (if you have done this in the last few years it should be easier) dont' worry so much about the engineering knowledge your experience so far should see you through any questions on that but clue up on the rules, regs, chiefs duties, preparations for dockings, OWS and overboard discharges, NOX and SOX rules and regs and changes needed that reduce emissions (timing, washing/scrubbing, chemical injection, reduce combustion temp etc etc). The steering gear test surprised me, I hadn't done that for 12 years or more !! If I think of any more topics discussed I will post them, if you have any further questions then please post. Don't forget the Medical - I got this done before the Oral but I would probably now do the Oral first because if you pass that and fail the medical you can always get a retest of the medical but fail the medical and then have to take the Oral then your brain will be scrambled about the medical, my thoughts anyway. Good Luck with it all, don't panic !!!! and remember IT IS ALL WORTH IT !!! Steve.

Really enjoyed reading your post, we have been looking into the big move as me and my hubbie are totally fed up of the long winters and rubbish summers here in lancashire. My OH has to go to australia to sit an oral exam and pass it before we can apply for a visa, so hopefully he will pass the exam and we can then apply for the visa. Somedays i think are we doing the right thing??? as we have lots of good friends here etc and i do like where i live but then i get so fed of being stuck in every school holiday as the weather is so rubbish!!! My OH works on the rigs so works away for 4 weeks which will be hard at first until i meet new friends etc but i think when your children are young you meet new people all the time through school,partys etc... and i just think when he is off work for 4weeks imagine how great it will be to spend that time outdoors enjoying the weather! So hopefully it will happen for us, as i love the outdoors and so do my kids, please keep us updated on how you are getting on, thanks!!

go do it again my hubbie was the same and totally nailed it the second time as you sort of know whats coming, its worth it for the extra points you get!

Thanks for the Info. He knows that the Tax rules for Australian seafarers Foreign Earnings Deduction changed fairly recently so he would have to pay full tax once living there so we were prepared for that. With regards work,unless the Australian Government insist on him working for an Australian company he can continue with his current employer as they will fly him to work as usual but he will still be "contributing" due to paying the tax. Will have to look at the exact rules on the visa, this could be an issue since he is happy where he is. Do you happen to know ?

Thanks for the post. It may be that once he submits the documents and work evidence he might not have to travel, you never know. In your case it sounds like they were happy with the experience alone, fingers crossed we might be the same.

Yes, it's a pain but we don't have much choice if we want to achieve the goal, he will have to go and try and pass the oral exam again. Looking for anyone that can help with information that has actually achieved passing the test in Australia. We will have to research the possibilities of an employer sponsored visa but we thought these could not be made permanent and also there's the risk of the employer going out of business and we would no longer have the sponsor and have to leave Australia having sold up in the UK etc. His current employer has an office in Perth so there is always a chance, we shall see. Do you know which class of visa's don't require the skills assessment so we can have a look at the restrictions and regulations etc ?

Hello Petals, Thanks very much for the link, we have had a look and will dig deeper in the next few days. I have friends in WA so we narrowed our sights to the wider Perth area as long as we get the skills assessed successfully. He is livid that,according to a UK Migration assistant company, of all the occupations on the long list only ship’s engineer, ship's captain and aviation pilots are the only ones where you actually have to travel to Australia to do the assessment. It's like asking an Accountant to travel to Australia to resit his Accountancy degree ! It also doesn’t help that we only have a few months to get the skills assessed, an EOI sent and (hopefully) get a LOI since he reaches the age limit for points for age in about 12 months. No pressure then !!! It just seems so unfair, anyway, if we want to make it to Australia he will have to go and do it. We are looking for anyone that has actually been there and done it so he can get an idea of what it is like, the type and level of questions asked. Is it an “interview” type of process to find out the person’s experience and history or a full blown Chief Engineers Oral Exam ? Going mad herewith regulations and processes that don't make any logical sense !!!

My partner is a ships engineer and we want to emigrate. His skill is on the list but to be skill assessed he has to actually travel to Australia on a visitors visa to resit an examination which was "probably one of the worst experiences of his life", the oral exam for class 1 certificate. It seems grossly unfair that most persons get assessed in the UK i.e brickies have to lay bricks, Carpenters build a wall or something similar, both in front of independant examiners. They have to prove their qualifications same as those who have degrees have to show their documents. He has documentary evidence of every days work he has ever done on board ships, a UK government qualification and an agreement exists between UK and Oz to recognise each others standards and qualifications but he still has to go there and resit the oral, this will cost us £1300+ with accomodation, exam fees etc. before we even begin the application process - no pressure !! It's like asking an accountant to go all the way there to resit his accountancy degree !! Anyway, bitching about the process won't help. We need to know if anyone has been through this process whether the oral is a full blown chief's oral or a more laid back chat about the persons experience and knowledge ? He is undecided whether it's actually worth going through with it because he is not fully confident of passing the oral again despite being 2nd/Chief for a good number of years. Has anybody been through this ? What is your experience ? I hope someone out there can offer some advice. Thanks