Jessica Berry

Article in the paper today seems to still be pushing 457 visas.....

This job advert is in today's Adelaide paper, The Advertiser, in their job supplement in case anyone is looking for sponsorship....

I noticed on another thread you were asking about rentals in Brisbane. Are you now planning on heading straight to Brisbane?

General admin, reception work often receives a high volume of applicants in Adelaide, often around 300 applications. Call centre work would probably be easier to gain, although part-time hours generally in office work are not as common as in the UK in my experience. As Very Stormy mentions, Adelaide has a struggling economy and often has the highest unemployment in Australia. That is not to say there isn't work around, it just depends what you do, what you are willing to do and your expectations. In regards to your husband's line of work, I know someone who has been trying to recruit a tiler for their business and has struggled, so there may be opportunities in Adelaide for him. Adelaide and Brisbane are quite different, so I guess if you are coming over on a reccie, it is a case of having a look around and deciding where you would like to live and build a new life. We like living in Adelaide and feel we have a good standard of living here, but that can take time to achieve and for things to fall into place.

Thank you for taking the time to post. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and could certainly relate to some of them. Will be interesting to see what happens next for you.

Did you follow the advice given in your previous post and make contact with a migration agent for independent advice and guidance? http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/250306-457-pr-please-advise-feeling-lost.html

I would also put this post on Poms in Adelaide, you might get some more interest.

Whereabouts in Australia are you planning to settle?

When I was a backpacker over here in the 90's, I travelled from Perth to Adelaide on the Greyhound bus from memory it took about 35 hours (not sure I could handle it now!) but it certainly left an impression the hours and hours of nothing. Coming from a UK city where there are people everywhere it blew by mind that we would travel for hours without seeing a car/anything!

Would you consider a move to Adelaide if it was viable/an option? It might be worth making contact with Thomas Foods based in Adelaide. They regularly advertise in the job paper, couple of adverts from today's job supplement....so they may be interested....

Noticed this article...poor man...I had previously read he was on a 457 visa...is there no requirement to pass the English tests on a 457 visa? Big Mars Pty Ltd fined $240,000 after immigrant worker left to burn in caustic soda bath April 27, 2016 4:02pm Chief Court Reporter Sean Fewster The Advertiser AN immigrant worker who did not speak English was severely burned in bath of caustic soda, and not rescued for several minutes, in an incident that has cost his employers a $240,000 fine. In a judgment published on Wednesday, the Industrial Magistrates Court convicted Big Mars Pty Ltd of failing to provide safe working environments for its non-English speaking staff. Industrial Magistrate Stephen Lieschke said Big Mars made its money by importing people from Taiwan and China to work in South Australian abattoirs. However, they failed to provide those people training or instructions in their native languages — resulting in Yu-Hsiang Hsiao, 21, suffering burns to 32 per cent of his body. “Big Mars took no steps to deal with the obvious communication issues for employees who did not speak or read English, and who worked alone in the abattoir,” he said. “Big Mars failed miserably to carry out any of its fundamental safety responsibilities — if it had done so, Mr Hsiao is highly unlikely to have been injured. “This offence is an extremely serious breach ... very little can be said in mitigation ... a severe penalty is warranted.” Big Mars, owned by Lin Xian Rong, pleaded guilty to having breached state workplace law at Murray Bridge on November 6, 2013. At the time, it was providing staff to an abattoir but, under law, was responsible for all staff training and safety requirements. In his judgment, Mr Lieschke said Mr Hsiao, of Taiwan, was tasked to work alone cleaning and sterilising meat hooks in a floor-level bath of caustic soda heated to 65C. He said Mr Hsiao was given no instructions, in Taiwanese, as to how the job could be completed safely — nor were the bath’s safety features explained to him. “Caustic soda is very effective at dissolving animal tissue — that is why it is so dangerous to people,” he said. “Ms Hsiao did receive a written work instruction in English but, as at least Big Mars knew, he did not read or understand English. “He was not told the bath contained any dangerous substances and he was not given any instructions of what to do if he came in contact with the liquid in the bath.” Mr Lieschke said Mr Hsiao “urgently needed help” after falling into the bath but “about three minutes” passed before his predicament was noticed by co-workers. Following surgery and several skin grafts, he returned to Taiwan but continues to struggle with “profoundly adverse effects” upon his health. Mr Lieschke said neither Big Mars nor Mr Rong had expressed contrition, nor had they compensated Mr Hsiao and his family. He therefore declined to discount the company’s penalty by 40 per cent, as doing so would “shock the public conscience” given the severity of the case.

Sounds like a good approach. I met a couple once over on a reccie in Adelaide and they kept talking about earning $100k each and I asked them where they had got that figure from. Apparently they had been to an Expo in the UK and an 'expert' had advised them that they would both earn $100k each in Adelaide and they would be able to find work straight away. They had asked for my honest opinion and I said I totally disagreed with that advice. One worked in a dying industry in Adelaide and would struggle to find a job at the same level/salary as they had in the UK and the other one would probably earn half the quoted figure and there was a lot of competition in their line of work. If people are given this kind of advice, no wonder they struggle or have unrealistic expectations when they arrive.

This is a difficult one, because I think it is misleading to migrants who believe that because they are on a skills list which implies there is a shortage for the job/skill (which often is not the case) they will get a job easily/quickly, but on the other hand I am always surprised that people seem to be shocked that it takes time to get a job. If my situation was reversed and I was to return to my UK home town, I wouldn't expect to get a job straight away, as the process takes time. When I lived in the UK, for example council/Government jobs used to have a standard line saying 'if you haven't heard within 6 weeks' indicating that this is how long the process could take. One of my previous postings regarding statistics on how long it takes to find a job in Australia.... http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/242095-statistics-time-takes-find-job.html

What line of work is your husband in?

Looks like you already have some competition for jobs in Adelaide with user Alcon38! They seem to be in the same line of work as you.

Welcome to the forum. It terms of jobs, as others have mentioned as you won't be heading over for another 18 months, unless you have niche skills that are genuinely in demand, employers/agencies may not be interested in talking to you, but it certainly doesn't hurt to try and make contacts. In Adelaide November, December, January are generally when recruitment tends to slow down quite considerably. So if you moving over in August, I would be ensuring you are working on gaining employment straight away because you have a 3 month window before the slowdown period. Without knowing the specifics of what you do, many of the logistics/distribution centres are in the Western suburbs so something to consider when thinking of areas to live. Adelaide has some funny quirks regarding recruitment and sometimes if you live too far away from the place of work, it can hinder your application, but it just depends on the role/industry.

My understanding is that there is an over supply of Accountants around Australia, so I am not sure why that is still on the list. I have worked at a company that employed people on 457 visas and it caused a lot of issues with the original workforce as it was felt the system was abused to give jobs to mates.

Slightly off topic..but interesting article from last year in relation to meat workers on 457 visas in South Australia..... http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/thomas-foods-international-accused-of-abusing-and-bullying-workers/news-story/45966afee088c6e91c52a4b7fe1083d1

State Government poised to charge parents on 457 visas up to $6100 per child for public education March 25, 2016 10:52pm LAUREN NOVAK POLITICAL REPORTER The Advertiser Education Minister Susan Close. CHARGING parents working in South Australia on 457 visas to send their children to public schools is expected to net the State Government an extra $11 million to spend on early childhood education. Education Minister Susan Close has announced that 457 visa workers earning a household income of more than $57,000 will have to start paying school fees of up to $6100 from next year. The move brings SA into line with WA, NSW and the ACT. Currently, people employed in SA on 457 visas — granted to foreign workers employed in Australia to fill a skills shortage — do not pay public school fees. Dr Close said the Government felt it was “fair to ask 457 visa holders who make a temporary home here to make a modest contribution to the cost of providing public education”. “The money will help fund early childhood education, which is one of the most crucial areas of our education system,” she said. Immigration Department data shows that about 1500 applications for 457 visas are granted each year for SA. Visa holders can remain for up to four years. It is estimated the new fee requirement will generate more than $11 million in extra revenue for the state over the next four years. Any family supported by a 457 visa worker, with a household income of $77,000 or more, will have to pay $5100 per year for primary school students and $6100 for secondary students. In comparison, the average South Australian family pays a basic fee for primary school students of $229 and $303 per secondary student, but schools can set fees higher by a vote of parents. Fees will only be charged on 457 visa families with a gross income of more than $57,000. Sliding discounts will be applied to families earning up to $77,000, after which parents will pay the full fee. Federal immigration data show Indian workers made up almost 20 per cent of people granted the visas in 2014-15, followed by those from the United Kingdom (15.3 per cent each), China (12.9 per cent), the United States (7.8 per cent) and the Philippines (6.1 per cent each). The most common occupations filled by these workers at present include meat worker, medical officer or GP, cook, university lecturer, metal fabricator, graphic designer, accountant and massage therapist. The average 457 visa worker earns a base salary of $90,700, compared to $70,100 for the average fulltime working South Australian. For the first year, the new charge will only apply to people who arrive in SA from January 1, 2017. From January 2018 it will apply to all 457 visa holders living the state, regardless of when they arrived.

South Australia has the highest unemployment in Australia and their economy has been struggling for a while now. The mistake that people make is thinking because they are on a skills list that their occupation will genuinely be in demand, which isn't always the case. In terms of whether you will find work, in my opinion, it depends on your skill set, your attitude, approach, your expectations and your personal circumstances as well as many other factors - one size does not fit all!! Have you had a look on Poms in Adelaide as there will be more specific information on there in relation to Adelaide?

When you say 'sway' do you mean in terms of specifically securing work as a Mechanical Engineer? Do you have already have a visa?

No worries, hopefully you found some answers.

Hi Karen I thought I recognised your username from Poms in Adelaide and arranging the meet ups! Does this mean you have now left Adelaide permanently if you don't mind me asking. JB

As a start, I would suggest typing Nebosh into the search facility and reading some of the responses. It saves members retyping the same/similar information.