Tindog

I'd recommend travel insurance just in case. Off the top of my head, I know World Nomads do one-way trips (not sure which policy type).

Makes sense - thanks again for your help.

Thank you Paul. So for clarification, Company B (parent company, different ABN) is considered to be a different employer - and therefore I would be able to extend my time with them, via the agency?

That makes sense, thank you for your help. If Company B wanted to renew my contract independently (i.e without involving the agency or payroll company), do you know if this would be within the rules? My physical location would still be in their office. At that point I would have completed 12 weeks with Company A, employed by the agency. A further 10 weeks with Company B (parent co), still employed by the agency - so totalling 6 months.

Going through an agency - sorry, I should have been more clear. The employment contract itself is with the payroll company, and states: "The Employee will be employed by [Payroll Company Name]..." And under Client: "End User Company Name: Company A Address: Company A office address Agency/Client: Recruitment Company Name"

Hi everyone, I have the following situation, and I'm hoping that someone can offer me a clear answer: - I worked as a contractor for Company A for 16 weeks (ended a couple of months ago) - I was paid by the recruiters third party payroll company (the payroll company is the company listed on my payslips, with their ABN) - Company A is now dissolved and the office has been taken over by Company B (parent company) - Company B have invited me to complete a 10 week project (same type of work, same department, same office etc, but different role, responsibilities and project) - The 3rd party payroll company will still be the company on my payslips If I accept the 10 week project, I understand that is acceptable as long as I do not exceed 26 weeks (6 months). My questions are: 1. Is my "6 months with one employer" relevant to the end client on my contract (Company A/B), or to the company on my payslip (payroll company)? So, if I were to work for an entirely different company after the 10 week project, would I encounter any problems if I went through the same recruiter and payroll company? 2. If the 6 months pertains to the end client, my understanding is that my work for Company B would be a continuation of Company A, as although they have different ABNs, the office is in the same location. Others have told me that it doesn't matter, as they are 2 different companies, and Company A is no longer operating in this location, so I could do 6 months with Company B if I wanted to. Which is correct? I hope that's clear. I'm not looking for a "workaround", I want to make sure that I'm understanding the rules correctly, in the unlikely event that Company B invites me to extend my contract (and also if the recruiter finds me more work afterwards!) I'm keen to avoid a ban, as I'm considering applying for my PR next year. Thanks for any advice!

Hey, I don't think you need to worry - I applied for mine despite having history with depression, anxiety and taking anti-depressants and CBT. Plus a recent Asperger's diagnosis.

Thanks for the info paulhand. I was hoping that would be the case!

I'm currently contracting on a WHV, and intend to be doing this until February (at various companies) assuming I get the work in. Is the 6 month limit consecutive, or in total? E.g hypothetically, if I worked with Company A for 2 months, travelled for a month after the contract end date, then renewed the contract for a further 3 months upon my return - would this count as 5 months with Company A, or 6 months? I ask as I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle potential contract extensions around my travel plans. I've read mixed things online.

Mine took 10 minutes, that was around 6 weeks ago. Some people are taking weeks, as above. All you can really do is apply and hope for the best. Good luck!

Sounds great, I'll check it out! Fortunately in Australia I'll be staying with friends or in hotels/airbnbs - but won't take any work with me when I'm outside of Adelaide anyway (using my friends pad as a base)

Hi Marisa, Thanks for your reply. Buying a cheap one in Asia is a very good idea and one I hadn't thought of - I'll be in Vietnam and Laos, then Singapore for a couple of days at a hotel before going to Australia. I'll start researching options - thank you for the suggestion. Re: libraries - I need, at a minimum, the full Microsoft BI stack, which I don't think would be feasible at a library, although sounds like a good option if I ever get around to using Cloud services!

Hi everyone, I've decided to go for a WHV to test the waters before considering PR (and to have a sabbatical!). Thank you to everyone who offered me advice earlier this year - it gave me a lot to think about before my circumstances changed. My plan is to go backpacking(/flashpacking) in SE Asia for a month after Christmas, and land in Adelaide for the end of January to stay at my friends house for a bit. Whilst I'm in Australia, I want to be able to do some programming/dev stuff (freelance IT consultant), so wanted to bring my laptop. Thing is, I don't want to take it backpacking as it's worth £1.2k and still fairly new. I've thought of a few options: 1. Send the laptop to my friend in Adelaide via a courier (and insure it) before I leave the UK (I'm guessing customs charges would be around £150 on top of this? Would I need find the original invoice to prove its value?) 2. Take it to SE Asia and hope for the best (I could get a pacsafe or similar, but I'd still be anxious) 3. Buy a basic laptop out there and use a VM to complete my work (are laptops similar to UK prices?) I'm leaning towards the last option. As much as I really want to take this specific laptop with me, it seems like an added expense and hassle. What would you do?

I'm terrified of those forums, I've lurked for a couple of years (whilst I was trying to decide whether to go contracting) and there's some real "characters" to put it lightly! But I will ask, thankyou!

Thanks, that's great info! MS certs are pretty common, I'm doing them anyway and wondered if they counted towards points rather than getting work (which I'm not too worried about, I've got a strong CV and an adequate savings pot). If they do count then I'll get my exams booked in sooner rather than later - if not, I'll keep procrastinating :-D I'm tempted to hire one anyway, like Marisawright suggested...I trust myself, but maybe it'd be worth it for peace of mind? I'll see. Thankyou for your wonderful advice!