32markymark Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 My wife and I are considering emigrating to Australia (possibly Melbourne or Sydney) within the next 12 months. I am a qualified Architect (British) with 15 years experience. I have designed on a variety of buildings including schools, leisure centres (swimming pools), stadiums and museums and tend to be front end design rather than detail. I use AutoCAD for many years and more recently the practice I work for has moved to Revit, (although I am in the process of learning at the moment). Can anyone offer any advice regarding my job prospects if we made the move? Any help appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEscapePlan Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I suggest contacting a few different size firms in the city you are planning to relocate to and ask them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alnaibii Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 seek.com.au shows good prospects for architects in both Sydney and Melbourne. There is a small problem of "no Australian experience", but IMO that's just an easy excuse for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadas Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Practices in Sydney and Melbourne are pretty open to foreigners, almost all of the companies I work with from those cities have a high proportion of overseas architects. They are moving quickly into revit with some firms now working in revit almost exclusively on some projects. There is also a big emphasis on BIM now with full modeling right through to maintenance post construction, so familiarity with that would be a big selling point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbos79 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I sent over 100 resumes and the consensus was that I had to be in the country. Jobs are sprouting up everyday in Brisbane now, plus even a few on the Gold Coast which is where I'm heading to in 4 weeks time with no job lined up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinoz Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hi - first post on the forum but thought I could offer a bit if advice for what it's worth. I work for a large architecture firm in sydney CBD and have been here approx. 2.5yrs. If you are serious about emigrating, its a good idea to consider a visit firsthand. As mentioned in the above posts, a lot of firms I dealt with and also advice I received from agents is that firms don't really take you seriously unless you are here on the ground. I saved hard and brought the family over and while they were chilling on the beach, I was interviewing round the city. I had however prepared before our visit and sent out 50+ CV's and portfolio samples to every firm I could find. To cut a long story short - I won a sponsorship for a 457 visa. Once the offer letter came through I gave up the current job, sold cars, rented house and shipped out. A week before flights I got the call that my sponsors had changed their mind and "couldn't give me a start date". I came out anyway and persuaded a different firm to sponsor me - moved on after a year and sorted out my own PR. The rest is history. Polish up those revit skills - its a must generally to get your foot in the door - certainly with the top four anyway. Once you start leading teams it's less important. Last bit of advice - follow your dream - but be prepared to work for it. I have never worked so hard as here in oz but it's worth every minute. I never get tired of approaching the city and crossing harbour bridge on the motorbike every morning - it beats the M62 to Leeds hands down! hope this helps - apologies if I rambled on good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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