permanent residency pathways

[Chriss 10]

Heya people, I have plans to move to Australia and commence my Ph.d studies in Applied Linguistics or Education. My dilemma is about what my options are after graduation. Obviously I would like to stay and live in Australia and preferably obtain permanent residency and later citizenship. What chance do you see of me getting permanent residency after graduating with a Ph.d. in Applied Linguistics? As I was browsing through the skillsets it seems like getting this kind of degree wouldn't qualify me for any subtype of skilled-visa. I also have a masters degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and I think since TEFL and university lecturing are all on the consolidated sponsored occupation list maybe through the employer nomination scheme (visa 186) I could get a teaching position and later become permanent resident.

 

Any thoughts about this?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[starlight7 4,198]

I can't see too many problems with you getting a visa but to get PR might take a bit longer. Do you have to teach or would you look at something else? Teaching jobs for arts graduates are not growing on trees but you could hit lucky - especially in the private sector. Just try- see what happens, apply for a few jobs.

[Chriss 10]

I would like to teach, first starting with language instruction and maybe later become a lecturer if I am lucky. I think getting a university teaching job with a Ph.d shouldn't be that hard even though I am not a native-English speaker.

[scattley 13]

I would like to teach, first starting with language instruction and maybe later become a lecturer if I am lucky. I think getting a university teaching job with a Ph.d shouldn't be that hard even though I am not a native-English speaker.

 

They are very hard to get and impossible unless you have a couple ofpostdoctoral positions, and a good grant history. Lecture ring positions in Australia are the end of your career path,not the beginning like in some counties. Our universities require you to have a good research background, large list of referenced papers and most importantly, a history of getting grants in your own right. Before you become competitive to get an interview for a teaching position. No university lecturing position is just teaching....teaching is always only 40-50% of your job, supervising PhD students and running a research team is the other 50-60% and you can't do this when you have just graduated yourself.

 

Realistically, only when your supervisor retires will a position come open in your field in a university. They are like hens teeth.

[Tickled Pink 1,255]

Its a bit misleading to say that a lecturing position will only come up once someone retires... I have lots of colleagues who are less than 10 years out from gaining their PhD's and are in such positions, and at group of 8 Universities too...

 

Some Universities are largely about just teaching - UNE being on of those, and I have one colleague who is solely teaching, with his other duties being around management of the undergraduate programs etc.

 

A Post Doc will put you in good stead to be competitive certainly, and the expectation is to publish a number of papers off of your thesis, in addition to others beyond. In terms of securing grants, larger grants (e.g. ARC, NHMRC) are based on track record. This means that profs will generally be the lead investigator, with a sliding scale to new grad PhD holders. Many positions that are advertised for will take this into account, and rarely (in the early years) expect this to be attained in your own right.

 

Whilst gaining a lecturer position is difficult, it can be made less so if your research is innovative and current to the funding trends at the moment. You should also consider looking at Post Doc positions and Research Fellowships too. They can often get that step in the door, and enable you to build your research track record. It is also very possible to get PR this way.

 

Good luck - not impossible, but may take some patience for the right opportunity to arise and to make it happen!

 

(Although I will also add, having re read your original post, that you need to concern yourself with getting your PhD first! Which is 3-4 years work! No need to worry about anything else just yet, without the qualification, discussions on lecturing positions are all just academic! excuse the pun... in that period things will change considerably no doubt).

Edited November 29, 2014 by Tickled Pink

[starlight7 4,198]

A lot of lecturing work these days is short term contract work so you need another job to support you over the long holidays. I have a daughter who lectures part time at Melb and also at Monash but the pay isn't brilliant they only pay for contact hours, not much for prep work). She got her job whilst studying for her Phd and now she has received it there is no difference really, still same old same old. Morale isn't the best.

[wrussell 2,285]

What chance do you see of me getting permanent residency after graduating with a Ph.d. in Applied Linguistics?

 

Under the current rules, not good.

 

May I suggest that you consult a registered migration agent to develop a visa strategy?