Racist Work Ethics in the NT

[MARYROSE02]

Good afternoon my beauties. (Below is MY experience and not meant to offend)

 

Now being in darwin for the best part of 6 weeks. Im sick to death already and want to go home. I try not to be a defeatist but COME ONNNNN!!!

 

So I've been rejected 8 times in (6 weeks) and had some absolutely brilliant excuses why people won't hire me:

 

"You don't look pet friendly" (This was applying for a dog walker)

"You can't name the Top 10 games at the moment, we're not interested" (I applied for a games store assistant)

"English speaking women just flirt and drink and don't get on with the work" (I applied to make pizzas...)

 

"I even applied for a cleaner but got rejected because "I might drink of the job" !!!!! WTF

 

Now the hubby is the qualified one, i just work my arse off doing "jobs that pay the bills"

NO ONE is interested and I'm genuinely convinced, its because I'm a scot, with a dodgy english accent. :cool:

 

All jokes aside, we can't live off hubby wages. Even then he had it tough getting a job because he's english. We might have to come back home.

 

Now in the UK, the line "No jobs available in the UK because of the foreigners" is chucked around a lot. Now the shoe is on the other foot, I know what that feels like having that line chucked at me.

 

It took me three months, looking in three states, with countless rejections before I got my first job in Australia. Since then I've had stints of unemployment when I submitted a hundred applications without getting a single interview,

 

I know an English girl who had no problem getting bar and cafe work in Sydney, and she had no problem getting work in Darwin on her way home a couple of months ago.

 

Some of the excuses you listed seem unreasonable but others not so. Knowing the popular games for instance to work in a gaming shop? And perhaps British people have got a deserved reputation for drinking and flirting on the job? I imagine most employers develop a good instinct too for who they think will fit in if they offer them a job?

[Sammy1]

Alice springs, population about 25000, miles from anywhere, tricky, have you looked on Seek to see where the vacancies for your husband might be?

 

There are always jobs in Alice, I lived there long enough to know that. People come and go all the time. If someone wants a job in Alice, then they will find one.

[Paul1Perth]

You've been lucky to get 8 interviews in 6 weeks. If your hit rate carries on like that you'll land a job sooner rather than later. I was out of work for 5 months when we came in 92, applied for hundreds of jobs and didn't even get to the interview stage for most of them. Once I got the first job I've never been out of work since. Luckily someone was on long service leave and I got a job for 3 months, from that one someone knew someone looking for people and I never looked back.

 

That was with a degree and several years experience in IT and comms. I never thought for one minute they were picking on me because I was English, I knew something would turn up.

[jodipodi]

Thanks Sammy, reckon there's a decent chance of him getting a long term one?

Our agent agrees it's a good bet going to NT.

Suppose it's just a risk we'll have to take or we'll never ever know I guess....if he doesn't find something we will draw a line under Oz and have to settle here....something I don't want to do so we have to at least try.

[Huntersmummy]

I apologise for the racist word, maybe politically incorrect? Im just thick with words.....I didn't do well at school.

 

So I had another one today and hand on heart, I did ask why I didn't get it and he said....."belly laugh".....because i couldn't pronounce FANTA properly and it might confuse people.

 

I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or slap myself.

 

Yeah some of the excuses I gave were feasible. Others ones I didn't list were pretty much, "English women......yadda yadda"

 

The ABN idea, we thought about it but money is as tight as a ducks butt. We literally count every penny and clasp our fingers like Mr Burns.

 

I believe darwin is VERY hard to get employment. Regardless if you explain your situation. Im an old fart, I'm 29, two kids, a husband.....I'm not a backpacker.

 

Thank you for all your kind words though. When the job lands me in big money, I'll have a drink for all of you!

xxxx

[tina0101]

I apologise for the racist word, maybe politically incorrect? Im just thick with words.....I didn't do well at school.

 

So I had another one today and hand on heart, I did ask why I didn't get it and he said....."belly laugh".....because i couldn't pronounce FANTA properly and it might confuse people.

 

I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or slap myself.

 

Yeah some of the excuses I gave were feasible. Others ones I didn't list were pretty much, "English women......yadda yadda"

 

The ABN idea, we thought about it but money is as tight as a ducks butt. We literally count every penny and clasp our fingers like Mr Burns.

 

I believe darwin is VERY hard to get employment. Regardless if you explain your situation. Im an old fart, I'm 29, two kids, a husband.....I'm not a backpacker.

 

Thank you for all your kind words though. When the job lands me in big money, I'll have a drink for all of you!

xxxx

 

 

I find that a lot of Aussie Barpeople have no idea what I am saying when I say Fanta..... When I attempt it in my ridiculous Aussie fake accent (I am appalling at accents), they seem to get it though!!!

[Marisawright]

So I had another one today and hand on heart, I did ask why I didn't get it and he said....."belly laugh".....because i couldn't pronounce FANTA properly and it might confuse people.

 

 

So, it does sound like it's the accent. That's not being racist - it's just the shop owner considering his customers. Like I said, my Aussie husband can barely understand the regional presenters on UK daytime TV, and they've toned down their accents a lot already. Australians don't grow up with regional accents so they can't make head nor tail of them. The shopkeeper doesn't want his customers going elsewhere because they can't understand the staff.

 

Getting a ABN costs nothing.

https://abr.gov.au/for-business,-super-funds---charities/applying-for-an-abn/apply-for-an-abn/

[Paul1Perth]

After reading on this thread about the fact it may prove difficult to find work in Darwin /NT....I'm now really concerned about my hubby planning on going over next year....

I got the impression previously it would be a good bet?...

 

Depends what your hubby does. My sons a sparkie and a few times he's just thrown in a pretty well paid FIFO job because he wanted a couple of months off to go"travelling" or to music festivals or was just fed up with his current position and fancied a break. He's only 25 so hasn't seen any sort of downturn. Me and his Mum have both seen lots of times when people have struggled to get work, both here and the UK so have been trying to get him to not be so flippant about work. A few weeks ago he had a perfectly good, very well paid job FIFO but when he went for the interview the company made it plain that if he had any holidays booked anytime before Christmas he wouldn't get the position. So when they asked him he lied and said he didn't have anything booked, knowing full well he was going to Miami for a boat cruise.

He liked the company he worked for and wrote them a letter saying he had the trip booked but would like to stay with them if possible. They thought about it for a couple of days but told him they couldn't make an exception for him as everyone else would try it on, so he had to resign. Me and his Mum were thinking he would struggle to get another job before Christmas as things tend to slow down. He got back last Thursday, came round for a meal after his long flight back and as I took him round to his rental after I asked if he had got to look for work now. He said he already had a job with a company he worked with before, he just e-mailed them and they asked when he wanted to start. He did a BHP induction Monday and goes away next week. All depends what qualifications and experience you have.

 

He also said the week after he quite the FIFO job 3 more guys just told the boss that they wouldn't be coming back next swing and one of the leading hands told him to give him a ring and he would probably get his old job back. He fancied a change though.

[jodipodi]

Thanks Paul, he's a Youth and community worker.... So he won't get fifo work to be realistic. Nor does he really want it BUT I'm sure he would try his hand at anything should he have to.

Hopefully he should find something in his field.... Fingers crossed x

[Paul1Perth]

Thanks Paul, he's a Youth and community worker.... So he won't get fifo work to be realistic. Nor does he really want it BUT I'm sure he would try his hand at anything should he have to.

Hopefully he should find something in his field.... Fingers crossed x

 

Yep FIFO work is a young single mans game IMO. Great to get a start in working life. Would be great if we could persuade our eldest into saving some and maybe buying a house and renting the rooms to some of his friends, instead of him renting from his mates.:rolleyes:

 

Good luck with the job hunting. Don't know much about that field but I'm sure there's opportunities.

[AJ]

Depends what your hubby does. My sons a sparkie and a few times he's just thrown in a pretty well paid FIFO job because he wanted a couple of months off to go"travelling" or to music festivals or was just fed up with his current position and fancied a break. He's only 25 so hasn't seen any sort of downturn. Me and his Mum have both seen lots of times when people have struggled to get work, both here and the UK so have been trying to get him to not be so flippant about work. A few weeks ago he had a perfectly good, very well paid job FIFO but when he went for the interview the company made it plain that if he had any holidays booked anytime before Christmas he wouldn't get the position. So when they asked him he lied and said he didn't have anything booked, knowing full well he was going to Miami for a boat cruise.

He liked the company he worked for and wrote them a letter saying he had the trip booked but would like to stay with them if possible. They thought about it for a couple of days but told him they couldn't make an exception for him as everyone else would try it on, so he had to resign. Me and his Mum were thinking he would struggle to get another job before Christmas as things tend to slow down. He got back last Thursday, came round for a meal after his long flight back and as I took him round to his rental after I asked if he had got to look for work now. He said he already had a job with a company he worked with before, he just e-mailed them and they asked when he wanted to start. He did a BHP induction Monday and goes away next week. All depends what qualifications and experience you have.

 

He also said the week after he quite the FIFO job 3 more guys just told the boss that they wouldn't be coming back next swing and one of the leading hands told him to give him a ring and he would probably get his old job back. He fancied a change though.

Glad someone at last has something positive to say about FIFO work. There are a few people on here who seem to delight in making it sound like its all doom and gloom!! Just because someone has worked on a few minesites doesnt mean they are experts on what is going on on every site or with every trade! Maybe depends what you do.

 

My partner has found exactly the same, there is still plenty work going around, obviously not as much as before because a lot of the construction has been finished but it is not as bad a picture as some people are painting!

[Guest]

Glad someone at last has something positive to say about FIFO work. There are a few people on here who seem to delight in making it sound like its all doom and gloom!! Just because someone has worked on a few minesites doesnt mean they are experts on what is going on on every site or with every trade! Maybe depends what you do.

 

My partner has found exactly the same, there is still plenty work going around, obviously not as much as before because a lot of the construction has been finished but it is not as bad a picture as some people are painting!

 

I am not in WA now so maybe shouldn't comment but even in the 'boom' it wasn't always that easy to get your first FIFO gig, not everyone can hack it and a lot of positions want experienced FIFO workers (not just experienced in their trade)

 

I think a lot of the comment on here is about people planning to move out and I would expect it is harder now to get started on FIFO so maybe not the best time to move - if you have a job to go to, brilliant or if you don't have a family and can afford to pack a bag and give it a go without much fallout if you don't get work.

 

The CSOL & SOL lists and sponsorship give people the impression that you can move to Australia and walk into a job and it's not been like that for some time so I think it is fair for people to be warned on this forum but the unemployment rate is only 6% so that means 94% of people are working!