Emma13 Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 Hello. Can anyone help? I’m aged 45 and am a fully qualified and experienced SEN Teacher (Secondary) - mainly ASD. I know I would be able to apply for a skilled visa if I was under 45 but now I’m too old!! Does anyone have experience of being offered a teaching post with a sponsored visa? Has anyone got any advice? I have a partner, an 18 year old who’d like to go to uni in Australia and a 4 year old. Is this a pipe dream?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhand Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 13 minutes ago, Emma13 said: Is this a pipe dream?! Most likely ... it is for a permanent visa, and in the current situation, there is little-to-no chance of a temporary employer sponsored visa. Is your partner also 45+ ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma13 Posted September 1, 2020 Author Share Posted September 1, 2020 Oh that is disappointing! Yes my partner is also 45. His sister and mother are expat (UK) but have Australian citizenship. So you think that given the pandemic no employer would be in a position to offer a sponsored visa? Even if they couldn’t fill a post with an Australian citizen? What about a rural teaching post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma13 Posted September 1, 2020 Author Share Posted September 1, 2020 Thank you for replying. Oh that is disappointing! Yes my partner is also 45. His sister and mother are expat (UK) but have Australian citizenship. So you think that given the pandemic no employer would be in a position to offer a sponsored visa? Even if they couldn’t fill a post with an Australian citizen? What about a rural teaching post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 56 minutes ago, Emma13 said: Thank you for replying. Oh that is disappointing! Yes my partner is also 45. His sister and mother are expat (UK) but have Australian citizenship. So you think that given the pandemic no employer would be in a position to offer a sponsored visa? Even if they couldn’t fill a post with an Australian citizen? What about a rural teaching post? Teachers are ten a penny in Australia and there are loads who will be seeking to return to recession proof teaching roles if they can now that other options are going belly up. Other things you may not realise about Australia is that it’s very ageist and an experienced teacher (usually the older lot) costs more than a newly minted one so they go for the young ones and although you haven’t yet hit 50, by the time you get a visa (if indeed there was one you could get, which I doubt) you’d be galloping towards it and finding a job at that age gets exponentially harder. Your concept of rural teaching and the actuality are probably going to be poles apart and there’s a very good reason why Australian teachers don’t want to be there. Even if you could swing a sponsorship for a couple of years in a remote location, it would be just that - 2 years in a remote location, then you go home. Sadly, I think this is just a pipe dream. Use your very generous U.K. holiday provision and come for long trips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 2 hours ago, Emma13 said: Oh that is disappointing! Yes my partner is also 45. His sister and mother are expat (UK) but have Australian citizenship. So you think that given the pandemic no employer would be in a position to offer a sponsored visa? Even if they couldn’t fill a post with an Australian citizen? What about a rural teaching post? If you are over 45, you are too old to get any kind of visa I'm afraid. There are some rare occasions where you can get an employer-sponsored visa, but that's only temporary for a couple of years, then you have to go home again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma13 Posted September 2, 2020 Author Share Posted September 2, 2020 Sad to hear Australia is ageist! I’m going to apply for suitable posts and see what happens. I understand a permanent visa may never transpire but a temporary visa would allow us to have an adventure at least. I know there may be obstacles, not least the pandemic but one can hope. We have family and friends in Australia (ex pat) and would love to be closer to them for a couple of years. My main query was to find out if anyone has experience of gaining a sponsored visa as a teacher over 45?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Emma13 said: Sad to hear Australia is ageist! I’m going to apply for suitable posts and see what happens. I understand a permanent visa may never transpire but a temporary visa would allow us to have an adventure at least. I know there may be obstacles, not least the pandemic but one can hope. We have family and friends in Australia (ex pat) and would love to be closer to them for a couple of years. My main query was to find out if anyone has experience of gaining a sponsored visa as a teacher over 45?? Australia can afford to be fussy. I’m sure you’ve thought of this but if you were by any chance able to secure a temporary visa then I’m sure your 18 year old planning to go to uni there would be seen as an international student which will be expensive. There will be no student loan available either so it will need paying upfront. Then, when you have to return back to the U.K. a few years later they will be stuck there still doing their degree. Nothing wrong with that but them having to get a rental/digs will be even more cost. You say your main query was to find out if anyone has experience of gaining a sponsored visa over 45. I think you’ll struggle to find someone who has such an experience as like Paul said, there is little to no chance of getting one. Nothing wrong with trying though and I do wish you the best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Emma13 said: Sad to hear Australia is ageist! It's not ageism, it's economics. If you get a visa to live in Australia after 45, you're likely to be in the workforce for only 20 years, after which you'll be entitled to a full Australian state pension, full pensioner/aged care benefits and most costly of all, full Medicare (equivalent of NHS). You may well live into your 90's, and there is no way the tax you've paid for 20 years will pay for all those benefits for 20 years or more. If your skills were in desperately short supply, the government would decide you're worth burdening other taxpayers with your costs. But teachers are not in that category, I'm afraid. Edited September 2, 2020 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 3 hours ago, Emma13 said: I’m going to apply for suitable posts and see what happens. Before you do that, I suggest you do your research on the 482 visa (which is the one you'd be applying for). Employers can't sponsor just anyone - the applicant must still meet all the requirements, so you need to know what those are (for instance, do you have the minimum qualifications stipulated for teachers? Many British teachers don't). Also think about the practical implications of a short-term stay. You will be in Australia for 2 to 4 years. Would you sell your home in the UK or rent it out? It wouldn't be worth buying a home in Australia for that length of time (as a foreigner, you'd need special permission to buy, then have to pay a massive surcharge on the purchase price). Have you checked the cost of full international university fees for your 18-year-old? As a foreigner, there would be no grant or student loan available. Also consider that the move itself would be expensive, since Australian rental properties are not furnished - so you'll either have to ship all your belongings, or equip a new home from scratch when you arrive. Then there's the cost of moving it all back again at the end. One more thought - if you want to be closer to your family, have you considered looking at New Zealand? I have no idea what their requirements are, but it would be worth checking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Just to add your Eldest should look at degrees in the UK that allow a year abroad as part of the study. They could then spend time in Australia studying with minimal extra cost. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacGyver Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 As Marissa said, if you want an adventure/new experience New Zealand might be an option (I say might because I know very little about their system). From a quick google, the age limit for a New Zealand Permanent Visa is 55 or under. Also SEN appears to be on their skilled list. It's obviously not your first choice, but it could be a different option. I think (think!) at the moment that New Zealand Citizens can live and work in Australia indefinitely without a visa, so longer-term (once you gain NZ citizenship) it might be an option. Its a long road to get to that point so you would have to actually be interested in living in New Zealand for a few years to consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma13 Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 Thank you all for your responses which have given me lots to think about. I feel annoyed with myself as I have considered the move for over 10 years but never felt brave enough and now I’m too old. We have family in NZ (north island) and visited there 5 years ago so yes, we would most definitely consider a move there. I shall look into that in more detail. Thank you again for your advice and insight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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