Guest 101126 Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I am currently waiting for a case offier to be assigned having lodged an application for a 176 visa in August-08, having obtained state sponsorship from ACT and having my skills assessed by the ACS, so am starting to think seriously about finding work in Canberra within IT. From my initial research it was clear that ACT; more than most states have a heavy dependency on security clearance within their job market given the concentration of Government agencies, and of course to obtain clearance;Australian citizenship seems a prerequisite. Equally I understand that there are also corporate employers where security clearance is likely to be less of a requirement but i understand that I would be limitted my potential employment market, particularly when many of the jobs advertised on sites such as seek.com.au seem to stipulate security clearance as a prerequisite. My question is; does anyone have experience of finding IT related work with ACT and what did the security clearance requirements mean to them? Once a permanent resident which I will be once I emigrate are the requirements still such a dependency on gaining employment? If I am able to demonstrate good references etc from UK will this help? and lastly are there any good agencies/contacts in ACT for IT related employment, especially in either IT or Service Delivery Management? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
froggirl Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 A lot of IT work in Canberra is with the Commonwealth government departments, so to get a permanent job, you need to be an Australian citizen. For contract work, permanent residence should be okay. I also think that you need to be a citizen to get security clearance. We are going to talk to a recruitment agent in person in a few weeks as my husband is in the same boat. I will post after that. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 To get a top level clearance (TSPV) you need to be a citizen. Here are some job sites for ACT IT employment www.seek.com.au www.alljobs.com.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
restfamily Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Hi I am an IT contractor in the ACT. Pretty much all the work is for the Government, directly or indirectly throught consultancies. To be a perm Public Servant you need to be a citizen. The CEO of each dept / agency can waive that if they can prove that no other Austrlian could do the job and there are not security issues. In this case you have to be a perm res, no temps allowed. The contract is slightly different for contractors, but still not great news. Only some very low security agencies can allow perm res as contractors. It is therefore I would say close to impossible to get a job in IT in the ACT. i scored very lucky because I got the only job I applied for and even managed to get part time hours I have small children so if I didnt work, I wasnt unemployed just a f/t mum so it is quite a different story if you need to earn money. the other thing is that the Gershon report (google it, should get whole report) came out saying they had to cut contractors by some very large (70%???) number in the next two years - the trend has therefore started to turn existing contractors into permanents. i would always call up and ask if they will have perm residents, even if the job ad says citizens only. The departments that will not move are pretty obvious: Defence, ATO, Immigration, Centrelink (?). Someflexibily may exit within DEEWR, DIISR (and its agencies), not sure about the rest. If you are going to live in Canberra you need to be a citizen! I hae my test book for a few weeks and even then some high security depts may not have me as I do not have a 10 yr checkable history. Sorry to be doom and gloom, but thats the crazy catch 22 of the ACT sponsoring those visas and not lining you up jobs. i would call the ACT and ask what they expect you to do? The ACT gov generally employees perm residents. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 101126 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 To get a top level clearance (TSPV) you need to be a citizen. Here are some job sites for ACT IT employment www.seek.com.au www.alljobs.com.au Hi Sprintman, Thanks for the information, I assume like the UK, there are levels of security clearance, dependent on access to levels of secure information, for example in the UK, there is are BC, CTC, SC and DV, where DV is the highest level of Security Vetting. As an example SC allows for access to 'Secret' and occasional access to Top Secret and obviously includes substantial vetting. Do you know where i can get further information on security clearance and vetting for Australia? Also, do you know whether a level of security clearance from the UK is taken into account in Australia? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 ASIO's Work - Security Assessments Australian Security Vetting Service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steiner Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Hi Sprintman, Thanks for the information, I assume like the UK, there are levels of security clearance, dependent on access to levels of secure information, for example in the UK, there is are BC, CTC, SC and DV, where DV is the highest level of Security Vetting. As an example SC allows for access to 'Secret' and occasional access to Top Secret and obviously includes substantial vetting. Do you know where i can get further information on security clearance and vetting for Australia? Also, do you know whether a level of security clearance from the UK is taken into account in Australia? thanks I am going through the process of applying, through an internal work transfer, to take up an IT Security post in Canberra, but I have been advised that my UK clearance level does not count in Australia. This has cast doubt on the entire move. The irony is they are having real trouble recruiting Aussies to do the same job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandisfam Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I am going through the process of applying, through an internal work transfer, to take up an IT Security post in Canberra, but I have been advised that my UK clearance level does not count in Australia. This has cast doubt on the entire move. The irony is they are having real trouble recruiting Aussies to do the same job. Hi there, out of interest, what job is it you do?? My oh works in IT Security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steiner Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Mandisfam, Network Security..firewalls mostly Cheers S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mandisfam Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Mandisfam, Network Security..firewalls mostly Cheers S Thanks. Exactly the same as my oh. So do you think there this a shortage of people doing this type of job in oz then??? Agents we have approach seem to think we could secure a job fairly quickly, but that was back last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steiner Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Thanks. Exactly the same as my oh. So do you think there this a shortage of people doing this type of job in oz then??? Agents we have approach seem to think we could secure a job fairly quickly, but that was back last year. Well that's what I'm counting on. Sydney and Melbourne seem to be the places for it if the SEEK website is anything to go by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dom and Elaine Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Interesting posts - so if you are not a citizen you have no chance with government posts right? So do you have a chance at jobs in non-government support agencies? I am looking at a 176 to ACT and I work in Public Relations. I've been told there are 'lots' of jobs, but most I have seen are Govt departments. I'm a little confused now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steiner Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Interesting posts - so if you are not a citizen you have no chance with government posts right? So do you have a chance at jobs in non-government support agencies? I am looking at a 176 to ACT and I work in Public Relations. I've been told there are 'lots' of jobs, but most I have seen are Govt departments. I'm a little confused now. Might be worth following up with some of the job agencies advertising on Canberra Jobs, Employment – Public Service, Private Sector Jobs Canberra. I notice some say that you must have Australian Citizenship but not all. The agents might be able to give you a better idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 101126 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Interesting posts - so if you are not a citizen you have no chance with government posts right? So do you have a chance at jobs in non-government support agencies? I am looking at a 176 to ACT and I work in Public Relations. I've been told there are 'lots' of jobs, but most I have seen are Govt departments. I'm a little confused now. Hi Dom and Elaine. I have been following the jobs on seek.com.au for some time and not all jobs require citizenship even in IT where the constraints are likely to be tighter given the access to data that roles in IT might have over and above roles such as Public Relations. It's true to say that i expect it to be much harder for me but not impossible. Luckily i have an old colleague (from many years ago) who emigrated to Australia in 93 and who worked in IT in Canberra. He said that it was of course harder and some jobs are absolutely out of scope but if your skills are in need and the company can show that they have exhausted the local labour market that there is a process where they can get Permanent Residents into roles that require security requirements. I am therefore working on the premise that I want to live in Canberra and so I will continue to make plans to that end, but expect that i am either going to find work harder than anticipated (and therefore put more money aside for contingencies) or I am going to work in contracting type roles. Good luck and don't give up as finding work within the UK can be pretty hard at times, so how is Canberra going to be any different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cane Family Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hi all, I have just been reading this thread and there is talk about security clearence etc, I am SC cleared for MOD and Met Police, are these transferable does anyone know? Just noticed someone posted that it is not, I am going to also check with my security staff here. Will confirm this also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cane Family Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I can confirm this is a no, they cannot be transferred to another country. Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 101126 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I did not think they could as I also have the same clearance and looked into it previously good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cane Family Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I did not think they could as I also have the same clearance and looked into it previously good luck you would it would atleast contribute to something, do you work for a consultancy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nik_kershaw Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I have been in Australia since November and time and time again I have applied for jobs in the defence area as I am just finishing my 11 year career in the British Army. I am on a temp 303 visa as I have married an australian woman and she happens to come from the Canberra area. There is very little chance of me getting a job here at the moment but luckly my wife can work while I stay at home with our son. I do have an SC clearence but as mentioned above that cannot be transfered. There are loads of jobs on offer on seek.com.au and mycareer.com.au but all are asking for aussies to do the job. In April 2010 I will have PR status, at which point I am going to see about joining the NSW police. What a pain in the arse, esp as they are short of personnel to do these jobs but won't/can't employ people who speak english and are very capable to do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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