advice please for my 19 year old daughter

[Guest Lottie748]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum, so many apologies if this kind of question has been asked before, but I'd really appreciate some advice.

 

My daughter is 19, she has had some problems in the UK and has come over to Perth to live with my brother and his wife (both are australian citizens) for a year on a working holiday visa. It has been wonderful to see how well she is doing, now she's away from all the bad influences that were going on in her life, and I really believe this could be a fresh start for her, so we're looking into ways that she could possibly stay longer than the initial year, with the possibility of permanent residency.

 

Going against her is that she has no formal qualifications to speak of, she has always worked in retail and I know that isn't going to help her at all.

 

Working in her favour, my brother and wife are prepared to take her on as one of their family and support her. She has already got a job working as a sales assistant in a chain of perfume shops in Perth, previously she had also worked in exactly the same job in the UK for 3 years. I know selling perfume isn't a required trade/occupation, but she is consistently the top sales person, and has totally impressed the area sales manager with her knowledge of the brands and ability to sell. He is already talking about her doing an assistant manager position, although obviously she can only work for 6 months in any one position on her current visa.

 

So my question is, whether there is anything in the above that she could work on to stay longer in Australia? Is there potential from her current employer or would it be better for her to try to find a job in another industry?

 

She is willing to study, but I don't have a great deal of money and I understand that overseas students fees would be pretty steep and probably out of our range.

 

I think coming back to the UK would be a huge backwards step for her at the moment, Australia has a lot more to offer her in terms of her general well-being and with the huge support she has from my brother it would be fantastic if she could stay on.

 

I really appreciate any advice you could give - I can provide further information if required.

 

Thank you

Lottie

[wrussell]

On a student visa she would be able to work 20 hours a week when her course was in session and for unlimited hours when it was not. Since she is from a level 1 country she does not have to show the money, it is sufficient for her to state that she has it. You could do worse than look for a (full time, CRICOS-registered course that she is likely to be able to complete and which is likely to enhance her prospects of successfully applying for skilled migration.

[Guest mikewheble]

Hi Lottie

My son also has a 12 month working visa and goes to Sydney in February. He is looking to move over full time but would need to find a sponsor and so I guess your daughter could ask her current employer to sponsor if she is doing as well as you say. They may even be able to offer her a managers or assistant managers job? I know this maybe a long shot but certainly worth asking.

 

The other thing that she can do is to leave the perfume company (as she can only work there a max of 6 months) and then get a job with WWOOF. My son is looking to also do this. WWOOF is willing workers on organic australian farms. Basically, if she goes and works on the land for a period of three months, when her current 12 month working visa is up, she could apply for another working visa. I have pasted the web link below.

 

Good luck with whatever she decides

 

Kind Regards

Mike

 

WWOOF Australia

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Lottie

 

Welcome to Poms in Oz & Merry Christmas. :anisanta:

 

How long has your daughter been in Australia? A second year on a WH visa is a possibility but if your daughter is interested in this option, I suggest that she should try to do her stint of specified work in Regional WA sooner rather than later, to get it out of the way promptly and to ensure that a second year in Oz will definitely become possible.

 

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

 

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

 

The second link above describes the criteria for a second WH visa.

 

For a girl on her own, I think the Harvest Trail would be a good bet to follow. Several of the farms have bunkhouse type accommodation for the seasonal workers and although the cash pay is often a pittance, the youngsters get three square meals a day (the Aussie never skimp on the amount and quality of the food - they know better than anyone else than an army marches on its stomach.) They also get the bunkhouses to live in, which have showers, washing machines etc. It is a safe option, it can all be arranged before she leaves Perth and I'd suggest thinking about the vineyards in the SW area of WA.

 

Harvest Trail - Harvest jobs - Australian JobSearch

 

The Harvest Trail website tells you when & where the harvests will be, which crops etc and it provides contact details for some of the farms.

 

Having secured the possibility of a second year, if your daughter wants to emigrate to Oz in the long term and to stay there now that she is out there, studying in Oz will be the only way to achieve all the ends in one bundle, hon.

 

Courses Search

 

I'd suggest too that you ring Stefan Watts at Study Options in London. There is no charge for his help, he really does know what he is talking about and he is an immensely nice man. He knows what courses are available and would be suitable in WA and you know what sort of occupation-related training your daughter would be likely to stick at. Stefan's website is here:

 

Study Options: Free student advice for Australia or New Zealand

 

Westly has explained that overseas students are allowed to do paid work for up to 20 hours a week during term time and for unlimited hours during the college vacations. It can be difficult for them to secure employment because employers don't want the bother of getting involved in the restrictions. That said, it sounds as if your daughter has made a good friend in her current boss and he may be willing to help on the work front. It would be worth sounding him out as part of your research, I suggest.

 

The DIAC website is not particularly helpful about Student Visas in my view, but for what it is worth, the information is here:

 

Students - Visas & Immigration

 

College fees at the TAFEs (which are Government run) are payable for one semester in advance and a semester lasts roughly six months, with two in each year. The ETI course catalogue is good:

 

Education and Training International WA | Home

 

There are lots of privately owned colleges as well which come up on a search of the CRICOS website and Stefan will know which ones are reputable, are not rip offs etc. There is genuinely no fee for Stefan's help.

 

The alternative would be for your daughter to return to the UK and to train for a skill here. However it does sound to me as if she is happier in Oz so I would suggest exploring both options fully and at the same time, trying to ensure the option of a second Working Holiday year in Australia if possible. If she does 6 months with XYZCo in her first year, she can spend another six months with them during her second WH visa year, by the way.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Les Mighalls]

I would also suggest that the following not be glossed over:

 

My daughter is 19, she has had some problems in the UK

 

and

 

now she's away from all the bad influences

 

The above may be nothing or even relatively minor, but may also be a classic British understatement.

 

Perhaps Lottie would like to explain those statements privately to Gill in a PM and Gill can give her an idea as to whether any 'character' issues may be involved in any future visa application.

[Guest Lottie748]

I understand that it may come across as something more, but she just got in with a bad crowd, and started to be influenced by them to drop out of college, be disrespectful to me and generally start on a bit of a downward spiral. It made her very unhappy as she knew it was destructive but difficult to extracate herself from, and that is why this new start is so good for her.

Nothing more sinister than bad teenage behaviour, and I hope not a British understatement - i.e. no convictions or trouble with the police etc

 

I'd like to thank you all for your really helpful responses, it has given great food for thought, she's very excited about following some of these leads up. It's looking like studying is going to be the best route.

 

Lottie

[Guest wanderer]

I'd suggest Lottie that the student visa thing is something your daughter keep to last really, for with the costs involved she'll at least by working up front for the best part of two years ought to be able to generate considerable savings, especially if she has accommodation whilst in Perth.

 

I'd also encourage her to have a chat with the Area Sales Manager to appraise him of her WHV work restrictions for there'll be many Australians who have little knowledge of that.

 

To get that second year WHV is important to her making her substantial savings rather than rush into studying and to get it, she could explain to the ASM how she will need to be out of the sales line for a period of time, 3-4 months say to get the three months regionally specific work/wwoofing.

 

Though I have minimal experience of the paid work or wwoof I have enough to suggest that wwoof is the way to go for on first count it is something she can plan well in advance by contacting various hosts via a guide book she will get on paying a joining fee.

There is also a similar organisation www.helpexchange.net and both count towards qualifying for the second WHV.

 

She may want to try some paid farm work for it'll be challenging and character building but a bed of roses it ain't and there'll possibly be more time spent finding the work.

For a girl on her own, I think the Harvest Trail would be a good bet to follow. Several of the farms have bunkhouse type accommodation for the seasonal workers and although the cash pay is often a pittance, the youngsters get three square meals a day (the Aussie never skimp on the amount and quality of the food - they know better than anyone else than an army marches on its stomach.) They also get the bunkhouses to live in, which have showers, washing machines etc.

does not give an indication of how rugged the accommodation and fellow workers can be, not to mention some pittance paying scoundrels.

 

Wwoof or help exchange on the other hand is an approach of work say 25 hrs. in a week for accommodation and meals and usually in a more family orientated environment.

It might even be something that can lead to some extra paid work.

 

Its a chance for some great experiences rather than just being a worker.

 

With the three months done and second WHV in the bag so to speak, it might even be possible that if the perfume line of shops are individually owned the ASM can arrange for her to be employed by different shops with a management role in the last six months that would be available to her.

 

She should also look into what TAFE Sales courses are for many can be done in evenings and costs will not be as astronomically high as being a full time student.

Even Real Estate Sales courses get conducted that way and take a mere few months.

 

A combination of the experience she has already and more in Australia combined with some part-time study may be enough for her to be successful with applying for an employer sponsor 457 visa.

And that is something else she can speak with the ASM about, getting him to perhaps with her see a migration agent for an appraisal/forming a work/study plan that would see a 457 as a possibility.

 

From a 457, it may be just a couple of years to an Employer Sponsored Permanent Residency Visa.

 

Even if that falls through, having the extra time of working and some of it hopefully at a higher managerial salary should have boosted the savings for her to be in a better position re financial cost of alternate study and she should have the points on the board for picking up part-time work with the perfume line and she can look at further options from there.

 

She might even meet an Aussie guy too!

 

Best wishes for it going well