Some inspiration , help advise needed?

[Guest TheGarrisons]

Hello all ,

 

So Australia ist working out as we hoped , i dont want to moan but ill tell you guys a little of our situation and you can see what you think.

 

My wife grew up in Wa so and after 11 of the uk she decided it would be a better life to return to Australia with our 2 young children.

I have myslef had almost 2 years of previous holidays and working visa under my belt and dreamed of a return . I never had any problems getting work places to stay ect so i thaught great this will be a doddle!

About a week before we got here we had a great offer to come stay at a lovely house in the samford valley north of brisbane , we are still there to date on a week to week basis.

Unfortunaly unlike most people who move from uk we i dont have many skills or qualificatons, so finding work this time isnt happening , i soon realised unlike the uk you seem to need certificates for everything so i got my rsa and white card , ive been applying for work i used to do when i was 16 and still not even getting anywhere.

We feel like throwing in the towl.

We are unsure what to do as with the weak pound being the way it is our money has just dissapeared and we are down to our last couple of thousand.

Its a worry and waking up in the morning with the sole focus being to try find work everyday isnt fun , i never knew i was this un employable! we are unsure also where to live we arnt to fussed with our current position and fell the sunshine coast/ sc hinterland may be a better option .

But we have a problem getting a house , we are rejected as we dont have work, now almost all of our money is gone im sure it will be harder as we cant show them a bank statement with any savings.

Its getting desperate any ideas people?

[Guest guest32776]

Are you eligible for any benefits here whilst you find a job? I agree it is difficult to find work as you need so many 'tickets' to do everything and you also have to have some perceived advantage over an Aussie. It might be possible to camp for a while if the weather is good where you are? There tend to more jobs in the unpleasant areas of the country. Looking further afield might help. I completely sympathize. Up in Cairns there are hundreds of applicants for every job , the only thing I have found here is shop work (I am a teacher/journalist/futures broker )- I have even been told several times a job is for locals only. I hope things work out for you. Good luck

[Guest TheGarrisons]

Thanks yeah i dont understand why its so hard ! We were hoping to be in a steady situation in time as our daughter is starting school in a month or so .

Im glad i found out the situation is the same in cairns as we were thinking it may be an answer to go up there ( well not glad but glad we didnt make the effort to be stuck in the same situation)

As for benefits , we have finally got a bit through and we will hopefully soon be getting a little more its a huge help but thats all it is for now , I just want need a bit of stability for my family . I even cut off my dreadlocks of 10 years to try and secure something !

[Guest guest32776]

Thanks yeah i dont understand why its so hard ! We were hoping to be in a steady situation in time as our daughter is starting school in a month or so .

Im glad i found out the situation is the same in cairns as we were thinking it may be an answer to go up there ( well not glad but glad we didnt make the effort to be stuck in the same situation)

As for benefits , we have finally got a bit through and we will hopefully soon be getting a little more its a huge help but thats all it is for now , I just want need a bit of stability for my family . I even cut off my dreadlocks of 10 years to try and secure something !

 

Sorry to hear about the dreads!! You might try some of the less touristy parts of Northern Queensland - Mackay or Townsville. I think things will be better there. Cairns is suffering alot as there are so few tourists coming now and there is a very definite order of preference with jobs - locals, other Aussies and then other nationalities. Transient people leave during the wet season too so fingers crossed something will crop up then for you...

[Petals]

My best friends Aussies live in Brisbane and they have been there about 13 years now. They say its never been that easy to get work especially for unskilled people. That is not to say you do not have skills but the skills I am talking about is nurses, other medical professions etc. Her husband is a civil engineer and he has lost his job a few times during the time they have been there due to the nature of the industry.

 

It has not always been the case that you had to have a certificate to blow your nose but it seems to have crept in with the whole new industry of human resources. Keeps them employed checking certificates. :laugh:

 

Word of mouth is a way to get work so if you have any family here in Aus maybe they can help you.

 

Hope things get better.

[billington22]

Hi! Sorry to hear about your situation. But hopefully this may help?? We moved to oz at the end of september from the UK and quickly realised to, you need certificates upon certificates to work. We are on a regional sponsored visa and i know it isn't quite as glamourous as Sydney/Melbourne?Cairns etc but we had to settle in Albury/Wodonga. My husband has crane licences galore back in England but would have to retrain here at a cost! So he signed up with a couple of job agencies. He got a temporary job which now looks like becoming permanant in the future. He does have to get his white card & other stuff still. My point? Maybe consider moving away from the popular/obvious areas that us Brits tend to want to go to & consider regional areas. Albury/wodonga is a beautiful place with lots of opportunities! And although it's not on the coas (a dream of mine) Lake Hume is 10 minutes away. Good luck xx

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Hi and i hope things pick up for you and sympathise with your predicament.

 

Just a suggestion, why don't you drive round to all the shopping centres and go from shop to shop and ask if there are any jobs going, i think any job with money coming in, is of paramount importance to you at present and who knows you might get lucky.

 

Best of luck.

[Guest chris955]

Sorry to hear about your situation, unfortunately it seems to be all too common. Work is pretty hard to come by in Brisbane, don't take too much notice of the official unemployment figures. Of course now right in the middle of Christmas and New Year it will be a bit slow as well. I can't really offer any suggestions to be honest but I hope things work out for you.

[calNgary]

Hi Garrisons

Sorry to hear your having problems finding work, it can be tough to secure your first job out here but believe me ive met enough familys this year to know it is possible, just takes time and can be frustrating.

 

Don't apply for jobs via e-mail (especially if your desperate), try to approach companys in person and sell yourself. It will mean lots of driving around and definately spreading your wings from where you area based (fab,stunning area but not much job prsopects.)

Dont rely on people saying '' we will call you back'', chances are that they wont! Explain everytiome you are new to the country ,hence have no work experience here but are quick to learn blah de blah and willing to sit any short courses they deem appropiate.

 

I would be tempted to head West towards Ipswich as this is one the main areas i know people are still finding work.You have Ipswich town ctr with all its shops and business then the SE QLD growth corridor runs from Ipswich down past Springfield Lakes, Jimboomba, Logan Village and onto the Gold Coast. There is lots of development happening in these areas, there are fast tracked urban estates being built, shops going up, restaurants opening etc etc.

 

Don't either be put off by a temp contract, lots of employees do this as a 'get out clause' if things dont work out between you, the majoirty of people i have known start temp (including hubby) were made permanent after a couple of months once they were able to show what they can do.

 

Good Luck

Cal x

[lynnes]

Good advice there from Cal, also have you thought of trying the hospitals for work as a wardsman, (porter). My hubby ran his own pc business in the Uk and found getting work here really hard, he ended up cleaning at one point and then working on the moggle ferry. He now has a job as a wardsman and loves it. Started out casual as they all do but now permenant. Most hospitals have a quick turnover of wardies as some are just youngsters needing a few weeks/months work on a working holiday visa.

Good luck, I really hope you find something soon.