scared.... help for melbourne??

rayfoley2

Hi all.
Heading out to oz next month (july) and absolutely petrified. I only have a few fetac courses under my belt and freaked out i wont get a job. I'm heading to melbourne.
What's jobs like in the retail sector over there?? Any tips at all is appreciated!

jackbhoy

Retail is pretty much in the sh1t here but if you are not fussy you should find something with relative ease. On plus side you are arriving mid-winter so probably not as many backpackers looking for jobs as there will be come spring/summer.

rayfoley2

cheers. anything you would recommend??

universe777

rayfoley2 wrote: »

cheers. anything you would recommend??

Retail is in the ****ter here at the moment, if you have any cafe experience? I have seen signs around town wanting people. It is tough to get work here so please bring all the cash you can and learn to live frugally i.e. save the wild nights until you are earning.
Try JB Hifi, they are a large electrical store, lots of shops here, walk in with a resume (cv), ask for a manager and sell yourself!

rayfoley2

universe777 wrote: »

Retail is in the ****ter here at the moment, if you have any cafe experience? I have seen signs around town wanting people. It is tough to get work here so please bring all the cash you can and learn to live frugally i.e. save the wild nights until you are earning.
Try JB Hifi, they are a large electrical store, lots of shops here, walk in with a resume (cv), ask for a manager and sell yourself!

Thanks so much for the advice! really appreciate it!

darcy07

I moved here a few weeks ago first thing i will say is have your cv ready first thing you do when you get here is get a tax file number and an ozzie sim

if you want office work contact agencys when u get here or go onto seek.com.au and apply for jobs

for construction or bar work make sure u get your working cards straight away

white card is needed for construction (like a safe pass)

rsa card is for working in cafes and bars

and when you get to a hostel first make sure you look at jobs boards and just talk to people but like the other poster said budget save every penny and watch spending till u start working

rayfoley2

darcy07 wrote: »

I moved here a few weeks ago first thing i will say is have your cv ready first thing you do when you get here is get a tax file number and an ozzie sim

if you want office work contact agencys when u get here or go onto seek.com.au and apply for jobs

for construction or bar work make sure u get your working cards straight away

white card is needed for construction (like a safe pass)

rsa card is for working in cafes and bars

and when you get to a hostel first make sure you look at jobs boards and just talk to people but like the other poster said budget save every penny and watch spending till u start working

Thanks so much for that! Can you tell me how much the rsa card is?

debs1

rayfoley2 wrote: »

darcy07 wrote: »

I moved here a few weeks ago first thing i will say is have your cv ready first thing you do when you get here is get a tax file number and an ozzie sim

if you want office work contact agencys when u get here or go onto seek.com.au and apply for jobs

for construction or bar work make sure u get your working cards straight away

white card is needed for construction (like a safe pass)

rsa card is for working in cafes and bars

and when you get to a hostel first make sure you look at jobs boards and just talk to people but like the other poster said budget save every penny and watch spending till u start working

Thanks so much for that! Can you tell me how much the rsa card is?

It's about $100 to do the 1 day course

darcy07

I think the rsa is different prices depending what state your in ?

all the info regarding it is online or in the hostels afaik it ranges from 70 to 120

rayfoley2

Thanks for all the info guys and girls. Really do appreciate it!!

markymark21

If your looking for a job in retail your best bet for a job is probably Chapel Street.

manlad

markymark21 wrote: »

If your looking for a job in retail your best bet for a job is probably Chapel Street.

Have to agree with this. Was walking down it last night and a lot of shops have signs up requiring staff. Similar situation in the city.

rayfoley2

manlad wrote: »

Have to agree with this. Was walking down it last night and a lot of shops have signs up requiring staff. Similar situation in the city.

Great! Thanks again for the tips!

minsbarron

Seen Woolworths (supermarket) in South Melbourne are looking for staff as is Subway. Plenty of jobs in hospitality if you have RSA & some waiting experience. When you say retail do you mean clothes shops, etc? What sort of FETAC courses have you got? Bring warm clothes with you is all I can say. Chilly in Melbourne at the moment. We arrived only 5 weeks ago & had to get our winter coat & rain mac jackets posted out for walking around the city. Bring a cosy jumper or two for when your lying around in the evenings as the central heating over here is pretty much non existent.
Agree with Darcy, go apply for your TFN the first day you arrive & set up your bank account & get your Aussie sim card also. Vodafone has a $30 cap & it's really good, you'd never use all the credit in a million years in the month. You can call back into the bank then once you pick up your TFN to update them of this & your permanent address at that stage. Your TFN can take up to 28 days to come through but you'll be taxed on the lower rate once you tell your Employer you're awaiting your TFN. No recruitment agencies will call you back on your Irish number so defo get Aussie sim right away.

markymark21

minsbarron wrote: »

Vodafone has a $30 cap & it's really good, you'd never use all the credit in a million years in the month..

I know I harp on about this a lot but http://www.amaysim.com.au/ is the way to go in regards to phone operators. for $39 a month you get un-limited calls and texts and a whopping 4GB of data. If you have a smartphone all you gotta do is use your phone as a hotspot and you've got a fairly decent amount of data to use of your laptop..

rayfoley2

minsbarron wrote: »

Seen Woolworths (supermarket) in South Melbourne are looking for staff as is Subway. Plenty of jobs in hospitality if you have RSA & some waiting experience. When you say retail do you mean clothes shops, etc? What sort of FETAC courses have you got? Bring warm clothes with you is all I can say. Chilly in Melbourne at the moment. We arrived only 5 weeks ago & had to get our winter coat & rain mac jackets posted out for walking around the city. Bring a cosy jumper or two for when your lying around in the evenings as the central heating over here is pretty much non existent.
Agree with Darcy, go apply for your TFN the first day you arrive & set up your bank account & get your Aussie sim card also. Vodafone has a $30 cap & it's really good, you'd never use all the credit in a million years in the month. You can call back into the bank then once you pick up your TFN to update them of this & your permanent address at that stage. Your TFN can take up to 28 days to come through but you'll be taxed on the lower rate once you tell your Employer you're awaiting your TFN. No recruitment agencies will call you back on your Irish number so defo get Aussie sim right away.

Just arrived today. had a walk down town to get a feel of the place. you would recommend vodafone?? some people say telstra has better coverage?? Ive applied for the TFN and will call into the bank tomorrow as i already have the bank account set up. Just need my card.
As for my fetac courses. One is in Sport and Rec studies, the other is in business and secretarial studies. I also have a cert in News Journalism.

Doc

rayfoley2 wrote: »

Just arrived today. had a walk down town to get a feel of the place. you would recommend vodafone?? some people say telstra has better coverage??

Telstra have the best coverage in Australia. I'm on Vodafone and they have really bad coverage (I sometimes loses signal even in Melbourne) but they are cheaper.

rayfoley2

Doc wrote: »

Telstra have the best coverage in Australia. I'm on Vodafone and they have really bad coverage (I sometimes loses signal even in Melbourne) but they are cheaper.

I cant afford to be lookin for the more expensive one!

Doc

rayfoley2 wrote: »

I cant afford to be lookin for the more expensive one!

If you are going to be staying in the city's / towns then Vodafone should be fine but its still not great. I think its the cheapest of the big ones though.

minsbarron

Vodafone is grand for me, havent had any bother with them. Go get your sim card, put it in your phone, update your CV in a internet cafe/7Eleven store, plenty around Flinders. Start applying for jobs right away, seek, my career, etc. Don't expect to hear much back right away, most recruitment agencies will want you in right away so they can make sure your "presentable" before putting you forward for any roles. Pick up The Age this evening or get the online edition perhaps (cheaper!) and see if they have any jobs advertised that Seek doesn't. Don't go losing $20 every time you wanna eat. Try to be fed coming into town so that way your not picking up snacks in town. Bit of fruit is your new best friend. China town is good n cheap to eat as long as you like rice & noodles. You can get a meal for $10 there easy. You'll see the gate way/arch & that way you'll know your in China town. Its one street up from Bourke & before Lonsdale. Cheap as chips. Pop down to PJ O'Briens in Southgate (along Southbank) this weekend for some good live music and a bit of Irish banter.
Don't forget to go back into the bank in a few weeks once your TFN comes through to give them your address, your mobile no & to set up your Superannuation a/c (equivalent of our Pension). Can't open your super a/c without your TFN.

rayfoley2

minsbarron wrote: »

Vodafone is grand for me, havent had any bother with them. Go get your sim card, put it in your phone, update your CV in a internet cafe/7Eleven store, plenty around Flinders. Start applying for jobs right away, seek, my career, etc. Don't expect to hear much back right away, most recruitment agencies will want you in right away so they can make sure your "presentable" before putting you forward for any roles. Pick up The Age this evening or get the online edition perhaps (cheaper!) and see if they have any jobs advertised that Seek doesn't. Don't go losing $20 every time you wanna eat. Try to be fed coming into town so that way your not picking up snacks in town. Bit of fruit is your new best friend. China town is good n cheap to eat as long as you like rice & noodles. You can get a meal for $10 there easy. You'll see the gate way/arch & that way you'll know your in China town. Its one street up from Bourke & before Lonsdale. Cheap as chips. Pop down to PJ O'Briens in Southgate (along Southbank) this weekend for some good live music and a bit of Irish banter.
Don't forget to go back into the bank in a few weeks once your TFN comes through to give them your address, your mobile no & to set up your Superannuation a/c (equivalent of our Pension). Can't open your super a/c without your TFN.

Wow thanks so much for all that info! went down to china town yesterday. good to know its cheap. have the cv and phone number sorted. going to relax today and tomorrow. still feelin jet lagged. just a quick question about the recruitment agencies... do i apply online or go into the place itself??

minsbarron

Agencies won't want ya calling in off d street. Apply 4 jobs on seek or my career, whatever. A lot of jobs on dem websites r advertised by agencies so once u apply, dey review ur cv, if dey've jobs 2 suit Dey'll get u in 2 see if ur presentable. A lot will take u in anyway, whether they've roles available or not so dat Der ready 2 recommend u 2 d employer n set up an interview with d employer as soon as d job comes up. Start applying mate n hopefully u'll hav calls on monday morn.

s.c

minsbarron wrote: »

Vodafone is grand for me, havent had any bother with them. Go get your sim card, put it in your phone, update your CV in a internet cafe/7Eleven store, plenty around Flinders. Start applying for jobs right away, seek, my career, etc. Don't expect to hear much back right away, most recruitment agencies will want you in right away so they can make sure your "presentable" before putting you forward for any roles. Pick up The Age this evening or get the online edition perhaps (cheaper!) and see if they have any jobs advertised that Seek doesn't. Don't go losing $20 every time you wanna eat. Try to be fed coming into town so that way your not picking up snacks in town. Bit of fruit is your new best friend. China town is good n cheap to eat as long as you like rice & noodles. You can get a meal for $10 there easy. You'll see the gate way/arch & that way you'll know your in China town. Its one street up from Bourke & before Lonsdale. Cheap as chips. Pop down to PJ O'Briens in Southgate (along Southbank) this weekend for some good live music and a bit of Irish banter.
Don't forget to go back into the bank in a few weeks once your TFN comes through to give them your address, your mobile no & to set up your Superannuation a/c (equivalent of our Pension). Can't open your super a/c without your TFN.

All pretty good advice except for this bit...

minsbarron

Bad experiences s.c? All good on our end

jackbhoy

minsbarron wrote: »

Agencies won't want ya calling in off d street. Apply 4 jobs on seek or my career, whatever. A lot of jobs on dem websites r advertised by agencies so once u apply, dey review ur cv, if dey've jobs 2 suit Dey'll get u in 2 see if ur presentable. A lot will take u in anyway, whether they've roles available or not so dat Der ready 2 recommend u 2 d employer n set up an interview with d employer as soon as d job comes up. Start applying mate n hopefully u'll hav calls on monday morn.

Dey've and dey'll? Mate please type the extra bloody letter, sorry to be pedantic and all but that sh1t makes my eyes bleed

minsbarron

That's it jackbhoy, don't bother offering any good advice to a fella that's just moved to this big strange city, half way around the world. Ten out of ten for effort!

jackbhoy

minsbarron wrote: »

That's it jackbhoy, don't bother offering any good advice to a fella that's just moved to this big strange city, half way around the world. Ten out of ten for effort!

I have offered lots of advice to lots of people on here. It was a simple request which I asked tongue in cheek and if you take time to check forum rules you'll see how text speak is regarded. But thanks for your input, I'll take it on board!

s.c

minsbarron wrote: »

Bad experiences s.c? All good on our end

No bad experiences at all. I just wouldn't be advising someone who has travelled half way around the world to go to an Irish bar, which is owned by English people and which has a reputation for heavy handed tactics from doorstaff, for "Irish banter".

rayfoley2

s.c wrote: »

No bad experiences at all. I just wouldn't be advising someone who has travelled half way around the world to go to an Irish bar, which is owned by English people and which has a reputation for heavy handed tactics from doorstaff, for "Irish banter".

went into it. wasnt too impressed. its all older people. thought there wud be more younger ones there.

minsbarron

Ye, bit of a mixed crowd really all round. People of every nationality drink in there it seems, not strictly irish. You settling in ok other than trying to find a pub you like? Any questions that I can try and answer for ya? How you getting on with the job search?

rayfoley2

minsbarron wrote: »

Ye, bit of a mixed crowd really all round. People of every nationality drink in there it seems, not strictly irish. You settling in ok other than trying to find a pub you like? Any questions that I can try and answer for ya? How you getting on with the job search?

Yeah so far. Staying in the hostel until saturday. so thats a relief. applied to a few on gumtree and seek. so hopefully something will come up. Just really want a job so I can relax more. Whats the best way to apply for the bar/waiting licence??

markymark21

rayfoley2 wrote: »

Yeah so far. Staying in the hostel until saturday. so thats a relief. applied to a few on gumtree and seek. so hopefully something will come up. Just really want a job so I can relax more. Whats the best way to apply for the bar/waiting licence??

There's no Bar/waiting Licence. Its a responsible service of alcohol course you have to do if you want to work with alcohol.

http://www.hosptrain.edu.au/short_courses/responsible_service_of_alcohol

Give these guys a call and book a time. its a three hour course and costs $50

rayfoley2

markymark21 wrote: »

There's no Bar/waiting Licence. Its a responsible service of alcohol course you have to do if you want to work with alcohol.

http://www.hosptrain.edu.au/short_courses/responsible_service_of_alcohol

Give these guys a call and book a time. its a three hour course and costs $50

cheers mate. appreciate it

s.c

markymark21 wrote: »

There's no Bar/waiting Licence. Its a responsible service of alcohol course you have to do if you want to work with alcohol.

http://www.hosptrain.edu.au/short_courses/responsible_service_of_alcohol

Give these guys a call and book a time. its a three hour course and costs $50

It can also be done online and should take about half an hour. You can keep answering the questions until you get it right.

There are several companies that offer it online.

markymark21

s.c wrote: »

It can also be done online and should take about half an hour. You can keep answering the questions until you get it right.

There are several companies that offer it online.

I was told that in Victoria you must sit the test in Person. Its the only state I think which doesn't allow the online course

In Exile

rayfoley2 wrote: »

Yeah so far. Staying in the hostel until saturday. so thats a relief. applied to a few on gumtree and seek. so hopefully something will come up. Just really want a job so I can relax more. Whats the best way to apply for the bar/waiting licence??

Not sure where you are going to base yourself but if you're looking for work, try The Quiet Man in Flemington. They are always changing staff- it is a nearly all Irish staff so vacancies often pop up. Best bet is drop in for a drink and have a word with the managers. Most are very easy going.

s.c

markymark21 wrote: »

I was told that in Victoria you must sit the test in Person. Its the only state I think which doesn't allow the online course

This isn't the case unless it has changed in the last 2 and a half years.

rayfoley2

In Exile wrote: »

Not sure where you are going to base yourself but if you're looking for work, try The Quiet Man in Flemington. They are always changing staff- it is a nearly all Irish staff so vacancies often pop up. Best bet is drop in for a drink and have a word with the managers. Most are very easy going.

Its a long way from where I am but will definately look into it. Thanks for the info!

minsbarron

How are you getting on ray? Settling in yet or are you still getting over that wicked jet-lag!?

rayfoley2

minsbarron wrote: »

How are you getting on ray? Settling in yet or are you still getting over that wicked jet-lag!?

over the jet lag. slept 17 hours the first day so that helped in a big way. just dying to get a job and leave the hostel!!

dave3004

Ray, what hostel you staying in?

rayfoley2

dave3004 wrote: »

Ray, what hostel you staying in?

base in st kilda!

dave3004

Ah yeah I know it well. Is it busy around this time. Its always jammed udring summer time.

I was told the guys in charge there keep a healthy boys:girls ratio for ya !

You going to Cushion on Tuesday??

minsbarron

I know ray, not easy living out of a bag, we were lucky, moved within the first week. No luck on the job front then? Many agencies phone you back?

dave3004

Ray, Base is lovely but have you been to Urban Central in Southbank? Its a walking distance from city, so you save on travel. Its more like a hotel than a hostel in that its sparkling clean all the time, the facilities are second to none and its more quiet.

I would advise to move there instead of Base. Its a little more $$ though but definitely worth it in my opinion.

Depends what you are looking for but sounds like you are finished backpacking and I think this move would suit better as you will be looking for place to live too so access to CBD is key.

rayfoley2

dave3004 wrote: »

Ah yeah I know it well. Is it busy around this time. Its always jammed udring summer time.

I was told the guys in charge there keep a healthy boys:girls ratio for ya !

You going to Cushion on Tuesday??

its kinda busy. but nothin major. well the dorm im in is 7 guys and one girl.... not really a good boy:girl ratio. whats cushion??

rayfoley2

minsbarron wrote: »

I know ray, not easy living out of a bag, we were lucky, moved within the first week. No luck on the job front then? Many agencies phone you back?

ive an interview tomorrow. sounds like one of those door to door things. but if there is money then its better than nothing.

rayfoley2

dave3004 wrote: »

Ray, Base is lovely but have you been to Urban Central in Southbank? Its a walking distance from city, so you save on travel. Its more like a hotel than a hostel in that its sparkling clean all the time, the facilities are second to none and its more quiet.

I would advise to move there instead of Base. Its a little more $$ though but definitely worth it in my opinion.

Depends what you are looking for but sounds like you are finished backpacking and I think this move would suit better as you will be looking for place to live too so access to CBD is key.

No havent been in there yet. Must have a look. Base is fine and its not too expensive. And until I get some money coming in, There isnt much point in spending money.

dave3004

Cushion is a nightclub around the corner from ya on Fitzroy street. Think its $5 drinks on Tuesday and free in if you stay in Base. Usually handy enoguh to pull.

If you wanna get a quick job go on SEEK and search for jobs in the MEC (Melbourne Exhibition Centre). Its situated near the casino but their turnover of staff is really high and the job is handy. You will be setting up stands for events and unloading/loading trucks etc.

If you have to do a job in Ballarat or somewhere you get paid for the trip too.
Give it a bash.

dave3004

http://www.seek.com.au/Job/loading-dock-attendant/in/melbourne-cbd-inner-suburbs/22658448

rayfoley2

dave3004 wrote: »

Cushion is a nightclub around the corner from ya on Fitzroy street. Think its $5 drinks on Tuesday and free in if you stay in Base. Usually handy enoguh to pull.

If you wanna get a quick job go on SEEK and search for jobs in the MEC (Melbourne Exhibition Centre). Its situated near the casino but their turnover of staff is really high and the job is handy. You will be setting up stands for events and unloading/loading trucks etc.

If you have to do a job in Ballarat or somewhere you get paid for the trip too.
Give it a bash.

Cushion sounds good. will head there tuesday so! Havent been to a nightclub over here yet.
Cheers for that about the MEC! Will def look into it.