Phd direct to Australia, or work experience?

Micromar

Hi, I have recently graduated with a PhD in microbiology. I dont want to stay in academia and would like to work in industry. I have no "work experience" in industry, although I have numerous relevant skills from my PhD research. I spent the first year of my PhD researching in Australia (occupational trainee visa), and it has been my dream to go back to live and work there ever since. I'm looking for opinions on what I should do, I think my options are- (a) look for industry work in Ireland to get some experience before emigrating, (b) travel to Oz on a WHV in the hope if landing an industry job and getting sponsored. I'm only 27 and my gut instinct tells me to go on the WHV and see how it goes, but I'm really unsure what to do.

CatFromHue

There's another visa that you could possibly get for graduates of certain colleges that would enable you to work for 18 months with one company.

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/476.aspx

This may help you out and if you can get it would be far far better than a WHV.

What you could do now is check on Aussie jobsites to see if there are any jobs you'd be suitable for now.

As far as I know Irish degees come under the Washington Accord.

mandrake04

CatFromHue wrote: »

There's another visa that you could possibly get for graduates of certain colleges that would enable you to work for 18 months with one company.

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/476.aspx

This may help you out and if you can get it would be far far better than a WHV.

The OP might need an engineering degree for a 476 visa, rather than a science degree.

CatFromHue

Ah yeah.

Never copped that.

bestleftfull3

any info, on someone who is recently a qualified Pharmacy technician with 2 months hospital experience? is there a sponsorship option?

Graham_B18C

My girlfriend had 6 months post doc after her PhD in Bio Inf when we headed to Aus. She managed to land to a sponsored Post Doc in UQ but didn't like it after 7 months. She left and we're now just on a WHV, but she got a job offer in another lab in Sydney for September as a software developer in a bio inf lab.

She managed that with no industry experience. I'd say head over and give it a go. Even if it doesn't work on a WHV then when you return to ireland keep applying for stuff in Aus.

Micromar

Thanks folks, I think I'll give the WHV a go. I have options in Europe anyway so it wouldnt be the end of the world if I came back from Australia after a year with my tail between my legs.

irishguy1983

Micromar wrote: »

Thanks folks, I think I'll give the WHV a go. I have options in Europe anyway so it wouldnt be the end of the world if I came back from Australia after a year with my tail between my legs.

Yeah that's kind of the way to look at it - what's the worst that could happen? Nothing too bad by the sounds of it.