Availability of IT work in Australia

Jinonatron

Hi All.

I am considering moving to Australia just for something new. Currently I have 4 years experience working in an IT consulting company in Germany. With the clients I have travelled a lot particularly China.

I am wondering does anyone have any experience working in Australia or finding IT work in Australia. I would be interested in Development but also Design and Business Analysis. What would be the best way to find this kind of work?

My concern is Visa's and stuff. Is it possible to find a job like this without already having a visa to go to Australia.

jackbhoy

Visa is key. If you have good cv and permanent work rights you should find a role with little trouble.

If you are on a working holiday visa or require sponsorship then you would have to be an exceptional, stand out candidate, for most companies to bother.

mighty magpie

It would be very difficult to secure a role before you arrive but with your experience and enough cash to get you through 6-8 weeks here, I would be confident you could secure a role.

Mostly recruiters will not put you forward until they have met you initially and things can be slow if communication is by mail. You can certainty get the ball rolling before you arrive however.

I arrived in Sydney on the 417 working holiday visa 4 months ago looking for similar work. Some companies may not deal with you as they don't entertain WHVs at all as there is a maximum of 6 months per employee.

My best advice would be to search on Seek for temp/contract roles around the 6 month period. Some roles may need Permanent Residency or Citizenship and It will be recruiters advertising these mostly.
You could also get on LinkedIn and try to connect directly with recruiters who work in your field.

witnessrenegade

I have a friend over here with me currently who came over with 3+ years experience working in IT back home, who also did work over in China for the company she was working with. She went two months with no work and now is only making $19 an hour but has been offered sponsorship, she came out thinking it would be very easy to get work, as our friend who came out earlier to her partied for the first month and landed a job after a week of trying and is making much more than her. Best to send out some CV's to recruitment agencies and that to kinda gauge how fast you can secure work, give them a timeframe for when your thinking of coming over too. Some agencies do online tests to see how good your are so you could nearly bang them out while still at home and that too

mighty magpie

No chance someone in design, business analysis or development would be on $19 per hour. That's probably an admin role. For the OP I would guess at least 45$ per hour. I've seen software testing roles at 60 plus super.

Jinonatron

Hi Guys.

Thanks for the feedback. Just something I am considering and will look further into. I think I could probably find work there if I was there for a while. Just not so sure what the IT market is like. In Germany for example there is literally tonnes of openings for people with a computer science background.

Just so you understand. I am currently going out with my girlfriend for roughly one year we would like to move together. This was not an issue last year as I spend about 200 days of the year in Beijing with trips back to Germany in between. But it is not as simple as that. She is Taiwanese and coming to Germany is tricky. She doesn't speak German and would also be looking for work. I am also quite concerned about her. She will graduate with a masters in Sociology and would like to go away from China and we are thinking Australia.

Some further questions I have. How much cash would I need. When moving I reckon I would have around €20k. How far would this go in Australia. Is it enough to cover a period there searching for work. Second question is if I got a job on a WHV would I have to prove I am worth it so I could work more than 6 months a year. I don't fancy only working half a year.

What is the quality of living like? Which cities would you recommend considering what I want to work in. My girlfriend has no work experience. I understand there are a lot of Taiwanese in Australia. WHat do they typically do?

mighty magpie

Jinonatron wrote: »

Hi Guys.

Thanks for the feedback. Just something I am considering and will look further into. I think I could probably find work there if I was there for a while. Just not so sure what the IT market is like. In Germany for example there is literally tonnes of openings for people with a computer science background.

Just so you understand. I am currently going out with my girlfriend for roughly one year we would like to move together. This was not an issue last year as I spend about 200 days of the year in Beijing with trips back to Germany in between. But it is not as simple as that. She is Taiwanese and coming to Germany is tricky. She doesn't speak German and would also be looking for work. I am also quite concerned about her. She will graduate with a masters in Sociology and would like to go away from China and we are thinking Australia.

Some further questions I have. How much cash would I need. When moving I reckon I would have around €20k. How far would this go in Australia. Is it enough to cover a period there searching for work. Second question is if I got a job on a WHV would I have to prove I am worth it so I could work more than 6 months a year. I don't fancy only working half a year.

What is the quality of living like? Which cities would you recommend considering what I want to work in. My girlfriend has no work experience. I understand there are a lot of Taiwanese in Australia. WHat do they typically do?

Working holiday visa is only 12 months, it is very likely if you join a company for 6 months and impress them you will be offered sponsorship. Your girlfriend can then go de facto on your sponsored visa.

For IT work I would imagine sydney/melbourne is your best chance. brisbane could also be a possibility.

20k euros would be more than enough to keep you covered for 2/3 months while you look for a job.

Quality of living is superb in my opinion.

Jinonatron

I am sure this question has been asked 1000 times but on a WHV am I only allowed work 6 months in the year?

browne_rob5

Jinonatron wrote: »

I am sure this question has been asked 1000 times but on a WHV am I only allowed work 6 months in the year?

You are only allowed work 6 months with the one company

Jinonatron

browne_rob5 wrote: »

You are only allowed work 6 months with the one company

So that means after 6 months you can work with another company?

browne_rob5

Jinonatron wrote: »

So that means after 6 months you can work with another company?

Yes

Jinonatron

If you join a company and they sponsor you can you stay for longer than six months? Or do you have to quit and get a new visa then come back again. Out of interest what is the cost to a company who want to sponsor somebody.

mighty magpie

Jinonatron wrote: »

If you join a company and they sponsor you can you stay for longer than six months? Or do you have to quit and get a new visa then come back again. Out of interest what is the cost to a company who want to sponsor somebody.

Yes you can stay on. i think the 457 sponsored visa can cost anywhere between $3-4,000. Some companies may ask you to pay this.