Migrating down under? Come share your experiences

[Katz2282]

They changed the migration rules last July i think, that even if you qualify with more than enough points and your nominated occupation is also in demand, you can only apply for PR if you are "invited" to. So in essence, they have made it harder than before and now its subject to the case officer reviewing your case whether or not to invite you to apply for PR.

[Tjkbeluga]

Is the "aussie experience" prevalent in every industry?

[Baphomet]

why australia?

 

I find Canada much better choice. thats my ultimate destination.

[Baphomet]

-duplicate post-

Edited March 11, 2013 by Baphomet

[JackRabbit]

I can't say for sure every industry... but engineering, IT and accountancy I can safely say yes. I have applied for both engineering and IT jobs. Sent out more than 200 applications, but only get a few interviews. My resume is quite solid, and helped prepared by experienced Aussie friends. I have been interview trained - in a couple of interviews I did get, reached to final interview, only to lose the job to others. Am I that lousy? Perhaps... but I am not the only one having problems getting a job.

 

I have met up with many ex-Singaporeans here. Most of them have gone thru this at the initial stage. Some spent months looking, some spend near 2 years before getting their ideal job. But all of them agree that must persevere in the job hunt - only those who give up eventually pack their bags and return to SG as failures. Those who stick it out and do any job that they can get, eventually build up the "Aussie experience" and finally find the job they are looking for, or change their expectations and find another industry that they are satisfied with. So I plan to stick it out.

 

The blue collar jobs here pay very well; many times what it pays back in SG. For example, in Maccas (their nickname for McDonalds), the crew above 18yrs old can earn nearly $20 an hour, or more depending on certain rates/circumstances. Cleaning crew in shopping centres earn nearly $25 an hour. My daughter (she's still below 18, worked part time last year whilst waiting to enter uni.) She earned more than $2k a month as a cashier in a supermarket. In fact, she has collected enough to pay the entire 1st year fees and buy a new laptop on her own.

 

My ideal job which I qualify for (and still looking for, haha!) pays an average of $120-150K (before taxes) per annum. I used to earn about $60K for the same job in SG. So the difference is huge.

[Trex101]

Is the "aussie experience" prevalent in every industry?

 

Yes, it's a kind of unwritten rule here that without "Aussie work experience", it is extremely hard to get a job here. You need to be flexible, resilience and over time, get yourself into your choice of industry.

[JackRabbit]

I did consider Canada as well. I have some relatives in Canada, too. But some of the deciding factors were these:

 

1. proximity to SG - my mum, siblings, many relatives and friends back in SG. A Tiger airways airticket from Perth to SG is less than $200 on way. During specials, it comes down to nearly $100. Flight time is only 5hrs. Anytime can afford to hop on a flight and visit mum, or vice versa. In fact, my mum came over and stayed with us for 3 months during the last Dec school holidays. Too easy, mate!

 

2. weather - being from Singapore, our family is used to hot, hotter and hottest weather. I think Perth weather is the closest to comfortable weather. Having now lived thru one winter season in Perth, where temp average 10

[Katz2282]

I took 2 years to find a job so its across all industries. It will be easy to get the first job to pay the bills if you are not particular about what you want to do. Getting into the industry you want is hard, I am into my 4th year in an area I am not interested in, but it pays me well so I can't complain much.

[macrosszero]

I took 2 years to find a job so its across all industries. It will be easy to get the first job to pay the bills if you are not particular about what you want to do. Getting into the industry you want is hard, I am into my 4th year in an area I am not interested in, but it pays me well so I can't complain much.

 

Essentially, dump your expectations of being PMET when you're migrating to Australia, because of minimum wage, most jobs pay decently when you put in Singapore-standard hours and efforts. So even if you're like the guy above who just worked at a supermarket, or some generic office job, its still decent living. But you might not be doing the things you were trained to do, but face it, in Singapore, we have an army of foreign workers to do the actual work......

[Katz2282]

Essentially, dump your expectations of being PMET when you're migrating to Australia, because of minimum wage, most jobs pay decently when you put in Singapore-standard hours and efforts. So even if you're like the guy above who just worked at a supermarket, or some generic office job, its still decent living. But you might not be doing the things you were trained to do, but face it, in Singapore, we have an army of foreign workers to do the actual work......

 

That, or work in a different industry and get paid more. If I had stuck to where I wanted to, my starting pay would be around $40k p.a. but I didn't and got $55k p.a. starting pay. Point is, keep an open mind, even if you flip burgers at Maccas or HJ, you are probably paid more than you can dream of in Singapore.

[macrosszero]

That, or work in a different industry and get paid more. If I had stuck to where I wanted to, my starting pay would be around $40k p.a. but I didn't and got $55k p.a. starting pay. Point is, keep an open mind, even if you flip burgers at Maccas or HJ, you are probably paid more than you can dream of in Singapore.

 

Exactly. Real people really working. In Singapore, many supervisors, and many workers. Supervisors aren't workers. This is labour wastage. Space wastage (we need to house the actual worker population). Ask any local uni grad if they can hands-on, most likely not. They would react with shock/horror that they might have to get their hands greasy after getting their engineering degree. Poly grads slightly better acclimatized but not by much.

[JackRabbit]

One of the plus points about living here is the wide open spaces. So far, everytime I get a weekend off, my family hops in one of the cars and we drive to explore the country. Drink wine in Swan Valley, check out the kangaroos and koalas in the wildlife parks, hike in the mountains and camping near lakes and rivers, crabbing in Mandurah. Still so much to explore and enjoy life.

 

To think of all rat-race in SG and working non-stop to pay off all the debts.... life just passed by without realising it, now kids grown up and missed their childhood. At least better late than never. I have had a better family quality time in this one year in Perth than in many years in SG.

 

Work life balance in Oz is very serious. You work your given hours in a day and do not take work back home. 38hours a week is standard working hours. Above that, penalty rates apply to the companies, and they try and avoid that.

 

Almost every house has a BBQ pit - this is kind of standard, just like having a TV set. Almost every 2 weeks we'll have a BBQ and beer. Even the Asians are enjoying this past-time. I love this!

[Katz2282]

Work life balance in Oz is very serious. You work your given hours in a day and do not take work back home. 38hours a week is standard working hours. Above that, penalty rates apply to the companies, and they try and avoid that.

 

Totally agree with this... as far as the employers are concerned, family comes first. You get carers' leave etc.

 

Been in Perth since 2009 and we have ran out of places to explore haha so now we spend free time together as a family rather than going somewhere to do something.

[Zanter]

I took 2 years to find a job so its across all industries. It will be easy to get the first job to pay the bills if you are not particular about what you want to do. Getting into the industry you want is hard, I am into my 4th year in an area I am not interested in, but it pays me well so I can't complain much.

 

Yeah the lack of jobs is an issue. My exboss joked that his colleagues on OZ dont like to go vacation, as they worry they will find someone else sitting on their desk when they come back & yes he is a white man . If possible start own business is better. Think the mining boom is over due to slowdown in chinese eco and maybe people will be laid off/much less hiring.

[Zanter]

That, or work in a different industry and get paid more. If I had stuck to where I wanted to, my starting pay would be around $40k p.a. but I didn't and got $55k p.a. starting pay. Point is, keep an open mind, even if you flip burgers at Maccas or HJ, you are probably paid more than you can dream of in Singapore.

 

It is more "worth"to get paid less cos of tax rate. I think over 80k you'd have to pay almost 40% in taxes. So if you are paid low in SG best to migrate there

[SLSAMG88]

Yes, it's a kind of unwritten rule here that without "Aussie work experience", it is extremely hard to get a job here. You need to be flexible, resilience and over time, get yourself into your choice of industry.

I hate to burst your respective bubbles, but this "Aussie work experience" you are talking about is basically institutionalised racism.

 

I have white, British, South African and American colleagues who immigrated to Australia, and every single one of them had no trouble finding a job of their chosen vocation. The most recent case is my lunch kaki, an English man who left England when he was 22 to immigrate to Thailand - cos he loved Asian women! Anyway, he spent 3 years there, got married, decided he needed a better job than what Bangkok could offer and migrated to Singapore.

 

After about 15 years in Singapore, he left last year to Australia as he too felt Singapore was getting too expensive and competitive for his liking.

 

I still keep in touch with him and will be visiting him at the end of this year in his new house in Perth.

 

He is an engineer in a mining-related industry (kind of, not really) - and he had no problem getting a job as an engineer within a month of his arrival. He has no Aussie working experience. His only working experience has either been in Thailand or Singapore and regional travel in that time.

 

The white Australia policy is still running strong there, lest we forget.

 

 

[Tjkbeluga]

I hate to burst your respective bubbles, but this "Aussie work experience" you are talking about is basically institutionalised racism.

 

I have white, British, South African and American colleagues who immigrated to Australia, and every single one of them had no trouble finding a job of their chosen vocation. The most recent case is my lunch kaki, an English man who left England when he was 22 to immigrate to Thailand - cos he loved Asian women! Anyway, he spent 3 years there, got married, decided he needed a better job than what Bangkok could offer and migrated to Singapore.

 

After about 15 years in Singapore, he left last year to Australia as he too felt Singapore was getting too expensive and competitive for his liking.

 

I still keep in touch with him and will be visiting him at the end of this year in his new house in Perth.

 

He is an engineer in a mining-related industry (kind of, not really) - and he had no problem getting a job as an engineer within a month of his arrival. He has no Aussie working experience. His only working experience has either been in Thailand or Singapore and regional travel in that time.

 

The white Australia policy is still running strong there, lest we forget.

So, what he mentioned, is still relevant to most asians like us....

[Katz2282]

It is more "worth"to get paid less cos of tax rate. I think over 80k you'd have to pay almost 40% in taxes. So if you are paid low in SG best to migrate there

 

Only the amount over 80k is taxed higher, everything below that is not. Besides, you get a whole lot of benefits for the taxes you pay. I compared against the tax rate in Singapore and its not much difference, its just the media making you think you are living in a country of low taxes. It is low for the high income earners, to most of us, its not low tax at all.