Hey all, I'm in a bit of a predicament at the moment and am wanting some advice. For those who don't keep up with global news, the job market in Australia is absolutely crap right now. Our economy is being held up by the mining industry and due to new taxes introduced to industry there has been a lot of large international companies pull out of Australia completely (take Mitsubishi and more recently Ford for example) and a lot of companies laying off large numbers of workers. This is making the job market much more competitive and it seems that 80% of the jobs available are demanding 5+ years of experience. For example, there are only about 300 I.T jobs advertised in South Australia with the majority of those being senior positions or expressions of interest (we are looking to hire but not now). I have been applying for jobs in I.T and I.T Sales since November last year, I have 4 years of uni behind me (I.T and Business double degree) and have 3+ years of professional experience in this field. I have applied for over 150 jobs, managed to land only 3 interviews and have only had a handful of responses that my application was unsuccessful. The general consensus seems to be that I am over-qualified for level 1 help desk (level 1 for us is a lower standard to the UK) but under-qualified for the next tier of jobs because I lack experience. Finding any part time work is also proving very difficult, I am considered a 'high risk employee' because they think I'll leave when something better comes around (they are probably right). There are more job opportunities interstate (i.e. Melbourne and Sydney) but even then the jobs available are proportionate to their larger populations. For me to move interstate it will cost somewhere around $10k, to move to the UK it will cost about the same. A friend of mine and his girlfriend both moved over and spent $10k between them. I am in the process of getting my Italian citizenship and passport so if I decide to move I can live and work with no visas. I have been looking at websites such as CW Jobs and with over 8000 I.T jobs available in London alone (a couple thousand shy of Australia as a whole) the proposition is mighty tempting. Yes you can argue that the amount of jobs available are proportionate to the population but when my friend who moved over (with no qualifications besides running his own business for a few years) lands a Sys Admin job within 1 week of landing the future looks pretty hopeful overseas. This is not a proposition that I have just come up with, I have been pondering this move since the middle of last year. It wasn't until my friends girlfriend got back from a trip visiting family in London in September last year that they decided to make the move. I decided to wait it out and see how things go, so far this has not paid off for me. At the moment I am about 75% convinced that this is the right life decision for me to take, at the end of the day if I make the move and it doesn't work out I had a good holiday and always have a home to come back to. I have decided if I am to make the move it will probably be February 2014 and as of last week I started to apply for a few jobs (hoping for feedback as apposed to job offers). Sorry about the rant but I'm still really torn between staying here and taking the plunge and moving away. I don't want to waste the next 12 months doing part time work here that wont help me along my career path where I could be working abroad gaining valuable life and career experience. Then again, leaving my family and friends is not a decision that is as easy for me to make as I though it would be.
Haven't got enough time for a quick reply but the job situation is pretty much the same over here. Under 25 year old unemployment is running at about 15%, the economy is bounce ring along the bottom and show no signs of change. Were deeply tied in with Europe and god knows what's going on there. The toryies are leading down a suicidal at attempt to leave the Eu. Don't trust those jobs sites. They lie a lot to make themselves look more attractive.
Uk IT market is deader than a do do. Got a few m8s all after this type of work and not alot of Movement. One of them in the last 6 months has made something like 300 applys to jobs and only got 2 interviews out of it.
Tbh you'd probably face the same thing here... overqualified for some stuff, not enough experience for others... I'm not saying don't do it.... just don't expect it be some magic kingdom full of sunshine and rainbows... Also last time I checked, where I am [NE England] you'd need to earn £21k [after tax, ~$33k AUD] to live without 3rd party assistance [tax credits etc.]... it's possible on less but £21k was based on average rents and utility bills for a 2-bedroom place... <-- someone's been unemployed for 30 of the past 36 months
You'll find on most job websites, they're listing what recruiters have available, and this is where it gets interesting and sad. In the last 6 months, I've seen the same job's bouncing around the listings unfilled, but a single job is advertised by on average 5-6 recruiters. At the moment we are suffering an over population of recruiters here in the UK, all fighting to get people into the same job. So a listing of 8000 jobs in London is more than likely just 35 positions, lol!
~10 of which will already have been filled, a couple will just be for generic CV fodder with no actual job attached...
This. Just for the better weather and different lifestyle alone really. I have two jobs that I'm happy with at the moment so can't complain on that front, but I can see where everyone is coming from as far as "don't think the grass is any greener over here, it's really not" goes.
You have, but it wasn't this guy and he wasn't from Australia as far as I can remember. "A" for effort on that one but it made me chuckle
I can't comment on the IT job situation or anything. I come here because it's one of my hobbies IT/Tech/Games. My advice would be look at the big picture. Don't come all the way over here in desperation. Can you do all the things you enjoy outside of work in the UK? Do you get homesick easy? You sound like family is important to you. I can only comment on life in Scotland, specifically Glasgow. Yeah it's fine here. The weather is as bad as you've heard. Just move for the right reasons. I guess your experience make this sort of thing a load of shoite http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22685260, though it does mention the mining thing.
Hmm, not he responses I was hoping for but its to be expected, the global economy is hurting right now so I can understand what your all saying. @RedFlames - The cost of living is high, I understand that all too well, if I decide to make the move I would not be living alone (not initially anyway), I'd be looking at a share house or living with another friend who is planning a move at a similar time to me. I also don't expect a job to be handed to me on a silver platter and would take any job I could once making the move until I could find the right career move. @Burnout21 - I believe we see the same practices over here, although there seems to be a lot less of it. I have not seen the same job advertised by the same agency after it has been 'filled' though. @Harlequin - Exactly what I am hoping to do. I wouldn't want to move and be sitting on my ass waiting for work like I am here. There are a couple of job agencies over here that assist with moving to the UK. You sign up, let them know when you land in the country and they line up interviews for you for the week of your arrival. They also put you in contact with their sister agencies on your side of the pond. Wishful thinking I know but I'd take all the help I can get. @Votick - I may have mentioned this in passing on the 'What's ruining your life right now?' thread but this is the first time I have openly discussed it. TBH I haven't even really sat down and talked to my parents about it, only my brother and friends. @freshsandwiches - I wouldn't call my situation desperate per se. It's not like I am battling over here, I still live with my parents as I can't afford to move out and my expenses are quite low. On the other hand I'm also just sitting here on my ass, doing nothing, waiting for something to show up. Good enough reason for most people to stay put. I do consider myself family orientated but wouldn't say I get home sick when I travel, as long as I can keep in contact I think I'll be fine, plus it wouldn't be like I'd be all alone in a strange city, I have a few friends who live in London I can go to for support, plus family in Italy. I guess I'd be moving out of a sense of opportunity and a sense of adventure. Don't get me wrong, Australia is a great place and I'm not contemplating a move out of hatred for the country. There are good prospects for people to come to Australia to work but it is only the trades and mining are actively hiring, been that way for the last 18 months. When I started my degree over 4 years ago there was an abundance of I.T jobs with a promise of more, come the mid point of my degree and everything kinda just dropped away. Again thank you for all your input. You can always make assumptions from the outside looking in but I always prefer to hear first hand experiences. This isn't a decision that I am going to make overnight and leave on the first flight available, it will take a lot of time and planning (and convincing) before I become 100% on this option.
It wasn't meant to put you off or anything... it was just so you had some general idea... It's not all that cheap in oz from what I hear...
Oh no I understand entirely, I get where your coming from and I thank you for your input. TBH I actually think you may be slightly better off in terms of rent then we are here. My friend and his girlfriend managed to land a 2 bedroom flat in London for £250 a week a block away from a tube station, they had the luxury to shop around for a few weeks because they stayed with the girlfriends cousin initially. An equivalent sized place on the outer suburbs of Adelaide would be $400-$450 per week.
20 million out of work in Europe. Also remember the smallest living area as per sq meter anywhere in Europe is the UK. Over there its all wide open space. My Mrs works for an Australian company, They send there staff over here for a year and they all say the same thing the first year is unreal for the experience especially the site seeing but when there time is up they cannot wait to get back. Me I'm too damn old to move anywhere and if I could it would be Canada so I make the best of what I got.
Personally I'd move to Scandinavia if you have nothing to tie you to anywhere. They're bearing the brunt of the global problems much better than practically anyone else and Sweden/Norway and Denmark are all social paradises IMO. Saying that, if I didn't have things tying me down here I'd be back in a flash. That's just 'cos I miss old London town.. Just get a job first then move later..
Well I work in IT, in Bradford West Yorkshire. And I've been recruiting for IT roles (Networking / Network Security) for over a year. 90% of the CV's I get given from the recruitment agency's don't have any of the skills I need. The market is flooded with CCNA graduates. I'm not saying that is the fault of the people, but the universities that choose to only teach a Cisco curriculum. Give me someone who's got experience in Juniper or Check Point, and we might be getting somewhere! Point is, there are some jobs available, just in the right place with the right qualifications. Mike
