If you dont pay the medicare levy you would have to get the medicare exemption cert from Medicare

i didn't get it from last year and possible not going to get it this year as well as im not a PR

Hopefully this link will help.LINK

hi all,

I have mixed feeling of whether should I consider kick-starting my migration to Melbourne. I'm 26 and I'm in the media industry (interactive media) and I'm not sure if i do migrate, whats the percentage of getting back the same job. I love to be in the advertising / media industry though.

What do you guys think?

Like everything else, there is always a risk in doing so. Given the current economic climate, it may, or may not take you a while to find an occupation in your area of expertise. You probably have heard, or even read replies in this thread about people migrating to aus only to struggle getting back their same job for months and months and some have to resort to casual jobs. Persistence here is the key.

Btw, this website would be quite useful for you. It is a job outlook website detailing additional information for your field of expertise.LINK

i will pursue my study in aust or uk..but im intend to work abroad for a year or two to cover my study loan..i already calculate the amount to study in aust in way expensive than in uk..different around rm100k..but i can work easily after graduating..ist true??because i dont want to waste my money if i cant work in aust after graduating..

and i heard its very hard to get a job in uk for foreigner..if i study in a top uni in uk will it be easy for me to get a job in aust??

In UK, there will still be fierce competition even if you graduate from a top university. The government explicitly made in very difficult for non-EU grads to get a visa / job. If you want to go to UK for the sake of studying and not looking for a job, then do go ahead. If you're going to UK with the hope of getting a job later, it will be a very very risky gamble.

I'm surprised by the difference though between Oz and UK as in UK a good engineering MSc would cost £23-£25k a year.

In Oz, it also depends on the length of your studies. If it's going to take four years for example, a lot can change in this time, similar to what the UK government did a couple years back.

finding work is very hard doesn't matter in UK or Aus. many UK people going to Australia for a job due to they can't find any job there. They even snapped the working holiday visa to australia for the chance of getting work visa sponsored by employer.

i would say focus on study first then only worry about job in your last semester. PR is not easy to get anymore in Australia as you must score at least all 7 in IELTS to get enough 60 points

Questions you have to ask yourself.

1) Interactive media isn't under the SOL list so you may not apply for skilled migration. You must have either sponsorship or a spouse with SOL list qualification to do so. Are you eligible?

2) Are you willing to move around in the case you get a job offer somewhere else? For example in Sydney? As media industry is usually stretched between both these cities, mobility is a must.

3) Our media industry is shithouse. And like most others, you'll need a PR to put your toe in and you'll need Australian experience to really land a job. How long can you last without a media job? Is it the only job you can do? I mean I washed toilets for a year before I went on to engineering and I had a PR.

Job market is in the shitter now with the mining industry backing off, the manufacturing industry being a dead horse, the tourism industry raped by the high dollar and so on lol

Australia will give you 1.5 year graduate visa upon graduation. The question is "What kind of job do you want?"

You should not based your decision whether you are able to get a job after you graduate because both countries are not easy to secure a job due to the recent economy. Plus the market will definately change in the next 3 or 4 years when you graduate. If your sole purpose to earn back the money that you have paid for your studies, please don't put too much hope on it because you will be disappointed at the end of the day when you don't secure a job.
If you want to experience studying abroad, maybe you can consider twinning course so you can save up on tuition fee and living cost.

Same for Australia as well, don't expect work to easily come by, there's a large sum of competitors with minimal available job. But if you don't mind working in the FnB area jobs should be widely available. I've came across that a lot of engineering graduates cant find an engineering job upon graduation. It is this tough now.



I think IELTS for PR now is flat 8 right unless you're doing PHD that is. For normal students like in the age range 20-24.

Oh yes, never realised the age

so pretty much no chance as most of the fresh graduates are below 25

Sadly, I am one of those graduates in Brisbane. I've been searching for a fulltime role for 1 year plus and still no results, even though I have my PR. Did some part time work as a drafter (Civil grad student) but thats it.. Now I'm looking to come back to KL. Anyone here working in aus as a civil/structural eng ? Hope that you can

To get ielts flat 8 is still manageable, I think it's easier than securing a job. To be honest.

Are you in Australia now? haha.


I think you should come over to WA, there's more opportunities as its a mining/oil state. Sorry I would really love to help but I'm in the mechanical discipline. I can see that my friends in civil are also struggling to find a job. Have you tried using seek or attending networking events?

But you did part time work as a drafter in Australia should have an edge over other international students.

Yes in Australia now and going to have IELTS this Saturday. ALl 8 in IELTS is achievable but not for me

WIl ltry my best

Suggest attending Engineers Australia's oversea qualified networking events, they hold them quite regularly and they also have seminars on getting hired. Email: rashidizadeh.hossein(at)gmail.com and ask for the next event list.

But long story short, if you want to get a job here it is about who you know rather than what you know. If you don't know anyone, tough luck.

As a civil engineer you should have the basic competencies for construction site work, maybe that's holding you down? Do you have a white card induction? Senior First Aid?

CSQ (Construction Skills Queensland) also offers upskilling for eligible persons. Try that as well.

Also you can try the ADF. They look bloody good on a resume and they're always hiring professionals.

This post has been edited by empire23: Jul 22 2013, 05:14 AM

SEEK is what I'm using mainly for job search plus some cold-calling here and there. I'm applying Perth's position as well but it seems that they prefer candidates to be in Perth instead of other states? Maybe? I don't know. Thanks for the suggestion dude.


OK I'll check them out.

You're right. It's about who you know. Unfortunately I don't realy have a great connection with ppl in my related field. I hope my luck turns around though.

I have the white card, but I think it is expired. Got it from my uni days.

CSQ does upskilling for engineers as well ? I always thought it is for Tradies only. Which course should I look into ? Certificate II in Civil Construction?

Thanks for your reply and awesome suggestions !!

ADF? Is that Defence Ministry? I thought they only accept citizens not PR

A few tips to getting a job;
1) A cover letter for each application. It shows you are addressing their requirements.
2) Follow up, Follow up, Follow up. If you're annoying enough they'll hire you.
3) Lose the asian name. Call yourself Timothy in your resume instead of publishing a f***about of unpronounceable names.
4) Get a professional resume writer and post samples to your Uni career services for checking and appraisal.
5) No point in going for the big dogs unless your resume is pure gold. Try the smaller firms that never get advertised. Quick tip, buy an industry related magazine and look at the adverts for inspiration.

Generally Perth based positions are headhunted most of the time if you don't live in WA.

Go to the overseas networking thing I just mentioned, grab people's cards, chat them up, add them on facebook and post funny cat pics on their walls.

Yes, CSQ does upskilling, not for engineers but for everyone. That's our taxpayer money at work. Use it, get a Cert II. I'm an engineer but doing a Cert III tradie apprenticeship in Electrotechnology. QLD gahmen paid.


They will take in PR IF they cannot find a suitable citizen to do the job and I don't think there are many civils lining up to join the forces.

All the best man and remember to understand the format. It's the most important thing rather than your usual english grammar stuffs.


Good advices up there but I would love to add some stuffs on. For engineering marks are not everything, you need to have a great balance (shown in the resume). For example, vacation work, part time work, volunteering work and even extra cocu. I still think we should all give the big dogs a shot as they will hire international more often than the smaller companies. I managed to land a graduate work a few months ago (whilst still studying in university) with some big OnG company as an international student.

If anyone here requires some proof reading on the resume you're free to have some feedbacks from me.