yeah this was studio/1br. 300 sounded cheap. for the location.

i would not mind sharing tho - if you can meet who the other people are and make sure they're clean and not crazy.

but usually the main thing about sharing is lower cost. for that location i dont think 300 is very exp and sharing wouldnt provide the cost benefits. i would enjoy the social side of sharing as long as theyre good ppl.

point is that further places (20-30 min bus one way, or train) cost upwards of 200 or mid 200. staying in the city would eliminate reliance on transport for work.

but why compare with branded bags? kinda pointless isn't it?

It is SAP job and the money is good I think, it is more than what I am getting in Malaysia (dollar to dollar).

But living expenses and also tax are a lot higher in Australia compared to Malaysia thus I don't know should I make a move. In Malaysia, I am living a comfortable life and have bf, friends and family here. If I am moving to Aus, it will be a brand new life and I don't really have friends in Sydney.

That's why I am in dilemma.

I have checked before, the pay is above par, however no health insurance will be covered so I have to buy my own health insurance.

I have a stable relationship here, if I go there, it might become uncertainty.

Not really, if you have right people assisting you head on prior arriving...then thing will just take place. its not like you throw yourself out in nowhere of distant planet.

Hello, I've been working in Australia for just over a year in Architecture field. The first 4-5 months after graduating from newcastle was spent looking for a job. It is quite hard especially for fresh graduate + foreigner. And a lot of the time it depends on your luck. It would be easier if you are willing to work in regional areas. I'm currently working in Armidale. Love the small town and go to work jalan kaki sahaja! work 830-5 all day all year, no overtime.

Found my job through
http://www.brolgaproject.com.au/

This is non-profit organisation that helps graduate find work experience in regional areas. They are very good!

SO true! Check this out! 500m of waterfall near my town

It is permanent. The downside of working in regional, u mainly do house reno and aged care facilities! they wanted to sponsor for my permanent visa, but I need to go back to Malaysia (family, u know). So will be leaving next year as my temporary 18 months working visa is up But working in Malaysia would be good for career development!

well to me career development = working on bigger projects i suppose. because we have more construction development than in australia. But, work/life balance is important too. the way I see it, do the crazy hours a few years and gain as much as you can, then slowing down?

Would be slightly easier to get a job in bigger city, but work/life balance in say, Sydney, might be similar to that of KL. depending on the office.

Well, 200k is normal here. Got most of my client paying 380k. Depends on what materials they want.

sound like the block series or Home & garden type

If anyone spots a job with Origin Energy they like, please drop me a PM and I'll send you a referral link. I get a bit of cash and HR or now known as "Talent" acquisition will put your application on the top of the pile.

A win win situation. Plus if any of you become my juniors I get to bully you guys because I need a punching bag after being in this shithouse LORAC camp for so long. Also if you're with Laing O'Rourke and are hitting up Reedy Creek or Condibri, drop by and say hi.

Yeah doing the stage 2 on the GPF here. Technically Roma is the closest town, but we're still an hour plus away. When we're done we're moving to Condibri or Condabula depending on where the higher ups need us to be. I wish I could move to ops at C4 to C7 lel.

So you working directly for LOR or as a contractor/seconded?

Im in my early 30's, fairly settled in Malaysia with a good job and reasonably secure financially. But seeing how tis country is slowly rotting, im seriously considering migration to either Australia or Europe (Germany). Ive travelled extensively in Europe and have been seriously evaluating multiple options to facilitate migration to Germany. Australia is an easier option but i have a few concerns:

1) General economic outlook for Australia
2) Rising unemployment
3) Difficulty in securing a long term job (technical field) compared to Germany

Im open to views.

Hey Everyone,
I am hoping that those who are already working in NSW could share some opinion on my case. I am currently working in Singapore and am already a SPR. But recently there’s a company in NSW (suburbs) that offered me a job with a $75k package. I have always wanted to go to Au to work but the thing is, the salary package offered is actually lower than what I get in SG (even after taking the currency exchange into account). Well of course there’re many other factors to consider apart from salary package alone such as House, Car, Living Expenses, and Lifestyle. So my question is, will 75k suffice in Au?

I'm currently working as an engineer at automotive company.
I'm thinking of working in Australia, well, its more about experience actually. I'm not chasing the $$ but more to experience of working in other place, adapting to the culture and so on.

So, just wanna ask from some opinion here, would Australia be a good choice for me? Could someone share their experience or something    

What do you mean by Kampong? And why dont come there career minded?

Wow. Sounds  like the job market is way worst den Malaysia.
I see. Well glad to know this new information. Thanks for the info. Btw are you working there currently? If yes as what?
Ya, Singapore is in my list as well. =)

really meh?

they don't have tall city buildings (40 stories already considered one of the tallest) but they got the basics right. drink water from tap. trains are not fast but comfortable and effective. buses are mostly good. roads are nice.

in Malaysia can you drink tap water

Hi there, I am currently a Manager in the CF consulting practice of PwC in Australia and I hope I can share a bit of insight or perhaps some of my personal thoughts on getting accounting and finance jobs in Aus.

In my personal point of view, you need the following 3 ingredients to stand a good chance with securing a job in Australia:

(1) Connection/Network (If you have friends who is currently working in the company you wanna join, their endorsement will be very helpful, as Aussies are wary of hiring offshore candidates because they are not familiar with Malaysians.. without being racist or anything, just imagine a highly educated and top candidate from Bangladesh randomly send you an application for a job, will you be keen to purely assess the candidate based on his papers?)

(2) Solid and proven experience - Let's face it, the job market in Aus is competitive, mainly because everyone throughout the world wants to migrate to Aus to live in one of the World's most liveable country. That being said, the competition is actually at the lower level accounting / finance jobs, where there is just too many good candidates that an employer can choose. I liase quite closely with a number of headhunters in Australia and I gathered that actually there is a healthy demand for experience accountants, auditors or finance professionals at the managerial level, especially those with strong technical skills, esp the Big 4s, some bulge bracket IBs and consulting firms. At least that was quite true before the recent economic events.. but that being said, I can tell you the Big 4s are still looking at ppl. In short, there is a shortage of good quality candidate at the managerial lvl but a total oversupply at the junior or slightly senior role instead.

Unlike in Malaysia or Singapore however, Aussies are very choosy in selecting candidates, they would rather not employ anyone at all and leave the vacancy open than employing the less than ideal candidate (I have worked in Malaysia for 5 years and in Singapore for 1 year, I gathered that they will lower their standard and get someone in to do the job if they are desperate, I might be wrong)

(3) Ability to present yourself confidently and talk well during interview - Goes without saying, that is just Aussie/foreigner's mentality, the ability of you talking through and bullshit (to a certain extent) signifies confidence and perceived ability, which is something I personally do not like and disagree in many extent, but then again, I am not in charge.

In addition, it will be very helpful in terms of CV if you have been working in similar role in Singapore. It seems that Aussies are more familiar with Singapore and recognise Singapore experience as equivalent.

Contrary to general belief, it is actually harder to secure an accounting role in smaller commercial companies / firms compared to getting into larger professional firms like Big 4s, because employers in this space are much more parochial and they expect candidate to have more Aussie local experience, more than what bigger international firms like PwC expect. I think there is a lot of job candidate had that false impression and hence went to apply for smaller roles in smaller companies with the idea that it might be easier. It is not.

The only challenge with getting into bigger companies however is that there is a very high expectation of your CV and qualifications, which some of us may not have the luxury to have it.

Bottom line, it is possible, but difficult nonetheless. If you think I must be some foreign grad, you are wrong: I graduate locally from a private college and I have never step foot in Aus before that. Full disclosure: I worked in the CF consulting practice in Big 4s in Malaysia and a mid-tier firm in SG for 6 years, and I am an ACCA and CFA. However, I do not think my ACCA or CFA is the key determining factor, though it definitely make my overall picture look coherent and nice as a candidate. Ultimately, it is your experience that matters, as there are ppl with lesser qualification still get hired because of their solid experience.

Hope that helps.

Hi All,

Can you pls give me some advice:-

I am not able to migrate to Australia as I lack the points for visa application. So , I wish to plan ahead so that my son could migrate in the future.

Problem is he is 18 this year and both of us are not sure what he should study for degree next year. I cant afford to send him to Australia for his degree, which means we need to decide what area he needs to study for his undergraduate to ensure he will qualify to apply for PR in the future.

1. Does it matter where he studies here in Malaysia?

2. If the university he studies does not confer any foreign university degree but just local degree of the university, would that jeorpadise his chances of it being recognized as suitable qualification in Australia?

3. Any suggestion which area of studies that my son should pursue in order to increase his chances of getting his PR in the future?

4. Is it a good idea to meet up a Migration Agent like Auslife at Mont Kiara and ask them advice for all the above questions?

I'm sorry if this a wrong place to ask but if anyone could share their words of wisdom as to how shall I prepare for my son so that he could get PR in the future and migrate overseas?

Thank you so much.