Migrant Engineers – Plan how to Land an Engineering Job in Australia
I spoke to a group of recently arrived migrant engineers in Melbourne, Australia last week. Not one member of the group had a plan of how they were going to land an engineering job in Australia. Not surprisingly some members of the group had made over 100 unsuccessful job applications.
Can you imagine seeing the newspaper headline…
Project Succeeds Without Plan or Budget!
I can’t. But I am constantly talking to migrant engineers who have no plan how they will land an engineering job in Australia.
“Making tens of identical applications to on line agencies is not applying for jobs – it is wasting your time and destroying your confidence.”
Ian Little – Author of Project Australia: Land that Engineering Job in Australia
You came to Australia for the good life. It won’t start until you have a job.
Develop a Project Plan - your Project Australia. Your path out of your current financial hardship eating into your savings.
Your plan will have these elements
- Improving your Australian English
- Accreditation of your qualifications by Engineers Australia
- Becoming an active member of the Australian engineering profession
- Preparing an Australian style CV
- Demonstrating how your experience is relevant to Australian employers
- Developing Australian networks
- Learning what Australian employers are looking for
Write your headline:
Migrant Engineer Succeeds in Australia through Planning…
Learn more about the Project Australia Engineers Migrate Australia Course
I am from Pakistan, i am graduate in commerce and i want started a job in Australia.So please what is the procedure.
To get the full information on Australian skilled migration download Booklet 6 – General Skilled Migration, from the Department if Immigration from the following link: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/books6.htm
I need to know about the job prospects after completing a diploma in mechanical engg or aircraft maintenance engineering in australia.. and is it required to have a degree to be considered as a mechanical engineer. will i be given a pr automatically by getting 120 points without a job offer or should i get more points
Dijo – Go to our FAQ page and read the information from the links. getting extra points over 120 does not help. The best path for successful migration is to have a job offer befor eyou leave ypour homeland. Ther is no automatic pathway.
Hi, I’ve been visiting a lot of forum regarding migration to Australia and I’ve fount that in all of them they say it is really hard to land a job from overseas. Is it true?
Gianpiero – It is hard to get a job offer in yourhand. ait is not so difficult to contact potential employers and get a very good indication of whether they will offr you a job. It does take a lot of research and work. That said, it also saves you a loy of money and gets you off to a flyong start. A whole chapter of Project Australia is devoted to this topic.
Hellow, Ian.
I’m preparing to lodge visa application for Australia and it is requiring to mention at least one proposed destination where i would like to land.
I’m quite naive about the locations where i will possibly find Chemical Engineering jobs. I have no one in Australia so i will have to live at my own expenses whilst applying for jobs after landing. Can you help me in suggesting something ?
Thanks and regards.
Eeman – I will not take on the responsibility of nominating the best place for you to move to. Buy Project Australia and you will obtain the refences to the information you are looking for.
Hello Ian,
I just moved to Australia from America. I am currently living in Canberra with family. I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University. I just recently graduated and I am currently looking for a graduate level job. I do not meet the working requirement for the skilled working visas and my university is not on the recognized schools for the graduate skilled visa. Could you give me advice on what I could do to obtain a job? It is common for companies to sponsor people and are their certain companies that are more likely to do so than others? Thanks a lot for your help.
Brian – Obviously you need a visa which allows you to work – maybe a working holiday visa. This may give you a path to sponsorship through an employer. Have you checked whether you are eligible under the Washington Accord ? It will certainly help you get a job or sponsorship if you can demonstrate you have an accredited engineering qualification. Go to the washinton Accord website and see if your university, cours and year are listed.
You will have difficulty as you are competing against Australian graduates. Australian employers will tend to prefer Australian graduates. Your best chance is to look at construction companies working in remote sites or in rural areas, such as with small councils in remote locations. Go to the LiveinVictoria website and get hold of the Enginers Guide from their publications.
Dear I am an electrical engineer and my skills have been recognized by engineers Australia. My ielts is 6.5,7,6.5,7 overall 7 Band. I am 44 and need to know what is the best way for me to proceed further. Either state nomination or a job sponsor should help or should i apply for 175 directly. How tough is it getting a job before proceeding to Australia. I have 15 years of experience. Thanks
Ateeq – A clarification. You need to have 7 or more in every category to consider you are an IELTS level 7. So at the moment you would not qualify for the 10 points for higher level of English in the general skilled visa points test. So keep working hard at your English. Practice wherever you can. As you are 44 you must move quickly. Certainly without sponsorship you are unlikely to make it before you turn 45. Try two things. State sponsorship and finding a company to sponsor you. You will find a lot of useful information on this in Project Australia. This also provides useful tips on improving your English.
hello ian,
i am just graduated with chem engineering degree. i applied for 476. during this waiting period, i am looking for job in my country. what if i didnt manage to get working experience before the grant of my visa? will it look bad in my resume?
should i be looking at australian companies too? the estimated time for visa grant is about 6 – 12 months. will any australian companies accept my application at all?
how is the engineering prospect in australia in overall? is finding job as graduate hard? thank you so much for your help. i gained quite alot from your posts here. look forward to hearing from you.
Captain (james cook)- It would look better if you have experience, but there is not much you can do if you cannot get a job. Engineering prospects for experienced engineers will be very good in Brisbane and Perth. Probably not good for a graduate without experience. I doubt if any Australian companies would look at anyone from overseas without experience in the current matket.
ic. thanks, ian. i really hope that i get a job before my visa is granted. in the meantime, should i get accredited by Engineer Australia? I know it took some time to get done.
Captain – the first step to get a general skilled migrant visa is to have your qualifications assessed. Go to our FAQ page – better still buy Project Australia.
I would really like to see some comments from people who are currently in Australia and are looking for engineering work or those who have found a job. I work for a non-for-profit organisation and have to deal quite a bit with employment for skilled migrants. I am quite interested in hearing some personal experiences, what worked and what did not. Anyone on general skilled migration stream who got an engineering job without a local experience?
Hi Ian,
I really have problem to find Engineering work, I was graduated at 2008 and until now I didn’t find a job at Engineering sector I finish B.S of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering and still unemployed ..
so tell me how can project Australia help me to land a job in Australia?
I don’t have an Experience at my role even no local experience with Australian market I appropriate your advice ?
Joe – Improve your English. It is terrible. No wonder you cannot get a job. Project Australia gives you a whole range of tips on how to find engineering employers, prepare a winning CV, and how to handle job interviews. Follow the link from our Bookshop page and read the chapter on CV writing.