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1 month in and we are still looking for work


TomG

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Hi all,

 

Me and my girlfriend have been in Perth for 1 Month now. We are still looking for work. I am a CNC Machinist and my girlfriend is a Beauty Therapist and we both have 8 years experience. There a few new jobs for CNC Machinists popping up on the seek website that I have applied for but they seem to take ages to get back to me. Just wondering if anyone knows someone that could look at my CV or any help really.

 

My girlfriend is after a job doing remedial massage or a casual cleaning job. Are there any agencies that sort cleaning work out or is gumtree the best bet for finding that type of work?

 

Thanks

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Verystormy is correct as most employers view people on WHV with suspicion and expect them to leave after a few weeks/months. Plus of course you can only work for them for 6 months, so if they take you on, they cannot keep you longer than that time, and small business employers are looking for stability in their workforce, so that works against you too. There are many agencies that you can apply to for casual work, and a google search will bring up many, which I am sure you have already done. Just be aware that Seek advertise a lot of jobs, and a great number of these are "fish" from agencies to just catch people to register with them.

 

A lot of jobs in WA are not advertised online or through agencies, but are through word of mouth, ads in shop windows, in the local freebie paper, or through just walking around and delivering your CV and introducing yourself and knocking on doors.

 

Our family has had many friends, and offspring of friends, stay with us whilst on their WHV, and they have all found that actually walking around and personally asking for jobs has been the best way forward. All our WHV guests had a career, qualifications, skills etc (engineer, mechanic, teacher, social worker, nurse, secretary, barista, aged care worker....) but most of the work they gained was not in their skill arena, but was either labouring or in the hospitality area. One even ended up as a hand car washer for a company in South Perth.

 

Work is hard to find for many Australians at the moment, especially in WA with the downturn in the mining industry as all the people who were working on the mines have returned to their former employment, so you have to think outside of the square and be proactive - go out and let people know who you are and what you can do and what you are prepared to do.

 

Most Backpacker Hostels have noticeboards, and often jobs are advertised on these. One of our WHV guests actually rang Event Organisers to see if they needed people to erect marquees, set out chairs, clean loos, pack up and clean up after events, and he scored quite a few jobs through this approach.

 

Bottom line is that a Working Holiday Visa is just what is says on the label....... You are here for a holiday, but you have a visa that allows you to work for 12 months, but only for one employer for 6 months.... and then if you do the obligatory regional work, you can apply for a second WHV. It is not a pathway to a permanent residency visa... not that I am suggesting this is what you view it as... but some people do and it doesn't work except in very isolated cases because of the unusual skill/qualification of the applicant.

 

I wish you luck in looking for work, but I also strongly advise you to get out there and knock on doors and ask for work.....

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