lxkev Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My Partner and I have decided to leave the UK. She is a nurse and thats lots of agency supporting emigration to different countries..... However there appears to be nothing for us poor technicians. I have a degree and 6 years experience as a technical manager, and don't mind working sound, lx, AV... If anyone has emigrated to these countries or currently work there, I would really appreciate any advice in finding work and the emigrating process. Cheers Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Well Kev, hopefully Grid Girl will be able to clue you in on what's available and how to go about the search thing, agencies and all that sort of stuff. GG has done all this so is almost certainly the person who has the most recent experience. That said, in the meantime you might google up the legalities of emigration ie. could you emigrate? Do OZ or NZ want tech managers or even lx or sound folk etc, etc? How will you support yourself...any dependents and similar. Sponsors, say. Probably best to research all that side of things first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 If you do a search for "working in new zealand" or "work in australia" there are plenty of topics and info available already. Check out the respective embassy websites for visa parameters which can be different for different states and different professions. Nurses are usually OK but then they may not admit spouses. GG is the font of all knowledge but she might be busy laying in the tinnies for next Saturday. Either that or building a bunker in case the AB's win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I get the impression there is a fair bit of work going out there from the number of Brits I know who go out for festival work. Having said that, much of this may well be seasonal. I know several people who have moved out to both Australia and New Zealand and have found work. I don't know when you're going but if it's not for a while you can do worse than get yourself a job working for Assembly at the Edinburgh Festival. For various reasons Assembly has always had a large number of Kiwi technical staff and it will give you a very good foot in the door for work out their. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I didn't actually emigrate to NZ/Aus - I'm a Kiwi who worked in the UK for a couple of years, came back to NZ then shifted to Aus. So I don't have much knowledge on the emigration process. All I do know is that where I'm working now, we have quite a few non-Aussies/Kiwis, and if your wife can get sponsorship for a job (which will allow her to get a visa), I'm pretty sure you can then get a spouse visa. We have an American tuba player who got the job when we couldn't find a player in Australia (which meant we could get him a visa) and his wife has a spouse visa allowing her to work here as well. So that could very well be a good option for you - I think it's the same system for both countries. In terms of work, Australia is going to have more for you than NZ. The scene in NZ is fairly small; Auckland has the most work (being the biggest city), followed by Wellington, which is a very vibrant place culturally. Much as it kills me to say it as it's my home town, I wouldn't be moving to Christchurch at the moment - there is very little work there right now (after the earthquake), as most of the big venues in the city either need a lot of repair, have fallen down or are due for demolition. I can't really speak for Australia, given that I'm now moving in a slightly different world, but I would say that in Sydney or Melbourne you shouldn't have too much trouble finding work. There are stacks of big event companies here in Sydney (Staging Connections is one of the biggest, they're nation-wide and I think they're international as well), plus big venues like The Star (casino including a big theatre), the Opera House of course, The Capitol Theatre, Theatre Royal....Melbourne also has a lot of venues. Is that any help at all? Feel free to ask more specific questions and I'll answer as best I can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I made the move from the UK to Australia just over four years ago. My situation is a bit different: my wife was already an Australian resident so I just needed a spouse visa. I'm also pretty much retired and just do the odd sound job for beer vouchers so the need to be gainfully employed wasn't so imperative for me. A site that can help with visa questions (as opposed to the industry) is the POMS IN OZ FORUM/ There's a fair bit of pointless chit chat there (they'd never get away with it in the BR!) but there are also some people who can give good advice on the visa process. My understanding is that the visa you can get as a "spouse" to somebody on the jobs list is also entitled to unrestricted work--and there is certainly a shortage of nurses down here. It's quite possible that your partner will be able to be sponsored by a future employer who will handle a lot of the paperwork (and cost) of the visa process. Don't underestimate the cost--including visa fees, medical checks, police checks, getting paperwork notarised etc. etc. it cost my partner and I something like £2400 to get the right stamps in the passport. I think Grid Girl is right about Sydney and Melbourne being the top places for work in the industry--but they're also the most expensive places to live. If your interest is events/AV rather than specifically theatre, this does open up the possibility to be in some of the other capitals. By coincidence, the Australian edition of "Undercover Boss" aired last night featured the Managing Director of Staging Connections. They have facilities in all the main capitals and one of the segments was shot in Brisbane where they have a pretty big base. Their website is HERE for more info. There are also several permanent venues up this way: the QPAC (Queensland Pacific Arts Centre) and several hotel/casinos with theatres/AV needs, both in Brissie itself and on the Gold Coast near Surfers Paradise. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I don't get it - we keep hearing about foreign agency nurses being imported into the UK due to an apparent lack of 'native' qualified nursing staff - so why are there agencies apparently encouraging the emigration of perfectly good nurses from the UK to other countries? Doesn't make sense - unless I've misunderstood what you're saying ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Err, money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 You haven't misunderstood. Nurses are in short supply most places and are actively recruited to move. The UK headhunts nurses from Eastern Europe and the sub continent...and Australia poaches the British ones. A lot from the UK end up in Australia because the pay rates are so much better...here in Queensland, a level 1 starting nurse can earn about $45,000 (£30,000) per year, going up to almost $100,000 for a Clinical nurse. That's the ones working for the equivalent of the NHS...those in private hospitals get more. Add in the lifestyle and weather and I can see why then emigrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Staging Connections - the company Grid Girl mentioned is my employer and we are always looking for staff. We have a number of staff that are currently on working visas from GB - A 457 Visa (4 year long stay temporary visa) is not too difficult to obtain for a large company. There are a number of check boxes that have to be ticked which makes it difficult for small companies to sign people under - things like indicating that you cannot source and train the labour locally (or that you are already doing it to a certain extent). If your wife is able to come in under a 457 you are able to enter with her and obtain employment too - or vice verse. There is also the Emlpoyer Nomination Scheme which is worth a look. Have a look at the immigration website - most notably the nursing section - it is rather detailed here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigclive Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 It's notable that it is MUCH easier for an Aussie (or indeed any nationality) to get work in the UK. But for a UK person to get work in Oz is a very uphill struggle due to their main industry appearing to be "immigration". There are various companies that for a price will "help" you with your application(s) and apparently help you get instant trade qualifications so you can circumvent the immigration laws and go over as a dangerously inexperienced tradesperson. I toyed with moving to Australia for a while and went on a fact finding trip. I left with the impression that for such a young country, it was already rotten with red tape and officialdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IJWesley Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Don't underestimate the cost--including visa fees, medical checks, police checks, getting paperwork notarised etc. etc. And don't underestimate the initial costs when you get to Australia. You will need cash to cover rent in advance on a home, utility bills, a car, maybe some basic furniture etc. I emigrated on my own in 1996 and got through AUD10,000 very quickly! You also need to think about medical insurance (if you are a temporary resident you will only have limited access to medicare), maybe getting an Australian driving licence. As noted elswhere, there is lots of good info on the Department of Immigration website. One final piece of advice - if you do join the ex-pat community downunder, don't winge about how much better everything is back home! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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