# PhD studies work experience?



## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

Hi
my bachelor degree was assessed by Vetassess and my PhD studies in Australia was considered as job experiences as I was on scholarship so I was paid. In point test advise also Vetassess has advised immigration office that I have 3 years Australian job experience as a phd scholar. I am just wondering now does DIAC also accept my PhD years as job experience and can I get the points for that?
Thanks


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## zara_g (Nov 24, 2014)

Hi. Congrats for your positive assessment. would you please tell me when did you apply for assessment? Did you apply after graduating from Phd or you were still Phd student. I appreciate your reply.
Thanks


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

zara_g said:


> Hi. Congrats for your positive assessment. would you please tell me when did you apply for assessment? Did you apply after graduating from Phd or you were still Phd student. I appreciate your reply.
> Thanks


I am still PhD student. last year.


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## zara_g (Nov 24, 2014)

Thanks for your reply. So basically you didn't have any working experience other than your Phd studies and you were only paid scholarship. right?
Actually, my husband is doing Phd by research and is getting scholarship only, I am wondering can he use his phd research work as the 1 year essential working experience to assess his Bachelor degree. 
Thanks


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

zara_g said:


> Thanks for your reply. So basically you didn't have any working experience other than your Phd studies and you were only paid scholarship. right?
> Actually, my husband is doing Phd by research and is getting scholarship only, I am wondering can he use his phd research work as the 1 year essential working experience to assess his Bachelor degree.
> Thanks


I think he can as long as his bachelor degree exist in SOL. i didnt have any other job experiences but my paid phd.


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## AncientGlory (Aug 23, 2012)

Seva said:


> Hi
> my bachelor degree was assessed by Vetassess and my PhD studies in Australia was considered as job experiences as I was on scholarship so I was paid. In point test advise also Vetassess has advised immigration office that I have 3 years Australian job experience as a phd scholar. I am just wondering now does DIAC also accept my PhD years as job experience and can I get the points for that?
> Thanks


I have a PhD from Australia and I was also on scholarships for 3 years. However, I did not claim any points for work experience when I applied for PR. My personal opinion is that DIBP will not consider the time you spent on your PhD as work experience.


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## MarkHerry (Nov 18, 2014)

I have done Phd from Australia last year. I have completed my studies and now i am running my own business.


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## zara_g (Nov 24, 2014)

Hi Seva,
I asked Vetassess about Phd research assessment as work experience and they replied that it depends on the kind of scholarship or research payment. would you please let me know what was your kind of scholarship? Thanks for your information.


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

zara_g said:


> Hi Seva,
> I asked Vetassess about Phd research assessment as work experience and they replied that it depends on the kind of scholarship or research payment. would you please let me know what was your kind of scholarship? Thanks for your information.


Mine was university's both living allowence and tuition fee for international students. Mine was not IPRS which government pays.


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## espresso (Nov 2, 2012)

My PhD experience was accepted by both ACS and DIBP. However, I was funded by an industry project and paid as a regular employee (payslips and all). Generally speaking, you need proof that you worked at least 20 hours per week, at a sufficiently professional level and were *paid*.


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

espresso said:


> My PhD experience was accepted by both ACS and DIBP. However, I was funded by an industry project and paid as a regular employee (payslips and all). Generally speaking, you need proof that you worked at least 20 hours per week, at a sufficiently professional level and were paid.


that's good news! actually in my payslips its not mentioned that it has been Scholarship but they've called it "salary". maybe that helps. do you think if I call immigration will they give me a clear response? I just don't wanna lose about 3000$ as I don't have extera points!


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

Seva said:


> that's good news! actually in my payslips its not mentioned that it has been Scholarship but they've called it "salary". maybe that helps. do you think if I call immigration will they give me a clear response? I just don't wanna lose about 3000$ as I don't have extera points!


one more thing, you funded by an industry for your phd . any way it was your scholarship and you didn't pay tax right?


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## Squeak99 (Aug 25, 2014)

It's been a while since anyone posted here but I am awaiting Vetassess assessment for PhD as work experience. My PhD was paid and my fees were paid for. However, I did not pay tax.

Did anyone here pay tax for their PhD?? Is this requirement to get a positive result


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

Squeak99 said:


> It's been a while since anyone posted here but I am awaiting Vetassess assessment for PhD as work experience. My PhD was paid and my fees were paid for. However, I did not pay tax.
> 
> Did anyone here pay tax for their PhD?? Is this requirement to get a positive result


Vetassess and Queensland state sponsorship accepted my phd as workexperience. no ive not paid tax. However I have payslips and bank statement.


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## Alfar (Aug 6, 2014)

Seva said:


> Mine was university's both living allowence and tuition fee for international students. Mine was not IPRS which government pays.


I am holding IPRS and APA scholarship both from Australian Government. I am wondering is there any benefit or bindings for government scholarship holder regarding PR application? I know that any government scholarship recipient is ineligible for Queensland nominated 190 VISA, but I don't know about anything 189 visa or other state nominated visa. 

More information?


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## Alfar (Aug 6, 2014)

Does anyone holding scholarship received PhD studies as work experience from Engineers Australia if


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## Akin (Nov 15, 2014)

For me, I took two years paid leave of absence to do my phd meaning my employer was paying my salary with pay slip and all while I was doing my phd. VETASSESS and DIBP accepted the two years leave of absence with pay and it counted in my points


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## Alfar (Aug 6, 2014)

Seva said:


> Vetassess and Queensland state sponsorship accepted my phd as workexperience. no ive not paid tax. However I have payslips and bank statement.


Hi Seva
What PhD related documents have you provided to them? I am any letter from University or Supervisor, other than payslips?

What job title VETASSESS gave to represent the PhD work experience?


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## IvS (Feb 10, 2015)

Seva said:


> Hi
> my bachelor degree was assessed by Vetassess and my PhD studies in Australia was considered as job experiences as I was on scholarship so I was paid. In point test advise also Vetassess has advised immigration office that I have 3 years Australian job experience as a phd scholar. I am just wondering now does DIAC also accept my PhD years as job experience and can I get the points for that?
> Thanks


Hi Seva! 

What university are/were you at? Did you require any reference letters (supervisor or other admin people at uni)? 
My payslips say both "s'ship" and "salary". Bank statement says "salary". Do you reckon should work?

Appreciate you response.
Cheers!


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## virusme (Feb 3, 2015)

Alfar said:


> I am holding IPRS and APA scholarship both from Australian Government. I am wondering is there any benefit or bindings for government scholarship holder regarding PR application? I know that any government scholarship recipient is ineligible for Queensland nominated 190 VISA, but I don't know about anything 189 visa or other state nominated visa.
> 
> More information?



I think you cannot have IPRS and APA both. Are you sure you are receiving IPRS and APA both at the same time?


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

IvS said:


> Hi Seva!
> 
> What university are/were you at? Did you require any reference letters (supervisor or other admin people at uni)?
> My payslips say both "s'ship" and "salary". Bank statement says "salary". Do you reckon should work?
> ...


it worked for me


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## Seva (Jul 24, 2014)

Alfar said:


> I am holding IPRS and APA scholarship both from Australian Government. I am wondering is there any benefit or bindings for government scholarship holder regarding PR application? I know that any government scholarship recipient is ineligible for Queensland nominated 190 VISA, but I don't know about anything 189 visa or other state nominated visa.
> 
> More information?


IPRS is for international students while APA is for domestic students. how could you hold both of them?!


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## Squeak99 (Aug 25, 2014)

I had my PHD classified as work experience with Vetassess too. I provided payslips that stated student ship, bank statements, two references and a letter stating that my fees were paid. I didn't pay tax and none of my documents had any mention of salary. Good luck all!


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## euk (Jul 23, 2015)

Seva said:


> Mine was university's both living allowence and tuition fee for international students. Mine was not IPRS which government pays.


Hi Seva,
Mine is funded by a CRC not the university. I successfully managed to get it positively assessed by VETASSESS. However, My CO just told me this recently DIAC doesnot recognize scholarships as a proper salary. it means I might loose 5 points  which still leaves me on 60 points to get the grant :fingerscrossed:

Additionally my salary slips mentions scholarship not salary as per say.


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## dok (Oct 11, 2015)

*Hi Squeak99,*

If you are still active in this forum, could you please let me know where I can get the payslip. Is it from the university or from bank? As the staff can easily get the payslip from HR, I am confused with payment for PhD. Many thanks!


Squeak99 said:


> I had my PHD classified as work experience with Vetassess too. I provided payslips that stated student ship, bank statements, two references and a letter stating that my fees were paid. I didn't pay tax and none of my documents had any mention of salary. Good luck all!


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## dok (Oct 11, 2015)

*Hi Seva,*

I am in the same situation with you at this stage, as I am currently doing the 4th year of my PhD research at a uni in QLD. And I am also studying about agricultural sciences. If you are still accessing this forum, please let me know more details about the procedures and documents required to submit to Vetasses for skilled assessment. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks,
Dok


Seva said:


> Hi
> my bachelor degree was assessed by Vetassess and my PhD studies in Australia was considered as job experiences as I was on scholarship so I was paid. In point test advise also Vetassess has advised immigration office that I have 3 years Australian job experience as a phd scholar. I am just wondering now does DIAC also accept my PhD years as job experience and can I get the points for that?
> Thanks


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## IvS (Feb 10, 2015)

euk said:


> Hi Seva,
> Mine is funded by a CRC not the university. I successfully managed to get it positively assessed by VETASSESS. However, My CO just told me this recently DIAC doesnot recognize scholarships as a proper salary. it means I might loose 5 points  which still leaves me on 60 points to get the grant :fingerscrossed:
> 
> Additionally my salary slips mentions scholarship not salary as per say.


Hi mate,

How did it all go in the end? Did you get your visa?
I am in the same situations with 65 points including SS. I submitted my eoi claiming 5 points for PhD as work experience as per skills assessment. Would you recommend adjusting my points to 60 prior to appying for visa or whenever CO suggests to do so?

Cheers,
V.


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## dok (Oct 11, 2015)

*Hi mate,*

Have you got the points test advice from Vetasses? If Vetasses considered 3 years PhD research as working experience, you would be able to claim 10 points for this when doing PhD in Australia. If you are doing PhD overseas, you will be able to claim 5 points. You should contact with DIBP to clarify your case. 
A friend of mine contacted with DIBP before, and DIBP replied that he will get 10 points for working experience during his 3.5 years unless he graduates and claims 10 points for the degree. Having said that, if he applies without the degree, he will get 10 points for working experience and 15 points for bachelor or master degree. In the case of using his Doctorate degree, he will not allowed to claim 10 points here, just using 25 points for PhD degree in Australia. 
Cheers, 


IvS said:


> Hi mate,
> 
> How did it all go in the end? Did you get your visa?
> I am in the same situations with 65 points including SS. I submitted my eoi claiming 5 points for PhD as work experience as per skills assessment. Would you recommend adjusting my points to 60 prior to appying for visa or whenever CO suggests to do so?
> ...


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## IvS (Feb 10, 2015)

dok said:


> Have you got the points test advice from Vetasses? If Vetasses considered 3 years PhD research as working experience, you would be able to claim 10 points for this when doing PhD in Australia. If you are doing PhD overseas, you will be able to claim 5 points. You should contact with DIBP to clarify your case.
> A friend of mine contacted with DIBP before, and DIBP replied that he will get 10 points for working experience during his 3.5 years unless he graduates and claims 10 points for the degree. Having said that, if he applies without the degree, he will get 10 points for working experience and 15 points for bachelor or master degree. In the case of using his Doctorate degree, he will not allowed to claim 10 points here, just using 25 points for PhD degree in Australia.
> Cheers,


It is an Australian PhD. 
Vetassess has cut one year off, leaving me with 2.5 years of experience which earns 5 points. 

What did your friend ended up doing? Was he successful claiming points with DIBP under "phd as work experience"?


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## dok (Oct 11, 2015)

Yes! It worked for him. Why does Vetasses cut off 1 year from your PhD? My friend claimed 10 points as Seva did in this forum, as he got 3 years considered as working experience.


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## IvS (Feb 10, 2015)

dok said:


> Yes! It worked for him. Why does Vetasses cut off 1 year from your PhD? My friend claimed 10 points as Seva did in this forum, as he got 3 years considered as working experience.


That's good to know, thanks. 

I'll try to give DIBP a call anyway since info on the forum seems somewhat controversial. 
It's really hard to get through the que though..


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## IvS (Feb 10, 2015)

dok said:


> If you are still active in this forum, could you please let me know where I can get the payslip. Is it from the university or from bank? As the staff can easily get the payslip from HR, I am confused with payment for PhD. Many thanks!


Payslips can be obtained from Graduate research (scholarship) unit or HR, depends on university.
In my case, I have requested electronic payslip history from the scholarship unit for the first 2.5 years and for the past year I have been getting paper slips.


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## dok (Oct 11, 2015)

Yes, you should try to give DIBP call to check for your case. It seems to depend on each individual case and Vetasses points test advice. From your information that I am aware, I am quite sure that you will claim 5 points for working experience in Australia. I am just surprised why Vetasses cut 1 year off from your PhD research. Please update your case when you get responses from DIBP. Thanks!



IvS said:


> That's good to know, thanks.
> 
> I'll try to give DIBP a call anyway since info on the forum seems somewhat controversial.
> It's really hard to get through the que though..


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## dok (Oct 11, 2015)

*Hi lvS,*

You can see from the case below.

Although he got positive outcome from Vetasses and he claimed 5 points for his PhD research as working experience. He might also get the deduction period from Vetasses points test advice. But the most important thing that affected DIBP's decision due to his salary slips. As this payslip appeared scholarship payment, not salary from the regular payment, DIBP would not consider this as the working experience, declining his 5 points. So, you must check from your payslips or bank statements that what exactly you got from the transaction (eg: salary or scholarship). It is the key point, as the rules and terms are different between the universities.



euk said:


> Hi Seva,
> Mine is funded by a CRC not the university. I successfully managed to get it positively assessed by VETASSESS. However, My CO just told me this recently DIAC doesnot recognize scholarships as a proper salary. it means I might loose 5 points  which still leaves me on 60 points to get the grant :fingerscrossed:
> 
> Additionally my salary slips mentions scholarship not salary as per say.


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## serenayu (Jan 12, 2016)

Thank you Seva. Your experience was valuable to me and thank you so much for sharing. I have followed your idea and have received the positive vetassess outcome with 3 years in the point test advice. I also sent an email to immi SA and they confirmed that since vetassess approves, SA will also approve the working exp.

I am still confused by the point test of PhD. Apart from the 3-year point test advice from vetassess, I have been doing my PhD in SA so I can have the 5 points for studying in regional AU. I am very curious if they can actually co-exist with the 10 points from working exp. I know for the same period of PhD , the points for the PhD degree often can't come together with the 10 point of working exp claim based on scholarship, but regional study does not need a qualification being completed. Well that sounds rather greedy and I don't need those 5 extra points but I just want to know if anyone has had this issue before.


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## sheila.caceres (May 18, 2018)

*Example of letter pls?*

Thanks to all of you sharing this information.
I am also doing a PhD under uni scholarship and when I called to ask ACS, they told me that it was not possible to use it as work experience, but they didn't listen much the part that I am paid. It was like the automatic quick response: no, you can't. Then, I suppose I need to carefully present the case and provide the right proves as there are successful cases among you, or they change now.
The messages are a bit old. I wonder if any of you have more recent experiences?

The first step is to have a letter from the supervisor?
===> Does anybody have a model of that letter, please?<==== 
I would love to see what you put so your PhD was assessed as work experience.
I would really appreciate if any of you could send a model to my email: sheila.caceres at gmail.com

Thank you so much!

Sheila


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