# Best job for high wages in Australia, unskilled?



## SaturdaySaturday (Jun 24, 2012)

Hi there,

Have been doing abit of reading recently about the high wages for unskilled workers in Australia and have decided to move over for between 6 and 12 months in order to earn some money.

My question is around the best jobs to look at i.e. the most money in the least amount of time - I have a marketing background, first class honours degree but understand that the best avenue for high wages will be in some form of mining role. Also, geographically where is the most prosperous place to head to? Does anyone have any experience of this area? Or perhaps able to point me in the right direction where I can get more information. Any help of course much appreciated...

Kind regards, Sat


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

In order to be eligible for migration to Australia, your occupation/ skills need to feature on the current SOL list, which can be downloaded from DIAC's website. Additionally, you will need recent work experience (3+ years) in your occupation.

Yes, mining companies currently have a big recruitment drive overseas and they typically sponsor but that's aimed at highly skilled people, with significant experience in their field, such as engineers, geologist, etc. In terms of unskilled labour, there are lots of people locally who can fill those roles, so visas are not necessarily issued for those positions. 
As your migration plans are only short term, prospective employers will not be able to justify the expense of getting you a visa and/or further training for 6 months gain - it makes no financial sense.

Also, bear in mind that despite the large number of vacancies in mining, it's not as easy as that to get into mining. Mining companies need to people who know what they are doing - there is no way that they will let you loose on a piece of equipment worth millions if you have little or no experience. There was actually an article in the paper a few weeks ago, where they had interviewed Australians who had retrained in the hope of getting into mining but had been met with refusals. One guy had been trying to get into mining for 5 years and despite being skilled, he was facing a barrier in that his work experience was not in mining.

If you are under 30, then you can try getting a working holiday visa but there is no guarantee that you will be able to find work in the mines. You may give up a good job and end up picking fruits on a farm! Even if you do get into mining, with no experience, you will most likely end up working as a labourer (it does pay better than what you would earn on a construction site though).

Mining is big mainly in WA, though there are mines in other parts of Australia. Wages are also based on skills and experience, so again if you do not have any, then you won't be earning the big bucks in any case.

If you consult DIAC's website, they have a visa wizard on there that will give you an idea of the visas that you MAY be eligible for. Once you've ascertained that you qualify for a visa, then you can start researching the requirements and assuming you can meet those requirements, then you can start contacting agents and just researching some of the major job websites but the visa is the most important thing - without it, nothing else matters in any case.


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2012)

I don't know where you read that but there it isn't really true. If you are unskilled, taking an unskilled job you will get low/min wage just as you would in the UK. 
Jobs that are skilled and require highly trained and experienced workers will get the same to a little bit more than the UK. Limited occupations will be paid substantially more but they would be medical staff, engineers and other very highly qualified and shortage occupations.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

_shel said:


> I don't know where you read that but there it isn't really true. If you are unskilled, taking an unskilled job you will get low/min wage just as you would in the UK.


I think the media may possibly be partly to blame for this. When I was in Dubai, I remember this one reporter spending a weekend in Dubai and then writing an article portraying expats having lavish lifestyles. This was at the time when the market had sunk and was beyond revival. The result was that a lot of people sold their worldly possessions and moved over to chase a ship that had already sailed!

Some asked for advice and those of us who bothered to put them straight got accused of wanting to earn all the money ourselves and being guilty of scaremongering. It was doubly sad when a few weeks later you had the same people begging for help because they had arrived in the country and realised too late that they had made a massive mistake and that there was indeed no millions to be made and that the streets were not paved in gold!


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2012)

True, in my knowledge of Dubai I'd earn £££££ pay no tax and spend my time partying & laying by the pool lol

True about the media. The many shows pimping emigrating to Australia make out it is still like it was 'in the good old days' when it was $2.5 or $3 to the £. Everyone earned triple what they could in the UK, houses are cheap and all by a beach and huge and even those on the lowest wage can afford one where they couldn't in the UK! 
Which is far from true for many. I'd have taken a 60% pay cut from what I got in the UK as a social worker and could only afford a tiny apartment in an area I didn't want to live! 

Give me a few years & a few more higher qualifications though ;o)


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## stormgal (Sep 30, 2009)

_shel said:


> True about the media. The many shows pimping emigrating to Australia make out it is still like it was 'in the good old days' when it was $2.5 or $3 to the £. Everyone earned triple what they could in the UK, houses are cheap and all by a beach and huge and even those on the lowest wage can afford one where they couldn't in the UK!


Oh and now they're doing it in the US - several weeks ago, I flew to California and I told my relatives over there that I was able to establish PR. Well, they looked at each other and said, "Oh wow, they're really pushing Australia - do you remember the ad we saw in the newspaper, about the California gold rush repeats in Oz"


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## jb12 (Jan 27, 2012)

stormgal said:


> Oh and now they're doing it in the US - several weeks ago, I flew to California and I told my relatives over there that I was able to establish PR. Well, they looked at each other and said, "Oh wow, they're really pushing Australia - do you remember the ad we saw in the newspaper, about the California gold rush repeats in Oz"


For your case, it was your personal decision to apply. But Australia is the one trying to recruit US workers in specific sectors and even the military as these articles indicate. 

Australia will target US workers

Serving Down Under: Australia offers military jobs to US troops facing separation - News - Stripes


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2012)

Same with the UK, the 'Wanted down under' show is funded by the BBC & the Australian State Governments. Wonder why that is and why they portray Australia & the fantasy lifestyle the way they do! Seems to mostly target nurses and trades as they're the people mostly shown on the show.


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## jb12 (Jan 27, 2012)

_shel said:


> Same with the UK, the 'Wanted down under' show is funded by the BBC & the Australian State Governments. Wonder why that is and why they portray Australia & the fantasy lifestyle the way they do! Seems to mostly target nurses and trades as they're the people mostly shown on the show.


I personally haven't seen the advertisements for the recruitments. But I've seen the description of some job postings that it will offer you a nice lifestyle. By the beach,etc. I think what Australia can offer to what people want is the maybe sunny weather we see in movies, laid back atmosphere, good economy compared to the economies of other countries,etc.. 

What I don't understand is why doesn't the Australian Government try to invest in training, educating their local citizens for the jobs they have shortage of? Example: nursing, engineering, IT, and mining. As another posted put, there was one Australian(I'm assuming an Australian?) who had tried for 5 yrs to get a mining job but was not able to because he/she didn't have the experience in mining. In order for anyone to get experience in an occupation, a company/hospital has to give them that opportunity. In return, they can start training the new set of employees when they become more expert in their jobs.

Is the majority of Australian citizens not interested in these type of occupations and that is why there is a shortage?


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2012)

The thing is they do. Students in Australia can get loans for fees from TAFE right through to Higher degree level. They can also claim various welfare payments to support them whilst they study, unlike the UK. If they want to do a research MA the fees are paid by the Government and there are many Government funded scholarships for all students. 

Maybe they just dont advertise and encourage them enough. But there are also as many Aussie graduates leaving for the USA and Europe as there are migrants going in to Australia!


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## jb12 (Jan 27, 2012)

_shel said:


> The thing is they do. Students in Australia can get loans for fees from TAFE right through to Higher degree level. They can also claim various welfare payments to support them whilst they study, unlike the UK. If they want to do a research MA the fees are paid by the Government and there are many Government funded scholarships for all students.
> 
> Maybe they just dont advertise and encourage them enough. But there are also as many Aussie graduates leaving for the USA and Europe as there are migrants going in to Australia!


That's a nice set up for Australian students. As for the welfare payments to support the students while they study, is there any regards to how much their parents make? I know here in the US, students wanting to apply for financial aid are not qualified because their parent(s) make a certain amount. And their parent(s) is really not making that much to be considered rich. So if the student really wants to go to college, if they are not able to get financial aid, they have to get student loans. But those probably have requirements that need to be approved such as a requirement for a cosigner.

It's probably true that Australians who have the skills and recently graduated might want to go outside of the country to work. To experience something different and see the world. I just recently read about the E-3 visa offered solely for Australian citizens for the US. It's a 2 year temporary visa that allows a person with a college degree to work in the US if they can find a job in their degreed profession that specifically states it needs an applicant with a bachelor's degree. They need to first be offered the job before applying for the visa with no age restriction. But that seems to be a nice set up considering the Australian WHV is only for 12 months and can't work more than 6 months with one employer. 

One Australian I met on a tour group told me that since Australia is located where it is with not a lot of countries close to it. Australians are kind of isolated unless they travel out. I guess that's how it works that we all want to experience being in a new country.. People leaving their country allows opportunities for others to enter.


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## stormgal (Sep 30, 2009)

_shel said:


> Same with the UK, the 'Wanted down under' show is funded by the BBC & the Australian State Governments. Wonder why that is and why they portray Australia & the fantasy lifestyle the way they do! Seems to mostly target nurses and trades as they're the people mostly shown on the show.


lol, I tried to google for that often talked about show - I hear about it on every forum. Anyway, when I got to the BBC's website, it said the show isn't available to my IP address. But then I found it on youtube - a lot of episodes have been uploaded lol


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## srik2006 (Nov 14, 2013)

my cousin is unskilled labour, how he can apply for Australian Visa?


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## shingle (Oct 30, 2011)

to what....this is ancient


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