Hello,
I know this is very little tangent to windsurfing, but hopefully the admins can understand my motivation and won't delete it :)
I am a German student and just finished my German "Diplom" (equal to MSc) in mechanical engineering. Also, I am an avid windsurfer and studious reader of this forum. I love to read about the great conditions you guys have in Australia, because they seem to be from a dream.
Getting to know some Australians in Germany and hearing from friends how beautiful the country is and how friendly and open minded the people are, I decided that I want to start my worklife in Australia.
Now I have read about numerous guides of how to apply for a job in Australia and searched for vacancies in various databases. I sent some applications but so far I didn't have any success. I have an above average degree, various job experiences and I could start 5 different jobs in Germany tomorrow.
So I am hoping that maybe in this forum somebody knows somebody who is looking for a mechanical engineer who comprehends quickly, is able to deal with complex issues and posses strong communication and problem solving skills.
I have uploaded my CV here: https://www.seek.com.au/api/v2/resumes/3a0070a3-5cdb-89e8-c0ec-fcbd0947adb1
If you have any hints what I should be aware of (regarding application process), I would be happy to hear them. :)
Ideas:
1 - Contact the german chamber of commerce in Sydney, Melbourne etc. and get in touch with german businesses in australia. They would be more willing to sponsor you.
2 - As far as I know it is easy to get a working visaif you are prepared to spend about 3 months a year working in the 'outback', helping farmers and fruit growers. You could then move to a big city and contact potential employers personally
Good luck
that CV link doesn't seem to work... would be good to know what area of mechanical engineering you are in.
... not wanting to discourage you but you can't compare Germany with Australia at the moment. Germany is booming left right and centre. Australia has pockets where things are good but the majority of manufacturing looks pretty dire and it will only get worse with the car industry all but closing down in the next couple of years.
I think in WA your best bet would be to try and find work with a company related to the resources sector. While they are starting to shift a lot of the engineering positions out of the country there still seems to be a good amount of work. Not sure though what the general practices in that industry on hiring foreign workers are.
BTW if you thought Germany was bureaucratic then you haven't had the pleasure to deal with the department if immigration yet. I think even if you tried really really hard you couldn't make a government department more complex. I am sure there is a uni somewhere in Australia that offers degrees on how to navigate their processes.Good luck!
I suggest you start in one of the five jobs in Germany first, after you gained few months experience in your new job apply for qualification recognition with Engineers Australia (this is very important for your future opportunities). You will need an adviser to help you with the application process.
Ones your qualification is recognized you will have more employment opportunities.
I will also recommend you actually come to Australia on a Work and Travel visa as it is easier to get a job ones you are actually in the country.
Good Luck!
Strange, I checked the download link and it worked for me. Anyway, this one should work better: www.dropbox.com/s/r8yov7v4gpvpfsc/CV%20Peter%20Sellmaier.pdf
Thank you for your suggestions and wishes, I really appreciate it! I was thinking about doing the work and travel Visa. It would be nice to have a couple of interviews arranged before going.
I would second what Maaxim said. If you want to map out a career in engineering get in touch with Engineers Australia. I would also say that at this stage doing the work travel visa thing is probably your best option. You are essentially looking for a graduate position (or at least that's the way an employer would look at it). Those are rarely offered by small companies. Based on my own experiences I would say not many potential employers will go through the trouble of hiring someone from abroad as there are enough local people that will cost them less to hire.Another option you have is to do a postgraduate degree in WA. It won't be cheap though but will give you a foot in the door.The bigger issue is that often getting a job in Australia is less about what you know but who you know. The amount of people I have met in Australian corporates that are utterly unqualified to do their job is mind boggling.
BTW, you can find a list of sponsored occupations and their related assessing authorities on this page:http://www.immi.gov.au/Work/Pages/skilled-occupations-lists/csol.aspx
