smidsy

Congrats all, I secured a job too, signed contract middle of Dec & started 1st Feb, which suited me fine as my Wife had a baby middle of Jan. For me, I took a Company Accountant position, salary is a bit down, and its a 12 month maternity contract. Its very admin heavy, and more of a paper pusher than a business partnering role(referring to stepping down, as suggested above). But its a job, and I can catch up on my debts & pay some bills at last, plus its 10 minutes drive door to door, which is nice. Being on the inside I can see opportunity in the company(and some in its sister companies in other states), while here im using my commercial experience to try to improve the reporting etc. Plus, it is very good local experience, as it covers many areas of an industry I enjoy working in. The position itself is not where I want to be career wise, but I believe it will help me get where I would like to be. The lady I replaced is determined she's coming back, so after about 7/8 months in I'll start asking the bosses if there's an opportunity in a different capacity(or even different state), otherwise I'll start putting the feelers out. For reference, my company had to pay a silly amount in recruitment fee for me. It's crazy, but explains why employers like to hire in house, and use word of mouth. On a side note, has anyone found that recruiters speak to you in a completely different way when your working, rather than when your seeking work ??

Hmmm, I was in 2 minds whether to post or not, as dont want to bring doom & gloom to everyone - but hey, I have plenty of time on my hands !! Anyway, Im ACCA qualified with 13 years experience(maybe unlucky number???), of which, 7 years in Audit(In Big 4 for 5 years), and 6 years as Commercial Financial Controller/Finance Manager type roles. (1 year East Coast, 1 in Perth) Understandably, Employers want 10 out of 10 of their requirements, and, recently, they are getting it ! I have been job hunting since start of May, which is 6 1/2 months now. I have met almost all the recruiters here, and get excellent feedback. However, they say there are some lower level jobs available(sub$100k, esp sub $80k), and a few very high level jobs(+$150k), but at my $100-$150k level, there is almost nothing, and a hugh amount of applicants for any scrap of a decent job. Most of the Commercial accounting jobs available, prefer CA, or CPA. Most of the jobs available tend to be Management Account, Analysis, Cost controller type positions. They like Big 4 experience(dont ask me why, maybe prestige ??) They want local experience, and a solid work history. Preferably matching exactly the position & systems they are trying to fill. My Mate, a South African Accountant, ACCA, with a strong London banking career, was unemployed in Perth, also for 6 months, he found a job in Melbourne, and moved there last week. Another Mate, was a UK Engineer who worked in Hong Kong, Singapore & Perth, was on great money at $180k, he's looking for $120k jobs, and hoping he gets them, as after 5 months of being made redundant, he signed on the dole 3 weeks ago. My experience is broad, & multi-industry, more towards the entrepreneurial/manufacturing/hands-on type roles, and they are very rare ! The "who you know" is very true, but it is also frustrating & sad for the city. It means that the Perthians close ranks in a downturn and prefer locals, and mates, and not the best guy/girl for the job ! Anyway, it is what it is, hence I am looking on East coast also, as, even though there is a down turn there & also its hard to secure a job when not physically there, the career opportunities for immigrants are still over there. Having lived on both sides of Aus, the lack of entrepreneurialism & parochial nature in Perth gets up my nose sometimes. In saying that, if I had a decent job, my perspective would be different & I'd probably be blind to that ! Just to sum up, Im not saying noone can get an accountant type job, of course people are still getting jobs, its just that I believe those people are fulfilling 10 out of 10 of the requirements. If you do the same, then you can get the job too ! Personally, Iv had a fairly good, and varied career so far, but im over qualified for many of the jobs, and my varied experience is both a blessing and a burden. Oh, and under the circumstances, competition is fierce amongst recruiters, where they are recruiting for positions they dont contractually have, but thats minor stuff, but others are really not playing nice ! Be careful.

I wouldn't change your decision based on what iv said ! It's better to be informed ! But it would be best to have some finances behind you, especially as this means you can travel around while your job applications are pending(Make sure you make it up to Kalbarri). You'll never regret coming to Perth, and the learning how things work is all part of the fun !

Hi I am in Perth now, and im afraid its not good for accountants at the moment. There is high interstate migration from the Eastern States, and it makes it difficult for a non-Australian to compete. The job shortage in Aussie is mainly about skilled labour & trade type positions. Professionals arent in high demand. There are a small number of positions and a high number of candidates, so employers understandably are being very specific as to what they require. Im ACCA qualified, which isnt well known here and is often thought of as "some funny foreign qualification" Sad but true. IF CPA and ACCA can put their differences aside and agree a mutual recognition agreement things would be a little easier. Im suited to commercially focused roles, and there is a severe lack of suitable jobs for me. A recruiter told me that employers are looking for someone ticking 9 or even 10 out of ten boxes, and there are enough candidates that they are getting that. Somebody with a more specific background in relation to a particular role may have better luck. At the moment, systems & analysis type roles seems to the most prevalent on seek.com.au, in mining, engineering & building industries. I have seen Financial Controller, Finance Manager type roles, but employers seem to prefer someone who was trained in the Aussie system. Also, Perth is a bit parochial, and it took me ages to get my first job here. You will often hear that employers need "local experience". Its silly but true. However, you can dump your accounting career, and earn the same salary if not more driving a truck on the mines(if you know someone who can get you in ) ! Sorry to be a wet blanket, but its best to know beforehand. When emigrating, always hope for the best & plan for the worst. Ideally you should be able to self finance for about 6 months living expenses, just in case things don't pick up soon.