Finding job in Australia

Finding a full time job in Australia is not an easy task.

If you migrate from Singapore, like me, you will have a bit hard time figuring out why your past experiences mean nothing here. Literally means nothing...

I had about 10 years of working experiences in Singapore and thinking with that many years of experiences, I should be ahead of the rest job applicants. The fact is, it is not going to help you much in Australia.

I had applied for a number of jobs and asked some friends for help on job search here. I had tried applying for jobs that are similar to what I used to work in Singapore and the reply is either unsuccessful or no reply at all.

Then I met a friend who worked in a online e-commerce shop, after changing job preferences and just looking for opportunity to work. Instead of the consultant role that I had in Singapore, I had changed to IT job. The meeting was short, all within half an hour.

What I gathered from the meeting:

• My skillset is not specialized
• Disconnected from the IT technology for too long
• Past experiences are outdated
• Do not have local experience

With all these negativity, it sure break your spirits.  To be honest, I am devastated and feeling down.

But then, thank God that I have friend who worked in a warehouse, managed to get a job at the warehouse working as picker while searching for full time job.

The warehouse work is physical demanding and energy draining. After working there for 2 weeks, I have a lot of respect for warehouse employees. Without them, the products that you see on the shelf will not be there.

After working for 2 weeks at the warehouse, I then applied a job (entry level) as helpdesk support and went through 2 interviews and I got the job. The job is totally different from what I used to do, this is level 1 phone support that requires me to deal with customers directly. I am not going into detail on the job but it sure an eye opener for me.

My advice is that job hunting in Australia is definitely not an easy one and you must be prepared to lower your expectation and start working like a fresh graduate. Well, if you have connections/network in Australia, probably you might get a good head start compared to me. Good luck!

Electricity, Water and Gas bill

Woohoo... we received our first electric bill and surprisingly it is not as high as we thought we could have incurred.

Well within our budget. phew....

How we managed to lower our bill?

• Use energy efficient light bulb
• Switch off power plug for any electrical or electronic devices that is not in use. *Never leave it stand-by mode
• Use LED light as bedside light
• Put the fridge's freezing level as medium cold
• Get a LED TV (very energy friendly)
• Use fan for cooling
• Use gas powered ducted heating
• Close all blinds to prevent unncessary heating of sunlight
• Use cold water for laundy and use quick wash mode
• Use efficient vacuum cleaner to clean the house quicker
• Most importantly, stay in a energy efficient house!

Australia's energy and water company charges a minimum service charges every month even if you don't use their energy. So, it is best to keep the necesary energy usage at the lowest to save family expenditure.

Also, the energy market in Australia is very open and many companies fight for your business,so it is best choose the companies that can provide some form of starter discount or monthly discount. Every single cents saved goes back into your pocket!

Cheapest way to move things to Australia from Singapore

What is the cheapest way to move things to Australia (anywhere) from Singapore?

If the things to move is not urgent and can wait  for at least 2 months.

Use: SingPost (Sea/Land Parcel) and we can track the progress when it leaves Singapore and arrive Australia customs.

Also, you can call SingPost to come your house to pick up the boxes, so it is convenient and value-added service at a very reasonable price.

We posted 5 boxes, combined weight of 70kg with each box averaging about 15kg.

Total cost: $200.

If you post it by air, it will cost you the same - $200 for ONE box.

You do the calculation. =)