Now that you have taken your ‘giant leap’ to migrate to Australia and are labouring away at etching out your professional career, here are a few things for you to keep in mind:
East is not West
First things first, the educational and professional set-ups vary (massively) between India and Australia.
Growing up in a country like India, the traditional route for most of us is to make our way through educational institutions of various rankings and statures, hoping to emerge with a qualification in hand that will place us in good step for future. The professional pathway is heavily dictated and inflexible in India –school, college, university – in that very order.
‘Jobs’ come at the very end of this exceedingly long tunnel. If at any time you digress from the pathway, your professional aspirations are likely to be jolted for life. And once you make an educational choice for your career, it is extremely hard to switch careers later on.
Australia on the other hand offers more flexible work choices. You can jump between careers and jobs, while learning new skills along the way, with relative ease. Importantly, in the Australian job market, educational qualifications are not your golden ticket to securing a job – other than professions such as doctors, nurses, engineers, etc that require certified and accredited training adequate for those professions. Local work experience and a ‘can-do’ attitude will serve you better, as you try and break into the workforce.
Help is available for new migrants
Once you have caught your breath after landing in Australia, and you are ready to venture out in your quest for employment, be informed that there is a range of government and government-supported agencies that assist new migrants to Australia by getting them job-ready, and eventually help them get into paid employment. The starting for all such queries, if you are a migrant, can be Centrelink – they have a range of services to assist migrants who are seeking professional and career opportunities. Visit the at to look for the entire range of services that may be available.
I have been fortunate enough to be associated with another organisation called . AMES Australia provides a range of comprehensive settlement support programs, English language and vocational training, employment, community engagement and volunteering services to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Most of the above services may be available to migrants without any financial cost to them and will provide them with the guidance, training, and upskilling (as required) to get them job ready for the Australian job market. Through my association with Ames, Australia I have known several success stories of migrants being successful in their professional journeys using the assistance offered by the organisation.
Whilst, I have only referred to the above two organisations, once you get speaking with them they are equipped to put you in touch with other organisations and individuals who may be able to assist you best with your professional journey.
So, get in touch and get cracking.
Be flexible while trying to get into a career
The Australian workforce is a flexible environment. Multiple entry levels exist for individuals to kick-start their careers as migrants. Do not get hung up on a certain ‘seniority level’ for yourself when you start seeking professional opportunities. As I have written above, Australian workplaces prefer ‘work experience’ over ‘qualifications’ to a large extent. So, be flexible.
Create yourself an opportunity to enter at a ‘junior’ level than where you may have been in India, and work your way up. If you are in an industry or a sector that does not require accredited certifications (nurses, doctors, engineers, pharmacists etc), then rely on your generic skills such as leadership, project management, people management, systems and processes management, etc to make yourself suitable for careers and jobs across several sectors.
Once you get into the workforce, you will have access to affordable and flexible upskilling programs either through your employer, or other registered training organisations, to upskill yourself and seek opportunities for promotion and development.
Most importantly, remain patient. There may be a few rejections along the way but take them as learnings and keeping working towards your goals. Keep your chin up.
All it takes is that first step, followed by a series of tiny little steps.
That’s how journeys are etched. And I wish you well with yours!!
Note: In the next part of this series, I will talk about practical things you must focus on while getting yourself job ready as a migrant – resumes, job applications, interviews etc.
Sanam Sharma is a human resources professional and mentors new migrants at AMES. He is a published author and regularly writes flash fiction and poetry for his blog "Small town boy".
