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Why Australia?
Svetlana : Hi, Yura! Today we have a very interesting topic with you - how a developer can go abroad. When did you decide that you want to move, how did you choose your country and why did you choose Australia?
Yuri : Hello, Sveta! There were several reasons. I visited Australia with my wife as a tourist. We went several times, really liked it. There was a good chance to apply for a visa here. In Australia, a point-based system for obtaining a visa and (in fact) anyone with a certain set of parameters can get a visa. In general, we generally wanted to move. Moreover, officially, legally, with medicine and all rights.
These key factors influenced the decision. Before that, we visited both America and Asia, but settled on Australia.
How to get a visa
Svetlana : How to get a visa? How long and difficult is this process?
Yuri : The whole process is described in detail on the website of the Australian Department of Migration. There are several nuances. There is a system of points and they are assigned for different indicators: for knowledge of the language, education, experience. If the total number of points falls within a certain range, then the person falls into the short list. This is a list from which candidates are selected already in the queue for issuing a visa.
Each item is described in detail on the site, but I can also briefly tell about them. I took the IELTS language proficiency test. These exams are not really for knowledge of the language, but for knowledge of the delivery format. You need to know very well how to prepare and how to answer the questions, because there are 4 sections: listening, speaking, writing, reading - read, hear, answer.
We'll have to figure out the structure of the exam. If you just know English well, it will be difficult to pass. Therefore, the question must be asked differently - "How did I improve my English?"
How to improve your English for an exam
Yuri : I studied German both at school and at the institute. Several years ago I started learning English from simple things. When I passed some basic initial stage, I switched to the IELTS exam formats.
We went to separate courses where a native speaker, an English-speaking teacher, talked about the structure of the exam.
- wrote essays every day;
- listened to podcasts for listening;
- read certain articles, the format of which can be found on the exam.
We focused heavily on the exam format.
I didn't pass the first time, and the second, too. But you can't not pass it - you can always pass it. The question is what grade. The higher the score, the more points are given for the language.
After German, speaking is the hardest part. I have never talked to anyone anywhere except the computer. Therefore, I had a good reading, I wrote well.
How to get a passing grade
Svetlana : What is the passing score?
Yuri : Each specialty has its own passing score. For my specialty, it's simple: I had to pass all exams with 6 points (or more) in order to apply for a visa at all. If I passed everything at 7, then I would be given 10 more points for the language. But it is difficult. And I didn't pass at 7, because I had enough points from other points.
The next point is education . Ideally, when the education coincides with the specialty for which the visa is being applied. For example, I was a software developer and applied for a software development visa. A maximum of 15 points are given for this.
Next comes the experience . The number of points also depends on the experience. The maximum number of years of experience is 10 or more. For this, they also give 15 points.
Further age . There is a certain table in which it is written, for what age, how many points are given. After 32 years, they give 5 points less. The older a person is, the better he should know English. You can compensate for age with your tongue.
Visa Application Form
Yuri : If a certain number of points is accumulated in total, then you can submit a special form. It is called Expression of Interest - a declaration of desire for a visa . Everything is online, there is no need to go anywhere - download in pdf format.
After that, the candidate is included in the list. The list is being reviewed by the Migration Department. Each month, the department selects the people with the highest score. For example, first those who have 80, then 75, 70 and beyond. There is a limit for each month. If it is exhausted, wait for the next wave.
About a year of waiting
Svetlana : How much time did you spend from the moment of application to obtaining a visa?
Yuri : From Expression of Interest to the moment when my application was submitted for consideration, a month passed (or two, I don't remember). Then the officials check all the documents for a long time, sometimes they call employers, check the diplomas. But the process is individual. It took us 1 year .
You don't have to do anything, just sit and mind your own business. A year later, they send a pdf, which says: "Welcome to Australia." I still haven't deleted it.
From the moment of filing to the moment of entering the country, they give no more than a year.
If the visa is given a month after the filing, there are 11 months for entry. We were given a visa after 12 months and only 2 months to enter. We didn't have time to think, so we quickly packed up and arrived.
Svetlana : Stressful situation. Did you have a feeling that, no, I won't go, I'll stay in Russia?
Yuri : No, that was not the case. This is a unique opportunity not to be missed.
About job search
Svetlana : Do you regret making such a decision?
Yuri : No, we like it here. Not to say that something was bad in Russia. It's just different here.
Svetlana : As far as I know, you went "nowhere"? You didn’t have a job in Australia, and you didn’t even have the prerequisites that you would go to work anytime soon. What is the structure of the labor market in Australia, how does it differ from the Russian one, how to look for work for those who come?
Yuri : At first, I tried to find a company remotely, to offer myself to them before my arrival. I registered my phone in Skype, but there was not a single call.
After arriving, the first week we were busy with some documents, and then I started looking for work. The process is similar to how it works in Russia.
There is something like HeadHunter, a large portal that even looks like its Russian counterpart. Candidates post their resumes and employers look at them and invite them. As soon as I arrived, I submitted my resume and after that they began to call me. I wrote right away that I already had a visa and was already in Australia, and they started calling me.
There were about 4 calls.
- HR first asks for the checklist. He cannot even evaluate the answers, but simply puts, if I fall within his boundaries of answers: suitable, not suitable.
- Then he passes the answers to those who are looking for a person - to the IT department or somewhere else.
- They look at this screening and schedule an interview.
I had the same scheme: I came and talked. Basically, the conversation was about experience, about what he was doing. The next day they called me back and offered me a job offer. The whole process from resume to offer took a week.
Svetlana : Where do you work now? What position, if not a secret, and the size of the company?
Yuri : The company is small, and I still work in it. But it is very interesting: there are not many people, but there are many offices in Europe and New Zealand.
The first 3-4 months I was engaged in more technical work than managerial work, as in Russia. I understood that there was a problem with the language and, in order to compensate for this, I focused on the technical issue.
Yes, and about the language, when I got a visa, I had an Advanced plus level, next after Advanced. But when I arrived in Australia, I simply could not understand anyone and no one could understand me.
Svetlana : Are there many dialects?
Yuri : It's just that the scale is different. In our understanding, good knowledge of the language is the basic level here.
About resume
Yuri : It is ideal to write a resume for the employer. You cannot paint 10 years of experience on one page and send it to different companies for different positions.
This must be taken seriously - make a few resumes. If for a long time a person has worked in different positions, make separate resumes and add only those that fit.
Svetlana : Of course, you still need to adapt your resume to the employer's technologies, talk about key skills, what you did, what projects you did using these technologies. This little nuance sometimes prevents a candidate from getting to a meeting with a company. A good recruiter will notice, add and describe everything, but if you contact the employer directly, it doesn't always work.
Yuri: I agree. I've seen HR work here. They just look at a list of keywords they don't understand at all. If there are no keywords, then the resume will not go further, whether you are even three times perfect. Therefore, it is important to understand what the employer is looking for and give him a resume that suits their keywords.
Svetlana : Ideally, consider vacancies and adapt your resume to the vacancy of the company where you want to get a job offer. Do I understand correctly?
Yuri : Yes, this is an ideal case. If the job is a fundamental developer, then he should be fundamental, not managing something. If it's a teamlead, it might have an emphasis on project management or something else. And not that you are a full stack, as they call a person who does everything at once. These resumes don't work well.
About LinkedIn and illegal immigrants
Svetlana : Does LinkedIn work in Australia when looking for a job or not?
Yuri : It works because they still write to me on LinkedIn. At least LinkedIn is used here too. I myself am looking for people there.
Svetlana : If you post on LinkedIn in Russia and look at the vacancies of Australian employers remotely, will it work?
Yuri : In this case, you won't be able to work as a local employee. If there is no work permit, it can only be arranged as a service consulter - there can only be a contract with a foreign company. This is not comparable to working full-time on the continent.
If you are fully engaged in search, you need to come and search here. If I need a person in the office, then I can consider (maximum) those who have already bought tickets and will arrive tomorrow. Simply because there are many issues that need to be resolved on the spot.
Svetlana : If you go to Australia without a visa and get a job? How utopian is this?
Yuri : This is utopia. All databases are merged here. When applying for a job, the police check and visa check are checked - legally it will not be possible to get a job officially.
Svetlana : There are a lot of Indians working in Australia (note: I mean Indians - immigrants from India). Does this affect the cost of IT specialists? Does it spoil or improve the IT development market situation?
Yuri: There are Indians, Chinese, and many people from Asia. But there is an emphasis on quality over quantity. Instead of three Indians, they will take a fourth for a penny, but for an expensive one, which will work well. But selection does not depend on nationality, but depends on the qualifications of the person.
I would not say that the Indians are dumping - life in Australia is expensive, but you quickly get used to the good. Those Indians, having lived a little, can no longer go back and work for food. Therefore, they begin to live like local residents.
About life and taxes
Svetlana : Tell us about life in Australia, the pros, cons.
Yuri : It is very good for children here. Everything is here for them: parks, playgrounds, a barrier-free environment for parents with strollers, for example, there is an elevator in the metro. I did not find any cons. There is no clear boundary here, what is good and this is bad.
Svetlana : How much do you need to earn to feel normal?
Yuri : It depends on various factors: whether there is a family, children, how close the housing is to the sea, whether they are willing to pay more for less housing. We live far from the sea - half an hour by car. The price for such apartments is much lower due to the fact that they are far from the water.
The costs are highly individual, depending on the wishes and needs. If the income is low, then the state partially compensates for the costs of rented housing.
Svetlana : You select developers. What salary do you pick up for? How much is it per month or per year?
Yuri : Everything counts in a year. For example, I hire people from $ 100 thousand per year. A normal specialist, with experience, but not quite senior, earns from $ 100 thousand per year (note: we are talking about Australian dollars, 1 US dollar is about 1, 4 Australian).
Svetlana : How much will he pay taxes?
Yuri: The tax scale is progressive: the more income, the more you pay. Up to 18 thousand a year you pay 0%. Then the scale of 40, 60, 75, 90 and 180 thousand goes further, after which the 42% tax begins. Moreover, 42% is not of the total amount, but of the one that exceeds the threshold.
About specialization
Svetlana : What do you think about full stack developers? Should you choose a niche, either backend or frontend? Or is full stack the zone where you can develop in your career? What does your experience in Australia show?
Yuri : I see such a division:
- Mobile development is divided into native and the use of some frameworks, for example, React Native.
- A pure frontend is Angular, React (for example, here they are looking for a developer just in React, and just in Angular).
- . , database developer — , SQL Server, Oracle, . , , , .
Full stack is more about dot.net or asp.net. For example, if you take asp.net, you won't be able to be an asp.net developer - you need experience with the frontend. It depends on the specific directions of development, but implies that the developer will be able to make the UI using the framework. You need to know, respectively: backend, C #, asp.net framework, view, master the Interface.
Svetlana : Where are the more cool IT specialists in Russia or Australia?
Yuri : It's hard to find cool people everywhere. The last time I was looking for a person for six months. There is always a shortage of good specialists.
Svetlana : What would you recommend to guys who are looking for a country to relocate (or plan to move to Australia)? What do they need to do to make everything go well?
Yuri: If this is an English-speaking country - it is corny to actively study English. Consider a country with an official design so that as a person you do what you want, and not work as a trucker. If IT is something with which you want to connect your whole life, then you need to continue doing this in another country. Because work should be fun.
It was a GetIT podcast with Yura Galustov. If the podcast was interesting, subscribe to the headz Telegram channel , where we publish them immediately after the release, share interesting vacancies in IT and new articles.
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