Kinda wish my ancestors stole a loaf of bread and were dumb enough to get caught 200 years ago, oh well ho hum.
I've been reading this with interest as I hope to emigrate to Oz at some time in the future. The issue for me is this, I have an uncle living in Cairns, I'd be able to get sponsorship through him as last remaining family member plus all my points in the scoring system puts me up pretty high.
However if I am awarded right to live in Australia do I have to take it up immediately or can I wait until I have a job offer?
Don't want to go through the process and then have to move without anything and have to give up the award of residency because I can't get a job or alternatively go through the process and have the paperwork before someone will employ me.
It's definitely a chicken and egg thing. I do want to work in Australia as I think it has taken the best parts of the UK and the best of the US and left a lot of the b/s behind. Similar sports to home, same language (almost - G'day) and outdoors culture and nice climate.
I'll admit that it was hard for me to get one foot on the ladder as someone who was brought up in the UK to find a job with a UK company but that down to a few reasons:
1. English is the Lingua Franca of aviation, if you fly commercially you speak English to a degree, therefore the UK is open to you (27 European Union countries now + commonwealth)
2. We were a colonial power, we spread our language and peoples to the far reaches of the planet and as a result we have a lot who can reclaim access to our country via ancestry visas.
3. UK airlines basic business sense - a) take a 250 hour British pilot or b) ex Ansett/bush pilot with 3,000+ with right to live and work, despite excessive use of the word "mate", love or BBQ's and farts and nodding their head in satisfaction.
Not the best for us "home growns", but I don't think anyone can argue anything in aviation has been fair since the mid 80's (so I'm told)
Last edited by Dreamshiner; 22nd Jul 2008 at 17:39.