Before going Down Under
The long student tenure means longer time to job search. The campus allows you to apply for jobs in the least expensive manner. You can make a local call; set up a personal interview; which would not have been possible if you were applying from outside or even as a migrant from inside.
Australian education has a lot of conversion courses and allows you to start a new career. A candidate with a B.Com can take up a MIT or a candidate with a BA can enrol in a MS in Teaching.
Before you pack up your bags or even spend time on the Australian university admission process, ask the following questions:
1. Do I qualify for admission?
2. Will I qualify for an Australian student visa?
3. Are part-time jobs available in the area?
4. Is a job available upon migration?
Only if the answer to all the above questions is a `yes' should you consider starting the process. Getting an admission to an Australian university is relatively easy. There is a university and program for everyone and for all grades. Another reason why Australia is popular with many Indian students is that it does not require 16 years of study. However, all applicants must take the IELTS exam.
The Australian student visa does not have a personal interview! But getting past the pre-visa is quite demanding and all the financial formalities have to be strictly complied with.
Getting a part-time job depends on the campus you will be going to. And you have to make sure that your degree and job is in demand before you think of migration. And to be eligible for a job in Australia, you must have what every successful migrant would swear by - a technical expertise!
Interestingly, even a two-year MBA will not lead to migration. The candidate will have to return to India; gain three years work experience before he or she qualifies for an Australian Permanent Residency.
As not all degrees lead to migration, it makes a lot of sense to find out which degrees qualify and simply take the one, which guarantees it. A two-year is a fundamental requirement for Graduation Migration but that does not guarantee a PR. A two-year with skills in demand does the trick. So you will definitely need to take a two-year degree to be eligible for migration and after that, check out which degrees the Australian Immigration is okay with.
The only way to stay back in Australia and apply for a migration when the Graduate Migration does not work is the newly announced Regional Migration Scheme. This Scheme aims to encourage migration in less developed and sparsely populated towns and suburbs in Australia. The Regional Migration does not have a point system - just find an employer and you are in.
Australia wants skills - hands on skills. Hence, the demand for tradesmen. A two-year Diploma in Automobile Mechanics, Hair Dressing, Plumbing gets you a Graduate Migration at the end of the course. So, if you like Hair Dressing, fixing a car or tinkering things around in your home, Australia is the place for you.
Australia also requires IT Professionals, Nurses, Teachers, Social Workers and Skilled Accountants. IT Professionals may have been taken off the priority category but it is still a stand-alone occupation. Anyone can take a two-year IT Degree and get PR through Graduate Migration. Nurses can undergo a 24-week orientation course before they can apply for migration. Teachers can take up a Masters in Education course and joins schools badly in need of teachers. Similarly social workers are in demand.
Instead of taking a MBA, consider an MPA, which is eligible for graduate migration. Dentists and Doctors can consider taking non-clinical degrees to enter the country. You can work as a well-paid Dental Technician while you are studying.
So Australia is the place to be.
By Xavier Augustin,
Y-AXIS Overseas Careers (Xavier@y-axis.com)
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