In November 2012, I moved to Melbourne to find a developer job with a Working Holiday Visa.
My profile was: 3+ years working experience, 26 years old French developer (core languages: C/C++).
# What you need to know
- Your profile will be less attractive than those of Australian residents. Few reasons why:
- You are allowed to work only up to 6 months with the same employer with a Working Holiday Visa (unless the company is willing to sponsor you).
- Australians highly value references from previous Australian employers. It could be a good idea (and a great experience) to start with some fruit picking or Wwoofing to have those references!
- There are already many skilled residents & migrants in Australia.
- Nothing happens in the job market during December and January. Prefer these months to enjoy the vibrant life in Melbourne or to go road tripping!
- Advice: Follow up with recruiters every few days.
- Some skills in high demand can get you really lucky (web designer, Ruby on Rails or SAP for example).
- Be open to change your plans, eventually by sending job applications Australia-wide.
Also:
- The startup scene is growing up in Sydney and Melbourne!
- Inspire9 is a cool co-working space :)
# How did it end up for me?
Pretty well, even through I've didn't get a job in Melbourne, I've got an awesome one in Perth as a Node.js backend developer :)
# Conclusion
I definitely recommend the experience, I loved discovering the Australian culture and Melbourne is a truly awesome city! Also, being challenged is part of the fun ;)
Send me an email if you have any questions :)
