Relocating to Australia for Civil Engineers

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So you want to move to Australia?

With Australia being constantly voted as one of the best countries to live in, it is no wonder that many engineers from around the World consider moving Down Under.

But relocating to a new country is never an easy task and requires a lot of planning in advance.

Today, we would like to share with you some advice on relocating to Australia if you are a civil engineer, a surveyor or other construction professional.

Finding your first job in Australia might be easy…or difficult

Is it easy to find a job in Australia? Well, that depends on many factors such as:

Visa eligibility

The first and most important step for overseas engineers is finding out if you qualify for a working visa and what sort of visa you can get.

There are many types of work visas such as the 417 (Working Holiday Visa), 462 (Work and Holiday Visa), 476 (Recognized Graduate Visa), 189 (Permanent Resident Visa), and many other regional visas which allow you to live and work in Australia.

You can explore all visa options here

Current market conditions

The Australian job market is constantly changing as new technologies and challenges emerge. Currently, Civil Engineering Professionals are in high demand in Australia due to the Australian Government’s unprecedented infrastructure investment.

Qualifications

Engineers Australia (also known as The Institution of Engineers Australia, IEAust or EA) is a professional body and not-for-profit organisation providing:

  • Program accreditation
  • Migration Skills Assessment
  • Professional development
  • Chartered Status for Engineers

Engineers Australia works with the Department of Home Affairs, migration agents and international organisations to develop streamlined migration skills assessment procedures for engineers.

If you need to assess your engineering qualifications, you first need to read the Migration Skills Assessment Booklet and choose your assessment pathway.

Work experience

Skilled Migrants who emigrate to Australia often get a nasty shock when it turns out that their overseas-gained work experience is not valued. This also applies to Civil Engineers and Construction Professionals who sometimes struggle to find the very first job due to a lack of local experience.

Fortunately, there are some great organizations that can help you with your job hunt.

English fluency

Depending on the visa type and the country of your origin, you might have to take an English test (IELTS) to prove your excellent knowledge of English.

The International English Language Test (IELTS) is designed to help you work, study or migrate to a country where English is the native language. This includes countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and USA.

IELTS will test your competence in four key areas of the English Language test. The 4 key components are:

  • Speaking (talking),
  • Listening (hearing),
  • Reading (reading), and
  • Writing (writing).

The average IELTS score you will need to achieve depends on the type of visa you are applying for.

  • Working Holiday Visa (subclass 462 & 417): Band 5.0
  • Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457): Band 5.0
  • Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187): Band 5.0 – 6.0 depending which stream
  • Student Visa (Diploma): Band 5.5 – 6.0
  • Student Visa (Bachelor / S1): Band 6.0 – 7.5
  • Skilled Independent Working Visa: Band 6.0 – 8.0

You can also prove your English proficiency with other tests such as:

Test Score*
International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic or General Training) At least 7 for each of the 4 test components​
Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) At least 24 for listening, 24 for reading, 27 for writing and 23 for speaking
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) At least 65 for each of the 4 test components​
Occupational English Test (OET) At least B for each of the 4 test components​
Cambridge C1 Advanced test At least 185 in each of the 4 test components​

Australian resume

Australian resumes might differ to the resume templates you are currently using.

Ideally, your resume should be two pages long with clean and simple formatting and no images, graphs or tables. Most recruitment agencies in Australia use ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and ask specifically for a plain, Word-format document.

To see a full list or our Australian Resume Tips click here

Networking

There are many online platforms that Engineers can use to expand their professional network. For example, LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals, industry leaders and companies you would like to work for.  You can also join relevant professional groups

Job Opportunities for Civil Engineers

Currently, Australia is undergoing an infrastructure boom so it’s a good time to start researching your visa options. While it might not be the easiest process, it’s definitely worth it!

So if you are interested in finding out more about job opportunities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth, get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to have a chat with you.

Email your CV in Word format to [email protected] or register here

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