I wrote a post about Search Down Under earlier this year about the opportunities available in Australia.
There are many place to work in Perth, Melbourne Sydney. Australia has not been hit by the GFC which is short for the Global Financial Crisis (and is how Australians refer to the recession in Europe). Sydney and Melbourne have the highest number of digital agencies, although Perth was named Australia’s top E town in August, due to the number of online businesses set up in 2012.
For those searching for a job in digital in Sydney, there are many companies on the look out for fresh talent.
North Sydney
The GroupM agencies which include Maxus, MEC, Mindshare, Mediacom are based in North Sydney. All but Maxus are on Berry Street, near the train station. Maxus is close by on Miller Street. All companies have offices worldwide and therefore working across international brands and international travel may be possible.
Walsh Bay
Aegis Media is based in Walsh Bay which is just round the corner from The Rocks and Circular Quay. Mitchell and Partners, Carat, MPG and Vizeum part of Aegis are all within the same building. Like GroupM, Aegis is a multinational company and has offices worldwide. Digital is a small industry and many people I know have worked for Aegis in London.
CBD
PHD has many offices worldwide, including one in the CBD of Sydney. The CBD refers to the area around Wynyard, south of Circular Quay and north of Central Station. Ikon Communications, an Australian agency is also based in the CBD, on York Street. OMD is by Darling Harbour in an area called Pyrmont. Many of the agencies advertise vacancies on their website or on Australian job sites such as indeed.com.au and seek.com.au.
Surry Hills
East of Central station is Surry Hills and where many of the boutique agencies such as Naked Communications and Match are located. Surry Hills is a popular area to live and work. Reprise Media which has offices in Sydney, London, France, the US, Germany and Spain is also based in Surry hills, just opposite Central station on Chalmers Street.
It is relatively easy to get a working visa in Australia for UK citizens. Those aged 18 to 30 can apply for the one year holiday visa at a cost of £190 through immi.gov.au. The visa has its restrictions meaning workers can only be with the same employer for a maximum of 6 months. However, if you wish to extend your visa making it 2 years, you will need to work at least 3 months in the country within the first year of arriving in Australia. There are many jobs, the greatest demand being in Western Australia. For those who are over 30 years old but want to try working and living in Australia, apply to the digital agency clearing stating that you would require sponsorship for the role. I know many UK citizens over the age of 30 who are now living and working in Sydney – thanks to sponsorship from their company.