Skilled Migrant Professionals October 2014 | Page 33

UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS OF NETWORKING AND AUSTRALIAN TAX LAWS

M

y professional life began with qualifying with one of the Big Four accounting firms in South Africa which
led to employment opportunities, as well as
international experience, in the UK and the
Cayman Islands. After some travelling, my
wife and I set our sights on Australia, a country we had heard would be the closest to
home in terms of lifestyle and a place with
many expats, even some fellow South Africans. We could not foresee any challenges
Juan Koen, Principal
with settling into the ‘lucky country’.
at JLK Accounting
The opportunity to migrate to Australia is a
& Tax
great privilege but migration policies are very
strict. I was lucky to find my profession on the
entry short list but landing here without a job
started a battle we hadn’t signed up for. Depending on your industry, the barriers to finding work without the benefit of
local work experience are considerable.
When we arrived in Perth mid-August 2009 our world was turned upside
down. For the first time our qualifications and previous work experience
counted for nothing. Local experience was the key to unlocking opportunities but how do you get local experience without having a job – it was indeed
a classic Catch-22 case. At the time the job market in Perth was flat so we
moved to Sydney in the hope of better prospects.
After many interviews and six months later, a break finally came through a
network connection. Finally my foot was in the door. I went on to further my
studies to localise my tax knowledge and not long after another opportunity
arose through another contact. Two and half years later and a 4,000km road
trip across Australia, we were back in Perth.
The greatest lesson to be learned from my experience is the importance
of networking and making connections. It was not my prior experience or
qualification that opened the door for me, but a connection, which eventuated in a job.
A great mentor taught me that you might only be one hand shake away
from the opportunity you are searching for. I found out the hard way that
connections are invaluable when making a new life in Australia, luckily this is
not everyone’s story. Although, if you find yourself fresh off the boat with no
job, remember every person you meet could potentially open a new door for
you, just keep trying and never give up.

TFN: Your first step is to get a Tax File Number or TFN,
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