Global opportunities FAQs | Michael Page

For information regarding ways to obtain a working or residency visa for Australia, please visit The Department of Immigration website, or contact your nearest Australian High Commission or an immigration consulting firm in your home country.

For the UK, visa regulations and application processes are often changed and updated. For current information please check the Home Office website. 

This varies dependent on how open you are to different possible roles, sectors, and pay rate, as well as the ease with which your skill set will translate to the Australia or UK market.

Australia: In the current market our clients are not offering sponsorship to candidates based offshore because there is a strong local supply of good quality applicants. Occasional cases do exist though if a particular skill set cannot be found easily enough in the local market and an employer will consider sponsoring. From time to time we do see candidates who are on a Working Holiday Visa getting sponsored by their employer after their initial contract ends and once they have proven themselves in a role and gained the necessary local experience. 

UK: Occasionally we find that our clients are willing to sponsor successful candidates, however it depends on a number of factors and immigration regulations change often. It is generally only for more senior or specialist roles for in-demand skill sets that we find sponsorship may be considered. At the moment we are experiencing demand for candidates from a Big 4 external audit background to work in external roles in practice in the UK, and often our clients will sponsor in this instance. For the most part our clients are able to find suitable candidates from the local market and so do not always consider sponsorship. For more information about visas, please obtain independent immigration advice or check out the Home Office website.

Candidates can get in touch with us at all stages of the relocation process and we’re happy to help with queries at any point, however we’re best placed to assist once you’ve got your working rights in hand and have booked your flights. As the market moves quickly and we cannot foresee market conditions too much in advance, we’ll generally be able to get the ball rolling in your job search and consider you for current roles once you’re four to eight weeks away from arrival. Our global opportunities team can pre-arrange a meeting with one of our consultants for once you land in the Australia or the UK. 

This depends on the industry and type of role. The Working Holiday Visa entitles you to work on contract roles of a maximum of six months. We are highly successful in placing Working Holiday Visa candidates in contract positions across office support, marketing and finance. It is harder in sectors such as sales where most of the roles recruited are permanent. We do get a good supply of contract work and contracting is a great way for overseas candidates to get some local experience on their CV, but candidates need to be on the ground and available to start work as the turnaround on these roles is very quick. Most employers will want to meet candidates the next day and start the next week if successful. 

You will find that for the most part our clients tend to consider candidates on Tier 5 visas primarily for contract or temporary positions, due to the short-term nature of the visa. Contract or temporary work can be a great way to get to know the UK market and get some UK experience on your CV. The recruitment process tends to turnaround more quickly which is handy when you’re keen to start earning some Pounds, and often contracts are extended or are for longer-term period of time (for example maternity cover) so it doesn’t always mean working only for a short timeframe. Contracting rates can be higher than the equivalent permanent position. Also, often candidates prefer to find contract roles to fit their travels around. It’s definitely worthwhile being open to both permanent and temporary/contract opportunities when you first arrive.

CIMA and ACCA are recognised in Australia. The CA/CPA is highly recommended if you would like to get into a senior role where you want to mentor others. If you are CPA qualified or a Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Australia then your qualification is readily transferable to the UK as well. For any other qualifications you may need to seek advice with your education provider. 

There’s not really a “best time” as you’ll need to work around your own personal preferences for moving over. The market does tend to get a bit quieter over the summer and at Christmas time, as hiring managers tend to be away on annual leave so recruitment processes can slow down. However during these periods there can be an increase in temp work to cover employees that are away. It is always difficult to predict what the market will be like, so make sure you move at a time that suits you and be prepared that the market might be quieter or busier at any stage regardless of the time of year. It’s worth bearing in mind that a lot of candidates prefer to move over at the start of summer (June in the UK and December in Australia) to start their time with some nicer weather. 

Only in very select instances will a company provide a relocation package. For the most part you should be prepared to cover your own costs of relocating. 

Generally not. You need to have full work rights before we can represent you to any of our clients. Please see sponsorship section for more information. 

The yearlong Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) allows candidates travelling to Australia to work in contract roles up to six months for any one employer. Unless an employer is willing to sponsor your new visa or you are eligible for another work visa, then you must seek new temporary employment after six months in a role. You can however apply for a second Working Holiday Visa to extend your stay by another year through undertaking three months of rural/farm work in Regional Australia. Again in the second year you can only work up to 6 months for any one employer. 

Unless you’ve managed to secure sponsorship with an employer or are eligible for another visa, we will not be able to place you in a role past the expiry date of your Tier 5 visa. At present this visa cannot be renewed or extended. For more information about visas, please obtain independent immigration advice or check out the Home Office website.

Australia: please refer to the CV template section: 

In Australia, CVs are typically no longer than three pages and should clearly list responsibilities and specific achievements under each job title. No photo is necessary.

UK: check out our career centre for handy CV advice and tips, including a CV template for the UK market.

Try and keep your CV to 1-2 pages and make sure you tailor it to the job specification of the role you’re applying for. Include as many specific details as possible, including figures and KPIs, to show where you’ve added value to the companies you’ve worked for. No photo is necessary.

For more senior or specialist roles, where a client is perhaps having difficulty finding a suitable candidate from the local, immediately available market, they may broaden their search on a more international scale. However, the candidate market is quite competitive currently and our clients tend to be able to fill their vacancies without an international search. Ideally, you’ll have concrete relocation plans in place before there may be traction in the job application process. 

On occasion for particularly in-demand skill sets or senior roles, our clients will be open to a first-round phone or Skype interview. For the most part however once the recruitment process is in its more final stages, we tend to find that our clients prefer to make their decision after a meeting in person before making a job offer. Most of our clients want to see you face-to-face, rather than Skype or phone interviews. The problem with being overseas is that clients worry that you have not made the commitment to be in the country. Lots of clients have had the bad experience of interviewing over Skype or the phone, really liking a candidate only for that person not to end up coming to Australia/UK. Our PageGroup consultants, on the other hand, are happy to have a Skype call with candidates before their arrival if they have a strong background relevant to their client needs and are keen to actively represent them if opportunities exist. Otherwise, we can pre-arrange a face-to-face meeting with a consultant upon your arrival in the country. 

Unfortunately PageGroup policy is that we are not able to assist in finding contract roles for candidates who are sponsored by their umbrella/limited company.

From an agency perspective, it is worth being aware that our clients come to us with a specific checklist of criteria the successful candidate might meet. In this case if you do not have previous exposure in your area of interest it can be more difficult for us to assist. That being said, many employers are more flexible in terms of the CVs they consider so do apply for any roles that you find of interest. If you’d like to try something different and you’re considering a career in recruitment, we find a diverse array of skill sets transfer well. Find out more about joining PageGroup.

The job market is dominated by recruitment agencies and you’ll find a large proportion of companies will use an agency to source candidates for their vacancies. By avoiding recruitment agencies you’ll be limiting the scope of employers that your CV might be viewed by and therefore restricting your options. It’s definitely worth making contact with a limited number of recruiters in your field. PageGroup specialises in a wide range of disciplines – our global opportunities team is here to make sure you get put in touch with the consultant best placed to assist with your job search so you can get specialist, market-specific advice and assistance with your job search. We work with a broad range of clients, from boutique to FTSE 100, which means we can consider you for a number of different possible roles and let you know how easily your skill set will translate to the UK market. 

As above, it’s important to keep your options open and make contact with a recruitment agency. However, try not to register with too many as this can increase the risk of your CV being put forward for the same role or same client by more than one agency. It’s worth building a strong relationship with one or two recruiters to begin with and going from there. 

Exchange rates vary all the time, and the UK market is very different to those of other countries – it’s best not to assume that you’ll be able to earn the same rate here as you have done previously. It’s also worth bearing in mind that although you may have carried out a similar role in a different country, there can be different processes and pay scales, even in different branches of the same global company, and in certain fields your experience outside of the UK may not directly correlate to the same level in the UK. You can check out our most recent salary surveys here, and chat to us for more market specific information.