Job hunt in Australia
It is almost six months that I became member of the Australian society. It was a mixture of excitement, hope, despair, loneliness and to some extent a bored life.
Bhutanese resettled in Australia are luckier than those resettled in other countries in the sense that these Australian-Bhutanese have got minimum government support for survival until they get employed. However, considering the fact that
English is essential for everyone to get job here is bit irritating.
Adelaide, where I am living, is already a small city with limited job opportunities. And essential requirement of English has added woes to the excitement of Bhutanese to earn a decent living. To exception, I am denied free English course which all Bhutanese resettled in Australia are entitled to. The stories coming from US, where Bhutanese get job within week they get settled, adds worries to us. I have been attempting for last four months to get a job, not a good response yet.
Adelaide market seeks Australian experiences in any field, which I don’t have. Does that mean I am not entitled to get a job? When I meet people at ARA Jobs, my job advisor, they say I have the ability to perform good. Whoever I met here, they are positive to my attitude and capabilities that I can do better. It does not sound to be true when it comes to getting a job. I think I have applied for over 100 jobs, only a few responded with proposal to give far less than the normal rate in market. I rejected them.
Gradually, I am realising that Australian culture needs a person to recommend to get a job. I am annoyed with that. I am here little more than five months and who in Australia knows my ability? To my understanding so far, there aren’t any Australians who say someone is bad. The South Australian job market or employers have developed a wrong notion, I feel, that they recruit people based on recommendation, not based on the capacity of the individual. It is not only in Bhutanese case, but for all new migrants, that they must be given chance to demonstrate their capacity.
Recognition of someone’s skills must not be based on recommendation by others. That is more significant in the cases of new migrants. It would be other thing if Australian culture devalues the skills of migrants they developed overseas. If not, new migrants have great skills, capacities and energy to do for living in this new world. That was what I had read in The Australian daily about two months back. Australia has not been able to utilise the skills and ability of the new migrants. Only around 20 percent of the migrants have been able to contribute to the development of Australia while large numbers are not given opportunities.
Despite hurdles, life is Australia is a great experience for me, personally. Challenges are ahead, and determinations are here to face them. After all here is where I might have to pass rest of the days of my life, of course not forgetting Bhutan, the land where I was born.