Construction companies to sponsor QS / Estimator / project manager

[Guest Lookingtoleave]

Hi

 

My husband is a Qs/ estimator / project manager here in Northern Ireland working on very large projects , but we have always wanted to migrate to Oz, what is the current construction market like in SA ?

Unfortunately due to the economic downturn here we can no longer afford our own visas so I'm wandering if anyone knows any SA construction companies that are sponsoring ?

Any help greatly appreciated

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Hi!

 

There is a lot of construction going on here at the moment so you may find somewhere to sponsor you, the only snag is that it is very unusual now for an employer to pay for you visa aplication and you would have to cover the cost your self. I maybe wrong and it is different with construction but i havent heard of it for a long long time.

[Keith & Linda]

Yes I agree with Claire, but would add that it is very very doubtful for anywhere in Australia during the present economic climate that any company would even sponsor you and would not think of paying to do so. So unless you have insider information and/or contacts, that avenue is not really worth the effort . Sorry to sound so downbeat but would not want you to be under any false impressions.

The construction company I work for were, at one time sponsoring project managers and the like and indeed paying for them too, but that was several years ago when things were booming, we also had a couple of guys who, shall we say did not do the right thing, thereby meaning the money was not well spent.

 

I wish you well and hope things work out for you.

Keith

[xzibit]

The industry is pretty quiet at the moment. I'd look at other states. There are a couple of projects in construction phase now, but that's probably enough work for about 10 QS's.

 

The public see building work happening and think the construction industry must be busy. Apart from the hospital, there's not really much happening. And not enough to keep everyone employed. My linked in is showing more and more unemployed daily.

[Jessica Berry]

The construction industry is struggling and has been for some time. I would echo Keith's response and say unless you have contacts, in the current climate it would be difficult to gain sponsorship, but then I would also add that Adelaide can sometimes be a case of being in the right place at the right time and things can happen.

 

There is a major construction project coming to an end in Adelaide so there will be plenty of people from that project looking for work who all have local experience, knowledge and qualifications. I saw a notice up on the site saying the companies were tendering for work around Australia and if people wanted to be put on the list, they would get a 'heads up' before any positions are advertised. Of course this will be a workforce that is used to travelling and working around Australia, going where the work is, I don't think any of the projects they were tendering for were Adelaide based.

 

In this past week I have been advised of 2 more construction companies that are going under and also of another one that is struggling. Someone was telling me their friend runs a building company and they are sh*tting themselves at the moment about availability of work (their words, not mine!).

 

There is some work with Chinese invested projects. Some brickies that have been out of work for 3-4 months have picked up work on these projects and are now trying to build a relationship with the Chinese to ensure continued work.

[Guest Lookingtoleave]

That's sad to hear , sounds like it's the uk 5 yrs ago ! Loads of QS work in London if anyone is interested ! Uk is slowly coming out of this but it's an aftermath of loads and loads going under first . Sad times x

[paulm]

Hi I am a QS working in SA been here for 3.5 years. The 'Contractors QS' is a strange being in Oz and is slowly taking shape in the industry as a whole. The role is focused more on Procurement, contracts admin and contract management and then babysitting the useless Australia engineers and project managers so be prepared for a lot of frustration. There are jobs paying avg salaries in SA for Estimator and Contract administrators but there is not much high end or they arent advertised as its all about who you know.

 

In regards to employment its few and far between working for contractors in SA. Contract Administrators are the equivalence to QS's over here. Best bet is to try the consultancy they will usually be interested for UK qualified QS but i doubt very much they will sponsor however its worth a try.

 

As i said Australian contractors are only just realizing the benefit of QS and most specialise in contracts and dispute.

 

Drop me an message if you want any more help.

 

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