The cost of living may be compare to a large European
provincial town. The charges on the
gross salary are 2 % for Medicare and 5 % approximately
for the Pension plan. The working week varies
between 35 and 40 hours (generally
38 hours). In the offices, the day starts at about 9am
and ends at about 5.30pm (with a lunch break of half
an hour). Part-time work is quite common (regarding
the law).
In order to work in Australia, it is often mandatory
(depending on the country you come from) to obtain a
temporary visa of residence. It must be asked in your
country of origin and it is necessary for you to be
sponsored by a company of this same country. Your
future employer will have to prove that no Australian
corresponded to the profile that he was seeking, in
order to justify your recruitment. He will have
to publish two consecutive advertisements in the local
newspaper. A procedure that always does not facilitate
the employment from abroad and, very often, foreign
people working in Australia are actually sent by a company.
If you plan to leave to discover Australia, while working
intermittently, ask Working Holiday Visa, you will be
able to work 3 months with the same employer.
It is essential to require, as soon as your arrival,
your Tax File Number (the equivalent of Social security
number) at the Australian Taxation Office (Australian
tax department). This number will be required when you
start working.