Getting a contract in Australia

[SimonMac]

Would it be easier if you had family over there? My uncle is in Melbourne and he keeps harping on about coming over

[Stan.goodvibes]

I'm Australian, contracted in Oz for 5 odd years before moving to the UK.

Right, firstly you don't make as a big a whack in Oz as over in the UK. Because you can't do a limited company (well you can, but a max of 80% of your companies income can come from one client a year, and you need a minimum of 3 Directors with shares in the company), you pay normal tax rates. e.g. in Oz almost 50%. So as a contractor I was only getting around 30% more than a permie.

The only tax break you get is the living away from home allowance, where you can declare your rent as an expense. If you are clever, you get your name on a big house, rent out all the rooms on the sly and claim the full amount.

Most of the high paying work is in Canberra, working for the government. Canberra is a hole.

Most rates are hourly, not daily. The banks do daily rates, most others do hourly. Unless that has changed massively in the past 4 years.

I checked recently with some contractor pals in Sydney, $85 an hour for a senior developer (either java or c) in govt work. $75 an hour for private work.

I'm a kiwi - contracted in London (The City) for 6 years in the late 90s (The Golden Years) and have now been contracting in Sydney for the last year. Just got another year extension, so will probably stick it out. I also have a British passport so I can't help you on the details of getting a job here. But a few facts from my perspective.

I've been keeping an eye on the UK contract market because I was planning on returning to London, but right now you can't beat Oz as a place to work - TONS of roles, and rates of $600-$700 are the norm (and higher). I don't agree with the above comment about rates and tax - firstly the LAFHA (living away from home allowance) is very generous i.e. my flatmate gets $2000/week and pays a meagre $300/week tax and super. You can do that for at least 3 years. Also currently I am STILL using my NZ company (so havent applied for LAFHA) and the agency just send my wages off to my NZ bank every payday (they can't pay into a private account and I can't open a business account without an OZ company so its the only way they'll pay me) so I claim a load of living abroad expenses and pay squat-all tax in NZ.

From everyone I have spoken to it seems that accountants just go large with claiming LAFHA on your behalf and revenue don't seem too bothered. I'm not sure where the above tax rates are coming from - everyone I know has been contracting for years at the same client using the same company and paying not much tax (one contractor has been here for 25 years). Mostly use umbrella companies like CXC, but the single director company approach is used as well.

The standard of living is WAY higher than the UK, and a hell of a lot cheaper. My flattie and I rent an inner city apartment (2-bed, 2-bath, balcony, rooftop pool spa, gym sauna steam room concierge etc etc) for AU$780/week. Thats 480 squids a week (240 each)! And its a 5 minute walk to work for both of us and smack in the middle of chinatown so we eat like Kings for less than 5 quid and there are world class beaches within 20 minutes of here. Try doing THAT in central London. Lunchtime swim and sunbathe on the roof anyone? (for about 6 months of the year).

For us Antipodeans the UK is always a win because we get the exchange rate in our favour. For you guys coming this way its got to be more of a lifestyle choice. But with the strong AUD and sterling languishing its not a bad time to be down this way and sending some money home. I figured I need at least 3000 quid a week to beat what I'm getting here, and even then it wouldn't be half as much fun.

This place is rocking on the back of China buying everything we can dig out the ground. They don't even have a word for 'recession' in the australian language (however there are at least 6 words for barbeque).

NEVER go to Canberra, it makes Slough look like Pandora.

If you can get here, get here (Sydney). Its gotta be one of the best places in the world to live at the moment I reckon.

[TiroFijo]

Rates seem fairly attractive, ~AUS$1000 a day but Oz is now a very expensive country to live in, I understand.

There are no 'non' expensive countries to live in now - well the ones that have jobs anyway.

[Fred Bloggs]

There are no 'non' expensive countries to live in now - well the ones that have jobs anyway.

True. especially if you are earning in £'s right now. Recently went to Milan and it was stupid prices for everything when converted to £'s.