Invite received - Finance Manager

[Carioca]

Hi Guys,

 

Brief introduction. Family of four. Wife, 4yr and 3yr old and I. Qualified accountant (CIMA) 8yrs post qual (property and investment banking specialist). Moving from London to Adelaide.

 

We received our 190 invite so now just paperwork, police and medical tests to go but hoping to make the move around Dec/Jan in time for new academic year.

 

Wife is Brazilian and desperate to move somewhere warm and welcoming after 10yrs in London. Adelaide was the perfect choice and they needed finance managers!

 

Any indication for strength of CFO/COO market/availability? I am starting my networking now with recruiters but any advice or introductions would be well received!!

 

Many thanks in advance for any tips and guidance.

 

Hugo

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

 

[snifter]

Really cannot help on the job front I'm afraid. Hopefully there is someone out there who may shed some light. 

 

I'd trawl the employment websites to see what is listed for Adelaide. 

 

[Seán]

Hi Hugo,

Just signed up here. We (family) too are  moving to Adelaide, in Jan/Feb time ....however we are moving from Sydney, where we have lived for 7 years.

Am also CIMA - a bit more experienced, a more polite way of saying of saying someone is older  About 20+ years PQE .

So Im new to the Adelaide market too, but I know Sydney well. From initial reviews, the markets are like chalk and cheese. Sydney is buzzing and no shortage of finance roles, its a major FS hub and lots of national organisations base their HQs here. I've not spent much time in Adelaide and there is lots I have not seen, however my initial impression and research indicates its a far smaller market, a regional capital but nothing like the buzz of Sydney or London. In fact the move from a massive city like London to Adelaide could be a shock to the system. 

You'll probably see from online job sites that not too many high level finance jobs come up - seem to be few and far between. I have found the Australian market (Sydney anyway) is more biased on your network / who you know, than your raw ability. Which isnt great when you first move to a new city, but in the long run can actually work out well. BTW I found in Sydney , a large proportion of vacancies are never offered through the agencies, firms just fill themselves are through their own network (back to my point about having a network).

Am happy to keep in contact and share experiences / findings.

Regards

Seán.

 

 

 

[Jessica Berry]

13 minutes ago, Seán said:

Hi Hugo,

Just signed up here. We (family) too are  moving to Adelaide, in Jan/Feb time ....however we are moving from Sydney, where we have lived for 7 years.

Am also CIMA - a bit more experienced, a more polite way of saying of saying someone is older  About 20+ years PQE .

So Im new to the Adelaide market too, but I know Sydney well. From initial reviews, the markets are like chalk and cheese. Sydney is buzzing and no shortage of finance roles, its a major FS hub and lots of national organisations base their HQs here. I've not spent much time in Adelaide and there is lots I have not seen, however my initial impression and research indicates its a far smaller market, a regional capital but nothing like the buzz of Sydney or London. In fact the move from a massive city like London to Adelaide could be a shock to the system. 

You'll probably see from online job sites that not too many high level finance jobs come up - seem to be few and far between. I have found the Australian market (Sydney anyway) is more biased on your network / who you know, than your raw ability. Which isnt great when you first move to a new city, but in the long run can actually work out well. BTW I found in Sydney , a large proportion of vacancies are never offered through the agencies, firms just fill themselves are through their own network (back to my point about having a network).

Am happy to keep in contact and share experiences / findings.

Regards

Seán.

 

 

 

Hi Sean

Welcome to the forum.

Why the move from Sydney to Adelaide?  Often people are going the other way!

[Jessica Berry]

 

Welcome to the forum.

There are quite a few jobs on the skills list which are over subscribed and many long term people living here often wonder why these jobs are still on the list!  That is not to say their isn't a shortage of some roles and some people find work quickly, but often people make the assumption that just because their job is on the list they will be in demand and it isn't always the case.

[Seán]

Why the move?  Home/house affordability and all the lifestyle impacts which result from that. Sydney is nuts when it comes to home ownership. In Sydney , if you dont own a property then its near impossible to get into the market. Silly money. If you are up for a minimum 1.5m+ mortgage then Sydney is great, lots of work - so that you can  transfer your months wages straight back to the bank to pay off your mortgage & continue doing that for another  30 years ....

So that is main driver....certainly not the climate...from my recent experiences of Adelaide the Winter is reminiscent of a wet, windy and chilly Ireland - but Im guessing I have just be spoiled by Sydney, where Winters arent really Winters at all   . Ill be waiting for Adelaide to wow me with its Summer - Im optimistic. 

Adelaide seems affordable - but the big issue is finding suitable employment ....but again I am optimistic. You have to back yourself !

Good to make contact and I will be browsing the forums here for local insights on all things Adelaide.

Cheers !

Seán.

[snifter]

19 hours ago, Seán said:

Why the move?  Home/house affordability and all the lifestyle impacts which result from that. Sydney is nuts when it comes to home ownership. In Sydney , if you dont own a property then its near impossible to get into the market. Silly money. If you are up for a minimum 1.5m+ mortgage then Sydney is great, lots of work - so that you can  transfer your months wages straight back to the bank to pay off your mortgage & continue doing that for another  30 years ....

So that is main driver....certainly not the climate...from my recent experiences of Adelaide the Winter is reminiscent of a wet, windy and chilly Ireland - but Im guessing I have just be spoiled by Sydney, where Winters arent really Winters at all   . Ill be waiting for Adelaide to wow me with its Summer - Im optimistic. 

Adelaide seems affordable - but the big issue is finding suitable employment ....but again I am optimistic. You have to back yourself !

Good to make contact and I will be browsing the forums here for local insights on all things Adelaide.

Cheers !

Seán.

I'm guessing you visited Adelaide during the really wet coupe of weeks we had. Certainly won't stay like that for long I promise. Winters here can be a bit soggy and nippy but honestly, they are over so quickly I don't mind them at all. 

I find Adelaide very affordable, perhaps more so coming from a pretty expensive part of England housing wise. If you can secure decent employment then the rest should fall into place and you'd certainly have plenty of options housing wise depending on your budget and wants/needs. 

Adelaide isn't like London thats for sure. Its got lots going for it though if you choose to give it a go. I get its not for everyone and the who you know network thing often holds true here (glad to hear its not confined to Adelaide). But I do know of plenty of people who have found jobs without the networking aspect to aid them. 

Its been more or less four years for me here and I can't say I've ever regretted the move here. Very at home and happy. 

[Jessica Berry]

On 14/08/2017 at 2:46 PM, snifter said:

I get its not for everyone and the who you know network thing often holds true here (glad to hear its not confined to Adelaide). But I do know of plenty of people who have found jobs without the networking aspect to aid them.

Agreed Snifter.  While the whole networking in Adelaide is prevalent, as you say there are plenty of people that secure work without doing any networking.  People need to make sure they are applying for the right jobs, many people think they are a perfect match for the advertised role, but when you look at their application as the recruiter, what the applicant and recruiter see can differ greatly!  We have been here 10 years now and I move jobs quite a bit by choice and my OH has secured several relatively senior roles and all of our jobs have been sourced through seek, the newspaper or recruitment agencies. The last job I recently applied for and secured received over 150 applications, to be honest in the current job climate I expected the number to be higher!

[Seán]

Thanks for the insight guys (Snifter & Jessica). Good to hear that Jessica has been able to move around a bit ...however 150 applicants for one jobs sounds a bit desperate ....mind you I have no idea what the statistic would be elsewhere...but 150 is a lot of people looking for a role....

Yes we visited a few weekends ago and it rained more or less for the 4 days we were there...Soggy is a good description, parklands and ovals seemed well suited for ducks  .  Funnily enough it really did remind me of home, wet , green ,  ....as in Ireland home...in a nice way.  Having said all that we were also over there about 8 weeks ago and it was perfect blue skies....

Will be based in O'Halloran Hill, a bit out of the city, but fine by me....by Sydney standards that would be a very reasonable commute....but  for locals Im guessing Im well out in the sticks!  Anyway, really looking forward to the move and seeing what life in South Australia has in store.

[snifter]

13 hours ago, Seán said:

Thanks for the insight guys (Snifter & Jessica). Good to hear that Jessica has been able to move around a bit ...however 150 applicants for one jobs sounds a bit desperate ....mind you I have no idea what the statistic would be elsewhere...but 150 is a lot of people looking for a role....

Yes we visited a few weekends ago and it rained more or less for the 4 days we were there...Soggy is a good description, parklands and ovals seemed well suited for ducks  .  Funnily enough it really did remind me of home, wet , green ,  ....as in Ireland home...in a nice way.  Having said all that we were also over there about 8 weeks ago and it was perfect blue skies....

Will be based in O'Halloran Hill, a bit out of the city, but fine by me....by Sydney standards that would be a very reasonable commute....but  for locals Im guessing Im well out in the sticks!  Anyway, really looking forward to the move and seeing what life in South Australia has in store.

Sunny and blue skies is the norm here much of the time. Just winter is just that for a short period of time. I rather like having a colder damper spell after so much sun though. Unlike the UK I know its not going to drag on a long time and often we get lovely sunny days where it is tee shirt warm (if you are my husband and son that is!) even in mid winter. This winter wasn't as wet and soggy as last, that did go on for most of it it seemed but when it rains and storms, it rains and storms. Still, over soon enough and before you know it we'll be baking in 30C plus over some of the summer. 

Make sure your house has good working aircon and a decent heating option for the following winter. 

O'HH isn't too far out tbh. Its easy access to a couple of main road routes into the city and elsewhere and gives you options to commute by train driving over to the Seaford line from Hallett Cove. Also easy access to beaches and the hills from there. We probably live about the same distance out but a lot more into the foothills and further from the coast. Plus for us we are closer to the Belair train line into the city. I find O'HH a bit of a sandwiched in suburb since they opened the expressway as its got a lot of heavy traffic running close to it now but thats the only thing. As a starting point its fine and you may find its somewhere you want to be longer term, you may find elsewhere that appeals. Least you've got an area sorted to start you off and can work out from that as you find your feet. 

 

[Seán]

Yeah. O'HH seems good for us but its difficult to make a decision when you haven't lived in the area. We are big beach goers...I try my hand at surfing ....and relatively quick access to beaches was an important factor in our relocation decision (such a hard life we lead !) . As of course was access to Primary schooling. Sure it would be great to live right alongside the beach but add in the budget factor and and longing for a decent size block and before long your search starts to move away out from your ideal. Anyway as you said we have start and will work it out as we go.....

As you mentioned heating...I am guessing Adelaide homes dont really do wall insulation ? It cracks me up here in Sydney...it does get pretty cold over night in Winter...but no need for proper heating systems here, or even well sealed windows....just let the drafts flow in  and crank up the oil heaters !    O'HH house does have ducted air con/heating, thank goodness. It does need work however and was wondering if the insulation is something I will look at...but thinking I should spend a Winter in it firstly before making decision like that....

I see Hugo / Carioca who kicked off the thread has gone to ground .....wondering if he changed his mind about Adelaide ?

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2017 by Seán

[snifter]

If you have kids in primary schools you'll possibly want to expand your area school wise once you are here for a while. Not because the schools in O'HH are rubbish but they may not be what you want personally from a social and education POV for your kids, more so if you change areas and there are other options. Plenty of parents move kids if unhappy with their current school or preferring somewhere else and able to get in. We did just that once we moved from city beach suburb to the foothills about 6 months after arriving here. I left my son in his primary school after we moved (we liked it, was nice enough to start us off, didn't love it and it was never a long term school choice we felt), intending he could see out the year (2 and a bit terms) but a few weeks of driving up and down the hill plus finding a much better school overall that we loved up near us, it was a no brainer and we prepared him for the move earlier. Never looked back, loves it, we love the school and no regrets. 

Older houses I find often find warmer, the double bricked ones or the old thick walled type retain heat well, well, until it starts going out the old lattice single paned windows or under the gaps in the doors . The newer styles not so much unless you buy a new build with all the extras but that adds on the cost. We have a gas fire and a gas wall heater and took the gas fire out in the autumn as we only used it a few times last year. The wall heater has been brilliant and although the heat doesn't reach massively into the bedrooms it warms them enough. I don't like a hot bedroom at night anyways. Thick lined curtains are a must for us here though. Keep out drafts and keep in the warmth. TBH I've not been cold cold of an evening with the heater going. And I just layer up if need be rather than crank up the heat. Another down side is of course as soon as you turn off said heaters, if you've a thinner walled house, it starts to cool down quickly. 

I miss a decent heat source in the bathroom for sure. Stupid heat lamps a metre plus from my head don't cut it 

Often people sign up, post once or twice then disappear for months. Sometimes they come back, other times not. Depends. Always happy when new faces stick around though

 

 

 

 

[Jessica Berry]

On 8/17/2017 at 8:33 PM, Seán said:

Thanks for the insight guys (Snifter & Jessica). Good to hear that Jessica has been able to move around a bit ...however 150 applicants for one jobs sounds a bit desperate ....mind you I have no idea what the statistic would be elsewhere...but 150 is a lot of people looking for a role....

To be honest I was surprised when the Manager said 150, I was expecting double that amount!  I know of a similar role a couple of years ago that attracted 600 applications! In my experience there is a lot of emphasis on 'cultural fit' within Adelaide workplaces in terms of will you fit into the team/company environment/culture.  I can generally tell in an interview if they like me and whether I am in with a chance.  I remember in one interview chatting about Coronation Street with the HR Manager and I knew at that point the job was mine!

I am not sure if you spotted a response I posted on another thread, but thought I would just add it on the end here to save me retyping something along the same lines!....

My OH and I have recently changed jobs.  I finished my previous job on Friday and started my new job on the Monday.  Recruitment process involved an initial phone screen interview (this is common to try and exclude people from the shortlist often due to the volume of applications), a formal interview, police check, ref check.  My OH secured a new job, the process involved 2 panel interviews, police check, medical, ref checks...the process takes times, but this would be the same for us if we were applying for jobs in the UK.  Both of these jobs were newly created jobs, so despite the doom and gloom about the Adelaide job market there are jobs out there, but in my opinion, it depends what you do, what you are willing to do, what your expectations are, your attitude and understanding of the Adelaide job market and how to approach it.

[Jessica Berry]

I was reading an article recently and the recruitment consultant at an agency based in Adelaide stated that they receive 500+ resumes each week into their office.