working from another country

[RedWhiteAndBlue]

Not really sure how to word this, so I apologise in advance if it is difficult to understand.

I would like to move abroad in the future to become a permanent resident of that country, hopefully Australia or Canada. Can I use my British ticket to go and find a job with an Australian company? I think it would be easier to gain a visa etc. if I actually worked with a company from that country rather than just living there and working for a European company for example. I know Australia works on a points based system but am unsure if there is any demand for my skills (I am an engineer). Hopefully someone can make sense of this and give me a few pointers.

[Malim Sahib]

Re: working from another country

If you have accepted a job with an Australian/Canadian outfit then yes it will be easier to firstly gain a residency permit and then a few years down the line perhaps gain citizenship.
However, a British ticket isn't transferable, as Australia and Canada require you to have Aussie/Canuck tickets for working aboard their ships.
Since Australia and Canada don't recognise British tickets (blame STCW for that), if you wish to gain an Australian Certificate you'll have to attend an AMSA (Australian MCA) Oral exam, whereupon you'll be granted an Australian certificate. You'll also have to join the Maritime Union of Australia as all Australian shipping is a closed shop - i.e. no union membership = no job.
Canada is slightly different in that you'll have to do a full set of Transport Canada (Canadian MCA) written exams before you can then sit the Canadian oral exam, and thence gain a Canadian CoC. I'm unsure as to the current Union setup in Canada, but I don't think it's as bad as in Aussie.
However in both cases the seatime you've accrued (regardless of the flag of ship it was on) is accepted, it's just the academic side that isn't.

[RedWhiteAndBlue]

Re: working from another country

Thanks for the reply. So basically I would have to go to Australia and sit the oral exam before applying for a job there. If I get a job I could then use the job application to aid my visa application etc?
Is this a realistic aim or is there an easier way of doing it? I am not so bothered about having citizenship as long as I can actually live there.

[Malim Sahib]

Re: working from another country

Yes, you'd actually have to go to Australia and sit the exam.
If, afterwards, you then managed to secure a job with the an Australian shipping company (not easy), then yes this would help your application no end.
You can't gain citizenship straight away as you have to apply for a residency permit first, which then entitles you to live in Australia indefinitely. Only after a set period (few years I think) can you then apply for actual citizenship during which you have to demonstrate what you've brought to Australia and why you feel you have a strong link with the country.
Many people simply have a residency permit instead of citizenship. As an Australian citizen I think you can retain British nationality and therefore be a dual citizen (certainly can in NZ) - very handy if you're travelling between UK/Aus/NZ quite a lot, as I'm sure you can imagine.
You could rent/buy a place in Australia and just continually take out visas. They're normally for a minimum of 3 months and are renewed by simply going out of the country for 24 hours and then coming back in, whereupon you can take out a new 3 month visa. The other option is to take out a working visa which are normally valid for 12 months or so, but which state you have to have a job in Australia.
Wages on Australian ships are far better than what you'll find on British flag vessels, hence why it's a difficult industry to break into if you're an outsider. Unfortunately because of high crewing costs and very restrictive Union working practices the Australian fleet has been in freefall for some time - there really aren't that many Aussie ships left.
If I were you I'd live in Australia but sail on foreign flag (or even UK flag) ships, that way you retain British citizenship and you can swindle the tax system both ways, as unfortunately Australia does not have tax breaks for seamen - therefore as an Aussie citizen you would have to pay tax regardless of where your ship went and what it did.
You'll find all the info on the Australian immigration website, as well as a points calculator to see if you qualify for a work permit/residency etc.
Before you do any of the above I would recommend you spend your next few leaves on holiday in Australia/Canada, and rack up quite a few months in either place before you even begin to start thinking seriously about emigrating. After all, it is a very big step to take.
Personally, whilst Australia is very nice, I much prefer New Zealand. Aside from the weather and lifestyle, two of the biggest draws to those countries were that the cost of living was lower than the UK, and that politically they were about 40 years behind us. By that mean, no pettily oppressive Health & Safety bollocks, little Political Correctness and a very laid back lifestyle. Unfortunately both countries are a lot more expensive than they used to be, indeed Australia has almost caught up with the UK and sadly they've also rapidly embraced maniacal nanny state-ism and lots of uber PC bull****. New Zealand isn't too bad yet, but it's slowly getting that way.
I spent many years running to the Antipodes on various ships and I must say I loved every minute of it.
I went back on holiday to Australia for 6 weeks last Autumn, and then went to Fiji for a month - now Fiji is a place I'd live in forever!

[Andy_S]

Re: working from another country

There are some types of Australian working visas that you can only get once so be careful of that.


Do shipping companies usually mind where you live? For example say I do my cadetship with OOCL then get offered a job afterwards do they mind if I move out of the UK somewhere down the line? Could I say live in NZ as a British citizen and just have them fly me out to wherever I meet the ship? I guess if they fly you out of wherever you live to meet a ship then they don't really care where you reside?
It would be quite a good way to live in another country for a while.

[RedWhiteAndBlue]

Re: working from another country

Thanks for the help mate. If the best way of doing it is by living there and and sail on foreign ships then I am happy with that. Im not going there for the job, only for the lifestyle.
I have spent a fair bit of time in Australia and I much prefer the laid back attitude, plus I am hoping to get away from Britain before the Tory revolution begins!

[Malim Sahib]

Re: working from another country

Andy_S,
It depends who you work and where your ships are based/running to.
If you work for a company which truly operates worldwide and where you can be joining/leaving a ship anywhere then yes, you can often live where you want.
But if you work for a company which has all it's vessels only in certain areas, say exclusively working around Europe, then whilst they may continue to employ you many will not pay the full costs of your flights if you lived in say Thailand or Australia.
Basically if you remain a British citizen then the chances are they'll only pay your airfare back to the UK, anything above that is to your own cost.
Also, if you're on a ship which is based in the UK and where relief's generally always occur in the UK (e.g, North Sea ships or ferries) then they'll often only cover the costs of a hire car/train ticket to your designated home in the UK, nowhere else.
Like all things there are exceptions to this, and I know the likes of BP and Shell will pay in full for your flights if you live in Australia, Philippines or wherever, but not all companies are as flush with cash as they are!
There's no real hard and fast rule to this, all I can say is just be sure what your employers travel policy actually is.

[Malim Sahib]

Re: working from another country

Redwhiteandblue,
No worries!
I know quite a few Aussies who prefer to sail foreign flag themselves as there's more job opportunities for them there than domestic shipping - Australian qualifications are well respected in the maritime world.
Like yourself, I'm planning a great escape in the immediate future although I'm still in two (or maybe three!) minds as to where to go. But it'll certainly be somewhere betwixt Singapore, Aussie, Kiwi and the dateline!
If for no other reason it's nice to get away from all the peripheral crap and expensive living that seems to dominate our lives these days, that and I really can't stand cold and damp weather anymore!
Coming back from Fiji to Aberdeen in mid December was a bit of a shock to the system I can tell you!
Thankfully I rejoined my ship 4 days later and we left Southampton bound for South America!

[RedWhiteAndBlue]

Re: working from another country

I feel your pain mate. I like being outside doing things and the grey Scottish weather doesn't exactly promote that kind of living! Im not set in Australia yet, but it is the one place I have been that I would like to live. The only problem is the cost of living is pretty much the same as it is here, it would be nice to live somewhere my pay stretches a bit further. I do like the look of Italy as well but that means I would have to learn another language and I struggle to grasp English as it is!

[The H]

Re: working from another country

Im glad this was brought up as I also have a similar query.. in that I am hoping to join the RFA, which would then mean that realistically I would not have any ties to a location for living.

So from reading above I would be correct in saying that I could purchase a property abroad and live there on a temporary visa (as I obviously would not be working there) but would I still need a permanent address in the UK?

[Malim Sahib]

Re: working from another country

Yes, you'd need a permanent address in the UK as it's a condition of at least your Sponsored Reservist status and I think RFA employment as a whole. Of course to get round that you could simply make your official home your parents address or suchlike.
I can't recall what the RFA travel policy is regarding those abroad, but I think they'll possibly pay for flights if you live in Europe, but not further afield - again this all boils down to what is and isn't officially your permanent address. A lot of RFA personnel live in the likes of Thailand, but most do that by paying their own way to/from the Far East and operating on normal tourist visa's. Property law is quite different in Thailand in that it's very difficult for someone who isn't a Thai citizen to actually buy land, so just about everyone else rents somewhere.
If you actually purchase property abroad then things can get more complicated regarding Visa's, really there's no hard and fast rule so you'd best consult the appropriate national authority.
If you intend living within the EU then of course it's not an issue, as EU citizens have the rights of freedom of movement and settlement with Europe.

[The H]

Re: working from another country

Well first thoughts are always the likes of NZ/Canada due to language etc.. but Im thinking a more realistic idea would be Cyprus.

[Beef1992]

Re: working from another country

i have allways though of moving to london ontario or lucan ontario. snow in the winter hot weather in the summer nice weather the rest of the time .