"Come
and see Sydney for yourself!"
It is one of those beautiful autumn days in Sydney.
The sky is blue as blue can be and for the time of the
year there are many people on the beach. I am about to
meet with Irene Haaima, a Registered Nurse from Holland.
We have agreed to meet in Coogee.
Once we had found each other (where would we be without
mobile phones?) we found a lovely café overlooking
Coogee Beach and I settled in as Irene begins to tell
me about her journey to becoming one of HealthStaff's
first Dutch Nurses in Australia.
 |
| Above:
A panoramic view of beach goers enjoying the sun,
sand and surf at Coogee Beach; Left: Irene contemplating
whether to go for a swim while posing in front of
Coogee Beach. |
| "Arrive at least two weeks before you
commence so you can get familiar with the area and
organise rental accommodation" |
She and her French partner Nicolas decided, after a
holiday here in 2001, to take up the challenge to work
in Australia. Both Irene and Nicolas had harbored a
desire to work overseas and fell in love with Australia
during their short visit.
Once back in Amsterdam, Irene went on the internet
to do some research about the opportunities and requirements
for employment in Australia.
 |
| Irene contemplating whether
to go for a swim while posing in front of Coogee
Beach. |
The first step was to find out whether she would be
eligible for registration as a Registered Nurse in Australia.
Irene had done her nursing training (HBO-V) at the University
in Utrecht. One of the registration requirements for
Dutch Nurses is that they complete the university based
HBO-V training. Nurses with hospital based training
are required to complete a bridging course or undergo
supervised practice before they are eligible for registration
in Australia.
The application process to gain registration is straightforward,
however, Irene discovered that there's a little more
to it than simply making copies of your degree and transcript
of training. One of the recommendations is to do your
English test first, so you can send all the necessary
documents together to the Nurses Board.
During Irene's search on the web she found HealthStaff
Recruitment - it was the number one listed web site
on www.google.com
She contacted HealthStaff Recruitment by email and
received an immediate reply from Amy, one of our London
consultants. Irene contacted some other agencies as
well, but in the end, she said, she felt most comfortable
with HealthStaff Recruitment
(of course this was music to my ears).
 |
Far Left: Irene's
all smiles while at work at the Prince of Wales
Hospital;
Left: Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club and its
Swimming Baths below, where Irene enjoyed a leisurely
swim.
|
From there it was all smooth sailing. A job in Oncology
was organised for Irene at the Prince of Wales Hospital
in Randwick, Sydney, situated close to trendy Bondi
Beach. The visa application was also a piece of cake
and within 4 weeks of her application, Irene was issued
with her working visa.
On arrival at Sydney Airport, Miriam Lohmann, our dedicated
Meet and Greet Coordinator welcomed Irene and Nicolas
to Australia and transported them to their prearranged
temporary accommodation in a lodge close to the hospital.
They have since settled into a beautiful apartment in
Bronte (yes with ocean views).
Irene suggested that candidates from overseas should
plan to arrive at least 10 days before commencement.
This gives you the opportunity to do some practical
things such as open a bank account and apply for Medicare,
but also to get a feel for where you want to live and
to do some house-hunting.
| "Do your English test first and make a
check list of all the documents you need for the
registration process" |
Irene described the orientation at the hospital as
"challenging", but says now after 3 months
at the Prince of Wales, she feels very comfortable,
both in her ward and in Sydney. " Where do you
get this in Holland?" she said to me, referring
to the beach and the beautiful weather. "It's a
dream."
I got the feeling Irene and Nicolas will be staying
a while...
John
PS. Irene is happy to answer any
queries you might have. Please email your questions
to us and we will forward your emails to Irene.
|
Freecall Australia | 1800 33 05
33
Freecall Canada | 1800 28 67 349
|
Freecall New Zealand | 1800 33
05 33
Freecall South Africa| 1800 28 67 349
|
Freecall United Kingdom | 1800
33 05 33
Singapore | 1800 28 67 349
|
Social Workers - Positions in Lambeth,
London
 Exciting,
vibrant cultural Lambeth in the heart of London is currently
interviewing for positions for experienced Social Workers
for their older persons and child services. If you are
looking for a new challenge and would be ready to start
before the end of 2003 then this is for you!
Lambeth's location, environment, range of available
facilities, excellent shopping, leisure facilities,
architecture as well as the high public profile of the
Borough, has attracted and continues to attract many
visitors.
Call your friendly HealthStaff Recruitment Consultant
for more details on 1800 330 533
| Left:The hussle and
bussle of pedestrians and the famous red double
decker, public bus network. Above Right: A glimpse
of the multicultural diversity Lambeth has to offer.
Below Right: The beautiful botanical gardens in
the heart of Lambeth. |
Testimonial From Carrie
Biddle
|
| Traveling through Australia
with my partner on a Working Holiday Visa,
my plan was to mix work with pleasure. Here
in Northern Queensland, my prayers have been
answered! |
| |
| I
have been fortunate enough to land an amazing
Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) position.
Working for Education Queensland on a short-term
contract, I am based in Cairns but service
the Torres Strait (a small cluster of islands
scattered between mainland Australia and Papua
New Guinea).
My working weeks involve flying up to
islands to visit the schools and liaise
with other special education staff for those
children requiring SLP input. As an indigenous
population, the Torres Strait communities
have their own history, culture and languages
reflected in their communication skills
and interactions with others.
Being in the communication business,
this poses new and exciting challenges to
me as a SLP trying to separate language
difficulties from language differences.
Cairns has proven a great place to be
based for both work and sightseeing opportunities.
As well as the Great Barrier Reef, you also
have easy access to the rainforest habitat
of Cape Tribulation and the Atherton Tableland
at weekends.
This opportunity to mix work, travel
and culture has exceeded my expectations
of what a working holiday in Australia can
offer. I would recommend a post like this
to anyone who has the confidence to work
independently as a therapist, collaboratively
within a multidisciplinary setting, who
is up for a challenge!
Carrie Biddle, Speech Pathologist
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Whale
Watching - From June to July.
You may just have the chance to view
some migrating whales by taking a boat
around Sydney Harbour. The whales have
been known to stay a few days in the
Harbour and cavort in front of the Sydney
Opera House!
Shopping
-
The must see streets of Sydney for the
best designers, both Australian and
international, as well as some of the
best bargains.
Don't
miss:
King
Street, Newtown -
Made up of unusual, edgy shops, it
has at least 28 recycled fashion shops,
so you can pick up some funky clothes
and knick nacks for the best prices.
Oxford Street,
Paddington - Funky and stylish.
You can stroll from one end to the
other taking in the tree lined streets
full of boutiques, bookstores and
cafes. Oxford Street is a fantastic
shopping location loaded with funky
side streets, such as Glenmore Road
and William Street and look hard for
the smaller boutiques where you are
sure to find something original you'll
just love!
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I
left Brisbane in April and resigned from my
position at Greenslopes Private Hospital after
8 and half years. I was the Manager of Administrative
Services and had the pleasure of managing
all the administrative areas ranging from
the emergency centre to the busy wards. I
gained invaluable knowledge and have a good
understanding of the many complexities that
large hospitals face.
