Sorry if I'm replying to an old message but I was wondering about working in Australia. I am so confused as to which comes first. Do I apply for registration to a state first?I do not have any work experience and would be ok with doing the bridging program. Where do I apply for that? Also, where is the international forum? Isn't that the same as International Nursing? I can't find it anywhere and so many posts that I'm interested in are being directed there. I'm technologically challenged, Please help.
hi all - sorry i have been away, as you can all understand it has been hard getting everything ready, and i thought i would just read the forum this evening and see what ahs been going on, my update is i leave 14th febuary for victoria, i have my visa and everything and would like to thank all those people that took the time to write to me, i was dissapointed to see the comment from some nurses about sawsee, they have been great with me and i would like to tell others that 14 other nurses will be following by end of march, some are exprienced some are not but they have a program that is very good and, yes i am bias,.......
" a letter from my heart" (part 1)
hi maria, yes thank you for reminding me that the world is unfair and also for accepting that you are "bias". that there is division of those "who have" and "who have nots". i am not "judging everyone the same" but their own 'slip is showing'. i don't have to judge them nor can judge anyone. but facts are facts. if they have a way to send us to oz why can't we do it ourselves, when in fact we are the ones with the credentials and we too can read and understand english. all information are provided at the australian government website. if we have time to apply to them (agency) then we have time to browse in the net too. australian nurses registering body are always ready to inform us of the legal requirements for overseas nurses to legally avail the steps on how to land a job in australia, legally. just ask them. agencies just help us to collect all the necessary papers and submit in our behalf, but we pay a considerable amout of cash. i think you left some minute details of your expenses but costly too, you just refered it as " plus a few extra".
in short i am trying to imply that these agencies are trying to, and will always lobby to schools and offices to have a special arrangement to another "remedies", but in the end we (applicants) bear all the added cost to everything out of the ordinary. as a student my heart bleeds for our parents who after 4-5 years spending,letting us go to school to have our degree. i pity them coz they are somewhat informed that your child, who passed all the necessary steps to be registered as a nurse in the p.i. is still incompetent to browse in the net. and that they still need more more more money to land an appropriate and decent job. good for us "who haves" coz our parents can afford. it is not our fault.
but the thing is, if we patronize agencies, more agencies will come, and in effect will make our chances to go oz (or any other place overseas) more difficult and costly. needless to say, we "who haves" are killing the chances of those "who have nots". consider the disappointments and heart broken parents, confronted of another "hill to climb", after 4-5 years of spending to let his child finish the desired degree, not to mention the cost and disgustment of getting the registration credentials from our own so called prc. i can smell some "connections" here.
btw, i reqeusted and paid for the verification of my initial registration from prc davao last nov 2008 yet, but until now the verification is still pending in manila office. still waiting to be sent to australia as what the prc davao informed me. is it because i am not with an agency? i can not think of a reason why it is still pending, since it is already quiet some time and paid fully. maybe agencies also made some "lobby" on our own so called government offices. you can do your own math.
i am really disappointed with our own government or whoever the concerned office why they did not defend us about this ielts thing, since our education from elementary to university graduate runs in an english medium. somebody is not doing their duty or they really are doing their duty "to extract from us more cash." now picture this >>> government + agency = :crying2:
i am just going to respond to the sentence about the english exams being required for oz. they are also required for you if you were to work in canada, the us, new zealand or even the uk. there have been quite a few from your country that have not been able to pass the english exams the first time that they wrote them and this has usually been with the speaking section. so there are reasons that this exam is still required of you.
the requirements have not been waived by any of the above countries for immigration purposes and do not expect that they will be waived. when there is a significant change in the rate of those that pass either of the exams the first time, then perhaps down the line things will be considered and evaluated again.
Wow! It seems Australia's becoming more popular now, especially with the US retrogression.
@gingerbreadman0214: I'm actually in Kuwait. The weather is okay - extremes actually (highest 50-60 degrees and lowest 0 to -4 lol). Yes, the pay is good if you are working in any oil company however it's hard to get into and they do require experience. So that's why I ended up working in the office lol. Pay's really good too anyway so can't be bothered much about that lol.
@Trion08, pinkshadoe, pastasana, shish: Since you guys have not started yet, maybe all of you can go altogether That's good since you don't have relatives there so all of you can stay in one house or unit. I don't have any relative there too but what the heck! lol.. I want to pursue my dream so yea, I need to be strong right?
Funny thing is, I'm not really going for the registration yet. Actually, I'm not even planning to do that particular pathway. I am, however, going to take the other path - enrolling in a pre-registered course. I'm just not confident enough to take the CAS program and it'll take as much time anyway.
CAS and the sponsorship will take approximately 2 years to finish. The pre-registered course will take 1-2 years to finish. But if you take the 2 years one, you can easily apply for a permanent visa after you graduate and register (if you also satisfy the other requirements), or you can apply for a graduate visa which will let you stay for another 18 months :). So, basically it's really the same thing. Studying is just a bit more expensive so yea.
As far as I know, it is not stated that they require the applicant to have an experience prior to application. It's really a case to case basis. The success of the application is not based on working experience alone. The degree and the University you graduated from plays an important part on the success of your application. I'm not sure if you are aware that not all Colleges or Universities in the Philippines is considered as similar or at par with the Australian Universities. And that is where the main problem is. If the University or College you graduated from is not similar to an Australian University, your so-called degree may only be considered a "diploma" or "certificate" only. However, most of the time the board will just nominate you to take a competency assessment program.
The whole process takes a whole lot of time, so, if you are really planning to go to Australia, better prepare the necessary documents now and apply. The application fee is not expensive anyway so I guess it'll be ok. Also, you may want to consider the additional fees for the bridging program that you will most probably take after you lodge your application. The board will notify you about this if you need it.
As for the CAS program. I know one person who has just finished taking the Part A of the challenge test. He is just waiting for his visa so he can take the Part B of the test which is clinical placement in Brisbane. He said Part A was fairly easy as long as you study (of course lol). But he did give me sample questions and I'd say it is not that hard. On the other hand, another friend chose to take the education modules. In CAS, you have two choices: education modules or Challenge test. My friend, one who took the modules, said the modules was a bit hard. He told me this: "Mahirap siya talaga, pero kaya naman.." (translation: "It's really hard, but it's bearable/passable." -err.. can't think of any other word lol)
The challenge test is faster than the modules. You just need to pass the part A then proceed to part b which will only take a month to finish. However, like I said, the clinical component will be done in Brisbane.
If my memory serves me right, the modules should be finished within 2 years. It does not mean that the modules will take 2 years to finish but that is the limit or the maximum time for you to be able to finish those. The modules are done off-shore and you can do as much modules as you want. Each module takes approximately 12 weeks to finish. You can take one module at first to check the difficulty level and decide whether you would be able to handle more than one module at a time.
Anyhow, as long as you have the drive, I'm sure you'll be fine. You wouldn't want to fail so, I'm pretty sure you'll work very hard for it. :)
About the advice of the agency, I can't really tell you that Victoria would be better than Queensland or that it will be faster to do it in Victoria. I suggest contacting other agencies. I'll give you again the link for the agencies and you can choose from the list.
Anyway, if you need further info about Queensland or Victoria or NSW, just tell me.
Wow, this is really informative. I was wondering why most people are just considering Queensland or Victoria? Are other state/territories more difficult to apply to? I was thinking of Perth. Although I haven't ever been to Australia and don't know anyone there, I have a friend's cousin who lives there so that's the closest to knowing someone there. Does the CAS replace the bridging program? I'm confused. And about the requirements, where do I get the Initial Registration Certificate? I'm assuming I should go to PRC for the current practicing certificate right? They would know what that it is hopefully. Can I register without any work experience because one of the requirements was a statement of service from most recent employer? I'm glad there's someone who knows so much about the Australian process. I hope you can help me too. I'm quite confused about it. Thank you.
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Sorry if I'm replying to an old message but I was wondering about working in Australia. I am so confused as to which comes first. Do I apply for registration to a state first?I do not have any work experience and would be ok with doing the bridging program. Where do I apply for that? Also, where is the international forum? Isn't that the same as International Nursing? I can't find it anywhere and so many posts that I'm interested in are being directed there. I'm technologically challenged, Please help.
This is the International forum and any questions regarding immigration/registration with another country should be placed here.
If no nursing experience then the likelihood is you will have to do the bridging program. A lot has been written in this thread about that program as well as the process on working. I believe the first thing will be apply to the state you want to work in and let them assess your training and decide on whether you have to do the bridge or some other program
Specializes in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical.
Wow, this is really informative. I was wondering why most people are just considering Queensland or Victoria? Are other state/territories more difficult to apply to? I was thinking of Perth. Although I haven't ever been to Australia and don't know anyone there, I have a friend's cousin who lives there so that's the closest to knowing someone there. Does the CAS replace the bridging program? I'm confused. And about the requirements, where do I get the Initial Registration Certificate? I'm assuming I should go to PRC for the current practicing certificate right? They would know what that it is hopefully. Can I register without any work experience because one of the requirements was a statement of service from most recent employer? I'm glad there's someone who knows so much about the Australian process. I hope you can help me too. I'm quite confused about it. Thank you.
queensland maybe because it's less expensive and they accept applications even if you don't have any work experience. If you want to do the bridging program at perth you need to have 1 year work experience to be qualified for the bridging program. CAS is the same with bridging program.
wow, this is really informative. i was wondering why most people are just considering queensland or victoria? are other state/territories more difficult to apply to? i was thinking of perth. although i haven't ever been to australia and don't know anyone there, i have a friend's cousin who lives there so that's the closest to knowing someone there. does the cas replace the bridging program? there the same
why chose queensland:
1) they have an option of doing the theoretical part in our home country the philippines and the practical part in australia
2) less expensive... assuming you chose to do the modules which is approximately aud$900 then 900x4=aud$3600. bridging programs all done in australia will cost at the least aud$8000.
3) no board and lodging expense while doing your theoreticals... since you are doing it at home then that burden is out unlike when you do it in oz then that is approximately $250 so about aud$1000 a month times 3 mon = aud $3000. bryan said he was able to get it at 150 a week... that is cheap so you can also scout for that.
4) short stay visa is just 3 months. some people in this thred already inquired what visa they will be getting from the au embassy and they are being advised to get the short stay visa. the problem is your bridging program is also 3 months therefore you will have to extend if they will allow you to. unlike if you will just do the practical or clinical part there then you will do it for 1 day or 1 month there for you still have 2 months to wait for your license and even look for a job there. there will even be a possibility that you wouldn't need to go home. therefore less expense again.
5) queensland license is acceptable in other au states including perth and even nz.
i'm confused. and about the requirements, where do i get the initial registration certificate? i'm assuming i should go to prc for the current practicing certificate right? yup you get this from them.
can i register without any work experience because one of the requirements was a statement of service from most recent employer? i'm glad there's someone who knows so much about the australian process. i hope you can help me too. i'm quite confused about it. thank you.
most people in this thread does not have experience and yes queensland will accept that... that is why they have the bridging program.
Was about to post the address to the bank in makati but somebody beat me to it. hehe. After the clinical modules, do we need to return to the Philippines or is it plausible to just stay in Australia and work.. no word from anyone done with their clinicals ?
it will take 2-3 months for your existing visa to be converted to working visa.. if you can afford to spend money in australia for that 2-3 months then stay there, otherwise, it is prudent to go back home and wait for the working visa, you will save a lot of money despite the plane expenses you are going to incur.. branyan had firsthand experience of the "clinicals"...
I meant the duration for the processing here in the philippines to get 456 visa after finishing the modules that can be done here. Sorry for the confusion. So its not that long? 1-2 months perhaps?
I was wondering because if its more than 3 months, I will apply as volunteer while waiting for the 456 (tourist/visitor's) visa. But if its less than 3 months then that would be great news..
Thanks!
456 visa is quick, besides that the Australian embassy is aware of the existence of Queensland nursing applicants.. i believe one month is very long enough, during "off peak" season, you can get such visa in a week.. others may disagree with me, but if i remember it right based on the experience of other members as posted in previous pages, it is really fast...
hi all - sorry i have been away, as you can all understand it has been hard getting everything ready, and i thought i would just read the forum this evening and see what ahs been going on, my update is i leave 14th febuary for victoria, i have my visa and everything and would like to thank all those people that took the time to write to me, i was dissapointed to see the comment from some nurses about sawsee, they have been great with me and i would like to tell others that 14 other nurses will be following by end of march, some are exprienced some are not but they have a program that is very good and, yes i am bias, they helped me and were great, and for anyone that was thinking the money was high, i can tell you it worked out in the end 335,000php for all plus a few extra but i have to say one thing, please dont judge this company before you have met them, you would understand if you went to see them, and i can tell you if anyone is interested the people from aud are here in the philippines in feb, and i have myself have been like many of you to a lot of agencies trying to find what is right for me, this was the only agency that said from the start it may not be for you, but we try to make it fit, and never asked for any money until i had all my paperwork that i could verify first, and as some of you know i did i used my brother for the employer and the agency and everyone else i could find on the paperwork, i have a very nice employer to be with and have spoken to here on many occasions, and cant wait to be there in 3 weeks. please i ask dont judge everyone the same, they have help me and maybe if you speak to them they may have help for you, not all agency are bad, and at least they kept to there word and found a route for new graduates, i know its not for everyone. speak to them. i will try to come back on you all have my email i would just like to say thank you again for nay advise you gave me and maybe someday we might meet in australia .... bye bye and good luck to everyone
maria
mod note, please do not post contact names
good luck maria, expectedly you will be one of the few first batches of "us" who wants to go therel.. hope you keep in touch and share your experiences about australian nursing/training.. that would be a great help to all of us who are still here...
personally, i have nothing against sawsee, and maybe i missed a post but seems like nothing really worst have been pointed to sawsee, many of us just cant afford the p300,000 costs thats why we would just vie for the qnc route... moreover, your brother is already there successfully, so who am i or we to argue with that success, yun nga lang, cant afford the costs..
Obtaining nursing license from Queensland is the best option for most of us considering that the cost is lesser (much lesser than P300,00) and there is no requirement for work experience..
Most of us have no work experience considering our country's situation, and many of us too do not have that much money, so why bother going to Sydney if it will cost you more almost P500,000, why bother going to Perth or somewhere else when they require experience..
:crying2:
That's good since you don't have relatives there so all of you can stay in one house or unit. I don't have any relative there too but what the heck! lol.. I want to pursue my dream so yea, I need to be strong right?
So its not that long? 1-2 months perhaps? 
rajotolentino
225 Posts
just asking..so if you dont have any experience yet, yo cant apply as a nurse for these countries? too bad