@LokiJr , actually, hindi pa ako nag apply ng 175 visa, nagpapadala na ako ng CV sa seek. May mga interviews akong nakuha, one sa Mackay, Qld which I almost got the job because I did not do well in the final interview, the other one sa WA at the end of interview sabi sa akin they will get the most qualified and readily available candidate. Marami rin akong napadalang CV may mga nagreply at marami ring rejection at "Thank you for your application" lang.
Kaya naisipan ko na mag-apply muna ng Visa. When we got our 175 visa, we made our initial entry for two weeks (March 2010), ie. one month before mag expire. I started sending out my CV again with an Au address and contact info. Nung umuwi kami sa pinas, this employer responded to my application through email. They asked for a 1 hour written exam and telephone interview. After two weeks they informed me that I was included in the final list of candidates for another round of exam and panel interview. The exam was a research work and on the day of interview, I would have 15 minutes to present my output through skype and the panel has 30 minutes to ask questions. Ganito ka stressful ang pinagdaanan ko before I got this job. Of course, may kasamang dasal yun.
Pero it's worth naman, because they offered me the job with benefits of relocation expenses from point of origin to the job site, free housing and the usual benefits (salary + super + site allowance). There was even this familiarisation visit na hindi na namin kinuha ng wife ko dahil I have already accepted the offer.
I considered myself and my family very lucky. Dahil hindi na kami nahirapang magsimula dito sa Au. Hindi ko na nga inisip yung pera na dadalhin namin. We only have US$2K in our pocket e nagbayad pa ako ng $500 dun sa kumag sa Airport at namasyal pa kami sa Sydney for 3 days, we ended up having only less than $1K when we arrived here in NW Qld. But we survived, and now more than 2 years na kami dito. God is really good!
My advise - tyaga, sipag at dasal. May kanya-kanya tayong swerte. The fact na na-approve ang visa nyo ibig sabihin you have a good chance na makahanap ng trabaho dito. Most of the employers (di lang siguro dito sa Au), kapag na-experience nilang makatrabaho ang mga Pinoy, gusto nila mga employees nila sa susunod ay mga Pinoy na rin. May X Factor ang mga pinoy dito lalo na sa mga hospitality/service industry. Hindi kasi tayo mareklamo at hanggang kaya nating gawin ang trabaho e gagawin natin. The only problem na nakikita ko sa mga Pinoy ay ang pagiging crab mentality at chismosa! (Sorry sa mga tinamaan).