Architect - Applying as Architectural Draftsperson

athelene · April 2018

@Graff Architecture is included in the "allied disciplines" (see Section 9), but then again according to their FAQs, the degree may be considered by there's no guarantee. I would suggest you contact AIQS directly about your questions so you can decide whether it's worth trying to get an assessment from them.

I think your manager does not have to be a member of AIQS for you to get an assessment, but is your supervisor a Quantity Surveyor by title?

I see. Well, if talagang gusto mo magpadagdag ng points for EOI, look into the AIQS accredited courses. With an Australian qualification, you can try to get assessed under Pathway 1.

Graff · April 2018

@athelene Nice thank you for giving me hope and to understand about the allied discipline means...Malinaw na sakin na pede pala tayong mga Arki Grad na magpaassess sa AIQS.

Yes he is not a member of AIQS and my problem now is I'm the only person responsible for this job Estimator/Quantity Surveyor both at the same time. I'm reporting directly to my manager who will sign my detailed COE if ever I will submit for assessment.

Do you think I need to study to add more points for EOI, sa tingin ko kasi malabo ako makuha ng superior result sa english test. Kasi nag try ako i calculate ang points ko considering that I can get only proficient english result and if ever 5 years overseas experience lang ako kinonsider ko and the total is only 60points.

athelene · April 2018

@Graff Your concerns regarding your COE will have to be addressed by AIQS mismo, so don't hesitate to ask them. Baka kasi magbayad ka ng assessment tapos hindi pala pwede. Clarify mo muna with them if eligible ka ba or not based on your qualifications/work exp.

Yung study route, depende po kasi yun sa financial budget mo on top of the fees na babayaran mo for skills assessment and PR visa fee, and kung hindi ka naman nagmamadali magmigrate. But makakatulong po ang Australian study para umangat ang EOI points mo.

Graff · April 2018

@athelene I sent them an email just, asking about the eligibility of the person who will sign my COE.

About naman po sa study route, hindi naman po ako nagmamadali mag migrate and willing din naman po ako maghintay at magaral kasi sa tingin ko hindi sapat ang points ko kung di ako magaaral. Sa budget naman po, ang kaya lang po ng budget ko is for 2 years course but bachelor course will be taken up to 4 years. May chance ba akong makakuha ng eCOE sa isang university?

athelene · April 2018

@Graff why don't you try the postgraduate degree nalang para 2 years lang po? And most bachelor's degree in Australia are 3 years, unlike sa atin na 4 years (non-archi or eng). I don't think I or anyone here can tell you about your "chances" of getting an eCOE because it depends on the uni's admissions policies. As long as you meet the uni's minimum requirements, you can definitely enroll and get an eCOE for the uni and then you can lodge your student visa application. From my perspective, since related naman po yung archi undergrad sa possible postgrad degree in Construction Management, I don't think it's going to be an issue naman po.

If so, you can definitely go the student route para makakuha ng Australian qualification, which would definitely help if you pursue the Quantity Surveyor occupation.

Graff · April 2018

@athelene Thank a lot for giving and answering all my questions today.

Pwede ko po ba malaman ang mga schools na nag ooffer ng 2 years postgraduate degree course in CM? Salamat po ulit.

athelene · April 2018

@Graff You're welcome. I've already placed the link to accredited courses in a previous post.

Graff · April 2018

@athelene Meron po ako nakita na Postgrad Course - Master of Construction Management sa Deakin University, trimester within 72weeks matatapos but I read in here that in order to get post grad or graduate visa their is a certain number weeks required to be eligible?

athelene · April 2018

@Graff yes, you need equivalent of 2 years of study

Jacraye · May 2018

Hi @Graff Just want to share my two cents regarding skills assessment. At the moment, there are 3 organizations that could do an assessment to the skill of estimating/quantity surveying. These are AIQS, EA & VETASSESS. In my opinion, the best chance for you to get a favorable skills assessment would be with VETASSESS.

Of course EA is a no go as it is only for engineers. AIQS possible, BUT not all allied discipline practicing as estimator/quantity surveying will be successful. There will be factors such as the school where you graduated (should be listed under Section 1 of Country Education Profiles-CEP) another is working under an appropriate supervisor. From AIQS website one of 3 criteria should be met to be considered as an appropriate supervisor. But again, in my experience, I have not known, read or heard anyone getting a "Suitable" assessment from AIQS having a supervisor who is not a corporate member of the AIQS. My colleague (CE practicing QS) just recently failed the assessment partly because of that "appropriate" supervisor thing even it was the VP (CE practicing QS) of an international QS Consultancy (based in the PH) who signed his reference letter. It does not necessarily mean that your supervisor should be an AIQS member but could be a member of an affiliate organization such as RICS, NZIQS, PIQCS, etc.

So in a nut shell, favorable chance of assessment with AIQS if you cant meet the requirements for school and appropriate supervisor. If you think not, best chance will be with VETASSESS.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

athelene · May 2018

@Jacraye Hi, while VETASSESS might provide the best chance of getting a positive skill assessment, as per DHA the assessing authority listed for the Quantity Surveyor occupation is still AIQS. If @Graff were to do his skill assessment with VETASSESS, do you think DHA would accept that?

Jacraye · May 2018

Hi @athelene thanks for the comment. I do agree that QS is still to be assessed with AIQS. But I think the intent here is to get a positive assessment for skills regardless of who will be the assessor.

For example, a CE graduate practicing as QS/estimator is more likely to be assessed with AIQS if he has a job title (in his CV and COE) as Quantity Surveyor. On the other hand, if a CE graduate is practicing QS/estimator but having a job title of Civil Engineer, then he might have his assessment with either EA or VETASSESS.

What I am tying to say here is that job title will be the basis of assessing body that suits you. I know of people, just recently, CE practicing QS having the title of QS requested their employer to change their job title in their COE from QS to CE as they do not meet the criteria of having an appropriate supervisor and chose to have their assessment with EA and became successful.

In my opinion, as long as your documents are consistent to what skill you have and your skills assessed by respective assessors, DHA will accept.

athelene · May 2018

@Jacraye Ah I see. Okay, I kinda get it now. Thank you for the clarification! So essentially the listed assessing authority isn't the only one accepted by DHA to provide positive skills assessment, is that right? And whether it's AIQS, EA, or VETASSESS, they can conduct a skills assessment for the nominated occupation.

Jacraye · May 2018

@athelene Actually it should still follow the list accepted by DHA. Put it this way, people with allied discipline can choose (depending on the accumulated experience and requirements) a skill title within the nominated skills list that best suits them then have it assessed by its respective assessing authority for a favorable assessment.

If one graduated as a QS (we already have a school in PH via PIBE) then automatic, no questions asked, you should be assessed by AIQS. But since we are allied in relation to QS/estimating, we have the chance to choose which suits us best.

OZingwithOZomeness · May 2018

@athelene @Jacraye @Graff I believe you can still have your skills assess under Architectural Draftsperson via VETASSESS. Archi Graduate ako but I've been working as an Interior Designer for 7 years na, and I have my skills assessed as Architectural Draftsperson and got my PR visa grant last March under visa 190 through NSW SS.

Please see this link:

https://deltaimmigration.com.au/Architectural-Draftsperson/312111.htm

You can scroll down below and you can find it there ano ang Job Description ng Architectural Draftsperson based on Australian Standard. I know a lot of people here sa forum are looking through ANZCOsearch website, but for me mas helpful and straight forward itong delta immigration kasi makikita mo dyan kung anong visa type pwepwede ang isang occupation pati kung saang states pwede ang isang occupation if visa 190. There are also related occupation na lalabas, halimbawa search mo architectural draftsperson, magbibigay sya ng related occupations like

Architectural Draftsperson
Building Associate
Building Inspector
Construction Estimator
Plumbing Inspector
Surveying or Spatial Science Technician
Architectural, Building and Surveying Technicians nec

and you can click those other occupations and it will open to its specific description and what type of visa and all other information you needed. (naka-summarize pa nga ang requirement ng states eh) The best thing is merong task/job description, so hindi ka malilito if pasok ka ba as architectural draftsperson or not, and based sa australian standard ito ang task ng architectural draftsperson:

-assisting Construction Managers, Architects and Surveyors in planning and organisation
-interpreting plans, regulations and codes of practice
-preparing preliminary sketches, working drawings and specifications
-preparing, editing and revising plans, maps, charts and drawings
-coordinating works programs
-inspecting work and materials for compliance with specifications, regulations and standards
-calculating costs and estimating time scales
-collecting data using surveying instruments and photogrammetric equipment
-performing routine computations and plotting preliminary data

so pasok na pasok ka dyan, i believe.

The best solution is ikaw mismo ang gagawa ng COE mo kasi mas kabisado mo yung scope ng job mo and anong ginagawa mo, then papirma mo na lang at papalagay sa official letterhead ng company mo kasi mostly sa amin dito sa pinoyau ganyan ginawa namin.

Going through a student visa will only cost you more money and time than applying directly as a PR if may chance ka naman, why not. I have friends na 4 years na sa OZ na under sa student visa and this year pa lang mag apply as PR, samantalang ako ni hindi ko pa nalalanghap ang hangin ng OZ eh PR na ang status ko from offshore, what I'm saying is research more and I believe may chance yang experience mo to get a PR OZ visa under skilled migration. Goodluck and God bless.

athelene · May 2018

@OZingwithOZomeness Thank you very much for the advice! Mas informative nga ang website ng Delta Immigration than ANZSCOsearch

Plano ko talaga after 2 years pa bago magpa-assess pero dahil matagal nga ang proseso baka this year na ako magpa-assess (after makaipon ng assessment fee hehe).

Itatanong ko lang po sana, may minimum number of tasks ba from that list na kailangan nakalagay sa COE? Yung COE ko kasi from my first two employers ganito ang nakalagay:

Company 1 - PH design firm(prepared by company secretary/HR)
-Prepare architectural drawings using AutoCAD (2D)
-Prepare 3D perspective using Sketchup and V-Ray
-Site supervision
-Cordinate with engineering consultants and suppliers regarding working drawings and details
-Quality control architectural finishes on construction

Company 2 - Taiwan design firm (I wrote the draft myself)
-Producing 3D visualization of design projects
-Preparing architectural working drawings
-Coordinating with allied professionals regarding design details
-Creating presentation materials for client meetings
-Organizing project documentation for building permit application

Bale ang focus po kasi ng work ko was design and documentation, so puro drawing-related tasks ang ipinalagay/inilagay ko. From what I can tell, these duties address only 3-4 tasks on the list, sapat na po ba kaya ito para magpa-assess as architectural draftsperson? Medyo iba din po kasi ang keywords sa COE from the tasks list, so I'm concerned kung ok lang kaya ito?

OZingwithOZomeness · May 2018

@athelene Hi Ma'am. minimum po of atleast 5 tasks. Based po dyan sa binigay niyong example pag ni numberan niyo po yan lima po ang kinalabasan. Halos ganyan din yung sa akin eh. Kaya ok po yan ma'am. Wag kayo mag alala doon sa task list na nasa delta, kasi parang general guide lang po yun for us to know if pasok tayo sa ceratin occupation na equivalent sa OZ. Don't worry po kasi as what I said, ganyan din mga tasks ko sa COE's ko hehe.

Try mo na mag pa assess this year if may budget ka na po kasi isa sa kalaban natin sa pag migrate is time. sayang ang 1 year na head start niyo if balak niyo after 2 years pa mag pa assess. Goodluck po ma'am.

Graff · May 2018

@Jacraye Thanks for giving me an idea and hope to pursue my career. I'm thinking now to study Construction Management or Quantity Surveying but I'm still finding a way of how to use my present 8-9 years work experience abroad. If I'm not wrong Vetassess will assest for Construction Estimator or Architectural, Building and
Surveying Technicians occupation only? I tried to find those occupations in all sponsoring states, but It seems like these jobs are not in demand in Australia. Please clarify which occupation in Vet is applicable for me that I can apply for assessment.

Thank you.

OZingwithOZomeness · May 2018

@Graff Hi please read my advise above.

Graff · May 2018

@OZingwithOZomeness Sorry I didn't read before I replied to Jacraye...May tanong lang po ako, after po mag positive ako sa Vet at mainvite ako ng state, ano po ang points na dapat ko makuha para makakuha ng invite sa DHA? I tried to compute the points that I will get after getting state sponsorship and its only 65 points considering my English Language Ability is only competent and 5 years work experience. Salamat...

athelene · May 2018

@OZingwithOZomeness Thank you, at least alam ko na pwede na yung ganito ang COE, at least hindi ko na kailangan magpagawa ng bago. Medyo pahirapan din kasi kumuha ng COE sa first two employers ko kahit umalis ako ng office in good terms. Nag-iipon na ko ngayon ng pambayad sa assessment para makapagsubmit na ko ng application pagdating na pagdating ko sa Australia. *fingers crossed* Sana makakuha ako ng positive results~

OZingwithOZomeness · May 2018

@Graff 60pts naman po ang minimum req ni DHA to be invited. I supposed nag take ka na ng IELTS or PTE at competent lang nakuha mo? even not proficient sir?

if 65points po ang total points niyo including SS may chance parin po kayo ma invite pero syempre need mag antay kasi kung sa pila inuuna nila ang ang may mataas na points. Wag ka mawalan ng pag-asa sir, may friends ako na 60pts including na SS na invite last August at PR this year lang na grant, although last year sya na invite. Pahigpit na kasi rin competition sa points. I suggest try to get a proficient english result para 75pts kayo. Mabilis kayo maiinvite kaagad.

athelene · May 2018

@Graff I highly suggest you retake the English exam and get at least Proficient results so you can get additional 10-20 points (no points ang Competent English). At this point it's difficult to tell how many points you need to get an invitation, but from recent trends people are more likely to get ITAs with 75+ points (at least for the past year).

If you're not in a hurry, try to submit an EOI upon completing your assessments and documentation so you'll be on the pool of candidates already. Older EOIs are given priority over newer ones, unless you have really high EOI points (75-80+). With 65 points it might take months to get an ITA, at least nowadays. If you are somewhat in a hurry (if you're trying to secure an ITA before your points decrease due to age), I say retake the English test to get more points.

OZingwithOZomeness · May 2018

@athelene Oo sakit sa ulo maghabol sa mga previous employers. What do you mean na makapagsubmit ka na ng application pagdating na pagdating mo sa OZ?

makakuha ka nyan ng positive results kasi if yung work experience mo naman ang titignan eh, which i think eh solid naman. magdedepende na lang kung ilang years yung ibibigay nila na skilled experienced mo, but take note na they will deduct 1 year sa overall experience mo kasi parang hindi pa nila kinokonsider na skilled experience yun. kumabaga intern or rookie level pa lang daw kasi hahah

athelene · May 2018

@OZingwithOZomeness I'm moving to Sydney na po kasi by July for studies, so busy pa ako ngayon sa preparations for that. Kaya pagdating ko na doon saka ko pa maaasikaso/masimulan ang VETASSESS application. So far I think ok naman po yung work experience ko kasi sa architecture field naman, pero sakto 5 years siya, so kung mababawasan nga ng 1 year, 4 years lang ang macclaim ko for overseas work experience. Medyo masaklap ang scenario (ang hirap pa rin tanggapin haha), pero wala ako magagawa dun. Basta ma-recognize nila at least 3 years of overseas experience ok na sakin, para makakuha lang ng points for overseas work.

Graff · May 2018

@athelene Cge magtake ako ng PTE sa end of June...Sana makapasa kahit Proficient man lang...Yung po bang detailed COE ilang pages po ba sxa???Balak ko po sana gumawa na lang tapos papirmahan ko sa boss ko. At paano naman yung mga previous work ko na ang binigay lang is standard COE? 2 years din yun at yung isa nagclose na. Ano po ang gagawen ko dun?

RheaMARN1171933 · May 2018

@Graff the minimum points required to be eligible to apply is 60 points but this doesn't mean you'll get invited straight away. You'll be in a better position to get invited if you've got higher points.

athelene · May 2018

@Graff One page lang po ang COE ko per company/position. Kung hindi ka na makakuha ng bagong COE, baka pwede ka po gumawa ng stat dec tungkol sa company na nagclose or magbigay ng additional details from the company na nagbigay ng standard COE.

Graff · May 2018

@RheaMARN1171933 nagcheck ako ng mga previous invitation rounds...from november 2017 up to march 2018 wala pong invitation ng 65 points...may chance pa kayang bumaba ng 65points ang invitation???

athelene · May 2018

@Graff I checked recently and during Aug-Oct 2017 they sent invitations to 65-pointers, but probably that's because they have a relatively high volume sent during this time (between 1000-1750 invitations per round). The rest of the year 300-700 invitatons lang, so the high pointers are the ones getting the invitations. There's a chance to get invited with 65 points, but it will take a long time to get an invitation.