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Temporary changes to the Working Holiday Makers Visa conditions may be of benefit to Vets currently working in Australia from overseas – and to their clinics!

From 19 January 2022 to 31 December 2022, the 6 month work limitation has been temporarily relaxed.

Until 31 December 2022, Working Holiday Makers ​no longer need permission from the Department to work for the same employer for more than 6 months.

This allows employers to retain trained staff.

Working Holiday Makers can work in any location, occupation or industry while in Australia. Under Condition 8547, work with any one employer is generally limited to 6 months. From 19 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 the 6 month work limitation has been temporarily relaxed. The Condition 8547 does not apply until after 31 December 2022.

Normally, Working Holiday Makers cannot stay in the same position in the same location with one employer for more than six months by using different employment agencies, business affiliates or sub-contracting arrangements. The 6 months starts from the day they start work. It includes full-time, part-time, casual, shift and voluntary work. It is based on the length of time that has passed since they started working, not how many hours or days worked. However, they do not need to ask (Immigration) permission to work with the same employer for up to 12 months if working in different locations and work in any one location does not exceed 6 months.

For more information visit the Home Affairs website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/6-month-work-limitation

Author:

Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

This article covers information specific to working in Australia as a locum vet, and is taken from fact sheets produced by Kookaburra Veterinary Employment.

Registration as a Vet

You need to register in each State in which you want to work* (see information below about National Recognition of Registration), and you must be registered prior to your first day of work. The contact details for all the Vet Boards are listed on our website at http://www.kookaburravets.com/Australia/Ozlinks.htm on the links page. The requirements vary from State to State but basically you’ll need to fill out the forms, pay the fee, provide proof of your ID and degree certificate, and probably provide a letter of good standing from the last place you were registered with. The fee varies a lot, contact the state boards for current pricing. Some States have pro rata registration which is really handy for locums, and WA has temporary registration on a month to month basis (maximum 3 months).

Most vets doing locum work register in just one State to start with until they see where they want to work, and then register as required in others. It doesn’t usually take very long in any of the States (a couple of weeks at most).

Note that in WA you have to present in person at the Board Office in Perth in order to register.

You will get a registration number, and it’s good practice to print the number with your signature when signing any forms in Practice.

*NB: There is currently National Recognition of Registration in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and the ACT – Veterinary surgeons who currently hold primary registration and reside permanently in another Australian state or territory are entitled to practise as a veterinary surgeon in these States on a part-time, casual or locum basis without having to register with the local Veterinary Board. In Northern Territory, secondary registration is now free of charge although vets intending working in the NT should still fill the paperwork out to apply for secondary registration.

Tax

Contact your accountant or the ATO for advice regarding the most tax effective way for you to work as a locum.

Casual Employee

You have to fill out a form notifying your TFN (tax file number) to each employer when you start work, and they then deduct tax from your pay. You have to fill out a Tax Return at the end of the Financial year (June 30), and you may get a tax refund.

Your employer should also pay Superannuation (a compulsory pension) for you into a Super fund, of your choice. From 1^st Nov 2021 employers are required to check with the ATO whether the employee has a “stapled fund” (ie. their preferred existing fund). Super is currently 10% of salary.

Contractor/Self-Employed

Australian locums have historically worked as self-employed contractors, however, you have to register as a business and get an ABN – Australian Business Number. You must provide this ABN to the clinic before they can pay you as a contractor/self employed locum. The clinic then pays you in full, and you sort out your own tax. You can find more info at www.ato.gov.au You may also have to register for GST. Unless you are a registered company, for normal locum work it’s likely that the clinic should also pay superannuation for you under the Superannuation Guarantee – consult your accountant or contact the ATO for more information. However, even if you supply the clinic with an ABN and an invoice for your work, it is still possible that for both tax and superannuation purposes you should be treated as an employee. You can find more info and an online calculator to assess whether you are an employee or a contractor at www.ato.gov.au/business/employee-or-contractor/how-to-work-it-out–employee-or-contractor/

Pay Rates

Locum rates range from $35 to $80+ an hour (average $55-65/hr) at the moment (November 2021). If you do out of hours work you should get paid an on call allowance for having the phone for each period up to 24 hours, and then get the relevant hourly rate if you do any calls. Some clinics still pay a % of the professional fee for any out of hours calls. Quite a lot of city practices use out of hours emergency centres now so there’s no OOH duties. Minimum employment conditions are set by the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 – you can find copies online by Googling the Award name.

To see 2019 Salary Survey Results compiled by Kookaburra, visit https://www.vetsuppliersdirectory.com.au/2019-salary-survey-results-part-1/

Professional Indemnity Insurance

The Practice Insurer may cover all vets working at the practice – locums should ask the clinic to check. However, it is a good idea to have your own PI Insurance. If working in South Australia, any vet must be covered by either their own or third party PII arrangements as a requirement of registration – and this also applies to vets practising under interstate registration.

Providers include:

• Veterinary Defence Association 02 8355 9900 info@vetdefenceco.com
• Guild Insurance 1800 810213
• Petplan Professional 0411 265746 petplanpro@petplan.com.au

Workcover Insurance

Workcover comprises work health and safety and workers compensation laws. Work-related injuries should be covered by the compulsory insurance required for every employer. Contractors may be covered also, depending on their working arrangements.

Other Professional Registration

Radiation

State legislation requires vets to be licensed in order to use Radiation Equipment. The process varies from State to State – ask the clinic that you are going to be working at. There is now a Mutual Recognition Act that may cover applications for a licence in other States or Territories.

• NSW epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/radiation/radiation-user-licence/user-licence-introduction
• ACT https://health.act.gov.au/businesses/radiation-safety/apply-radiation-licence
• Qld https://www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/licences/radiation-licensing/apply/licences/veterinary
• South Australia https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/business_and_industry/radiation
• Victoria https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/radiation
• Western Australia http://www.radiologicalcouncil.wa.gov.au/Pages/Licensing.html
• Tasmania https://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/publichealth/radiation
• Northern Territory https://nt.gov.au/industry/licences/radiation-licences-for-medical-and-dental-practitioners

Microchipping

Some States have compulsory microchip identification of companion animal cats and dogs, and implanters are required to be licensed in Qld, NSW and Victoria. You may also be required to be licensed to implant microchips in horses.

• NSW https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/public/dogs-cats/information-for-professionals/
• Queensland business.qld.gov.au/industries/service-industries-professionals/service-industries/veterinary-surgeons/microchipping/laws-implanters
• Victoria https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/domestic-animals-act/registration-legislation-and-permits/microchipping-of-dogs-cats-and-horses/microchipping-for-authorised-implanters

Author:

Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

A Résumé, or CV (Curriculum Vitae), is vitally important to make a good first impression, and secure an interview.

It should be:

• Easy to read
• Include all relevant information
• Accurate

An employer wants to know your name and contact details, what level of experience and qualifications you have and what additional skills you can bring to the practice to make you a valuable employee.

How to lay out a CV

Your CV should be easy to read so that a potential employer can quickly find the information they are looking for.

• Use clear headings
• Line things up! – use tabs
• Use bullet points or numbered lists
• Use a standard format throughout your CV – make it match
• When listing things in date order, put the most recent first
• Use a clear font – don’t use a handwriting or ‘fun’ font
• Don’t use a large font – 10 or 11 is fine
• Optimum 2 to 3 pages long
• Do a Spell Check and a Grammar Check!

You can use a Résumé Template to give you a hand, but make sure you delete any irrelevant information.

Major Headings

1. Contact Information and Personal Details
2. Qualifications/Education
3. Skills / Personal Statement
4. Previous Employment
5. Undergraduate Work Experience
6. Undergraduate or Non-Veterinary Employment
7. Continuing Education
8. Personal Interests
9. References
10. Additional Sections
11. Photograph
12. Once you’ve written your CV, DO A SPELL CHECK!

1.      Contact Information and Personal Details

Include your full name, address, contact telephone number and email address. If your Visa status or Nationality will have a bearing on your suitability for work (eg overseas qualified vets) you can include it here.

2.      Qualifications/Education

Don’t include too much detail. List the most recent first ( reverse date order). New grads can include school details but for vets qualified several years it isn’t necessary.

3.      Skills or Personal Statement

Use this section to list your skills and competencies, veterinary interests, and career aspirations. Sell yourself!

4.      Previous Veterinary Employment

List previous veterinary employment with the most recent first ( reverse date order). Make it easy to read and to see dates. If there are any dates where you were travelling for example, or took a ‘career break’ for any other reason, include those details too. Do elaborate (briefly) on your actual duties and any specific skills acquired.

If you have been graduated for a long time and worked at many clinics, only give additional details for the most recent.

If you have locumed for a while, you don’t need to list all your locum jobs – just give a brief summary.

5.      Undergraduate Work Experience

This only applies to new graduates, and is extremely important. List the most recent first. List the clinics that you have seen practice at, and for how long. Describe the clinic, and give a brief description of the skills that you learnt while there.

6.      Undergraduate or Non-Veterinary Employment

It’s only worth including this if you’re a new grad, or if the type of work you have done is particularly relevant to the veterinary jobs you are now applying for.

7.      Continuing Education

This section is extremely important, and becoming more so as the various Vet Boards start to enforce a requirement to complete a set amount of continuing education each year. Put the most recent first.

8.      Personal Interests

Yes, this is important! Vets need to be well balanced individuals to cope with the stresses of their work life.

9.      References

If you have a written reference, attach it to your CV. Please include full contact details for your referees – nothing is more annoying than having to look them up!

It can be difficult for new graduates to get references, however, it is worth asking the practice principal where you have had most work experience to write you a reference, or be listed as a referee.

10.      Additional Sections

In addition to the basics, you may want to include more information. Put extra info between the Continuing Education, and Personal Interests sections. Examples could include professional memberships & subscriptions, and additional useful skills, including technical/computer skills, languages, community activities, volunteer experience, Awards received.

11.      Photograph

It’s a hard question, whether or not to include a photograph of yourself on your CV. Generally, if you’d like to include a photo, just use a regular passport style photo.

And Finally – DO ANOTHER SPELL CHECK!

Author:

Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.