Answers by Experts – April 2023

1. For trade occupations, are City and Guilds qualifications acceptable for electricians?

City and Guild are an international institute that offer qualifications comparable to the Australian Qualifications Framework. If you hold one of their qualifications that are relevant to your occupation, you are eligible for a Pathway 1 application. Pathway 1 is for applicants who do not have an Australian qualification or occupational licence.

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2. I am a hairdresser and am paid cash in hand. If I cannot get payslips as evidence of my employment, what are my options?

You must provide financial evidence to verify all payments made to you. If you are unable to do this, we will not be able to verify or acknowledge these employment periods and your application may be unsuccessful. All applications must meet the minimum evidence requirements of at least two forms of financial evidence. If you are paid in cash, you must provide detailed receipts of these payments, such as a payroll summary and taxation documents. If you are self-employed, you must supply a letter from your accountant detailing your financial obligations.

3. My job title is different from the job title for the occupation I’d like to apply for under the ANZSCO code, how will this affect my application?

An applicant’s job title does not need to match the occupation they nominate. Our assessors look at your education and employment experience and evaluate the level of tasks you perform against those commonly required for the nominated occupation. We have helpful Information Sheets for most of our general and professional occupations and you can find them by searching on our website.

4. I have work experience, an MBA and degree in my professional occupation, do I submit evidence of other short courses I have taken and awards that I have won. Will this help in the process?

Please include any short courses and/or awards supporting your role in your professional occupation in your CV only. Submitting them as part of your official qualification evidence may delay the assessment process as we will need to formally assess them against qualifications within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Your short courses and awards will most likely not have an AQF equivalent.

5. Is an Australian Graduate Diploma considered as being at the same level as an Australian Bachelor Degree?

No, even though a Graduate Diploma sits higher than the Bachelor degree in the AQF it is not considered as having the same depth and breadth as a Bachelor Degree and, therefore, cannot be used to meet occupations that require a Degree level qualification.

6. I have experience as a Talent Acquisition Specialist in India and am now a Recruitment Consultant in Australia. My company here only has three staff, will working for a small company affect my application?

Our assessors look at whether you have met the requirements for the occupation. If you work for a small company that does not mean you cannot fulfil the requirements. However, you will need to provide evidence of your education, the primary tasks performed for each of your roles as well as your income/salary for each of those roles.