IT wizards from Oz are taking IT contract jobs in the farthest
corners of the UK because local ITers refuse to travel - and the
antipodeans are reportedly more responsible, mature and committed.
This is the view of an IT recruitment firm and an employer in
Scotland who find they can get people from across the world to go
to Inverness but cannot persuade someone from Edinburgh to work 45
miles away in Glasgow.
Jobs firm Careercare believes more IT people from Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa will now come to the UK for jobs following
the Government's relaxation of work permit rules for areas of
skills shortages.
"Antipodeans show the 'get up and go' that the IT industry
needs," says Careercare managing director Alan Smith. "They're
enthusiastic and offer both practical skills and experience at the
same time.
"In our experience it is harder to get a guy from Edinburgh to
move to Glasgow than it is to get an Australian to work in
Inverness. These people are attracted to some of the most remote
parts of Scotland and are willing to work anywhere."
Graeme Leiper, production and technology director at Integriti,
which supplies corrosion and vibration monitoring systems, echoes
these views.
"Antipodeans are typically looking for three to six months'
work, and this suits us well, as we work on a project basis," he
says. "They are free to travel and are attracted by the outdoor
life, so getting them here to Dingwall, near Inverness, is not an
issue.
"They tend to be highly skilled people who have held senior
positions in their own countries, and they are not afraid of
responsibility. In comparison with UK people of the same age,
antipodeans are more responsible, more committed and more
mature."
Smith adds, "When we offer jobs at Integriti to UK contractors
most have no desire to work in Dingwall and want something a bit
closer to home - but we have placed three Australians and a South
African there in the last 12 months alone."
Aussie contractor Stuart Richardson, a 27-year-old software
engineering graduate, wanted to work in Scotland. "I wanted
somewhere which also offered outdoor sporting opportunities,
preferably involving mountains," he says.
"I now go kayaking just about every weekend, and when I'm not
doing that or working, I go hill walking, so Dingwall is perfect
for me."
Leiper says, "With offices in Aberdeen, London, Houston and
Calgary as well as Dingwall, we make a point of keeping in contact
with contractors as they move on. If, as they travel the world,
there is an opportunity for them to work for us again then we have
someone who knows our systems, which is a great bonus."