Culture shock: working on foreign shores

Earlier this month, the Australian government ran events in Athens and Berlin called Skills Australia Needs. It was an attempt to lure Greeks and Germans to fill shortages in industries such as healthcare and engineering.

It's all very well to attract foreign workers, but once they are here and working in Aussie companies, what happens?

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This wasn’t what I signed up for

When the early days of an overseas posting go wrong

In the past month massive floods have inundated many areas of Australia. 

In Queensland alone the flood zone covers an area larger than France and Germany combined, or for those of you in the USA, an area greater than the state of Texas.   97 towns or cities have been affected by flooding or isolation. Since Christmas Eve tens of thousands of houses have been flooded to varying degrees with many uninhabitable. Around 6,000 people have moved to evacuation centres.  As at January 21^st 33 people have lost their lives with more still missing. 

These are the facts that describe much hardship and sadness for thousands of people. 

Like most people in Australia my thoughts and prayers are with those I know who are affected as well as those we have met through the tragedies shown through the media. 

In addition my thoughts are also with those expats who I know will have recently arrived in Australia to begin work with their employers, to set up their homes and establish their families in their new locations.

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