Self-employed in Australia Thread poster: Nicole Y. Adams, M.A.
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Hello,
I have filed my Visa application and if all goes well am hoping to relocate to Australia at the end of 2008 or in early 2009.
I am just doing some research on registering as self-employed in Australia but cannot seem to find any informative or official websites regarding the matter.
Could anyone point me in the right direction and perhaps let me know the right links, or share any information you might have?
I'm trying to find out what I ... See more Hello,
I have filed my Visa application and if all goes well am hoping to relocate to Australia at the end of 2008 or in early 2009.
I am just doing some research on registering as self-employed in Australia but cannot seem to find any informative or official websites regarding the matter.
Could anyone point me in the right direction and perhaps let me know the right links, or share any information you might have?
I'm trying to find out what I need to do to register as self-employed once I arrive in Australia, which office to contact, which forms to fill in, and get an idea on the tax implications, etc.
Any info would be much appreciated!
Many thanks in advance!
Nicole ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Self-employed in Australia | Jan 17, 2008 |
Hi Nicole
Welcome to our lovely country - when you get here, that is!
To do business in Australia (and I'm not an expert, this is just general), you need an "Australian Business Number"(ABN). Basically you can't do business without this. You get this (online) from the Australian Business Register: www.abr.gov.au. This will be associated with your Tax File Number, which everyone needs in A... See more Hi Nicole
Welcome to our lovely country - when you get here, that is!
To do business in Australia (and I'm not an expert, this is just general), you need an "Australian Business Number"(ABN). Basically you can't do business without this. You get this (online) from the Australian Business Register: www.abr.gov.au. This will be associated with your Tax File Number, which everyone needs in Australia, whether they work for an employer or for themselves - it's how the government checks you're paying your taxes!
As a freelancer, you don't need to register a business name, but if you want to, you can, at a cost from the Department of Fair Trading. My state's department is www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au, but each state has something similar.
Each state usually has a website to encourage businesses. This is the one for my state - it's probably got some useful info: http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/.
The other thing to know about being a translator/interpreter in Australia is that it is very hard to get work (especially for government or official channels) if you are not NAATI accredited. A NAATI stamp is needed for all translations of official documents, for example. Perhaps NAATI can validate your qualifications, but I'm not sure. They are quite tough and usually accreditation is gained through annual exams (can be more frequent, at a cost), which are highly competitive, thus maintaining a good standard for NAATI practitioners. See www.naati.com.au for all the details there.
Then it's basically set up your computer and internet connection and away you go, you're in business (well, almost....!)
Good luck
Alison ▲ Collapse
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Thank you very much, Alison. That helps a lots. I will have a look at the links and am sure they'll also be very helpful.
With regards to NAATI, I already have NAATI accreditation (which I needed for my visa application), so that's sorted.
Thanks again for your input!
| | | | | Welcome! (in advance!) | Jan 17, 2008 |
What a great place to move! (Okay, slightly biased here!)
Another less-than-exciting website you might like to check out is the Australian Tax Office http://www.ato.gov.au, which should point you in the right direction of what your obligations are regarding paying tax as a sole trader.
Another interesting website is for the professional association for translators and interpreters in Aust... See more What a great place to move! (Okay, slightly biased here!)
Another less-than-exciting website you might like to check out is the Australian Tax Office http://www.ato.gov.au, which should point you in the right direction of what your obligations are regarding paying tax as a sole trader.
Another interesting website is for the professional association for translators and interpreters in Australia - http://www.ausit.org.
Do feel free to ask any other questions you might have!
Melissa
[Edited at 2008-01-17 21:08] ▲ Collapse
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Nicole Ross (X)
Australia
Local time: 20:14
German to English
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Hi Nicole,
Another interesting website is for the professional association for translators and interpreters in Australia - http://www.ausit.org.
I agree. AUSIT membership is a good way to network and work on your professional development. They run email lists for the major languages, and if you're moving to a major city, you'll also have opportunities to meet fellow members face-to-face. AUSIT also get preferential rates for advertising, insurance, and from memory, they've done a bulk-buy on CAT software in the past.
On the business side of things, if you're going to be self-employed, do look into professional indemnity insurance. I can't give you a whole lot of first-hand experience about looking for a good policy, as I'm on the search myself.
With tax, you'll definitely need an ABN if you're going to provide business services. It helps give you a professional edge and also lets you claim back your work-related expenses on tax. Our tax system is a bit, er, idiosyncratic, so having a good accountant can be really useful.
Hope you'll like living in Australia. Nicole
| | | | Milton Guo 
China
Local time: 17:44
English to Chinese
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| Lovely country | Jan 25, 2008 |
Australia is a lovely country with a small population and vast territory..I miss my time there in Melbourne in 1998. How time flies.
Good luck !
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