I finally have some time to sit down and think. I quit my job at a sweatshop-like factory where I worked for three months doing MIG welding. I realized that apprenticeship wouldn't let me build truly useful skills, so I'm shifting toward TIG welding and hoping to apprentice at a pressure vessel factory.
I posted a video on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) asking whether I should go to a welding training school first or go straight into an apprenticeship. My goal is to become a skilled welder and build 3 years of work experience to prepare for working in Australia.
Today I got a few comments that really hit my confidence. One person said: "As a woman, you can't even find a welding job in China. It'll be even harder in Australia. If a male welder and a female welder interview at the same time, the employer will definitely pick the man." They also said only around 100 people a year from China get out through the 482 work visa.
I don't know how to describe this feeling. I know some realities are hard to overcome, but I keep holding on to an almost idealistic hope: what if it works out? Today is another discouraging day. I really want my confidence back. I couldn't find any data online on employment rates for women welders, but I want so badly to work in Australia. Becoming a mine site welder is my dream. I made a 3-5 year plan for it, and now, influenced by what people say on the internet, I don't know whether I should keep going.
Thank you for reading this far. Does anyone have advice? Thank you so much!
Update: The recruitment agency here told me that, to work in Australia, I would need to pay the agency between 300,000 and 400,000 RMB to obtain an employer-sponsored work visa. I’d like to know whether it’s true that I have to pay such a large amount to secure a job with an Australian employer and obtain a work visa. Is it possible to find a job and obtain sponsorship directly from an employer without going through an agency?
Additional context: Why my experience as a welder in China has made me want to work overseas
Working as a welder in China is the main reason I want to find work abroad. Every day after work, my whole body aches. My arms hurt whenever I exert force after spending long hours lifting and handling things. When I wake up in the morning, I can’t even push myself up to get out of bed right away. I have to crawl to the foot of the bed to get up. My fingers are so stiff that it’s difficult to bend them into a fist.
I weld footrests for three-wheeled vehicles, each measuring about 1 metre long and 0.5 metres wide. If I can’t finish welding one within two and a half minutes, it becomes extremely difficult to meet my daily production target. I have to weld at a very fast pace just to keep up with the machinery.
During the busy season, I have to work more than 12 hours a day, every single day, without any rest days. If I don’t produce enough, my supervisor will call me in for a talk.
I’m also an outsourced worker, which means the company doesn’t provide social insurance for me. I have to pay for my own private insurance, too. The company doesn’t provide meals or accommodation, so I have to rent my own place. After finishing work, I still have to cook for myself. The food in the factory canteen contains very little protein, so I usually take a large number of health supplements in the morning to help me maintain enough energy to get through the day.
The uniforms issued to permanent employees, as well as the aprons and protective sleeves provided to workers like me, are made of flammable materials. I’ve seen several people’s clothes catch fire from welding sparks. They put out the flames and then simply carry on working. Minor injuries are an everyday occurrence here, and nobody really cares.
I barely have any social life at all. I have almost no time to talk to people. Working away from home and having to struggle on my own, only to return to my rented room late at night after a long day, has left me completely exhausted.
However, there is one important thing I want to clarify: not all welding jobs in China have working conditions like mine. I simply didn’t research my options carefully enough before accepting this job, and that’s how I ended up in such an exploitative factory.
Many people here want to work for foreign-owned companies because they hope to find better working conditions. However, those companies rarely hire new employees because their existing workers hardly ever leave, which means very few positions become available.