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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Advance?
What are its goals?
What do you mean by ‘professional’?
What services do you offer?
Which Industry Networks does Advance run?
Where are Advance’s Local Chapters?
How many members does Advance have?
There are currently no Advance activities where I live. How can I be involved?
How is Advance different to other Australian organisations working in America?
How is Advance funded?
Is Advance the largest network of its kind in the world?
What is the history of Advance?
Who runs Advance?
Do other countries do this sort of thing?
How do I find out more?
Advance - Global Australian Professionals is for all Australians working overseas. From accountants to zoologists, becoming a member is your way of staying connected, keeping informed and investing in your future. Joining is free!
Advance is a community of Australian professionals overseas headquartered in New York City, with established chapters in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and London with several others in formation around the globe. Advance recognises the importance of maintaining connection with the one million Australians in our diaspora making their mark in boardrooms, science laboratories, arts institutions, classrooms and communities worldwide.
We provide online and live services and events in major industry sectors, enabling Australians abroad to be informed ambassadors-at-large who open doors and opportunities for Australia and Australians across the globe. Advance is an independent not-for-profit and registered charity in the United States.
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GOALS FOR GLOBAL AUSTRALIANS
We understand that although there are reasons you are overseas, you still want to be connected to Australia and Australian professionals in your areas of interest around the world. Professional Industry Networks
Advance provides industry information online, connecting Australian industry players across key industry sectors.
Global Careers – Home and Away
If you are looking to return and have lost contact with your networks back home, we can provide you with the necessary connections and introductions to get you back into the Australian marketplace. Global career opportunities are also listed.
Resources and Advice
From visas and working permits to tips on transferring your credit rating, Advance is building a central resource to help you.
Still Call Australian Home
Give something back: become an Ambassador-at-large for Australia. From being a “mentor” for your industry to supporting your University or opening doors for your home State, Advance provides opportunities for you to represent Australia from afar.
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GOALS FOR AUSTRALIA
One of Australia’s greatest assets is the one million Australians overseas, particularly the 500,000 Australian professionals around the world. Ambassadors-at-Large
Ten percent of Australia’s working age population is now abroad. Australians are making their mark in boardrooms, science laboratories, arts institutions and communities the world over. Advance provides a way for Australia to harness this important group of Australians.
Access to Talent
One in four Australian professionals overseas is looking to return. For many, the loss of their previous networks in Australia makes this transition a challenging process. Advance assists in connecting Australian corporations and organisations with this valuable pool of Australian talent.
Building Australian Institutions
We connect leading professionals overseas with Australian institutions, government organisations and charities, providing them with a valuable set of skills and networks of influence around the world.
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Our inclusive definition of professional includes anyone focused on their area of work, their industry or field. This can be the arts, finance, medicine, science, hospitality. It's more about your interest and development in your field of endeavour then traditional notions of what it means to be a professional.
We run live events and offer online services including:
- Industry Networks that provide members with the opportunity to connect with Australians working in their field. These include:
- Academic & Research
- The Arts
- Financial Services
- Life Sciences
- Media, Communications & Technology
- Professional Services
- Public & Charitable
- State of Origin Networks – connecting with your State of Origin
- University Development – Advance runs the alumni activities in some territories like the United States for a number of Australian Universities including: Australian National University, Griffith University, The University of Sydney, University Technology Sydney and University of Western Australia. We have an ongoing expansion of our university services.
- Business Events Ambassadors Programme – allowing Australian professionals in major corporates to advocate for Australia as a destination for business events and corporate tourism.
- Academic & Research
- The Arts
- Entrepreneur & Investor
- Financial Services
- Life Sciences
- Media, Marketing, Advertising & PR
- Professional Services
- Public & Charitable
- Technology
- Boston
- Chicago
- Hong Kong
- London
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Paris
- San Francisco
- Vancouver
- Washington DC
We also have Chapters in formation in:
- Dublin
- Dubai
- Shanghai
Currently we have more than 10000 members and we are growing consistently.
To start with you can participate in the online activities and events. You can also join our writing team or one of our industry committees. We are global and the web is significant part of what we do, so you can be a full member of the team even if you can't attend live events.
If you live in a location where a large concentration of Australian professionals exists, you might want to pull a group together and form a Local Chapter. Contact the advance office to discuss this. We have a project plan on how to form an Advance Local Chapter.
There are two main types of Australian organisations overseas: Government and non-government. Advance is not an Australian Government organisation—we are not part of Austrade, Invest Australia or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which are all arms of the Australian Government. Non-government groups such as the Chambers of Commerce of organisations like the American Australian Association or the British American Association focus primarily on fostering the bilateral relationship between Australia and one other country. Advance is a global organisation that focuses solely on Australians and Australia. Our primary purpose is to build a global community of Australian professionals living and working overseas.
Our focus is also on professional content. While Advance incorporates networking and socializing into our activities, we do not focus on purely social or recreational events. Other international organisations already provide events for Australian national and cultural celebrations such as Australia Day, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day, the Melbourne Cup and other sporting events.
Advance membership is for Australians only—non-Australians can be ‘Friends of Advance’ but the bulk of Advance’s activities are reserved for Australians, with an emphasis is on providing resources for the global community of Australians living and working in professional occupations overseas.
A lot of Advance's activities are driven by volunteers, allowing us to keep our cost structure lean. Many of our events and activities are designed to be self-funding through door charges and sponsorships. The operating funds we do receive come from our Patrons, corporate sponsors, through the partnerships we have formed with Australian Government agencies and universities and from fundraising. If you would like to make a donation to Advance's activities, please contact our CEO, Serafina Maiorano.
Yes, Advance is the largest global network of cross-industry Australian professionals overseas.
Advance was established in May 2002 by a group of Australian professionals led by Tim Maher in partnership with the Hon. Ken Allen, Consul General in New York.
Advance is governed by an honorary Board. We have our headquarters in New York with three staff members, as well as a network office in San Francisco, where the West Coast US Manager is based. Our London office opened in 2006 and has two staff members who drive activities in the United Kingdom and support local chapters being established in Europe. The first of these, Paris, is being launched soon. In addition, we have a global leadership comprising fifty mid-senior level executives who donating more than 1,000 hours per month to Advance and to Australia. Over the next three years, we expect to see the number of executives donating time to Advance grow to more than 1,000 active volunteers with more than 10,000 hours per month of invested time.
If you are interested in joining the global leadership team please contact CEO, Serafina Maiorano.
Several other countries are now seeking to capitalise on the power, influence and talent in their diaspora. Governments that are particularly active in this area include India, Israel and Ireland. The Advance model has also been recognised by both the Singaporean and Canadian Governments as world’s best practice at building a next-generation expatriate community and galvanising it toward economic development of the home nation.[1]
Advance has completed competitive reviews and engaged with leaders of other countries’ diaspora groups. The countries whose methods we have drawn from the most are Ireland, Israel and India.
Use our Contact Us form for any specific questions about Advance you may have or for more information
