First steps - Agent Advice

Stevie2929 · #1 (**permalink**) 11th December 2008, 12:45 PM

Hi all, we're new to the forum.

My wife Angela & I are thinking of moving to Australia permanently,I am 38 & my wife is 37 years of age.

We are currently living in Scotland,

Angela is a freelance Hairdresser who has previously worked as a Lecturer in Hairdressing as well as running her own salon for a number of years.
She has her LEVEL 3 & all the relevant TEACHING/ASSESSING qualifications required in UK.

I have an HNC in Sports Therapy, but currently running my own business as a Wall & Floor Tiler, mostly commercial premises, restaurants, shops etc. Unfortunately I do not have SVQ or NVQ for Tiling, which from what I can gather, may be a problem.

I have read through several posts (including the stickies, which are full of great research info) and most of you seem to agree that one of the first steps should be to speak to an Agent with regards to Visas.

I have noticed all the Expo's seem to be further south, can anyone advise whether there are any Expo's held in Scotland, or indeed any Agents North of the border we could speak to? or can anyone here give advice?

Any help very much appreciated,

Stephen & Angela

kaz101 · #2 (**permalink**) 11th December 2008, 06:27 PM

Hi Stephen and Angela,

Welcome to the forum.

As you'll have seen in the sticky 'Thinking of emigrating....' if Angela's on the demand list then she can be the primary applicant. Some trades don't need bits of paper and others do - I'm not sure about tilers.

You can usually find expos by doing a search in a search engine.
The Emigration group have some in London, Warrington, and Leamington spa in January and February - The Emigration Group - Jobs in New Zealand, visa Australia, jobs in Australia, visa NZ.

If you do a search in the MARA and MIA links in the 'PLEASE READ.....' post then they should be able to tell you whether there are agents in Scotland. We also have agents on this forum and it may be worth checking whether it's cheaper to use an Aussie agent because of the exchange rate rather than one in the UK.

Regards,
Karen

Stevie2929 · #3 (**permalink**) 17th December 2008, 06:39 PM

Hi Karen,

Many thanks for your advice. Angela's occupation is on the list, so making her primary applicant is an option. Mine is to, but I n eed a NVQ level 2, so I'm looking into getting
that as soon as possible so I can work as a tiler over there.

I'm going to book us a couple of tickets for an Expo early next year and get the ball rolloing as soon as possible.

We never considered using an Agent based in Australia, but we are going to look into it,
nice one!

Many thanks,

Stephen & Angela

Dolly · #4 (**permalink**) 17th December 2008, 07:33 PM

Hi Stephen & Angela,

Our agent was based in Australia - all we had to do was be aware of the time difference when phoning him.

It's always good, if you can, to go to the expos - we went to the Sandown expo twice and the Earls Court expo once. I don't think I've heard of any North of the border, although there was a NZ seminar in Glasgow.

Good luck
Dolly

Stevie2929 · #5 (**permalink**) 18th December 2008, 06:32 PM

Hi Dolly

Thank you for your interest.

We will definitely look at both Australian & Home based Agents.
The way the pound is going just know, who knows what its going to be worth next year!

Do tell me, what did you like most about attending the Expo's. I take it you found them useful if you went to three of them!?

How are you enjoying it over there, what were the main pro's and con's of moving to Australia
for you?

Regards

Stephen & Angela

Dolly · #6 (**permalink**) 18th December 2008, 11:44 PM

Hi,

We found the expo at Sandown quite informative, not so much the Earl's Court expo. There are stands from various removal companies, banks, pet relocators, finance, migration agents etc etc...it's all really about getting as much info as you can and sifting through it all.

By the time we went to the Earl's Court expo we'd sorted out an agent and knew we would be moving to Victoria. We were hoping to get some help with companies who would sponsor my husband but found that the companies present were geared towards mining/nursing (which was of no help as OH is in IT).

There was also a seminar at Australia House, but found the same thing as Earls Court, so for us it was a wash-out.

But, you have to try all avenues that are out there.

We absolutely love it here. Been here just over a year, boys have settled well socially and at school. We had to go back to the UK unexpectedly in August and although it was beyond fantastic seeing family and a few friends again, we were happy that we had made the right choice in coming here.

I guess it all depends on what you're looking for when you move over as to the pros and cons. Financially we are better off here, but OH does have a good job. You will struggle a bit if you don't have a decent wage. But it's all relative to what your life was like back home. It goes without saying that the weather here is better than in the UK so you can enjoy being out and about much more. It's refreshing to see different flora and fauna and depending on which state you are in, the different types of animals/reptiles you can get in and around your house.

Life's pretty darn good.

Dolly