Benefits of moving to Australia

[sachkrimbo]

No dog poo on the pavements. You won me on that one :-)

[Riggers]

Sorry to hear about your hubby's redundancy, what a good opportunity to make the change tho'.

We moved here in Jan 09, love it. The hardest thing we found is missing family and freinds, skype and facebook have made this a whole lot easier.

I would suggest you read and research loads, some parts are quiet and you will need make a big effort to make friends (primary and kindy is a great way to meet people tho'), it is a different lifestyle and you need to make sure it is the lifestyle for you.

It is a big place and very diverse, good luck with your thoughts.

Ask any questions, I will be happy to help.

Take care, Ian

[lulu037314]

Originally Posted by sachkrimbo

Dear All,
Please forgive me if this has been done a million times, I am completely new to forums/chat rooms etc.
My husband has recently been 'given the nod' that he may be up for redundancy and we have decided to check out our options before he gets pushed. We have thought about emigrating on lots of occasions, last being before kids started school, but haven't taken the plunge because of family commitments in England. I am a nurse and have checked out jobs, it seems there are opportunities for me to get a job but not sure about my husband (who is in IT). Anyway, after all that, our main concern is whether we would be swapping one 'rat race' for another, obviously a lot of that is up to us but is the quality of life really better, are the streets really paved with gold Anyone who has moved with kids ( 6 & 3), do you think it has really benefitted them?
Thank you to anyone who isn't completely bored with all this and responds.

Hi,
I am also a Nurse, husband a carpenter. I have recently attended the Australian skills expo at the Excel centre in London. Firstly, Australia has a current Nursing shortage and organisations are offering sponsorship to Nurses. Or you could do it like me and obtain your visas independently. You firstly need to apply the ANMC for skills assessment and apply to the Nursing board in the area you wish to work (like the NMC). Australia currently has seperate nursing boards for the different states. Once these are back you can apply for your visas. There were vacancies in IT at the expo so i don't think your husband will have a problem finding work. I have done all of the paperwork myself without paying an agent, and have found it relatively easy. I will say that as of 1st July you now need to take the english exam to qualify. See the DIAC website it is really useful for great info. I am currently waiting for my skills assessment to come back and my registration from the Nursing board in Victoria, then i will be applying for permanent residency.
There was an english family at the expo that had come from Melbourne to share their immigration experiences. I found this invaluable. They are a family with 4 children and have all settled well, husband started his own carpentry business. They have found the junior and secondary schools fantastic and could't wait to return to Aus! Sounded great to me, can't wait to go. Good luck, if i can be of any further help, don't hesitate to contact me.

[sachkrimbo]

Thank you everybody. Husband has redeployment interview tomorrow so not sure which way this whole thing will go. If not redeployed his last day at work will be 31 Dec. So thinking about agents cos i thought it might speed the whole process up. Also happen to have tickets to fly out on 29 Jan 10 so hoped it could all fall into place by then. probably being unrealistic but its a goal to start with anyway

[nessietee]

Hey Amanda

Bank Accounts: I set mine up in Australia. It's a pain to set it up in the UK. I think HSBC in alliance with Thomas Cook offers the service.

Jobs: I did my research before coming over by googling UK job websites. I work in the IT field so I can only recommend IT job websites but this won't benefit you unfortunately. :-(

Location: I am in London. I chose it because there is LOADS to do here. Museums, art galleries, festivals, clubs etc etc. Finding where to live in London is a tough choice already! Also it's easy to travel to Europe from here.

Let me know how you're research goes. Check out:

http:// www [dot] gumtree [dot] com

and the TNT website

I would have a contingency plan tho. I backpacked and did a holiday around Europe before settling in the UK in case I didn't find a job. Some ppl have preferred to look for a job before travelling but ended up spending a lot of money setting up but with no job and no money to travel. J

Nessie

Originally Posted by amandabren

hi Nessie

thanks so much for writing back to me

I am currently working in retail but I am happy to do any type of work that will pay for my accomodation and allow me to save.

how hard was it for you to get a bank account when you arrived, I have heard that it csan be time consuming and very hard?

how did you find your job and what kind of work do you do?

where in the UK are you located and why did u pick that spot

i know it is alot of questions but if you could help that would be great

thanks
amanda

I'm currently living/working in London so feel free to ask me any questions.

For accomodation, you can rent your own room in house or an apartment etc. Most places come furnished. Check out the site www dot gumtree dot com (sorry unable to place links here).

As for work, you haven't mentioned what field you are in so I can't really help you here. A good site for jobs is www dot jobserve dot come.

Being 24 you will be able to apply for the working holiday visa. They keep changing the rules so check if you are able to work the full 2 years or not. To apply for the tier one, you will need to have a masters.

Regards,
Nessie

[/QUOTE]

[gillplx]

I moved to Melbourne in 2001 and have never regretted it. My kids were 6 and 3 at the time and they have blossomed here. The education system is much more laid back and less pressured and they do such FUN stuff with the kids. School is a joy. Work is good to. they have limited nurse to patient ratios so you never end up trying to take care of 12 patients like I used to in the UK. The most I have is 5.

I used a recruitment company because they sorted everything for me - the relocation, the airport pick up, the hotel on the first night. They also helped me to set up bank accounts and get health insurance. They were really great - plus you get a migration agent for free!!!

the girl I dealt with was called Cathy - she is an ICU nurse by trade - I can't remember her email address but the company is called Plexus Recruitment - look it up in Google & drop her a line - you will like her!

[macyoung]

Originally Posted by sachkrimbo

Dear All,
Please forgive me if this has been done a million times, I am completely new to forums/chat rooms etc.
My husband has recently been 'given the nod' that he may be up for redundancy and we have decided to check out our options before he gets pushed. We have thought about emigrating on lots of occasions, last being before kids started school, but haven't taken the plunge because of family commitments in England. I am a nurse and have checked out jobs, it seems there are opportunities for me to get a job but not sure about my husband (who is in IT). Anyway, after all that, our main concern is whether we would be swapping one 'rat race' for another, obviously a lot of that is up to us but is the quality of life really better, are the streets really paved with gold Anyone who has moved with kids ( 6 & 3), do you think it has really benefitted them?
Thank you to anyone who isn't completely bored with all this and responds.

Hi there, this is almost the same position as us. My husband has been served notice and is in work until November. We just (today!) got our visa granted, as we put it in to hedge our bets a bit. We now have to make the final decision to move and take a chance, or stay in the Uk and be poor!! I can get work quite easily, I'm a Pharmacist and had a job interview while there on holiday this April, but my husband is an engineer and can't do the same job there as the industry he is currently in doesn't exist. My sons are 5 and 8, and I feel it's now or never as they get more settled in at school etc. We went to Perth which we love, we have some family there which helps. Will keep you posted if we make final decision, lots of good info on this forum,
Macyoung

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by macyoung

Hi there, this is almost the same position as us. My husband has been served notice and is in work until November. We just (today!) got our visa granted, as we put it in to hedge our bets a bit. We now have to make the final decision to move and take a chance, or stay in the Uk and be poor!! I can get work quite easily, I'm a Pharmacist and had a job interview while there on holiday this April, but my husband is an engineer and can't do the same job there as the industry he is currently in doesn't exist. My sons are 5 and 8, and I feel it's now or never as they get more settled in at school etc. We went to Perth which we love, we have some family there which helps. Will keep you posted if we make final decision, lots of good info on this forum,
Macyoung

Congratulations Macyoung
It's a great thing when you get your visa!

Regards,
Karen

[anj1976]

congratulations for the visa M

[macyoung]

Originally Posted by sachkrimbo

Thank you everybody. Husband has redeployment interview tomorrow so not sure which way this whole thing will go. If not redeployed his last day at work will be 31 Dec. So thinking about agents cos i thought it might speed the whole process up. Also happen to have tickets to fly out on 29 Jan 10 so hoped it could all fall into place by then. probably being unrealistic but its a goal to start with anyway

We got our visa thro' in just under six months which I think is pretty fast. I am on the CSL (critical skills list) which is supposed to fast track you, so if on this list you may be ok in your time frame. We'll probably not go till Feb, as hubbie working till Nov, don't want to go just before Xmas, and their school term runs from Feb, so hopefully will all dovetail nicely. It gives me six months to organise my house full of stuff, and do all the bits & pieces required when moving a family of 4 half way round the world!!I know people who sold up etc and moved in with parents just waiting for visa, luckily theirs came thro' within the year which is standard, but I couldn't take that chance so that's why we sat tight until it came thro'. Either way, think of it as a stepping stone to your new life, a means to an end and not the be all and end all. Hope this helps!
PS I didn't use an agent, just ploughed thro' all the info on line.