Scotland to Oz

[airdrieman34]

Hi, im thinking of moving to Australia to work and settle there. The information available is in abundance but I would rather hear from someone that has done it rather than the jargon. I am thinking of either Sydney or Perth(just for the scottishness of the name!!). Can anyone advise me on the following

1. What is the best visa to get? I seem to be classed as skilled as I am a Customer Service Manager
2. Are these companys promising to get an employer sponsoring you legitimate?
3. What is they typical average wage?
4. How easy is it to set up a bank account before you go?
5. How easy is it to get a rented accomodation........especially one if you have a pet
6. Are there any companies that you would recommend to transfer my dog (cross collie) from Glasgow over?

And realistically how much would the move cost in total

I know there seems to be a lot here I am asking but I cant make sense of anything!!

Thanks

Jim

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forums here. We have lots of successful Australian expats, so I'm sure someone will be by soon with a bit more information.

As to your question #1 - that really depends on how and why you want to go. How long are you planning on staying? Why exactly are you interested in Australia (or whatever country you're thinking of)? Is it for the job opportunities - or some other reason?

You don't have to answer the questions here in the forum, but you should give some thought to your reasons for picking Australia. Then see which sort of visa will allow you to do what it is you want to do. Consider the renewability of the visa, the length of stay that is permitted and whether you need employer sponsorship or not.

It's a big decision, and it takes some time to sort out all your options and possibilities. I'm sure our members in Australia will have much more information for you.
Cheers,
Bev

[airdrieman34]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Hi, and welcome to the forums here. We have lots of successful Australian expats, so I'm sure someone will be by soon with a bit more information.

As to your question #1 - that really depends on how and why you want to go. How long are you planning on staying? Why exactly are you interested in Australia (or whatever country you're thinking of)? Is it for the job opportunities - or some other reason?

You don't have to answer the questions here in the forum, but you should give some thought to your reasons for picking Australia. Then see which sort of visa will allow you to do what it is you want to do. Consider the renewability of the visa, the length of stay that is permitted and whether you need employer sponsorship or not.

It's a big decision, and it takes some time to sort out all your options and possibilities. I'm sure our members in Australia will have much more information for you.
Cheers,
Bev

Thanks for that Bev.....I am wanting to come over as there are far more opportunities in my field of employment and I may as well be somewhere nicer and warmer!!

I have always wanted to move to Australia and looked into it 7yrs ago but never had the bottle to do it. I have now split with the wife and I have decided to rather than buy another place in Airdrie, that I should look into this once again. Australia is a beautiful country, the people seem really nice that I have spoken with and I believe that this would be the right move for me.

Initiallly I would like to move for a minimum of 3yrs and to hopefully then stay. I do not have any family commitments in Scotland and you only have one life!!

Any information that can be given to me or advise, I would be more than happy to receive!

Cheers

[Bevdeforges]

From what you say, you're probably going to want to go ahead and try for the least restricted visa, based on being part of a "skilled" group that can get such visas. That will allow you to go there, and look for a job when you get there.

Though it certainly wouldn't hurt to start a bit of job-hunting - possibly through those expo events the others are talking about. Get the employer on the hook for some of the paperwork (always something to be desired! <g>)
Cheers,
Bev

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by airdrieman34

Can anyone advise me on the following

1. What is the best visa to get? I seem to be classed as skilled as I am a Customer Service Manager
2. Are these companys promising to get an employer sponsoring you legitimate?
3. What is they typical average wage?
4. How easy is it to set up a bank account before you go?
5. How easy is it to get a rented accomodation........especially one if you have a pet
6. Are there any companies that you would recommend to transfer my dog (cross collie) from Glasgow over?

And realistically how much would the move cost in total

I know there seems to be a lot here I am asking but I cant make sense of anything!!

Thanks

Jim

Hi Jim,

1. As Bev was saying it really depends on what you want. There are several emigration expos (one is in Edinburgh next month if that's near you) and of course you can usually get a free consultation from an emigration agent.

Unless someone states that they are an agent then it's likely they are just talking from their own experience - like I am

We went for skilled independent visas since we knew we were moving here for good. Even if we didn't like where we first settled (we love it here!) then Australia is so big and diverse that we would just move somewhere else in Australia.

One thing to consider - you say that you have split from your wife. Some visas will want to know if you are married (whether or not you are together) and whether you have children (whether or not they are coming with you). I think this is because they may have a claim to follow you at a later date. You may want to check with an agent about that.

Some visas are regional so if you want to go to Sydney or Perth you do not want a regional visa.

2. I haven't used those companies so I can't comment. If they are at an Expo I would have thought that they would be okay simply because otherwise that's a very popular place to get bad press.

3. Check out the helpful website post at the top of this forum. If has links to job websites and that will give you some idea of salary since that will depend on where you live too.

4. We set up a bank account before we left the UK but we had property in Australia already. If you check with your UK bank account they may have a sister company over here.

5 & 6. Some people decide against bringing their pet due to it's age and the stress on it. We didn't have any pets to bring. If you do a search I think some others have been discussing this. If you check out www.domain.com.au and Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au they have rentals and once you have an area in mind you can contact a few letting agents. I've found that some agents don't respond to the emails so a phone call is best.

Cost - it depends on how much you are shipping out. We had a 40ft container since we brought over a 1971 Ford Mustang. I found the invoices yesterday and it cost us just over 6,000 pounds with insurance back in July 2007. There are cheaper ways of doing it by sharing a container or a 20ft container. If you share a container it may take longer since they wait until the container is full before shipping it.

I think that covers most things

Regards,
Karen

[airdrieman34]

Thanks Karen for that......I couldnt find a Expo in Scotland so I have booked in for one in Leeds, England in April. If you have any details, could you let me know who is running it or their website??

I intend to just be moving myself and my dog and selling all household belongings rather than bring them along. Fresh start totally and a furnished flat let to establish myself there.

I will speak with an agency and get their help to move from what I have been reading,....it sounds worth it!!

Jim

[

[kaz101]

Hi Jim,

Took me a while to find it again but here it is
Emigrate News - Emigrate Show heads to Edinburgh

I think it's the same expo that I went to years ago, but I went to the one in Sandown.

Regards,
Karen

[mumbokins]

HI im married to a scotsman so i know you ask alot of questions,if your really interested get yourself along to an australian expo you can find this on internet just type in australian expo 2008 and you will get lots of info ,thats what we did and we have been living in brisbane 5 months and loving it .

good luck julie

[airdrieman34]

Originally Posted by mumbokins

HI im married to a scotsman so i know you ask alot of questions,if your really interested get yourself along to an australian expo you can find this on internet just type in australian expo 2008 and you will get lots of info ,thats what we did and we have been living in brisbane 5 months and loving it .

good luck julie

Thanks Julie, yip we ask a lot of questions and most of the time we dont get answers...escpecially from woman!! lol

I have booked in for the Edinburgh one after finding it eventually. Its on Feb 23rd....did you get any job offers there before you left or did you find work when you arrived/.?

[mumbokins]

uple of jobs one which was a sponsorship which saved us a fortune as we have a large family ,so thats how we got here they sorted everything and that was back in march last year we arrived here end of august .we have made friends with a family from leeds he just packed up his family and got work when he was here he is a joiner.we are enjoying it here but we have always tried to be realistic about things and not look through rose tinted glasses and that has stood us in good stead,early days yet but im thinking yes we made the right decision ,and even if we went back tommorow(not planning to)we would have some wonderful memories. regards julie