benj1980

Is your husbands qualification flagged to be taken off the list? There's been many qualifications flagged for a few years now and they are still on there! I appreciate that this isn't conclusive but you'd have to be pretty unlucky!

Have you asked these questions on the big sister site, PomsinOz. There are more likely to be more psychologists on there (greater number of members) who will be able to help as this is a national exam.

I always thought there was an influx on a Monday (which ours did as well), more of a trickle later in the week. This accurate research is based on PomsinOz members of course, but I studied it hard enough!

The process is a bit painful, but with the right attitude and perseverance it will be worth it! Just be organized with documents (save lots of scans!) and you'll be prepared for various requests of information!

Ours are at Falcon. Nothing was organized prior to leaving we just tried to be in the catchment area and managed to do that with our rental.

15 months in make my 6 look insignificant now!!

I haven't used any! The best way to get your foot through the door is to stick your resume in local schools and have your teacher registration sorted so you can work asap. That is basically what I did, I had a couple of local schools contact me concerning relief work. Smart Teachers seem to have jobs available although they seem to send me more and more UK based jobs, do they know something I don't or is their a lack of teachers in the UK?

We are in Mandurah, it seems to be a renters/buyers market and we found a rental quick enough. Buying a house will hopefully happen in the next 12/18 months. We are watching the market and houses aren't on the rise so no rush just yet! Thanks for the nice messages. I actually like doing these posts, I dreamt of doing them when I didn't have a visa!

Ok, I did a 4 month update but bare with me! I won't do a 9 month update I'll wait until 12 months! So we have just passed the 6 month anniversary of getting our passports stamped and I can honestly say we haven't looked back. We came over just as the sun was starting to shine it's brightest/harshest and with the change to cooler days and a hint of coldness I'm looking forward to the seasonal change. I have come to the conclusion that winter will be driving my children round to various sporting fixtures and that the long summer will be spent on beaches and parks. I know this seems a bit simplistic but this is the pattern that I am already following! It is quite dark by 18:00 now which has surprised me but this is a small price to pay. I feel very fortunate that my children have settled in very well and have really embraced Aussie life. They have been awarded several certificates and awards at school which is pleasing and are doing well in their nominated sports outside of school. Their accents are unrecognizable from the UK and I get corrected for saying the wrong name for several things, not just flip flops and football! They play outside and meet up with other kids in the street to do stunts on their scooters and bikes or go on trampolines making inventive games. Admittedly you still get the odd request to play FIFA but my kids have shown a preference for playing and socializing which was always my hope from moving away from the UK. Financially we are doing ok. I guess it helps that I got a teaching job quite quickly and have been in full time work since school returned from the summer holidays. We are purposely not spending out big on things to see what we can afford to live off and we seem to be more comfortable than we were in the UK. My pay is far superior than my wage in the UK, with better conditions. My wife isn't currently working but is looking for part time work which works around the children. Beer is expensive but then again I have calmed down for wanting to BBQ every day due to the heat and therefore a cuppa is a respectable substitute! Food probably is a bit more expensive but we have ALDI opening next month and that may help to drive down prices. Our bills seem to be quite comparable to the UK overall, but with superior pay you are better off. Our day to day is quite similar to the pattern in the UK. Although we seem to go to bed earlier than we ever did in the UK, 22:00 seems late now. That said I get up earlier than I ever did to get into work and this seems to suit us. Sporting fixtures can start at 08:00 and be an hour away so being used to early starts probably has it's benefits. Even with Foxtel I think the TV over here is lacking and this probably is a reason why we go to bed earlier. I got asked only recently what I miss about the UK, of course friends and family. But I'm struggling for ideas except one. A proper pasty, they are absolutely minging over here! The move has definitely been a success so far and has been the best decision we have made as a family :-)

Glad all is going well Michelle! I remember some of your posts a while back, as you say time flies! @Scotty81 if you weren't nervous you wouldn't be human!

First of all welcome. Many people come over and discuss work opportunities whilst over here so that's not a problem, they even do it on Wanted Down Under! If you were looking to be sponsored then the 457 visa is what you are looking at. You have no entitlement to work on a tourist visa so I don't think you would be eligible for a bridging visa to stay in Oz whilst this is being processed. (Someone correct me if I am wrong) The main problem you would encounter is there are an awful lot of engineers out of work, engineers who could start next week and wouldn't be tied into visa conditions. A permanent visa is the best option generally, obviously I don't know your individual circumstances! A MARA agent would be able to provide you with good advice and often provide support through these forums.

You have an obligation to live in the sponsoring state but it's not a legal requirement. Morally if you are ok with this it can be done and many have it would appear!

I can't imagine doing 90 when you are used to 45/50!

Jo, the worse thing you can do is start questioning why you have to do something because it doesn't help. We all do it, but you need to accept the process for what it is. Take every hurdle as it comes so concentrate on the English test, choose the best one for you and get that passed. Maybe to save money on an agent you could use an agent just for your final application or before EOI but for piece of mind I would use an agent. The IELTS test was a massive hurdle as far as I am concerned. I had an average of 8.5 but one section I achieved 7.5 so I had to do it again. (money wasted) At the time I was completing a Masters degree so felt that I could write relatively well and possibly didn't take it too seriously until I got chatting to a couple of people on the day who were on their third/fourth tests! Needless to say I completed a lot of practice material online and achieved what I needed. There are many people who have British passports but speak very little English, I believe the English test is to wean these people out. Every section of the migration process needs to be complete to tick all the boxes, just grind it out it'll be worth it!

Morning, I'm a bit confused on what is required when purchasing a trailer. We are thinking of buying a trailer tent and are aware that the trailer would need to be registered. I have looked at the transport website but have been left confused besides knowing I have to register it in my name. Do all trailers at change of ownership need to go over the pits or is it expired trailers? What is the ongoing costs for a trailer? Is there Rego to pay every year for example? Is there anything else I have not thought of?

By doing a bit of digging Aranmore seems to be the strongest followed by Hale School. Both in Perth, I'm not sure if they even have school fixtures as far down as Mandurah at MCC or Freddie's. (Probably preferred schools)

We are down in Mandurah and my son has signed for the local club. Wesley is Perth isn't it?

Yes I agree, it's so much easier to have an outdoor lifestyle here. No heavy duty rain gear to go for a walk on the beach!

In England there were big rugby playing schools and competitions for both private and state secondary schools. Do they have any of this here? I live in Mandurah and not sure that any of the high schools really play rugby!

Bloody hell, plenty of moaning going on! Get on with it, try enjoying Australia and try not to compare every price (we all do it!) Seriously though the paperwork is a grind to begin with but its a necessity and things fall into place quickly enough. You have three months to sort out driving licence so don't stress about that. Best advice I was given was go find somewhere nice, sit back for a while and have a beer! Reflect on what you have left behind and what you have already achieved. It helped me calm down a bit, as I was stressing about getting everything done within a week. It just doesn't work like that!

I think your answer is way too simplistic for this. Blaming asylum seekers isn't helpful either, there is an awful lot of scaremongering going on in the UK at present. This isn't to say it's not possible and one bad egg is one too many. I think the main concern with be the influx people who would turn up on Australia's door without qualifications, jobs and no real plan for sustainability. I can't realistically see people moving to the UK on a long term basis from the other countries and can only assume Brits would be the biggest movers. The boys and girls I know who have moved over have down a couple of years and come back 'great experience but couldn't live there.' Therefore I have to query how does this benefit the UK? I think these countries should strengthen their temporary visa partnerships if anything. Australians are now under the same restrictions as other countries around the world and actually I think we could do a lot better than that for a country that we have such strong ties with. I would encourage Canada and New Zealand to also be involved in this.

BUMP! I can't help you with your visa questions but you have great taste in location!

I'm in the process of arranging mine. I think I might try offering to simply start paying £200 per month. I'd rather get started and don't want to waste time with a ridiculous suggestion of £364 per month!

Agree totally!

Initial reactions weren't great, but we were open and honest throughout the process discussing our progress. Family came round and now planning their trips. People who ignore you aren't worth worrying about, but then I'm a bit cut throat like that!