alant

I managed to get the first month free on the Platinum package (in HD too) plus I also managed to get the free IQ box - so I only have to pay for the $75 installation - a wee saving of $202....not too shabby

I worked for Sky in the UK before I left and we got everything for free (TV, Internet & telephone) so having to pay for it is killing me but needs must so I'm trying to see if I can get a deal before parting with my hard earned pennies!

Hello, I'm going to organise my subscription to Foxtel (I'm going to go for the Platinum package) but before I do this I was wondering if anyone had gotten any good deals from them recently?? If you did, can you let me know so I can go 'armed' to Foxtel and try and get the best deal possible (I'm Scottish so every penny is a prisoner )

We used the quarantine in Melbourne for our cat and it was only $250 to get him flown back to Perth!

We had never been to Australia before we emigrated at the end of August - not stupid in my opinion but part of the whole adventure!!!

beandownunder is correct - you have one year to enter Australia from the date you have your medicals - if you have them now then and your visa was granted you would have to enter Australia before 1 year from today. If your planning on going in July 2015 then you should wait until July 2014 to have your medicals.

Hello, my wife was the main applicant on our 189 visa and only she had to sit the IELTS test. In terms of police check, all applicants need to have a police check - you are not exempt as you are applying outside Australia. Good luck with your visa application!

Hi Ron111, sorry to hear about the frustrating time with your job search. In terms of roles, my first role was a short term contract role for 4 weeks to provide support to a mining services organisation through their business plan process. I got this after nearly 3-4 weeks of searching, which I found to be a slow, painful process. What I did seem to be able to do us build up a network and relationship with key recruiters and this went in my favour when my current role became available. I was put forward for interview and was selected out of 4 applicants. The role was originally a FTC for 12 months but once my contract was issued the role became permanent, which delighted me! In terms of previous experience, my roles in the UK were primarily Management Accountant / Finance Analyst / business partnering roles. These types of roles appear to have skills and experiences that are very transferable, regardless of industry or country. I also think that I was in the right place at the right time....after I got offered the permanent role I got 3 calls from agents to attend interviews for roles that I had applied for before I got my new role. My advice to you would be to keep applying for roles, keep in regular contact with the agents & try not up let the job search get you down....it will happen for you (sorry for saying that...I hated it when people said it to me....but it's true!!) - good luck!!

Tooheys for me....love the stuff!

Hi Millership309, I'm a CIMA qualified accountant and arrived in Perth at the beginning of September. The job market is, from my experience so far, slow at the moment but is abundant with lots of candidates. Seek is a good site but I found that a large proportion of the roles advertised were done so by the agents even before the employer had budget approval for the role; even those roles that are marked immediate start - which I found really frustrating, but don't let that stop you from applying. Everything seems to go at a much slower pace recruitment wise in comparison to the UK - but keep remembering its Australia and not the UK! I tried to get a role before I left the UK but didn't manage to - all the agents that I spoke to prior to moving over said it was nigh impossible to get a role from the UK due to their being a large no. of candidates in Perth and the Perth market is very face-to-face and who you know, due to the fact it is such a small city. I arranged to meet the main recruitment agents as soon as I landed and dived straight into the search. 95% of the recruitment agents I met were from the UK so my professional qualification was widely known and is recognised by most employers in Perth so, for me, there is no need to subscribe to CPA (although it is an easy process if you're CIMA qualified as the 2 bodies have a reciprocal membership agreement which means I do not have to sit any exams). What accounting body did you qualify with? It would be best to check with them and their counterpart in Australia to see if you need to sit any local exams - I'd suspect if you were working in a tax environment that you would need to sit the local tax exams but they will be able to be more specific with regards to your own situation. I don't want to 'frighten' you but it is worth noting that the job market for accountants (& finance in general) appears to slow down dramatically from the end of Nov/ beginning of Dec until the school holidays end at the end of Jan / beginning of Feb - I haven't experienced this period yet as we have only arrived but all the agents, plus my colleagues at the company I worked for on a temp contract, said that this happens. I'd say be prepared if you're coming out then for the market to be slower than normal and a potential wait to get a role but hopefully you're experience will be a different one! I have been lucky enough to secure a permanent role as a Project Accountant so I can, hopefully, settle into the Australian work life! i would also say that come with realistic expectations about salary and type of roles. From my experience, some employers want someone with WA experience and some don't really mind that you don't have it (yet) - you may have to take a role that you were maybe doing a year or two ago in the UK but you may have to do so to get a job in the first instance but also to get you that WA experience. A lot of what happens will also be down to luck and bring in the right place at the right time! Good luck with the move and the job hunt - if I can help in any way the please feel free to PM me!

Hello, I'm not sure I could give you any advice on money...how much is enough depends on your lifestyle and what you would like to spend your money on. We arrived at beginning of September so I can give you an idea of the job market - it may differ slightly depending on occupation. I'm an accountant and I had been in regular dialogue with agents 6-8 months before we left hoping that I would be lucky and get a job for us arriving - it didn't turn out like this. All the agents said it would be a minor miracle if I got one whilst in UK due to the saturated market with lots of candidates in Pertyh for employers to choose from, plus the fact they liked to do things face-to-face here as its such a small city...and they were correct! I met with all the major recruiters as soon as I landed and it took me nearly 4 weeks to get a short term contract role (it was for 4 weeks - it ended today!). To get that role it was a frustrating and slow process. There was many jobs advertised on Seek but I'd say 75% of those roles were being advertised by the agents before the clients had budget approval for the roles! Everything just seemed to be on a 'go-slow'. However, last week I had 2 interviews (1 perm role & 1 contract) and got offered the permanent role as a Project Accountant and start that tomorrow! I'm relieved that I have managed to secure the role as all the agents said that the opportunities dry up around end of Nov/beginning of Dec and don't start picking up until school holidays end around end of Jan/beginning of Feb.....which would have been a nightmare for us (potentially). I'd say that 3 months would be a good timeframe to get a role once in Perth but I think it may be difficult to get a role before you leave (although not impossible) - it all depends on what your partners occupation / industry is, when you land in Perth and some Lady Luck thrown in (being in the right place at the right time!). I wish you both luck in your new adventure!

Great news about your rental...hopefully you and the family can start to live the dream!! All the best for the future!!

The outburst of flies is killing me!!!! What's caused this and how long does it last for??? They don't tell you about them on the brochure when you sign up

Fair point STTP - hopefully Andy finds a solution to the rental problem soon so he and his family can enjoy their new lives in Australia!

I agree with Weedolly. We have just secured our first rental in Perth and we didn't have a rental pack. We did show the agent our job contracts (we hadn't been paid yet), our bank statements in Australia and bank statements for the money we still had in the UK. I must say I was impressed by the agents (shock horror!) - my wife viewed the property, put the application in the next day and the day after that we were told we were approved! All-in-all it was a very smooth, quick and efficient experience for us Hopefully, the actual move will be a similar experience!

Thanks for the recommendation....keep the food and bar recommendations coming! My wife and I are partial to Italian and Asian food....any good spots in Mount Lawley??

Our local JP certified the documents free of charge (bonus) and did them there & then for us!

I was expecting a little more sunshine but I have been reliably informed (& warned too) that it will be here soon enough! We came with an open-mind but hoped it wasn't a mini UK as we wanted something different - we are glad that (so far) it hasn't been like that! The fact that it gets pitch dark around 6.30pm has taken some getting used to but the beautiful mornings more than make up for it

Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to post - it's appreciated! It seems that we have made a good choice for us....hopefully it lives up to our expectations

We can't make Sunday unfortunately but happy to meet up another time....hopefully Mr Sunshine will make an appearance today!

Hello, just wondering who is planning to go along....me and my wife will be heading over!

Thanks for the reassurance Pommiemike - its appreciated! I'm more than happy to try a pint (or two) in pubs that come recommended - I'll be giving the two above a try. Someone from work mentioned the Queens so it can't be too bad! What about the Flying Scotsman? I hear they do a pizza and a pint for $10 on a Sunday....2 of the things in life I enjoy

We all have our crosses to bear East coast is a nice part of the country - beautiful and stunning coastline! We probably didn't see as much of it and as often as we would have liked while we were living back in Scotland!

Thanks for all the feedback and info - we think we have made a good choice! Home invasions, burglaries etc can happen anywhere (good or bad area) - we are from west central Scotland (Wishaw for those that know it) so we don't scare or shock as easily as others

Thanks for the info Bibbs - we are moving to a townhouse near Mount Lawley station so from a traffic perspective Beauford Street won't cause us too many issues to start with! Do you know if the Good Life Gym in Mount Lawley is any good? I'll need to get one organised once we move