Stuartw1303 Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Hi all, looking for some info/advice please. My wife 2 kids (5 and 5months) and i are considering relocating to Perth. I am in the process of securing a job, it would be a transfer through the company i work for. so i would be on a sponsored 457 visa. I will be working offshore on the oil rigs and may have to do alot of days away. I am looking for somewhere safe and nice for my wife and children to live, close to schools, shops, parks, sports facility's, etc. I have been looking into renting in Mandurah or Rockingham. i want to be quite close to the city but not sure if i want to be right in it. My son has just started school here, would he b able to carry on when we relocate or would he have to wait? i think the age for starting school is 6 in oz? Also my Basic salary would be around $80000-$90000 before taxes and other deductions, but i will receive a bonus for every day i spend offshore so my yearly wage would be upwards of $150000 before taxes etc. Would this kind of wage be enough to support my family and provide a decent quality of life? Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi Stuart Funny, as I have just replied to you on PIO and recommended you come along here. So, welcome to pp. I am sure some of our members will start posting soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi Stuart, we have just moved over from Fife a couple of months ago and are loving it so far. I think the money you are talking will be fine for your family to have a good standard of living but just be aware that as you will only have a 457 visa you will have to pay for school fees when the time comes for yours to go to school. The kids do start later here, my daughter would have been finishing P3 in Scotland but when she started her new school here in June she went into the second term of yr2. My son is 4 in January and starts Kindy in February. Something to consider when looking for somewhere to live is schools, some other PP members have mentioned the quality of government schools down Mandurah way isn't great, although I can't comment personally as I live up in Kingsley. Have a look a http://www.myschool.gov.edu and it gives you info on the school sizes, NAPLAN results etc. and you may be able to narrow down your search area. Perth is very spread out so some of the suburbs considered part of Perth are actually up to 45 minutes drive north of the city centre. Good luck with the planning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Mandurah and Rockingham aren't close to the city! They used to be holiday towns when I was young...I still know families who have holiday houses there! Northern suburbs have always been popular with expat Brits - look at Duncraig, Mullaloo....nice areas will have nice schools, I imagine. We are in the process of moving too and from what I can gather your salary will be fine (or more than fine!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuartw1303 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 cheers for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuartw1303 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 thanks for all the advice, anything of an hour traveling or so i class as close enough to the city. Il have a look on that link for schools Nikkiwd, thank you. How did u guys feel about having to put ur daughter into Y2? im just unsure about my son having to restart primary. Hadnt really thought much about going north of perth as working away il be travelling back and forth to the airport quite regularly. either perth airport or Jandakot Airport. so thought id be better off south of the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Check with the company to see if you can fly out of Busselton in the South West. There are a lot of FIFO planes out of there now. Busselton would be the most awesome place for you and your young family to live. Lots of great schools, local facilities and beaches, with housing and the cost of living so much more affordable than Perth. Have a look at http://www.mybusselton.com.au and http://www.busselton.wa.gov.au Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuartw1303 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Cheers chook, il have a look but i wont be working on the same rig all the time. pretty much every job is a different rig out of a different place il have to fly all over for work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Mandurah and Rockingham aren't close to the city! They used to be holiday towns when I was young...I still know families who have holiday houses there! Northern suburbs have always been popular with expat Brits - look at Duncraig, Mullaloo....nice areas will have nice schools, I imagine. We are in the process of moving too and from what I can gather your salary will be fine (or more than fine!). Mandurah and rocky might have been a long way from the CBD once, but now they are popular commuting areas to the CBD. Mandurah is 50 mins on the train. Duncraig is a nice area. But expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Mandurah and rocky might have been a long way from the CBD once, but now they are popular commuting areas to the CBD. Mandurah is 50 mins on the train. Duncraig is a nice area. But expensive. Yes, I agree....I guess my experience of Perth was living within 10km of the CBD so anything much further was a long way out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 thanks for all the advice, anything of an hour traveling or so i class as close enough to the city. Il have a look on that link for schools Nikkiwd, thank you. How did u guys feel about having to put ur daughter into Y2? im just unsure about my son having to restart primary. Hadnt really thought much about going north of perth as working away il be travelling back and forth to the airport quite regularly. either perth airport or Jandakot Airport. so thought id be better off south of the city. My son will be half way through Primary 2 when we leave in January but when he starts school in Perth he will be in Year 1!!! I have asked the principal of the Perth school what stage the kids will be at with reading (in particular) and it seems that although they are starting to introduce reading in pre primary now, the kids going into Year 1 won't be reading ( well, won't have been taught formally). My son is adamant he's not doing Year 1 again but not much we can do about it. He's really really shy so it will be good for his confidence. But he's also quite clever (not bragging but he's top reading group and reading a few years above his age, and just generally really quick at learning)....so, not sure how the teacher will handle it. I think overall I'm ok with it.... We went through this with my older son when we moved from the UAE to Scotland but he wasn't so far into primary school. It's been really good for him as he's managed to keep a bit ahead of the main group of kids in his class and I'm sure it's not that he's a brain but because he got a head start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 depending on when your son's birthday is I think he would start pre-primary, they do a year of kindy then a year of pre-primary before going into year 1. I have actually found that as the other kids are the same age and at the same level as Eloise so she doesn't seem to be further ahead or anything. The school seems a lot more focussed on learning and not so much on playing, in Scotland the classroom had toys and things in it and a couple of times a day the kids got to go and choose something to play with for a bit. She was a bit devastated when she first started as it was work all day lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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