Help / Advice - 2 month to go before we emigrate

[Kerriandcarl]

Hi All, we are moving over to Adelaide in July on a permanent visa and I need some help and advice. It has been a long process to get to where we are at now with the whole visa process, researching and selling our house that I have actually made myself mental!! I feel so stressed at the moment and so anxious that I just cant think straight. It has been non-stop for over a year and we are now on countdown to moving I feel like I don't know where to start, I just feel dizzy!!

 

So first things first - We have booked a short term rental in Port Noarlunga but only for 4 weeks, so it doesn't give ourselves much time to look for a permanent rental. Is there anything that I can prepare from the UK to make the process of looking for a permanent rental easier and faster? What do agencies/landlords tend to want from us to secure a rental?

 

I have read a lot of posts about the employment in Adelaide and how bad it currently is. My partner is a carpenter and will need to secure a job asap, ideally before we come over, any advice on jobs in this trade? I also work in a High school as exam officer and also school trips co-ordinator.. I will look for anything though to get me some experience over there, preferably office work. Has anyone got any recruitment agency's I could email from the UK for advice?

 

Does anyone have a "to-do list" they could send me or give me any advice on what will help with anything once we move.

 

I also have a 6 year old daughter, has anyone got advice on when is best to contact schools to arrange a visit? Should I do this whilst im there or should I be doing this now?

 

I have recently been on a short flight to France and it was a tiny Flybe propeller plane, I got myself so worked up that I had a panic attack whilst I was on it, it was only an hours flight and It was awful and im now getting worked up about the flight to OZ!! (I have never had an issue with flying before). All this has come out of no where within the last two months, I have never had anxiety or panic attacks before, I do wonder if it is all the emotions and stress of the move, although I feel so excited and just want to get there now - has anyone else had anything similar whilst making the move?

 

Thanks xx

[spanners]

As soon as you can once arrived, sort a bank account, get a driving licence, and sort Medicare. You have an address (it doesn't matter if its a 1 week or 10 year address) so you'll just need your passport, UK licence and it may be worth taking your visa letter. Once you have these 3 things all officaldom is easier.

There are loads of POMs living in P Noar who can give you more local advice about rentals but 4 weeks will soon race by.

My Schools website will give stats about schools but again, more local advice will be better.

Chill out. The first 6 months will be manic, hard, hair pulling, fun, exciting and above all an adventure.

[KennyKen]

First 6 months will make or break a relationship!! Everyone's experience is different of course! It made ours stronger... If you have financial security from the UK it makes it a lot easier. Be patient... I've come to realise that 8 weeks waiting for a reply is quite the norm.. It all work out just fine... Patience is a virtue.

[NicF]

You can sort out a bank account from the UK and then activate it once you are here. 4 weeks can be plenty of time to find a long term rental, depending on where you want to live. It's unlikely anything worth living in that is advertised now will still be available when you get here in July but you can have a look at rentals on realestate.com to give yourself some idea of what kind of properties are around. There is a sticky under the kids section about the different sites you can look on for links to sites with more details about schools in different areas. Unless you are very sure about where you want to live I wouldn't worry about contacting any schools just yet. There is no rush to get your daughter in school once you are here so you can take your time deciding where you want to live and what school you want to send her to.

 

Once you get here you will need to activate your bank account, apply online for a TFN (tax file number) and register with Medicare. You can drive on your UK licence for at least three months so no rush with that one to start with. Good luck and try not to panic.

[kelbert]

We were super organised with pre prepared packs containing copies of passports, references from landlord/neighbours/short term rental landlord and bank statements. I'm not sure it made much difference but we secured the first rental we looked at. I did already have a job offer letter though so I think that was most important but many people offer to pay several months upfront if necessary. We did too but it wasn't required. Try not to stress and enjoy the experience. My blood pressure was up before leaving the UK but once we arrived we got organised within the first week and had a couple of weeks to relax before starting work. Stay positive and all will work out.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Hi All, we are moving over to Adelaide in July on a permanent visa and I need some help and advice. It has been a long process to get to where we are at now with the whole visa process, researching and selling our house that I have actually made myself mental!! I feel so stressed at the moment and so anxious that I just cant think straight. It has been non-stop for over a year and we are now on countdown to moving I feel like I don't know where to start, I just feel dizzy!!

 

So first things first - We have booked a short term rental in Port Noarlunga but only for 4 weeks, so it doesn't give ourselves much time to look for a permanent rental. Is there anything that I can prepare from the UK to make the process of looking for a permanent rental easier and faster? What do agencies/landlords tend to want from us to secure a rental?

 

I have read a lot of posts about the employment in Adelaide and how bad it currently is. My partner is a carpenter and will need to secure a job asap, ideally before we come over, any advice on jobs in this trade? I also work in a High school as exam officer and also school trips co-ordinator.. I will look for anything though to get me some experience over there, preferably office work. Has anyone got any recruitment agency's I could email from the UK for advice?

 

Does anyone have a "to-do list" they could send me or give me any advice on what will help with anything once we move.

 

I also have a 6 year old daughter, has anyone got advice on when is best to contact schools to arrange a visit? Should I do this whilst im there or should I be doing this now?

 

I have recently been on a short flight to France and it was a tiny Flybe propeller plane, I got myself so worked up that I had a panic attack whilst I was on it, it was only an hours flight and It was awful and im now getting worked up about the flight to OZ!! (I have never had an issue with flying before). All this has come out of no where within the last two months, I have never had anxiety or panic attacks before, I do wonder if it is all the emotions and stress of the move, although I feel so excited and just want to get there now - has anyone else had anything similar whilst making the move?

 

Thanks xx

 

Everything will be fine. The admin can be sorted within a couple of hours. Everything is on your doorstep in Port Noarlunga so no worries there. Medicare is at the Noarlunga Centre precinct and the drivers licence centre is a couple of minutes away in Christies.

Don't worry abut the unfurnished rental. There are plenty of property agents If you decide to live locally and your furnished rental owner will be happy to provide you with a reference. The property agents have a simple checklist and they phone the owner, no worries there. It's a good idea to arrange a hire car and have a good look around before committing to an area...see what suburbs throughout the city there are that grab you. If you have booked for 4 weeks then that's so much better...some people decide that 2 weeks is enough (and it can be) but it adds to the pressure and limits your selection of areas and properties.

 

For hubbies trade he can do the white card which is quick and easy. If he wants to work for himself after a while he can do the 2 components of the business management course for his licence. This can be done through TAFE or master builders.

 

Don't worry about school appointments. They can be arranged at short notice and if it is Port Noarlunga then the head there will walk you around and your daughter can likely start the next day. People are very friendly and helpful here. Most of the principals are very accommodating. Arrive, relax and don't stress that you are on a deadline to sort everything on the first day or so.

 

Just shout if you need any advice or help. There are plenty of us around who have been through this and that's what this site is for.

Take care.

[Kerriandcarl]

Thank you all for you replies and advice. xx

[RachaelOs]

Carpenters seem to find work quickly - you may want to pre book his white card course so he can do it straight away. My husband did his with Master Builders but I'm sure there's others. Then he can just check out seek, gumtree etc - ring if there's a number and speak to them before sending his cv and I'm sure he'll be picked up in no time. Until he is here and he has his white card it's prob unlikely he'll secure work.

 

As for you, it may be worth waiting till you have your rental and your daughter is settled in school before you start looking - you don't want to stress yourself out anymore. Just have your cv all ready to go and when the moment is right you can again look on seek etc. I don't have any experience of any recruitment agency's - sorry!

 

Maybe have 2 or 3 areas that you think you might want to rent in (where you also know the schools are ok) so that you narrow your search when you get here - the process of finding a rental is quick and until you know where you're living it will be difficult to think about schools.

 

Our to do list was something like:

Open a bank account and transfer money from the UK and then have a meeting set up for when you get here so you can activate your account

Get Medicare cards - in Port noarlunga

Driving Licence - Christies beach

buy a car and van

Find a rental

Apply for TFN's

White card course

 

I dont think there was much else - it is stressful, especially until you have a rental and a job in place, but you'll get there. Try to enjoy your last weeks in the UK - make the most of seeing friends and family (being away from them is definitely the hardest thing for me) and then when you get here try and take the time to enjoy your first few weeks - we did jobs in the morning then tried to have fun in the afternoons, went to parks, zoos, explored different areas.

 

As for the flight - my advice would probably be to have a few cocktails before you fly - but cocktails are my solution to a lot of things! Xxxx

[Kerriandcarl]

Carpenters seem to find work quickly - you may want to pre book his white card course so he can do it straight away. My husband did his with Master Builders but I'm sure there's others. Then he can just check out seek, gumtree etc - ring if there's a number and speak to them before sending his cv and I'm sure he'll be picked up in no time. Until he is here and he has his white card it's prob unlikely he'll secure work.

 

As for you, it may be worth waiting till you have your rental and your daughter is settled in school before you start looking - you don't want to stress yourself out anymore. Just have your cv all ready to go and when the moment is right you can again look on seek etc. I don't have any experience of any recruitment agency's - sorry!

 

Maybe have 2 or 3 areas that you think you might want to rent in (where you also know the schools are ok) so that you narrow your search when you get here - the process of finding a rental is quick and until you know where you're living it will be difficult to think about schools.

 

Our to do list was something like:

Open a bank account and transfer money from the UK and then have a meeting set up for when you get here so you can activate your account

Get Medicare cards - in Port noarlunga

Driving Licence - Christies beach

buy a car and van

Find a rental

Apply for TFN's

White card course

 

I dont think there was much else - it is stressful, especially until you have a rental and a job in place, but you'll get there. Try to enjoy your last weeks in the UK - make the most of seeing friends and family (being away from them is definitely the hardest thing for me) and then when you get here try and take the time to enjoy your first few weeks - we did jobs in the morning then tried to have fun in the afternoons, went to parks, zoos, explored different areas.

 

As for the flight - my advice would probably be to have a few cocktails before you fly - but cocktails are my solution to a lot of things! Xxxx

 

 

 

 

Thanks RachelOs for the advice. Carl has done his white card online through bulldog training (our agency gave us the details for this), will this be any good or do you think he will have to do it again once we are there?

xx

[KennyKen]

Sorry to be a bearer of bad news but the Australian building sites will not recognise the online white card. You must attended a government acredited training provider. The course runs for a day and a picture identification card is given to you! Never do online courses Etc!

[Jessica Berry]

Thanks RachelOs for the advice. Carl has done his white card online through bulldog training (our agency gave us the details for this), will this be any good or do you think he will have to do it again once we are there?

xx

 

Did you see/read my response to your previous post about the White Card?

 

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/jobs-careers/45383-employment-chances-once-we-move.html#post311417

[RachaelOs]

He'll prob have to do it again. Neil did his in the UK - wasn't on line, he went and sat somewhere for a day and got a card at the end but when he got here the card looked different so he was told he should do the one here. It was exactly the same course just got a different card at the end!! He did get a refund from the one in the UK though as they'd said it would be accepted here.

[snifter]

I think panic attacks or having a bit of a meltdown when flying small engine propeller planes is quite common. I've flown on them a fair few times and hate it each time. I don't like flying full stop anymore but I find getting onto one of the decent sized birds far easier. And once on board, what with seeing to child, distracting myself with a book or puzzle, then the food, then sleeping (we always take night flights if we can so we conk out for a chunk of the flight), it all passes pretty quickly.

 

If you are really worried still nearer the time go see your GP who can perhaps prescribe you a mild sedative or relaxant for the flight. Keep in mind though, these can knock you out a bit and as you've a child you may prefer to not take that sort of thing so you can be more awake to keep an eye on them.

 

Having said all that, I'd think its all probably related to being a bit stressed about the move and hopefully you can work though things and take a few deep breaths and rationalise it all and hopefully feel more in control.

 

Re schools, I'd not worry overly about talking or contacting schools till you are here. Mainly as until you know where you will be settling or what areas you want to look at for longer term rentals may mean you are looking further afield than your short term rental. Also 2 weeks of July are school holidays so it could be you are arriving when the schools are out anyways and nothing really to be done till they start back. We put our son into a school when we arrived, knowing full well it was only a shorter term option as we were planning on buying elsewhere and that within a year or so we'd be moving schools. We picked a really nice school for the starting point and then once we bought and moved, I did the old driving back and forth on a daily basis till the end of term (6 weeks all up and it was 20 minutes at least each way at non rush hour times) and my noble idea of our child seeing out the year there before moving schools went out the window and we changed mid year and finished the last 2 terms at the new school, 3 minutes in the car and about a 15 minute walk and haven't looked back. Settled well, made some great new friends and has kept in touch with his ones at his old school too Keep an open mind, where your daughter may start school may not be the area you want to settle in long term and you'll need to rethink schools at a later date. Same for areas. Although many do often stick around the area they first started in, others find elsewhere they prefer. Whatever works for you, your needs and wants etc as a family

 

Perhaps have a browse of this and its links for schools and info on them http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/kids-down-under/44624-useful-links-schools-primary-high-school.html

 

Be aware some primary schools are zoned. This is generally to help alleviate the pressure of numbers and people opting for schools further away than their local ones etc. If the school isn't full they may not apply the zone or go on a case by case basis but if they are, chances are they will stick to it and you'll need to be residing in the zone. If you are renting long term in a zone then the school has to take your child. Not sure how short term renting works. I know some zoned schools require proof of residence in the area.

[Kerriandcarl]

Did you see/read my response to your previous post about the White Card?

 

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/jobs-careers/45383-employment-chances-once-we-move.html#post311417

 

 

Thank you jessica . That's very useful. Looks like he will be doing it again then when we arrive.. Poor Carl haha.

 

We are packing up our things as we move out of our property this week and are booking our flights at the weekend argh!!!!

[snifter]

Thank you jessica . That's very useful. Looks like he will be doing it again then when we arrive.. Poor Carl haha.

 

We are packing up our things as we move out of our property this week and are booking our flights at the weekend argh!!!!

 

Hope the packing and moving went well? Have you managed to book your flights yet? Did you decide to go straight through or are you having a stopover for a few days somewhere?

[Kerriandcarl]

Thanks for the advice Snifter. We are booking our flights this Saturday, we move out of our house tomorrow so we will also be shipping our things off soon too!! We would like a stop off for a few days, maybe Dubai but we will see what works out the cheapest to fly to and from etc. How are things in Adelaide for you?

xx

[samandcraig]

Hi kerri, looking forward to finally meeting you, looks like the timing for transferring your money is going to be perfect

you are staying in port noarlunga when you arrive aren't you? Very central and a good starting point! You are on a 190? Therefore I'm sure you will be entitled to some help from centreline, so that's good, have a good last night in your house, you have so much to look forward too! Xx

[snifter]

Thanks for the advice Snifter. We are booking our flights this Saturday, we move out of our house tomorrow so we will also be shipping our things off soon too!! We would like a stop off for a few days, maybe Dubai but we will see what works out the cheapest to fly to and from etc. How are things in Adelaide for you?

xx

 

Hectic weekend for you guys. Hope it goes smoothly. Keep the kettle out for coffees

 

Stop overs are great if you've time and funds to do so. Might not get the chance again for a fair while so make the most of it if you can. Dubai is proving a popular place for a few days stopover.

 

FWIW if you don't have funds to allow a few days somewhere perhaps consider a longer connection in Singpore perhaps if flight costs are ok? So no actual stop over per se but you have a day or less between flights or a chunk of time? Would give you the option to either do the city tour of Singapore or possibly grab a taxi and go see it on your own for a few hours. Then either get back to jump on the plane or have a nap for a few hours in the hotel and a swim in the rooftop pool before flying on. Or sleep first then head into the city. Whatever works with the flight options. The transit hotel can be booked for 6 hour blocks which people often do to conk out and recover from the first leg.

 

When we flew over Singapore airlines came out cheapest when we booked about 5 months ahead of departure. By a fair bit. Prices do vary depending on the time of year and as they get closer to departure date so other airlines may work out cheaper/better. Also some flights do fill up well ahead of actual flight. I know in the 2 weeks while we were deciding what we wanted to do and when to depart exactly about half a dozen of the flights we were looking at sold out and flights were full or single seats only left.

 

If you have an unvalited PR visa then you should be able to get the migrant baggage allowance with Singapore airlines which will allow those with PR an extra 10kg of checked baggage each on top of the already generous 30kg standard amount (Qantas and some other airlines still only let you check 23kg iirc). Check with the airline about this though to confirm before you book. I'm not aware they have stopped offering the migrant allowance but I'd just double check. Emirates and others don't have a migrant allowance that I know of. Although if you book through IOM on a migrant booking you may fly with them and get the IOM migrant allowance. Airlines IMO works with are limited and iirc include Emirates and Malaysian airlines. As are seats and possible routes etc. I don't recall prices really being any cheaper than booking direct with airline or an agent but the extra allowance you get baggage wise is what can make the difference.

 

http://www.iomaustralia.org/programme_fm.htm

[Kerriandcarl]

We have booked our flights. We fly in the 9th July and are having 4 nights in Dubai then straight into Adelaide. We are staying in a temporary rental in port noarlunga and will look around suburbs once we arrive and decide on where to stay for our longer rental.

 

Can anyone advise on good cheap car rental places? Xx

[samandcraig]

We used east Coast I think they were called Kerri x

[snifter]

We have booked our flights. We fly in the 9th July and are having 4 nights in Dubai then straight into Adelaide. We are staying in a temporary rental in port noarlunga and will look around suburbs once we arrive and decide on where to stay for our longer rental.

 

Can anyone advise on good cheap car rental places? Xx

 

Sounds good

 

Port Noarlunga is lovely, I'm sure you'll like it there even if you prefer to go elsewhere for the longer term. I love winter walks along the beach and nature reserve there. Gorgeous sunny days, a bit of a surf on the water and a gentle breeze. Bliss.

 

We didn't hire a car when we arrived so can't comment. I do recall the company @samandcraig mention as having been discussed a few times on here and people seem to have found them fine

[GLDUBYA]

FYI.. we have booked with Singapore (for arrival in Sept) and they came out cheapest direct....but... they have stopped doing the migrant 40Kg allowance.. eventhough I rang and showed them PRV status etc.. they said that the 40kg offer no longer existed

I was told by our shipping agent (Anglo Pacific) that they could arrange flights with quantas which would be cheaper and have more baggage allowance...but I had already booked ages ago with SA..

 

tbh.. when we came out on the recce last Nov with the 30kg each.. it was a struggle to cart this amount about.. especially with a 5yr (at the time) who had no interest in wheeling her trunki about..

 

Cant fault Singapore airlines.. fly with them quite often with work..another tip which might be useful if you are selecting seats is to use seatguru.com..handy tool of you are unsure of the seatplan layout and also lets you know which seats to avoid..i.e right next to toilets... large entertainmnet system blocking your leg room.. etc..etc