gramon4

We are breaking our lease on a wonderful 3 bed house inbeautiful beach suburb of Port Willunga. It is a short 5 minute walk fromarguably the best beach in the mid-coast region and the Star of Greece restaurant.The house is a 30 second walk from a reserve and playground and located on avery quiet, green and leafy child-friendly street. The 2 storey Rivergum househas 2 living areas and is only a few years old. We give the downstairs living space, two bedrooms andbathroom to the kids and visitors and enjoy the open-plan living area, goodsized bedroom with en suite and walk in robe upstairs. The kitchen is a goodsize with a large pantry cupboard and a large fridge-freezer is included –which for us as new arrivals was a great help. There is a wonderful balconyacross the front of the property; a lovely spot to watch the sunset with aglass of wine and listen to the sounds of the ocean. There is also a garage anddrive so plenty of space for vehicles and storage. There is also a back garden withoutside shower, good for rinsing off after a trip to the beach. There is solarpower water heating and plenty of rain water tanks to keep utility bills to aminimum. When we moved in our neighbours greeted us with “welcome toparadise” and it’s true. Port Willunga has a great little community, you startof seeing the same faces down on the beach, the kids make friends so quicklyand soon you’re sharing chip suppers watching the sunset. We have spent oneglorious summer here and are only leaving because we are buying our own placenearby. The Landlords are great; very accommodating and quick torespond. Rent is $320 a week, the house is available from 19th July.Come a get your own piece of paradise before it gets snapped up in the Spring!Here is the link to the Real Estate site, the native garden is much moreestablished now. Moana Southgate Property are managing the lease. I think there is an open next week on Wednesday 10th July at 4.30, so come and have a look for yourself. Link below: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-port+willunga-410749663 PM if you want any more info or if you have any questions Here are some of our own pictures we used to brag to friendsback home! Thanks Richard

Roula I have just been TRTing in term 4 in primary and middle schools and there was plenty of work around. Not sure if my experiences will be of much use to you - presuming you are primary - I will tell you how I got on. I pretty much worked everyday that I was available to work. Some days I would get 5 calls offering work, others just one or two. Often schools would book you for a number of days in advance. Once you are in and prove yourself then they generally called you back for more work. If you weren't available when schools called then they generally were less likely to call you back. I got calls from schools I would've loved to have checked out but had agreed elsewhere so therfore had to turn them down. Occasionally you played telephone 'roulette' (ie: Will I get a call??? Will it be a school where I am happy to work and not be run ragged?) to fill the spaces. There are some fruity schools out there... you will work out which ones you prefer pretty quick. A friend who worked closer to the city had similar experiences and secured plenty of work but had certain schools he was more pleased to be called by. I dropped my CV off to schools and yes it certainly helps to speak to the powers that be; usually the most important person to speak to is the person who books the TRT cover - this is usually, but not always, someone in the admin team. I always tried to have a chat and make a connection with the front of house, I always tried to drop in my experience in conversation too. As a male happy to work with the older ones, many schools made promising sounds when I dropped my CV and Employable teacher letter off. Some schools gave me work and others I never heard from again. Keep an organised bookings diary as it can be hard to remember where you're heading next and where you have been (important to check that you don't miss a day or twos pay if the admin team forget to notify DECD that you worked on that day). The best way to maximise your chances is to sign up to the TRT hubs that operate across the city. I dont know where you are based but there are a number of clusters in the southern Adelaide regions that organise their TRT cover from a central point. Therefore signing up to one or as many of the clusters that serve schools that you are willing/able to travel or work at will seriously increase your chance of work. If you PM me I can give you the people you need to speak to. I am based in Port Willunga near Aldinga and worked as far as Coromandel Valley in the hills to some more local schools. I mainly ended up travelling 25km to schools in fairly challenging areas. I found that for DECD schools it helped to go in with pre-prepared ideas to fill the day. You will often be left a sketchy program and often the day works so much better if you have a bank of your own ideas to see you through. My friend gets pupils making origami non-fiction books and then researching on the internet on a relevant topic to fill tjem - this keeps them busy all day. I would always take my guitar and do some singing and a hard drive full of games, quizzes, thinking puzzles, challenges etc. Be sure to have some ideas for PE games too... I would recommend the Blue Earth book for this as it has loads of easily resourced games. I am happy to help you with a pile of stuff if you need it. In regard to CPD - you wont get much as a TRT - occasionally the more forward thinking TRT hubs will organise something. I went to one on the new Aussie curriculum. If you are TRTing you could ask to stay on staff meeting night??? I think you will skill yourself up pretty quick TRTing - you might have some tricky moments but I always chalked them up as character building. I wouldnt bother with agencies as they will take a healthy chunk of your money. Maybe deal with privaye schools directly. Phone up and ask for the TRT coordinator - they will happily give their name to you as they want a substantial bank of staff on call. I fortunately got a job for next year. I do hear that Term 1 is quiet... Good luck, feel free to PM for info All the best Richard

Does anyone have a surfboard for sale. Probably 8' fun board would be best as I am a fairly new surfer. Preferably fibreglass as opposed to foam. PM me if you have one for sale. Thanks

Paula We are in the same boat as you and have a similar list. Maybe someone should set up a shop for emigrating Brits - I am sure we all need the same stuff. We needed loads of stuff to tide us over until our stuff arrives from the UK as we are moving out of our short-term and into a longer term rental in Port Willunga. Had a fun day trailing around Opshops, Myponga Market (which is a bit odd) and got up early to go to some Garage sales (advertised in the local paper and on Gumtree) the quality of stuff varied massively - from total tat to some excellent bargains. Got some really nice quirky stuff. We got carseats pretty cheap from Big W... they were on special $120 for the pair. I bought a Fisher and Paykel washing machine ($150) - 3 years old but has been in storage for 2- from Gumtree Adelaide. I got outdoor table and 4 chairs from Gumtree for $100 - good quality stuff. Plenty of stuff out there nearly new... I have circumnavigated Adelaide though! Can't help with a kayak but would like a cheap surfboard and wetsuit... if you see one on your search. Good luck Rich

Anyone spotted any sharks yet??? I would love to see one, from a safe distance or vantage point. The closest I have come is in Victor Harbor Whale Museum where there is a Port Jackson shark in a tank. Love the Whale pic, I too might head down there this weekend if they are putting on a show. Love the bearded dragon pic too...this is what Oz is all about! As an aside, I did my first aid training the other day (to ensure I can get my teacher registration) and loved how it differed from the UK one with extra content on venomous bites and stings from spiders, snakes, jellyfish. The trainer was from Moana and spoke of the deadly brown snakes in the Moana Sands Conservation area. I have been jogging through the long grass a few times. I'll keep my eyes peeled. He also mentioned the White Pointer that was under Noarlunga Jetty a few years ago! That would be a real treat.

Hi have you sold this car?

We got a quote via Vroom and got a Hertz rental for a few weeks. Seemed pretty reasonable and they upgraded us for free - have the best car I have ever driven for about $30. They also give you a cheap tank of gas and you return the car empty - so you save a bit on that.

Thanks, I am hoping for a bit of luck. I met an old woman on a train up to Newcastle who insisted its a lucky country - so I am sure we will be fine. Richard

Thanks for the welcoming messages - We all can't wait to be out there - although we would happily skip the flight - not looking forward to that. From comments and the pics on Chris' website Moana looks perfect and I am pleased we were able to get this property. I have been showing it to anyone who will give me 5 minutes - it certainly stops all the questions as to why we are doing this and will beat Deptford! Would love to meet up when we are upo and running. Rich, Jess and the boys

Hi, You'll only be a few days behind us and just up the road (How far I can't quite get my head round yet...) Have you got a short term rental? We went for 4 weeks so we have plenty of time to find the right long term property to rent and have a good look along the coast for the right spot. We too looked at Aldinga and Christie's but Port Noarlunga is the place that I think sounds the best on paper. I was in Oz for a year when I was younger but only spent a few days in Adelaide so its not a place I know. I got state sponsorship as teachers so its a Skilled Migrant Visa 176. Have you guys got work yet? What was your tipping point that made you want to uproot and move? All the best Richard

Finally convinced partner Jessie (soon to be wife) to come to Oz having spent a wonderful year in 1998. Took alot of convincing - trust me! Nothing like a bad British Summer and the British Education system to make it all better though. Both teachers ( I was a deputy head of a SE London school) - unable to secure any work yet - so bit scared - but still terribly excited. Arriving on 11th September 2012 with a 4 week rental in Moana Beach - near Seaford and Port Noarlunga in the South of Adelaide. From there who knows Have two lovely boys Alex (4) and Noah (2) - we are both London born and bred so keen to get some beach action (used to surf a little bit - love to get back into it) and get the kids outside and physical. Love to hear from anyone arriving at the same time or who might want to meet after we have got over the jetlag. Rich and Jess

Hi I am heading over in September 2012 with my wife and 2 kids. I am a primary school teacher with 11 years experience and have been a deputy head for the past three years of a challenging inner city London school. I got State sponsorship to be a primary school teacher - but yet to find a job. I am really keen to be in a permanent position for january 2013 at the latest. I am not sure if I am imparting wisdom or asking for help... We are starting out at Moana in temporary accommodation (holiday rental) and based on what little we know we are keen to stay by the beach in the long term. I have applied (unsuccessfully) for a few jobs via DECS website. I agree with others it is fairly de-moralising experience. Once you have registered, it is fairly straightforward to apply for jobs as it will save your key details and you only need to upload a PDF of your personal statement or if you want to make any changes to your CV. Obviously tailor it to the jobs specs - they are a bit vague though and name check things you are unfamiliar with (be sure we are familiar with the approach or pedagogy but under a different name) I have ignored this whole rating system... it would seem you can apply for any position. I look under the metropolitan section either under teaching or under leadership (excluding principal). I personally have had a pop at both teaching and leadership positions. I intitially tried for vice principal positions (bit of a punt, I know I dont know the system but come-on kids are kids!). I had some good feedback from a headteacher in North Adelaide. Very useful and above and beyond what one would expect. It would seem that they have to provide feedback for anything above teaching. It certainly helped to send an email asking for advice. I am sure heads would give a bit of guidance for teachers too - even if they are not legally obliged to do this. Especially if they know we are unfamiliar with the system. Australia is putting in place their first National Curriculum - parts of it have been mandated and schools are showing some anxiety in getting it up and running. There have therefore been lots of 'coordinator' (equivalent in primary - assistant head???) positions leading in curriculum development. I thought that I might get a look-in on these jobs as I have led in the UK in this area. The UK has had a NC for 24 years therabouts and we get hit with changes every 5 minutes. Why should a SA school chose an unknown - sight unseen - over someone who has experience within SA. I worked very closely in London with a senior leader from Adelaide and she said that it is best to be there and press the flesh and teach as a supply and show what you can do. I am not taking it too personally but I am starting to get worried. I haven't joined the Employable Teaching Register yet and I am applying for positions subject to doing the first aid and safeguarding courses. ANy advice or anyone spotting what I am doing wrong most welcome! Thanks Richard