Getting by on a mechanics wage

[Reena1991]

Just joined pia and was wondering if anyone could advise on the following:

 

 

we have jus started the process of applying for state sponsorship. OH is a mechanic (senior technician) and has worked for a ford dealership for 12 years and is one the top bonus and target hitter there. He's also an MOT tester but don't think that will have any benefit in oz. when we Arrive he will be the one going out to work while I stay at home with our 2 little ones.

Firstly, is it likely he will get a mechanic job fairly quickly?

secondly, will we be able to survive on just his wage for a couple of years until the children are at school? I am a primary teacher and would want to to do this in oz but would need to wait until they are both in school. We have talked about me getting a little part time job to help in the evenings if need be but just wondered if anyone could give an insight into a mechanics wages and if we could survive off them. We will be taking about £20,000 to get us set up and started.

 

 

Any opinions or advise would be really be really appreciated,

thanks

[zebedee]

Not sure about the mechanic job situation but as a rough guide, we have 3 school age children, one car, a fairly cheap rental ($330) a week and we have been surviving quite nicely on one salary of $85,000 (which I know is above average for a single salary). Not really had to be too cautious with money. We get family assistance and rent assistance which works out to an extra $410 a fortnight. You will get that too.

 

Having said that, we are about to buy our first place and from then on, we are gonna have to be very careful - to the point that we are probably going to need to have two incomes to be comfortable.

Edited July 26, 2013 by zebedee

[Jessica Berry]

Not sure about the mechanic job situation but as a rough guide, we have 3 school age children, one car, a fairly cheap rental ($330) a week and we have been surviving quite nicely on one salary of $85,000 (which I know is above average for a single salary). Not really had to be too cautious with money. We get family assistance and rent assistance which works out to an extra $410 a fortnight. You will get that too.

 

Having said that, we are about to buy our first place and from then on, we are gonna have to be very careful - to the point that we are probably going to need to have two incomes to be comfortable.

 

Do you have to have children to get rent assistance?

[Guest Damien]

'We get family assistance and rent assistance which works out to an extra $410 a fortnight. You will get that too.'

 

I earn around $70k and get less than half that from centrelink, am I doing something wrong in my claim? My rent assist was only $33 per fortnight before we bought.

[zebedee]

'We get family assistance and rent assistance which works out to an extra $410 a fortnight. You will get that too.'

 

I earn around $70k and get less than half that from centrelink, am I doing something wrong in my claim? My rent assist was only $33 per fortnight before we bought.

 

I am not sure - unless we are being over paid. 3 children. Not sure if the children are required for rent assistance. The youngest is 8, eldest almost 12. Obviously we will be loosing that as of August when we move.

 

The $410 splits into $310ish for the kiddies and $100ish per fortnight for the rent.

[Blossom]

Wow. I had no idea you get rent assistance of that much. I earn FAR less than that, although I have no children.

The centrelink website is near impossible to make head nor tail of.

[zebedee]

Wow. I had no idea you get rent assistance of that much. I earn FAR less than that, although I have no children.

The centrelink website is near impossible to make head nor tail of.

 

It seemed pretty generous to me when we applied for it.

[Guest BurgessFamily]

rent assistance is variable depending on the number of kids and the amount of rent.

[NicF]

'We get family assistance and rent assistance which works out to an extra $410 a fortnight. You will get that too.'

 

I earn around $70k and get less than half that from centrelink, am I doing something wrong in my claim? My rent assist was only $33 per fortnight before we bought.

 

Sounds to me like there might be something wrong. The number of kids you have makes a difference but also whether your OH has worked during the tax year. When we first got here my OH worked and I was out of work so we got both family tax benefit A and B and rent assistance. After a few months my OH left his job and I got one earning about $30k a year less. However because my OH had already had earnings for the year the amount we got from centrelink barely changed as although we got more of one of the benefits and more rent assistance we were no longer eligible for one of the family tax benefits (can't remember which one). Your OH can earn up to something like $5k a year before you loose the additional benefit. The good news however is that once you both submit your tax returns the amount you have received from centrelink for the year gets checked against actual earnings and anything extra you are owed should get paid out to you. Or if you have claimed too much you have to pay them back.

[jim and adel]

Apart from first time buyers grant and GFC stimulus, we've not been entitled to a single cent since we've been here. Oh, I tell a lie, we did get family tax benefit for a few months ... then at tax time had to pay it all back! doh!

 

We always seem to be just above the threshold, meaning we're skint but don't get any help. I don't begrudge others, but do get a tad jealous when I sum up what they get and we're not entitled to, but I suppose that's life!

 

Jim

[NicF]

Apart from first time buyers grant and GFC stimulus, we've not been entitled to a single cent since we've been here. Oh, I tell a lie, we did get family tax benefit for a few months ... then at tax time had to pay it all back! doh!

 

We always seem to be just above the threshold, meaning we're skint but don't get any help. I don't begrudge others, but do get a tad jealous when I sum up what they get and we're not entitled to, but I suppose that's life!

 

Jim

 

We're both working now so don't get any family tax benefit anymore, just the childcare rebate that everyone is entitled to. We may get some additional money back from centrelink this year as we were both out of work for part of the year, but next year I doubt we will get anything much. We're not entitled to the first time buyers grant though because my OH has previously owned houses in Australia. And we can't even get the grant for building a new house, even though we are building one, because with the price of the land and the cost of house we are building the total value is over the maximum value for the grant. Our total centrelink payments will be a lot less than the value of the first time buyers grant if that makes you feel any better.

[Guest]

Hi THERE

 

Well I'm in the wrong job lol I'm a mechanic and have been over here since last april and i,m on 58,000 a year my wife works part-time and earns 12k a year we pay 370 a week rent and still manage fine, we would like to have a higher incomet but my daughter is only 3 and its far to expensive for child care.

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

From my understanding you only get rent assist if you are eligible for another benefit, which if you don't have children you aren't for the first two years (on a perm. visa) - if you have children, there isn't the waiting period on Family Tax A/B, so you can get that and then rent assist immediately, but if you don't have kids, you aren't eligible for Family Tax, and aren't eligible for any benefits (due to the waiting period) and therefore not eligible for rent assist.

 

Sorry if that makes no sense at all - I am *so* shattered today lol.....

 

(This was really aimed at anyone lurking and reading, whom may not have kiddies, btw )

[Blossom]

Like me. :-)

[aliogilvie]

And me! I had no idea about any of this so v useful.

[jim and adel]

We're both working now so don't get any family tax benefit anymore, just the childcare rebate that everyone is entitled to.

 

Not everyone. When we needed childcare we were still on temporary visas so had to pay in full (which we knew was part of the deal, but just worth mentioning in case other temp visa holders read this and think everyone gets it - unless the rules have changed and now they do!)

 

We may get some additional money back from centrelink this year as we were both out of work for part of the year, but next year I doubt we will get anything much. We're not entitled to the first time buyers grant though because my OH has previously owned houses in Australia. And we can't even get the grant for building a new house, even though we are building one, because with the price of the land and the cost of house we are building the total value is over the maximum value for the grant. Our total centrelink payments will be a lot less than the value of the first time buyers grant if that makes you feel any better.

 

Of course it doesn't make me feel any better. I wasn't referring to your circumstances or anyone else's on this thread; just a general observation. Plenty of people get benefits, building grants and first time buyers grants - and some won't take jobs that pay slightly higher or they jeopardise what they get back!

 

With that off my chest, actually I do feel better

 

Jim