Hoping for Adelaide - and advice?

[Guest halfadozen]

Hi all,

I am brand new to the site, registered yesterday although have been nosing at all your threads for weeks - really interesting.

Me (39) Hubby (40) 3 girls (13, 11, 6) and boy (9) are in the first stages of our visa application. We are hoping to get SA state sponsorship as we haven't enough points for an independent (getting old!) Also hubbys job - Construction Manager is only on the temp visa list. We are looking at Adelaide at the moment as it seems to be the most affordable option, everywhere else is so expensive housewise and also the climate looks more realistic?

Can any of you advise us on nice suburbs and especially good schools as we will be looking for both primary and secondary, have read on the PomsInAdelaide website of a few horror stories regarding schools?

 

Also because we are having to go on a temp visa, will our kids be entitled to state education? We are catholic so may well take that route anyway but what are we entitled to?

Also! Are there jobs in construction in Adelaide? We understand the area is entering a boom period?

Hope someone can offer a few bits of advice, my head is spinning thinking of everything. We also considered Perth as Hubby has had good feedback on the job front but WA sponsorship does not include living in the Perth metropolitan area - what does this mean?

Thanks, from a very confused newcomer x

[Guest mossmac]

Hi there,

 

Welcome to PIA. We have got sponsorship from South Australia and hope to go out there on a temporary 3 year SIR visa. We could have gone down the independent visa route but we wanted to save a bit of money so decided that just one of us (husband) would get our skills assessed (we are both teachers).

 

We chose South Australia for a variety of reasons. One reason was because at the time we submitted our visa application, South Australia was short of teachers (not so sure if that is so much the case now, but hopefully we will be able to find work). Another reason was because buying/ renting property is cheaper than in other states. This, however, is now going up. The third reason we chose South Australia was because they can offer 'Meet and Greet' to new migrants and can arrange short term accommodation, if you are lucky enough to get it when you apply. Unlike other states, in South Australia temporary visa holders are able to work in the state capital.

 

We are hoping to go and live in Mount Gambier when we get out there as we have no great urge to live in Adelaide, although it does look very nice. We have two young children and want a quieter life which we think Mount Gambier can offer. Renting in Mount Gambier is also a lot cheaper than in Adelaide. Like you, we are Catholic and my husband is hoping to get work in a Catholic school.

 

I am sure you will get lots of help on this site for any questions you have. We have had so many of our questions answered by a really friendly group of people. Good luck with everything.

 

Sarah and John

[Guest halfadozen]

Hi mossmac,

 

Thanks so much for your reply, it is good to know that there are others doing the same as us. You seem to be choosing Adelaide for the same reasons as us, the trouble with the visa process taking so long is that you have TOO MUCH time to change your mind on so many things! Adelaide and its surrounding areas does look really nice. You never know your husband might end up teaching our kids! Heres hoping!

 

Thanks again and good luck with your application.

[Guest alibongo]

Hi Halfadozen

 

just wanted to say hello and wish you luck with your visa application. quite a few teachers seem to be on this forum and I'm sure they will be able to help you with all your questions.. sounds to me as an outsider ie not a teacher that you need to work hard to get a job before you leave the UK so you are able to support the family.

 

As far as schooling is concerned I thought we were all entitled to education but if you are on a temp visa think you will not be entitled to any state benefits. The guys who live in Ad will let you know when they get on line

 

good luck

 

Ali

[Guest Libby1971]

Good morning.

 

Your kids are entitled to an education, and you can go to state or private schools, it makes no difference. You have to pay fees for trips and visits up front at the start of the year, plus equipment costs for photocopying etc and this is the same whether you go to state or not. I think we paid about $450 for our two give or take - one in primary and one in secondary and this is in a state school. Costs vary according to which year your children are in - the fees rise as they get older. In a private one you will have additional costs. Uniform is not cheap - $69 for a school skirt for my eldest - I told her she was sleeping in it as well. There are no Catholic state schools, just private so this is different to the UK. Tomorrow I start work at a girls Catholic school about half an hour from here.

 

The climate for us was a big thing. My youngest has had severe eczema and she started coming out of it a few years ago. I could not put her or us through any of that again and so headed for the driest state hopefully to ensure it didn't come back. And for her, it hasn't. Mine on the other hand is appearing left, right and centre!

 

I am not sure what you are hoping for in terms of entitlement but you cannot claim child allowance as a temp resident. You receive free health care under a reciprocal agreement between AUS and UK. Everyone pays for dental regardless of age or visa status, and they are expensive. Once you have perm residency, you can claim child allowance.

 

With regards to Perth and the metro area, it means you cannot live in Perth or the metropolitan area which is generally viewed as any suburbs that continue on. You would be about 45 mins drive from the city centre, I should imagine. Have a look on Google Earth and see where places like Victor Harbour, Mount Barker, Hahndorf are. These are considered outside of the metro area (ie country) and you can see the kids of distances involved. VH is about an hours drive from my place in the southern suburbs which is in turn about half an hour-ish from the city centre.

 

I am not sure which horror stories you have read - it is just that there are a few bad schools here and that is the same wherever you go, it just helps to know which ones you are talking about once here. Mine go to Reynella East where there is a primary and a high school next door to each other. Christies Beach High School has a reputation for being not a good school in terms of clientele. Wirreanda also has a reputation but Rachiegarlo I think has posted about others she knows of, I don't know about any others.

 

If you need any further help, post away.

 

Libby

[Guest mOZzy]

i see you've lots of good advice already.

couldn't add any anyways

 

 

just hello and welcome and good luck!

[Guest halfadozen]

Thanks for all the replies, hubby is hoping to go out for a look around in the next few months so any pointers are much appreciated.

 

It's snowing here this morning!!

[Ranger]

i see you've lots of good advice already.

couldn't add any anyways

 

 

just hello and welcome and good luck!

 

Hi Halfdozen

Like the majority of cities in Aus Adelaide is quite isolated, not as much as Perth, Darwin or Hobart though. Because of this when you leave the metropolitan area you are basically starting to encroach on the outback, obviously the further out you go the more isolated it becomes, fewer people live or want to move to these areas therefore sponsorship tries to encourage settlers there. As for work in Adelaide, we emigrated there in 95 and were told then that it was up and coming, I think they’re still waiting. Honestly though ask the locals and this has always been the case, I think it’s to do with feeling that they are the poor relation with regard to the other states and therefore try to big themselves up. Adelaide is a pretty city very clean and well set out, with the main CBD surrounded by parklands and the main shoping area of Rundle Mall, haven't been to Perth so can't comment. The main industries in SA are, or were, the mining sector which is based in Moomba, this means working away out in the outback, the motor industry which were Holden and Mitsi, which are now virtually closed, some defence work and the wine sector, other than this there are no what you might term major employers. The schools can take a bit of getting used to they can look pretty shabby and run down from outside, especially out of the metropolitan areas. They don’t go to secondary school until they are 13 so 3 of yours would go to junior school, again these can vary in quality, you do however have to pay school fees in SA, this applies to the state schools not just the private ones, also there are no exemptions, whether you are working or not

[Guest DianeJ]

Hi Ranger,

Can I ask what you did job wise in Adelaide?

 

Thanks

Diane

[Ranger]

I was a software tester, moved into contracting, but there wasn't much of a market in Adelaide. Background originally in organisational development in UK

[Ranger]

Hi Ranger,

Can I ask what you did job wise in Adelaide?

 

Thanks

Diane

 

Hi Diane, you thinking of moving to Adelaide then?