Hopefully arriving next year

[Reena1991]

Hi everyone,

We've posted a couple of times on here about jobs etc but just wanted to introduce ourselves properly.

we are a family of 4- myself (primary teacher, currently on mat. Leave), Ricky (mechanic) and our two boys, ollie, who has just turned 2 and Leo, who is 4 months old.

We are applying for a state sponsored perm. Res. visa using Rick's occupation. He has got his mechanic skills assessment day in London in a few weeks and is getting a bit nervous. If anyone has been through this before as a mechanic and can offer advice or even let him know what it is like, that would be great!

 

We don't know anyone in SA so will be completely alone when we arrive (oh how I envy people who have got family or close friends to support them when they get there....seems like one of the most scary parts of it all!)

 

We have researched areas and are hoping to move to moana/port noarlunga area (not very original I know but they are our favourites!) we have considered committing to a 6 month rental before we leave so we have somewhere more stable straight away and don't have to keep moving the boys around but have heard the negatives of doing this- not knowing what you're really signing up for etc, so we are still in two minds about it.

 

would love to hear from anyone who has the same sort of timeline as us and will be moving over spring/summer next year or from anyone really who has got advice, experiences they want to share (especially if you've moved over with young children and didn't know anyone like us!)

 

thanks everyone in advance!

 

aureen, Ricky, ollie and Leo

[Guest LadyBug]

Hi!

 

We plan to move at the end of this year, so we'll be few months ahead of you.

We, too, have two kids, but few years older.

And we, too, won't have any family or friends in Adelaide.

 

You are not alone on this road and I believe many of us share the same thoughts, fears, hopes and expectations.

Stay tuned and keep your head up.

[Reena1991]

Hi,

thanks for replying! Glad to from someone else in the same boat. Think it will all start to feel real once rick passes his skills assessment and we can start getting the paperwork all sorted. Good luck with everything this year, this time next year hopefully you'll be settling in the adelaide life! What are you doing when you first arrive, are you getting short term accomodation?

 

[Ktee]

Hi Aureen, lovely to meet you. Wish Ricky lots of luck from us, I'm sure he will be fine though

[Blossom]

I camped for a month when I first arrived. I highly recommend it. :-)

 

i honestly wouldn't even consider signing up for a long term rental you have not seen. The photos often look SO much better than the actual place. We moved into a new place a couple of months ago and some of the ones we viewed had looked lovely in the pics. They weren't!

Good lucky for your hubbies skills assessment. :-)

[Reena1991]

Hi ktee,

thanks very much! He feels fairly confident as he's got years of mechanic experience and is a senior at work so knows his stuff but just doesn't want to go blank on the day and forget simple things!! I'm sure he'll be fine, just get through this and onto the next thing!

[Reena1991]

Thanks blossom,

yeah that seems to be the general advice about renting, it's rick who's quite keen on just signing up but I am more cynical as I've done more research than him!

if it was just us 2 I'd be quite up for camping but with 2 little ones, I'm not sure how that would go, also my mum might be coming over with us for the first few weeks to help with the flight and look after the boys when we arrive so we can go off and sort out Medicare, rentals etc.....cant imagine her camping! The thought's quite amusing though!

[Guest Thompsonfam]

Hi,

if you have the right attitude it can and hopefully will be the best decision you ever made! and give it a good 2 years before even thinking about returning to the uk if you dont enjoy it at the start, remember homesickness is completely normal expected. We made the move on our own as well without anyone to stay with and yes it is bloody stressful at the start and you will have times when you are stressed out and inevitably you will prob take it out on each but once you're settled in day to day life you'll wonder why you didn't come sooner!! Can't help with the mechanic assessment info I'm afraid but like you said if you are good at your job and have years of experience, it will probably seem like a very simple assessment. Your children are perfect ages to make the move, less opinionated! And also will settle in really well, they prob won't remember the uk when they're older!

hope all your applying goes well, good luck!

 

 

the Thompson family

[Guest LadyBug]

I believe I will need support on this forum when we arrive to Adelaide more than I do now.

 

We will rent some furnished house/apartment or maybe even stay in caravan park, although being cramped in that little place for one month doesn't seem very appealing. Especially because we will need internet to look for long term rental, jobs, schools and so on. But I take it one step at the time and try not to think in advance too much.

[Guest tracyd]

hi aureen, Rick and boys :-)

we just got our visa granted on New Year's Eve! planning our move for later this year, so only a little further along than you.

finding this site is one of the best things we've done, suddenly you're not alone in what you're doing and everyone is so supportive!

our children are 8 and 10.

already picked up some great tips, like making the first leg of the flight the long one, as it seems better for children, rather than short bit first.

there's so much information in the forums, it's so valuable as it gives you someone's actual experience rather than trying to research and make educated guesses!

lots of luck to Rick with his skills assessment! Stuart's took about 13 weeks to come back, which was well outside the timeline that was given, so don't worry if you don't hear when you expect to, I worried for weeks that they'd lost Stuart's paperwork!

it's such a roller coaster ride, it's lovely to find that other people feel just the same!

 

tracy, stuart, eden and max :-)

[Reena1991]

Ladybug,

yes we will definitely need the internet when we arrive or we might have to do everything the old fashion way! Hopefully any short term places will have internet included for us to use. Agree that if you try and think of everything right now, my head might explode!

[Keith & Linda]

Ladybug,

yes we will definitely need the internet when we arrive or we might have to do everything the old fashion way! Hopefully any short term places will have internet included for us to use. Agree that if you try and think of everything right now, my head might explode!

 

Off topic with this but we have just had 5 weeks in the UK, we survived with no smart phone, no iPad (or similar) no laptop, we put our Tesco sim card which still had 4 pound credit on it from our last trip, in an old phone, still has 2 pound credit on it, I used a desk top computer 3 times, but still had to ring Gatwick parking because they had not emailed me info as promised, and I can happily inform you all that the world did not implode, explode or start spinning the other way around, the sun still came up in the morning ( well I believe it did, the rain usually came down instead) our family, friends, colleagues or indeed ourselves have not had to have any therapy or counseling for withdrawal symptoms due to lack of electronic contact. Everything went smoothly for the whole 5 weeks, including Gatwick, because I spoke to a human being there, but he did confuse me a little when he kept insisting he give me the post code! then he informed me it was for my GPS! what bloody GPS!!! and on or return we have either seen or talked to most of our friends and family.

 

 

So the old fashioned way does work just fine Reena1991, so do not let that worry you.

Safe and happy times to you.

Keith.

[snifter]

Ladybug,

yes we will definitely need the internet when we arrive or we might have to do everything the old fashion way! Hopefully any short term places will have internet included for us to use. Agree that if you try and think of everything right now, my head might explode!

 

Don't panic about internet. You can get pre paid dongles for phones/laptops and things like public libraries have internet and computers.

[Guest jimdundee]

Hi, I got my mechanic skills assessed 4 years ago before we moved to Adelaide. I got pretty worked up about it being difficult but found it rather easy. As your hubby as plenty of experience he will be fine. All I had to do was remove a front strut and drive shaft. Remove a fuel injection rail and some simple electrical testing of sensors. Load test an alternator and answer some questions everything the assessor walked past. That was it. Sure your hubby will be fine. Good luck.

 

jason, Caroline & Rebecca

[Reena1991]

Hi Tracyd

congrats on the visa, very exciting! Yes this site is so useful, gives you an insight into how it's all done. What does Stuart do for a living? Can't believe you had to wait that long for results, you must have been getting slightly apprehensive!?

good luck with sorting everything out for the move, hope it all goes smoothly! Which areas are you looking at when you get there?

 

[Reena1991]

Keith and Linda- thanks for the reply. I agree, we all managed once without the internet so I'm sure we can do it again if we need to!

 

Jimdundee: thank you for giving info about mechanic skills assessment, glad you said you found it quite easy, definitely puts your mind at rest. Hopefully we'll get through that bit. The next challenge will be to find a job out there!

[Guest tracyd]

stuart comes under technical sales, so there was no practical exam, but loads of references from employer, previous employers etc, which was a bit tricky as we weren't keen on everyone knowing what we were trying to do!

we've been looking at port noarlunga, seaford, around that area, as it's affordable, seems to have enough going on, and decent schools, plus the city is accessible. we're going to rent first tho, and rent out our uk home, so that we get the best out of the exchange rate, and could potentially be mortgage free in aus :-))

got fingers crossed for ricks skills assessment, tho it sounds like he's going to be just fine!

keep us up to date with your progress, it's as exciting being part of everyone else's journey as it is our own!

I've been overwhelmed by the friendliness on this site, and it makes so much difference, knowing that you'll have contacts when you get to aus, and people who you can seek advice from :-)

can't stop :big grinning: !! ;-0 xx

[Reena1991]

Tracyd, know what you mean trying to keep this emigrating thing hush hush, have only told a immediate family so far n case something goes wrong! That would be great if you could live mortgage free! Would like to rent our place rather than selling but our mortgage payments are still quite high as we haven't owned for long so rent payments wouldn't cover mortgage, insurance and estate aren't fees.

il keep u posted on the skills assessment,it's this Saturday . And keep us posted on your progress too!

 

X

[tomamylancaster]

Hi Aureen,

 

Tom had his skills assessment in London back in June (he's also a mechanic with 13 years experience). He had a 5 hour drive to get down to London for a 9am meeting, so along with being nervous, he was knackered! There were a few points where his mind went blank but the guy at the other end was really relaxed and friendly, and it was all more of an informal chat, just to make sure you actually know your stuff, to go along with all the certificates and blurb you've written.

 

He says if anything, read up on the theory that you wouldn't generally use in the day to day job - they were the questions that caught him out. Although, even with a few blank points the guy said he obviously knew his job very well and as it was a Friday afternoon in Perth (which is where the guy was he was speaking to) he was keen to wrap it up and get off for a beer!!!

 

But generally, if he knows his job, it's nothing to worry about. It was just over 3 weeks between having the technical interview and finding out he'd passed the skills assessment - a nervous wait!! With everything else we had to do afterwards, our visa was granted on 18th November.

 

We're also hoping to be over there next year, but are going to validate our visas in August this year and are staying in one of Tamara's homes in Port Noarlunga - we know nobody, have never been, and have two boys who are 5 and 3! But it's definitely an area that appeals to us - so hoping it lives up to our expectations.

 

Where abouts are you from?

[clarkes]

Hi everyone,

We've posted a couple of times on here about jobs etc but just wanted to introduce ourselves properly.

we are a family of 4- myself (primary teacher, currently on mat. Leave), Ricky (mechanic) and our two boys, ollie, who has just turned 2 and Leo, who is 4 months old.

We are applying for a state sponsored perm. Res. visa using Rick's occupation. He has got his mechanic skills assessment day in London in a few weeks and is getting a bit nervous. If anyone has been through this before as a mechanic and can offer advice or even let him know what it is like, that would be great!

 

We don't know anyone in SA so will be completely alone when we arrive (oh how I envy people who have got family or close friends to support them when they get there....seems like one of the most scary parts of it all!)

 

We have researched areas and are hoping to move to moana/port noarlunga area (not very original I know but they are our favourites!) we have considered committing to a 6 month rental before we leave so we have somewhere more stable straight away and don't have to keep moving the boys around but have heard the negatives of doing this- not knowing what you're really signing up for etc, so we are still in two minds about it.

 

would love to hear from anyone who has the same sort of timeline as us and will be moving over spring/summer next year or from anyone really who has got advice, experiences they want to share (especially if you've moved over with young children and didn't know anyone like us!)

 

thanks everyone in advance!

 

aureen, Ricky, ollie and Leo

 

I would be looking at somewhere a bit closer than Moana. Don't get me wrong, it's a smashing place with a lovely beach and great if youre on holiday. Seaford would be a better bet. Shopping centre and new train line and stuff happening. Moana is 7 miles from port Noarlunga so i'd be looking at beeing a bit closer down the coast to the city. Seaford, Port Noarlunga south, Port Noarlunga. Otherwise get a small car and be prepared to clock up some milage every time you want to do anything.

[Reena1991]

Hi Amy,

thanks for the reply and info about the skills test, seems Ricky and Tom seem to be fairly similar work wise so glad he found it ok despite his journey to get there. Il tell Ricky to get on with thinking about theory stuff and hopefully he'll get a nice examiner!

so glad to hear there are other families doing this without knowing anyone, it's something that I'm quite apprehensive about but good to know that others have done it and are doing it. You'll have to let us know how your reccie goes in august, it will be so handy to see everything and get your bearings before moving out permenantly. You'll also get to judge things for yourself, like prices, rentals etc. will Tom have a look at any garages while you're there? Think Ricky will email his cv to some places before we go, would be great to have a job to go to!

We're in Reading so not too far to go for the skills thing, hopefully he won't get there late!

 

where abouts are you from?

 

[Reena1991]

Hi clarkes,

thanks very much for the info about moana, I was under the impression that it was basically in/very near port noarlunga so thank you for letting me know, it's so handy having people who are over there to give their insight as sometimes you can misinterpret and get things wrong using the internet!

[Guest Palepoms]

Hi there,

 

just been reading your forum and noticed you have children around the same age as ours. Please can you recommend any areas which are better than others to move too? Also I'm a bit confused about schools my daughter will be 11 the end of Aug do you know what year she will be in their? Any info will be great help :-) I don't think I felt this stressed since labour! Lol. Jenni x

[Guest Guest75]

I believe I will need support on this forum when we arrive to Adelaide more than I do now.

 

We will rent some furnished house/apartment or maybe even stay in caravan park, although being cramped in that little place for one month doesn't seem very appealing. Especially because we will need internet to look for long term rental, jobs, schools and so on. But I take it one step at the time and try not to think in advance too much.

 

 

Start reading EVERYTHING in the forum now - go back over posts over the years and you will pick up LOADS of info.

 

BTW you will probably find caravan parks the same price or even more than some furnished rentals. Never quite worked that one out???

[Guest LadyBug]

Tyke, thanx! I think I've read quite a part of this forum and I must say I've found lots of useful info as well as I've got good insight what fresh migrants might feel and go through for the first few months down under.

 

And caravan parks' prices are a mystery to me, too. The thing is that we would like to rent close to CBD, well at least nowhere south from Seacliff or maybe Hallett Cove, but on this site (among signatures) I've found only rentals that are southern.

 

But as I said, as we go along. We're still waiting for CO.