Beanbear

Hi, So do you answer yes when asked if you have been here two years, even if you are a month shy? We are getting all of our bits sorted and will put them in early now that you have given that helpful advice. Many thanks and I hope we will get ours as quickly, it certainly is a long wait on the 495.

Hi Very interested to know what you find out as this could be crucial to us. I also seem to remember that someone posted about having been allowed the backdated FHOG because their PR application was taking a long time and this was not their fault as they had put it in in plenty of time. I wonder if anyone has received it after the deadline and in what circumstances? I am prepared to camp outside the doors of DIMIA hassling them to push our PR through as it's a lot of money that after two years of nothing we could well do with.. ho hum:huh:

Presumably you can get the police check before the two year deadline as it's going to still be current? Also do you all need to have in date passports - my daughter's has just run out and was going to leave it a while until she needs to use it? Still confused about whether it's possible to put the application in slightly early, I'm sure someone said they had done this. We really need ours to come through quickly so we can apply for the backdated FHOG, although again I'm sure someone said they had got it despite being over the year deadline because they were waiting on pr application? Does anyone know what you can claim once pr is granted - do you qualify then for child benefit? Would be a massive help - how much is it? Also can you claim the child care money back at this point? Thanks in advance for answers on these questions.

Unfortunately we don't have a timer - the electrician told me off about this and said it will be costing us a lot more than we need to be paying, so will need to get one fitted. Anyway having had the element and thermostat replaced, it turned out to be the wire from the heater having burnt through, Replaced and working now - not sure why plumber couldn't have just tested the current, instead of replacing the parts, but fortunately he did this as a warranty job, so we didn't get charged for that. Alls well that ends well and we are all bathed again.:v_SPIN:

After an extremely frustrating day we are still none the wiser as to whether our hot water thermostat was defective (it's been replaced) or whether we have some kind of electrical fault - the water is heated overnight so won't know until tomorrow and that will be the third day of no hot water!! Grrrrr Anyway fingers crossed the guy today has solved the problem, but if he hasn't we will need a sparky so if anyone has anyone they can suggest we would be grateful (we live in the Blackwood area.) Don't you hate waiting in all day, then long after your tradie was supposed to come they turn up, just as you have to leave... And when you've had a really bad day and then the top comes off the spice jar, tipping its contents into your dinner and ruining it, well... Obviously this is after your oven takes an hour to coax it to work in the first place as its timer setting is faulty... Welcome to my world!!!

That's quite funny. It's bound to be the same Wayne - Carolyn told me there are no other Van Heckes in the phone book up there and he is the same age as you. Shame you didn't get the chance to catch up!

Many of you will know the sad tale of Carolyn and her family who have had to return to the UK after she lost her job here. It was very sad to see her off at the airport yesterday, knowing that it really wasn't what she wanted at all. Her and Wayne really embraced the life here and were busy getting the best out of it, so what a shame to have to give it all up. It is certainly a cautionary tale for those on the business sponsored visas - make sure you get all your relocation costs built into your contract. Anyway, her and their oldest child will arrive home today and at least they will be back together with Wayne and the youngest. I wish them all the very best for the future and hope they can build a new and improved life, based on the best of the experiences they have had here.

Hi, We also used Excess International and found them very good. All the stuff came on time and nothing was broken save the glass on one picture frame, (we packed ourselves!) would reccommend them and did so recently, to a relative, who is also using them and happy so far.[

We have just moved into our own home and switched to Origin as they do a deal whereby you get a free month's electricity if you pay on time for a year. We have gas with them too. when you rent the rates and water are included, but you may be charged an excess amount for water if you go over the allowed amount. for example we were charged $70 after a hot summer with three lots of visitors and a pool to top up! Not too much really.

Hi, For those who've gone from 495 visas to 887, do you know if the work requirement of one year out of the first two needs to be twelve consecutive months? We are 3 weeks away from this, but business is very slow where OH works and they are beginning to shed staff...Very scary.:sad:

Hi, We are just packing up our rental house to move into our new house - our first owned house here, very exciting :v_SPIN: !! Two things I could do with some responses to. Firstly does anyone know of a cheap place to get bubble wrap? I bought the last roll from Office Works and it wasn't very cheap so thought there might be somewhere better. Secondly who would people recommend as their energy supplier - we have been with AGL but don't think they are particularly good and the last bill was very high. Wondered if others were happy with a different company. We are considering Origin - any thoughts please.

Thanks Andy, hopefully you're right and you would know more about it than me. Just having a very hot, tired and stressed moment, but it would be nice to be cut some slack having spent the last year paying into the economy in a big way, with more to come in the form of a large stamp duty bill ... ho hum:wacko:

:arghh: Can't believe it! For a brief moment I really thought that we were in for some help at a time when school fees and all the other huge bills that seem to have come recently have left us quite skint... but no. Presumably although OH worked most of 2008 we won't qualify - or is it for people who paid tax in that period at all? Hope it's the latter, 'cos it's wearing a bit thin all this missing out on things. And before anyone jumps on this I know it's what we signed up for, but it's still been a set of continuing knocks missing out on things that were unexpected to everyone (i.e the increased FHOG, $1000 pay outs etc..) the ordinary benefits I can live with even though we pay the same rate of tax as the pr lot grrrr....

Hi, No a PGCE will be fine and is accepted here it's the one done in schools that isn't - TTA I think. You may need more than one year post quals experience though, you would need to check that out. It is hard to get work here unless you are teaching a shortage subject e.g. maths/physics. There are plenty of primary teachers and those who can teach the other subjects. The only way of getting a permanent job in the state system is to teach in a remote place for at least two years - there is no way round this. You may be lucky and get a job in a private school, but I would imagine they pick the most experienced teachers first as they have to ensure value for money/quality of what they offer etc.. There really isn't a shortage at the moment and if you are happy to do temporary or supply teaching it will be fine, but a lot of people want more security than this when moving abroad - particularly if you come on a visa that offers no access to benefits of any kind. Make sure you keep all paperwork from your course, transcripts, hours of teaching practice etc.. as these are needed when you register here.

It's not easy getting work as a classroom assistant regardless of experience - they are called SSOs here. The role can be anything from admin to support in the classroom, but those I know who've got jobs in this field have done voluntary work in schools and so have been in the right place at the right time. It is all based on temp contracts though and even if you've been at the same school a while, there is nothing to say they will keep you on from one year to the next - Oh and they are proposing reducing funding for SSOs, hence the current teacher strikes (well it is part of the reason.)

Hi, I am on a provisional visa and this has proved trying at times, but I did know a lot of what I would face so it didn't come as a shock in that sense. As a teacher I was welcomed over to work, although there are actually very few teaching vacancies (except in certain shortage subjects) so problems arose from the outset. That said my OH managed to get a job very quickly in an industry that needed his skills and as such he was taken on at a better rate than in the UK so we have lost and gained on the job front. After throwing myself a 'pity party' a few months in, I determined to make the best of it and got related work, which I have done on a temporary basis. With a bit of lateral thinking I am considering some retraining and a slight change of career. When I think of all the poor over qualified migrants I used to come into contact with in the Uk who made the best of it through sheer hard work, either to give their family a better life, or in the case of the majority of Poles, to send money back to relatives at home, i say we are all in the same boat. Yes many do get benefits in the UK but then they are members of the EU, whilst Oz can make its own rules and so be it. I have two children who love their life and will benefit enormously from living here so we will continue to move onwards and upwards. You make your own luck in this world. Oh and apparently the Skills Assessment people in the city can look at UK quals and point you in the right direction for getting them recognised - has anyone any experience of this? Also haa anyone tried using the SIR letter on the ImmiSa site to show to prospective employers, it answers all the respective points being discussed here?

Hi, This is a very difficult decision for you to have to make. On the one hand you don't want to give up without ever having given your dream a shot, but on the other the odds are stacked against you. I wonder what jobs you do? Things can be very tough here if work is hard to find, and a lot depends on resilience and a willingness to accept your new place much lower down the ladder, (at least that will be the case for a lot of people.) There is an assumption by many of us that our skills and experience will count for more than it does initially - have no illusions. However for us personally we have more than we had in the UK and things are getting better all the time. Our acceptance of how things are here and our determination to create our own opportunities is paying dividends, but we had some equity with which to start a new life which does help. If what you are giving up is substantial in money and security terms, then think really carefully before taking the plunge. What a horrible time to be thinking of emigrating - although many across the world have made this kind of move with far less, yet have still made a go of it. Good luck:)

Thanks for the above responses. Poor cousin still in pain so will have to find her a dentist - does anyone know of a good and reliable one in the Blackwood area? Congrats to the boys on their football victory tonight!!

No you have to do the BELS (Basic Emergency Life Saving) course that is on offer here. I did the St Johns one and it was very efficiently run and they gave you the certificate the same day. The first aid does include things that are more specific to Oz e.g. treating maladies caused by strange and venomous creatures! For the Man Not course I joined the AEU teaching union and did their's which was good. The only thing I'd say about them though is that despite the fact I was only doing school based tutoring this school year they tried to charge me a fortune in union fees. Find the whole cost of union very excessive (although it is tax deductable.) All in all you won't be able to get your TRB until you have done both courses and had the certs back and submitted them.

Hi All, Two things that I need answers to. Firstly does anyone know where you get those shelter things that I see everywhere at the beach? They are like a large rectangle of material that hangs over a pole frame (not the cut away dome tent ones?). Secondly my cousin is over from the UK and has a bad toothache. Can she get any kind of treatment paid for or what should I do? She has private UK dental cover and travel insurance. Thanks in advance,

Having waded through all this it seems that there will always be the divide between those who feel they have it bad and those who are happy with their lot. Perhaps many of those who find it hard actually did okay in the UK. Maybe they had nice houses and good jobs where they were respected. Perhaps they had enough money and times weren't too tough. For these people it takes a lot of adjusting mentally to come to terms with what has been lost, before embracing (if they ever can) what has been gained. Although we found some adjustments (to do with work mainly) hard at first and struggled financially we are now holding our own, through a determined effort to find and create our own luck, which was what we came here to do. We had very little in the UK - yes we did own our own home, but we were in constant deficit even though we both worked with expensive taxation, no help from the government and expensive childcare. We are better off here in every conceivable way.

Oh b***er! Have just spent the last hour composing what was a very long thread to tell you all about our year here, whilst putting up with the tutting of our os visitors who had finished their Wii bowling tournament and were waiting for me to entertain them. Anyway finished last sentence and clicked on submit and the bloody site had logged me out, although my user name is still in the corner??!! Am going to take a minute and then might find the energy to resume my thread. V. fed up.

Our pool is currently out of action and needs the sand changed in the filter or some such job. We rent our place and they have sent a bunch of jokers out who have come twice now to confirm what we knew was wrong, without actually attempting to fix it!!:realmadxmas: Anyway this pool company can't come back until 29th Dec, so wondered if anyone knows of someone (maybe someone with own business) who might be able to come sooner. We have rellies coming so want pool up and running. In a similar vein do you know of someone who could sort out our TV aerial? Whoever the rental company are using is not answering his phone so can't even get anyone to come. Grrrr:realmadxmas: No TV for three weeks (although am amazed at how little we are all missing it!) and no pool and they put the rent up a couple of months ago!! Would prefer someone reliable to get the business.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will definitely need a new bumper so will try the Christies beach lot and if it needs a paint job will pm you Sue.

Hi All, Stupidly hit a post yesterday and have done damage to the bumper of the car :confusedxmas::mad:xmas can anyone tell me how much this is likely to cost to repair/replace? It's a magna wagon. Any recommendations as to a garage that's good and cheap for such repairs? Thanks in advance