TravellingGiraffe

Having done guides and brownies in the UK for a long time and in the process of joining girl guides Australia I very much agree guides or scouts is a great way for new arrivals to meet people and get away from the "screens". I've been in SA less than 2 weeks and I have already been given more activities and date for my diary of guiding events than I know what to do with. I would truly recommend it.

I'm not in Adelaide yet, but I did my 1st local park run this weekend in the UK having completed couch to 5k. Planning on doing park run when I arrive in Adelaide in 4 weeks.

I am looking for a unit/house. As much as everyone I've met has said should look into a house share, I don't think I can cope with living in a shared house. I am too used to living on my own. I've also had some really bad experiences of living in shared houses so I tend to steer clear.

I arrive in Adelaide in 6 weeks!! And I'm now trying to get my head around rentals and what I'll need. It was all going so well until the sale of my property in the UK fell through yesterday the day before it was due to exchange, and is now not going to complete before I arrive in Adelaide as I've basically got to start again. So as I'm now having to borrow funds off other people (mainly parents) to get me started until my property sells its more important I have a more accurate idea of what I am going to need. I am a nurse and am going to be doing agency nursing when I first arrive. The agency are willing to give me a letter stating I am employed by them, but I won't have a fixed number of hours to work. There will be enough work for me to work full time and I'm assuming the letter will probably give an hourly salary, however the hours I work will likely vary dependent on need. So my long winded question is whether landlords are going to ask for a lot of rent upfront or whether a letter of employment from the agency is likely to be enough? 6 months upfront rent a much bigger sum to find than a deposit and 1 months rent, hence peoples opinions would be good. Thank you!

Thank you all for the advice. Have emailed the GP to request the records today and will see what I can find when I know where I am going to be based more permanently

Having read threads on here and online I am beginning to understand a little about the healthcare system in Australia (probably a good thing as I'm going to be working in it.) I've read that you don't need to register with a GP and you can just turn up anywhere? Does that mean no one has any history on you? So I could turn up and claim to have all sorts of conditions I don't actually have and be prescribed medications I don't need? Not that I ever would! But you see my point. So my questions are: Is it worth paying my UK GP for a copy of my medical records? I'm at the point where if I need them I need to do it fairly soon and its going to cost me £50. I have a couple of long term conditions that require medications including 2 monthly injections. If I just turn up and say I need them are they going to believe me or want to do a whole load of tests to prove it? How do I pick a GP? I rely on my GP a fair amount here in the UK as he manages my chronic conditions and gives me support rather than hospital consultants/specialists. It would be nice to think I could find someone who would do the same in Australia, especially as at the beginning I am going to have far less family support than I do at the moment and my health may will dip. Not being bulk billing isn't an issue if I feel comfortable with them and can get some continuity of care. Any advice?

I don't have that option as coming on a 190 visa.

@doubter Thank you so much for your comments and advice. Putting my PR and date of arrival on my covering letter sounds so obvious but it hadn't occurred to me until you mentioned it so it has now been added. Unfortunately I'm not able to arrive any earlier than my arrival date because of my notice period on my current job. I shall continue plugging away at my applications and won't panic quite yet.

Well all my applications so far haven't even been offered an interview. Just an outright no. Asked for feedback but nothing back. So don't know if it's my application, the fact I'm not yet in Australia or something else. Feeling a little disheartened as can't afford to live in Adelaide for too long without a job and arrive in 12 weeks time

Thank you. Coming on a 190 visa so don't need a job before I arrive but can't live for too long without one. Also makes fixing accommodation more tricky without knowing where your commuting to. I have temporary accommodation for 6 weeks when I arrive. I'm coming from a town just outside Swindon at the beginning of August. I'm definitely not specialist in anything so maybe the location and when I can start is putting them off? Shall look into recruitment agencies I think as it's hard to tell whether what you've submitted is right/ meets Australian expectations.

Thank you so much for this advice! I will take it all on board and certainly look into it further. My 3 applications I had lodged for jobs at the Royal Adelaide have all been rejected today so it's back to the drawing board and more job hunting as a 1st step.

I intend on getting rid of all but the necessary personal effects. So I'm reckoning on having 4 boxes to ship out depending on the size/weight of stuff. I hasten to add this is currently a guess until I decide on a company and the boxes arrive. I know its going to take forever in a shared container but I don't see I have a lot of choice. Not got enough to ship to do it any other way.

A move cube is almost 3 times as expensive as I've been quoted for shipping my few boxes. Think I'm just going to have to picky one and hope for the best. As my dad said yesterday, people like to complain a lot more than they will talk about the positives. So most of them are probably okay, just not 100% perfect, which I wouldn't expect anyway.

I'm shipping stuff about 6 weeks before I leave the UK as that is likely to be when my house sale completes. So not overly worried if it's a bit delayed. Gives me time to find more permanent accommodation before it arrives. All the reviews online for all the big companies are terrible, which isn't particularly reassuring me. Only shipping probably 5 or 6 boxes but still needs to be right.

Have read people who've been pleased with seven seas? Also anyone used move Corp. As they are the 2 cheapest quotes. Guess I just need to make a decision and book it.

I've been getting quotes from shipping companies, which isn't intrinsically difficult and they've all come in with a variation of about £50. So how do I choose between them? Anyone got any companies they'd avoid or companies that they thought were really great? Might help me narrow it down. Otherwise I'll just have to pick one and hope they are okay.

Now all I have to do is hope the rough sums I've done are about right. If not I'm screwed. But It's hard to working out all the living costs and exactly what my wages will be.

That's what I'm hoping for

Thank you! I've been writing my covering letter today (something you don't really do for nursing applications in the UK). The job spec Ive found on SA Health is really generic, so struggling to see what the selection criteria might be. But I shall keep plugging at it

I've finally found some ward jobs advertised, but is there any advice on what I need to include in my application to make me noticed as an international applicant? I'm assuming there will be lots of applicants for each job so want to make sure I get noticed. Jobs in anything other than theatres/recovery or a nursing home seem to be more difficult to find than I thought they might be.

My visa was approved on Monday (quickest visa grant ever!)!! Woohoo. But now comes the more serious planning and sorting to move life to Adelaide at the beginning of September. I have 2 questions: How long do people suggest I book short term accommodation for? I have seen people's rentals all with advice to book early, which I can do as I know my arrival date. But I don't know what a realistic time period for it would be. How long does it take to find a longer term rental? Where do I find info on what documents I need to support a long term rental application? My mum is coming with me for my 1st 2 weeks to hopefully help me find somewhere (give me another opinion) but of course as things appear to go quickly I want to be prepared. Katherine

So I know this has been asked many times before but I guess everyone is different. I want to do some research before arriving in Adelaide in September but not sure how I start ruling stuff out. There are so many suburbs! I am moving on my own, I am 28, I know no one in the city at present and I will be working as a nurse though no job as yet. From what I have found about nurses wages online I reckon I can afford up to $400 per week on rent. So I realise that makes the search rather vague, which is probably why I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any advice on where I start, what I should be looking for, where not to go or anything else really. Thank you

Thank you I shall bear this in mind.

Thanks for the reply. I have work in general surgery and urology. So nothing too specialised. I very much like the comment about doctors and more money! I'm assuming wages are incremental like they are in the UK from what I've read so guessing I'll start back at the bottom. But unlike UK job adverts Australian job adverts done seem to give wages. Less jobs is okay. I only need 1 after all.

Hopefully this is in the right place. Any nurses out there. What are wages like for nurses in Adelaide? (I have 4 years experience back here in the UK) I've applied for my 190 visa and hoping to be in Adelaide in September. So now I'm trying to work out what job prospects will be like and what wages would be like so I can work out where I can afford to live. Thank you