Advice please

[LinzandRob]

Hi All

 

We are new to the forum and thought we would introduce ourselves. We have been finding out loads of interesting facts and enjoy reading people stories and adventures - although not all seem to have a happy ending.

 

We are a family of 4 with 2 young children currently 6 and 3 and are planning on starting the visa process in October for permanent residency with the view of arriving in 18 months to 2 years time.

 

I'm just wondering how much money people have taken with them as a starting point? We are planning to sell our house but as prices in the UK are at a bit of a stand still at the moment we are looking at possibly £10,000 equity plus looking at savings of around £15,000. The question is - do you think £25,000 would be enough money to arrive with. We are looking at Adelaide as we have some friends who have lived there for 3 years and love it and have done really well for themselves.

 

Both of our children would be in school by the time we arrive, so childcare costs would only really need to be to cover the holidays and maybe a couple of after school clubs.

 

Our friends have said we can stay with them to start with so, were planning maybe the 1st month until we get sorted as don't want to outstay our welcome and would also like to have our own place. We are initially planning on renting as a mortgage is currently out of reach until we get established.

 

I currently work as a School Business Manager/Operations Manager so dealing with a wide range of management areas such as Human Resources, Catering, Facilities, Finance and Administration and my partner is a Phlebotomist (takes blood) with the NHS. Ideally I would love to work in a school and my partner in a hospital or out as a community Phlebotomist but are both capable of admin work so could be a Personal Assistant or administrator for any kind of company.

 

Has anyone managed to secure jobs in those lines of work? How often do school admin/Bursar/Operations Manager posts come up in Oz? I could do Operations Management in any type of company once I have learnt the trade of what the sell or service they provide?

 

How about hospitals or GP surgeries - are many vacancies advertised?

 

Any advice would be appreciated on any of the above questions.

 

Thanks.

[NicF]

Welcome to the forum. Just so you are aware your first few posts will need to be approved by a moderator before they appear. We are all in Australia so with the time difference it might take a while but we will get to them.

[Blossom]

That amount of money is certainly doable, although it will go quickly with buying cars etc. Are you going to ship your things over or sell and buy new?

Also, be aware that even in public schools you will end up paying some fees. If you know the areas you are thinking of someone might be able to give you an idea of how much.

I can't help you out job wise I'm afraid.

[snifter]

Agree with Blossom, that amount of money it should be doable although things can change in a couple of years I can't see things changing so wildly as it will to totally unaffordable with that amount. If you don't splash cash around, budget carefully to begin with till there is at least one income coming in, you should manage. You don't have to spend a fortune on a car to start with. We spent $6,000 on an Astra and still drive it today, almost 2 years later. No plans to change it for another year or two as we want to do some things with the house and that before getting a newer car. It drives well, is serviced regularly and repaired when needed.

 

Job wise I really could not say. I know jobs do come up in schools for posts as you mention but as to how often and where, impossible to say. You may want to look at private schools and sending out your CV to them upon arrival and keeping a close eye on their websites for job listings etc. Larger GP centres and hospitals may be where to look for your husband. There are plenty around. Again, he should research the job sites, the hospitals and clinics own websites for jobs and/or submit a CV to them once here.

 

Its really hard to say as its still 2 years or so away for you and the job market may change, slow down, pick up in those areas. Hard to know.

 

School wise for your children, as mentioned, even state schools have school fees. Our first school here was about $220 for our child for the year. At his second school (still primary as we bought a house so moved schools) it was over $100 more per year and will increase again a chunk next school year. I can't think you'll be paying more than $350 for a child at primary level although some of the more in demand schools with big reputations/results etc may charge more. I'd think around $250 ballpark to be ok. I'm happy to pay more at our current school as I think its a much better standard and for the sake of $100 or so, no brainer IMHO.

 

There is also excellent before, after and vacation care called OSHC. Before school care at our school costs about $10. After school up till 6:15 or so is $19. Vacation days, from morning till evening are about $50 (on a casual basis). There are often trips organised and lots of kids attend via their school (they are run on school sites). Plus you may be eligible for the rebate so get some money back on the childcare fees.

 

Make use of the forum, it has lots of threads on it about migrating, areas, schools, whats on and so on. Of course some things will change between now and your move but even the older stuff in terms of where to go, places to see, shops, schools etc can all be helpful. Plus new stuff gets added

 

Good luck with the planning and visa application

[RachaelOs]

That about how much we bought with us and it was fine. Bought a car (not that cheap) and a van, electrical appliances - fridge freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, TV etc, some furniture (we shipped most of it) and still have money left over but my husband found work quickly so we didn't really need it for everyday living. A lot does come down to how quickly you find work as once you start having to pay rent, bills, food shopping etc money can start going very quickly!

Good luck with it all - having friends here already will make it a lot easier I'm sure xxx

[Diane]

Was going to suggest your partner could maybe contact IMVS - but a quick google found this as well http://www.seek.com.au/job/29136571?tracking=ILC-S%2AAU%2A-JOR-Referrer-4324&utm_campaign=joraau&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=joraau

 

For jobs in private schools, bear in mind that a lot of these are religion-based and often ask for their employees to be practising in that religion. So if you are religious, I guess you could get a reference to bring with you from your church before you leave the UK - might help.

 

Good luck with the process.

[LinzandRob]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I feel relieved to know that amount is do-able. As a lot of people on here keep highlighting, it is all down to finding a job and everyone else who makes the move seem to say it is the biggest burden when deciding to pack up your whole life in the UK and move so far away. I discovered the Adelaide government school website yesterday which advertise jobs in schools, so nearer the time I am going to see if there are any suitable jobs to apply for.

 

We were thinking about selling all of our furniture as the cost of shipping would probably add up to the cost of replacing. Most of our electrical appliances are at least 5 years old so would probably conk out by the time they got to oz.

 

I will keep checking the forum and I am looking forward to starting our visa process in the nest couple of months.

 

Thanks all x

[Blossom]

Yeah. We sold everything. To be honest it was all quite overwhelming buying everything new as we had no idea of where the best shops were. And I'm not a born shopper. That and prices had skyrocketed since I had last been here (8 years so not a suprise looking back).

Ask on here closer to the time and we can point you in the right direction of whatever you are after. :-)

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I feel relieved to know that amount is do-able. As a lot of people on here keep highlighting, it is all down to finding a job and everyone else who makes the move seem to say it is the biggest burden when deciding to pack up your whole life in the UK and move so far away. I discovered the Adelaide government school website yesterday which advertise jobs in schools, so nearer the time I am going to see if there are any suitable jobs to apply for.

 

We were thinking about selling all of our furniture as the cost of shipping would probably add up to the cost of replacing. Most of our electrical appliances are at least 5 years old so would probably conk out by the time they got to oz.

 

I will keep checking the forum and I am looking forward to starting our visa process in the nest couple of months.

 

Thanks all x

 

We arrived with just "personal effects" as the people who bought my house wanted to keep everything in the house. I quite enjoyed being able to buy everything new!

Most of the personal effects are still in a storage shed...over 8 years later! Try to be ruthless with your packing or you may end up storing things that will never see the light of day again!