Feeling overwhelmed!

[Thirlbs]

Hi everyone 

My wife and I are looking at moving early 2018, I have a sponsored visa as a Paramedic but my wife will be looking for jobs as a deputy primary headteacher( she is currently a deputy in an autistic specialist school).

I don't know where to start in terms of looking for houses and areas to move to! I don't know where I will be based yet but trying to look at places to live is a bit of a mine field! We also have 2 dogs so hoping that won't cause too many issues for renting.

what is the best way to go about getting bank accounts sorted? Ideally we would like to look at getting cars on finance to save our savings taking a hit, how easy is that to do having no credit in Australia?

When we do get there it would be good to meet new people and make friends over some beers!! 

Thanks

Lee

[llessur]

Welcome to the forum! What sort of area are you looking to move to? Do you desperately want to be by the beach, do you want to be in or near the city centre, do you want to be up in the hills with the gum trees and wildlife? Will you look to buy straight away, or rent for a bit first? Where abouts will you be based as a paramedic? That'll probably narrow down your search area a bit (unless you're genuinely not fussed about a commute).

 

Not sure about the finance thing - although I would imagine you should be alright after being in work for a couple of months of you can last until then (unless you can borrow an ambulance for the weekends?).

 

 

[Thirlbs]

I guess in terms of areas no real point in looking too hard till I know where I will be based but would love to be near the beach outside of city centre( we live in a village at the mo and enjoy the lifestyle). We would rent to start with on short term until we can get a good look at buying somewhere 

may have to buy a cheap runaround car until we can get finance sorted I guess.

thanks

Lee

[llessur]

Plenty of beachside suburbs to choose from so if you want to keep your commute down then probably best to wait until you know where you'll be working before finding a place. At least if you're renting to start off with then if it doesn't work out then you can try somewhere else.

 

The suburbs do differ so it's a good idea to base yourself somewhere central when you first arrive and then explore to see what feels right for you. Some suburbs are purely housing and to me feel a bit like the Truman Show, others have more going on in the way of shops, restaurants etc.

 

Take a look at Google maps - as an example of distance you can drive from the beachside suburb of Glenelg to the City in about 30 mins peak (but on heavy traffic days it can take longer, outside of peak it's more like 15 mins). The tram from Glenelg takes about 35-45 mins peak to the CBD. But I guess as a paramedic you'll be unlikely to be stationed in the CBD anyway.

 

Presume you've checked out realestate.com.au for properties? If nothing more then it'll give you an idea of what you can afford for both renting and buying.

 

[Thirlbs]

What does CBD mean? 

Thanks for the advice

[NicF]

3 hours ago, Thirlbs said:

What does CBD mean? 

Thanks for the advice

Central Business Distrcit.  It's basically the city centre, which in Adelaide is about 1 km (or mile - can't remember which) square surrounded by parklands so a very clearly defined area.

[Rammygirl]

What visa are you coming on?  I think your wife will struggle to get a deputy head post even on a PR visa, especially in any metro area.

[llessur]

Central Business Distrcit.  It's basically the city centre, which in Adelaide is about 1 km (or mile - can't remember which) square surrounded by parklands so a very clearly defined area.

Also important to note that, unlike the UK, the 'city centre' ends abruptly at the boundary of the CBD with immediate transition into the suburbs, many of which consist only of housing with very few shops, cafes etc (although most will have a supermarket with attached shopping centre - pharmacy etc).

Moving further from the CBD can in many cases mean moving further from leisure, commercial etc opportunities - although this obviously depends on what sort of lifestyle you are looking for.

[Thirlbs]

4 hours ago, Rammygirl said:

What visa are you coming on?  I think your wife will struggle to get a deputy head post even on a PR visa, especially in any metro area.

I'm not sure to be honest at the moment all I know is SA Ambulance service are giving me sponsorship for a visa which will also mean my wife can work too, or so they assure me.

thanks

[cliffy]

Historically, South Australia has had problems supplying both temporary or permanent positions to qualified teachers, unless they were prepared to work in rural areas.  In the last few years, even local new graduates have been unable to obtain contracts. It may be worth contacting the Education dept. to see what the situation will be regards employment for your wife when you both hope to arrive here.

[Thirlbs]

1 hour ago, cliffy said:

Historically, South Australia has had problems supplying both temporary or permanent positions to qualified teachers, unless they were prepared to work in rural areas.  In the last few years, even local new graduates have been unable to obtain contracts. It may be worth contacting the Education dept. to see what the situation will be regards employment for your wife when you both hope to arrive here.

Hi thanks for that will do some digging before I sign my contract as don't want her to be stuck for work.

thanks

Lee

[NicF]

While teachers posts are hard to come by I know of several schools that have struggled or are currently struggling to find decent head teachers.  I think most are high schools but I know of a primary school that is also having issues.  I don't know where your wife would stand with getting one of these jobs though.

[snifter]

2 hours ago, NicF said:

While teachers posts are hard to come by I know of several schools that have struggled or are currently struggling to find decent head teachers.  I think most are high schools but I know of a primary school that is also having issues.  I don't know where your wife would stand with getting one of these jobs though.

I was wondering if its because so many have taken retirement in recent years. I know of a couple of heads in the past year who've decided to retire (before their retirement age also I think) for whatever reason.

Do heads still have to move schools every X amount of years still? Or have they stopped that now. 

[snifter]

OP re the teaching jobs, contracts or posts for the following school year are usually listed sometime June/July time iirc. Might be a bit sooner or later but sure its around then sometime. If you start checking out the sites that list these it could be possible to see what is available as they are listed and if the visa is in place, for your wife to apply. Once the application window closes, I don't know how many posts would come up over a school year then as those sorts of posts are usually decided in advance I thought. Unless of course a deputy stands down mid year but I'd expect them to perhaps then assign a deputy from within the school who is perhaps already job sharing those duties or suits the role on a temp basis. Or a head leaves and a deputy steps up to stand in for them for the remainder of the year. But again, I'd expect the school to probably cover it from within. 

The academic year is Jan-Dec and for 1 year posts etc they are usually listed well in advance, interviews etc held and then the post filled prior to the school year starting. 

 

[Tully]

To Thirlbs,

HI

How have you guys got on with researching Adelaide?

If you have kids the beach - Port Noarlunga -to Glenelg - may be the best place to rent first - then once here, you have a better feel for looking around at other places.  But basically, there is the city district areas, the eastern suburbs (which are v nice and close to the city, but housing can be quite expensive), beach or the up in the hills - which again are quite nice, but obviously not close to the beach or city.  Although non of Adelaide is that far away from one another.   Not too sure, but I think rentals are still in demand, but the cost of houses (to buy) have not gone up that much either, did a bit of a hike just after we came over - we came over 10 years ago - so that is in your favour.  Good luck!

[NateN12]

I think Adelaide is quite a small place and everything you really need is within 30 minutes of whereever you live. I do recommend an area between Grange and Semaphore where it is still relatively close to the city but you also have the added benefit of going to the beach on a nice day!

Good luck!

[llessur]

1 hour ago, NateN12 said:

I think Adelaide is quite a small place and everything you really need is within 30 minutes of whereever you live.

True - but only if you want to be heavily reliant on a car which many people from the UK will not be.

If you're used to getting around even partially by public transport and walking back home then you should research quite carefully where you want to live in Adelaide unless you're happy to convert to a high level of car usage.

Public transport, where it exists, is pretty good but if you find yourself away from a tram or train line and without significant local amenities within walking distance (which is the case in quite a few Adelaide suburbs) then you might find yourself having to drive pretty much wherever you go - even if it's just popping to the shop.

Fully agree that the area between Grange and Semaphore would be a great choice for beachside living - at a slightly cheaper price than you'd get further south of Grange. The train runs to the city every half an hour from Grange (about 20 minutes away) which will be great for shopping, the footy & cricket etc. Semaphore's a good beachside shopping and eating strip and, in my opinion, slightly nicer and more interesting than Glenelg.

 

[KPG]

On 6/8/2017 at 9:52 PM, Thirlbs said:

What does CBD mean? 

Thanks for the advice

@Thirlbs it took me some time as well to understand what CBD was 

[Guest Carol from Vista Financial]

On 6/8/2017 at 8:59 PM, Thirlbs said:

what is the best way to go about getting bank accounts sorted? Ideally we would like to look at getting cars on finance to save our savings taking a hit, how easy is that to do having no credit in Australia?

Hi @Thirlbs

Not sure if you got an answer to this already yet so thought I might try help?

I can't comment on the car loan/deposit bank account side of things but can comment on credit scores when it comes to mortgages and in general.

First thing to note is that nothing from your UK credit score will carry over as far as I am aware but that may not necessarily impact your ability to seek credit - we have had some clients purchase houses within a matter of weeks of arriving, it all comes down to the lending criteria. It may well be different with car loans but regardless I would suggest at least contacting a few lenders and asking about their lending criteria before ruling out this option completely as you won't know unless you ask. Some lenders put more emphasis on credit scores than others and sometimes it is a case of explaining why you don't have one yet, and just arriving in Australia is a pretty good reason! They will also look at your employment and other aspects as well so hopefully they may consider your case on an overall basis, and not just focus on your credit score (or lack thereof).

Be careful of car yards as there is a bit of a loophole in legislation that allows them to sell car finance options without being fully accredited so it is easy to get ripped off, especially when they don't disclose their commissions (they sometimes add it into your repayment without telling you!).

As you will be working for SA Health you may also be given information about their salary sacrifice company who offer car loans/leases. I won't name them here, but again just be careful as the way information is displayed can look very attractive but in reality the repayments can be high due to a not very nice interest rate by a lender that they specifically partner with. If you go down this path you can still choose the salary sacrifice option and choose a different financier (hopefully with a lower rate!), it just may not be obvious that you have a choice. If you are considering a lease make sure you check with your accountant or financial planner first that it will be right for you.

Hope that helps.