How do I go about it?

[KPG]

Hi Guys,

Well by God's grace things seem to be progressing well and hopefully if we clear our Health Check then we seem to inch closer in acquiring a 489 Visa  and considering it would take 5 to 6 months i.e. May - June we should have our visa in our hand. If things go as per plan then we intend doing our landing in Sept - Oct 2018 but I have many queries on how to go about it? 

We are a family of 4 (2 children aged 9 and 4)

• which suburb in Adelaide do we decide to live in and what should be the criteria while choosing a suburb ? (close proximity to the city, schools, public transport etc)
• considering that there wont be any income when we reach, what is the monthly outgoing should we expect? We plan to rent  2 bedroom apartment / house.
• can my children get admissions in a government school? ( i know it wont be free as I am on a 489 visa) and what would the fee structure be like? (Grade 6 and Grade 1)
• what is the best way to scout for jobs? appreciate if anyone can share a template of CV's that are normally followed.
• are rental properties normally furnished or unfurnished? 
• can we get a short term rental where we can be flexible to move out once we decide on the suburb we want to live in?

I would also appreciate any additional info that you think can be useful, like from your own experiences, lessons learnt, do's and don'ts etc.

 

Thank you.

 

 

KPG 

[snifter]

Welcome to the forum
 

The criteria for choosing a suburb is a personal thing and tbh those things are for you to decide/work out. For example, we didn't want to be on the flat in the suburbs closer to the city, preferred being up in the hills more. We also wanted a decent area with a good choice of state schools. And easy access to the countryside, national parks and the like. But also within about 30 mins drive of the CBD. So we narrowed our search to areas that ticked these boxes within our budget. 

So if you want access to public transport then either the train, tram or O Bahn line areas may be worth looking at. And of course ensuring the areas you look at suit your budget as not all of them will perhaps. 

Re costs, I honestly don't know. You are 4 people seeking 2 bedroom living and I'm not familiar with those costs. You could find a unit which will likely be small and functional or a 2 bed house with a yard. Personally with kids I think some kind of garden/yard for them to play in is important but that is me. 

You'd need a months rent and a bond and perhaps more rent up front if you don't have a job secured. Then things like buying a car if you plan to get one, bills, food, insurance etc. And of course school fees. Rentals are usually unfurnished. Furnished ones are going to cost a more and with a young child I'd be wary of incurring costs with wear and tear. 

And yes you can get a short term holiday rental or some such to start off. Most do this, usually for say 3-4 weeks to give themselves time to check out areas and houses etc. Rentals have open viewings where anyone can view and lodge an application. They are usually in the early evenings or sometimes on weekends, though mostly its houses for sale on weekends. 

As to cost of school fees, I don't know charges for kids outside of the standard one we all pay. You could well find the info on that sort of thing here https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/schools or contact them to find out. 

Can't help with the CV thing. Also job wise, it will really depend on the type of job etc. There are the job sites, companies own, agencies etc. 

 

 

[KPG]

Thank you @snifter and yes our thoughts are alike on the type of suburb we would like which is exactly described by you below, so could you please suggest a few suburbs that would tick these boxes?

8 hours ago, snifter said:

or example, we didn't want to be on the flat in the suburbs closer to the city, preferred being up in the hills more. We also wanted a decent area with a good choice of state schools. And easy access to the countryside, national parks and the like. But also within about 30 mins drive of the CBD.

 

[snifter]

I guess you could look at the outer lying eastern suburbs although the budget will need to be higher I'd think. Or towards the south eastern suburbs. Say from sort of Stonyfell, Glen Osmond, Mitcham, Belair, Hawthornedene, Blackwood, Coromandel Valley way. And perhaps a suburb or two in or surrounding those would be worth a look also. It really will come down to your personal preference and wants from an area. 

If your budget doesn't stretch to those areas, you could look a bit further south and towards the edges of those outer lying suburbs that are close to farm land and so on. 

Or places like McLaren Vale might appeal? Though that is not a 30 minute drive to the CBD. Or perhaps north eastern suburbs though I don't really know that area at all. 

[jossmcboss]

On the jobs front you will find that the majority of work in Adelaide (and Australia as a whole) are got not by what you know but who you know. Top tips for finding work: do a CV drop (more commonly called resumes here) as employers still love this, and also get involved in a local sports club (which will also help you get a local 'personal referee' for your resume).

CVs are pretty straightforward. As a minimum/ baseline, you want to make sure you have:

-list of skills/ attributes

- work history including your main duties (this helps you get past any of the digital resume readers which look for keywords)

- any degrees (including major/minors), licences, trades tickets

- referees

You may want to get written refernces before you leave the UK just cos it can be difficult for a prospective employers to contact your UK referees.

Recruitment/ temping agencies are an excellent place to start too. Often you just need a foot in the door.

As for schools, you will have no issue enrolling children in public (state/ govt) schools. Cost? You will need to contact them directly for fees. You may find that some private schools end up being cheaper than public (govt) schools. There's not much difference between public and private at the primary level, but in high school you will tend to find that public schools have a much greater subject offering than private schools in all but the biggest private schools (I've worked as a teacher in both sectors, and a lot of private secondary schools don't hold a candle to the public ones in terms of subjects and even facilities).

If you're looking for a region with a good selection of schools (public and private), the Western suburbs has a very good selection. Be aware that public schools have 'zones'. If you want to be guaranteed your child can go to a particular public school you will need to live in that school's zone. If you don't you will have to apply for a place (not difficult and not often turned down except in schools that are oversubscribed).

When it comes to renting, you will need to pay a bond of up to 6 weeks up front and depending who you rent through, provide evidence of employment. Properties are unfurnished (gumtree and kmart will be your best friends when furnishing on a budget). Apartment/ 2 bdrm living is popular so you might actually find it easier to get a house.

You'll find Adelaide a very easy city to commute around. It's sometimes called the 30min city because most things are within a 30min drive. The "flat" is large. Be prepared to pay more and have slightly fewer school choices of you live in the foothills (Mitcham, Belair, Glen Osmond etc) just because there are fewer families in those areas. As Snifter said, check out different areas. And at different times of day. Nothing quite like a cool afternoon sea breeze on a hot summer day, and nothing worse than an area that traps heat.

[KPG]

Thank you @jossmcboss for taking the time and effort and listing down your feedback in details, appreciate it.

[jossmcboss]

No problems @KPG I'm and Adelaide girl with a British partner - he struggled a lot when he first came to Australia so I know what he found particularly frustrating. And having lived and worked in the UK myself as well, I know what it's like in reverse. There are loads of things you'll find the same, but it's small things that are done differently (like getting jobs) that can make it harder than you expect.

One thing the other half tells anyone thinking of coming over to live is to budget to get a car asap. They're cheap to run, insure and register compared to the UK, but you definitely need one to make everything easier. If you're not fussy about how it looks, you can get a reliable older family sedan bought, registered and insured for under $3k (our current car was under $2k all up and we've done 100,000km so far without a hitch).

 

[KPG]

Hello,

We finally have got our grant and have a few questions that need clarifications:

We plan to do our first entry and stay there for a week and return back to ADL permanently by the end of the year and would like to know:

- Do we register / apply for TFN during our first visit or once we move permanently?

- What is recommended, to have one joint account for spouse and myself or better to have two separate accounts? (keeping in mind individual credit score)

- What documents (hard copies)do you think we should carry with us that can be useful?

- What should we cover / do in our first visit, any tips or do's and dont's ?

 

Thank you,