Nat100

Hi, how are you enjoying Sydney? Where abouts are you living? X

Hi everyone, We're thinking of going back home for Christmas but struggling with the cost. I'm quite a nervous flyer so I'd rather go with one of the premium airlines. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get these flights at a slightly reduced cost? also, we are on a 457 visa. We have heard that companies are supposed to provide a flight home every couple of years. Does anyone know if this is actually true?

Hi James from Huddersfield...I'm from Huddersfield too! I'm teaching in NSW and registration was a bit of a pain to be honest, but not impossible. The worst bit was having to do an interview with the department of education but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm living in Bondi where teaching work is near impossible to find. I've been lucky to work as a casual teacher in a special school for a year. I'm now looking for temporary contracts but I'm not having any luck. It's also worth noting that in nsw, you are not allowed to get a permanent teaching position unless you are a permanent resident.

Thanks

Hi, just looking for a bit of advice. I came over to sydney as my partner was relocated with his job. I'm currently teaching but as casual teaching is flexible and the hours are less demanding, I was considering trying to use my baking skills. I'd really love to do some home baking with a little website and some fliers to try and earn some pocket money. can anyone advice on what I would need to do to make sure that this was fully legal as I wouldn't want to be kicked out of the country by making a mistake with money or taxes. thank you.

Hey everyone, Did people meet up that Sunday? Sorry I was busy. If not, shall we arrange another meet up sometime, maybe next weekend?

I moved to Bondi a couple of months ago. I did a few days volunteering at a school whilst I was waiting for my registration and then I've been called in for casual teaching everyday since. I think it is mainly about getting your face seen and proving that you can get stuck in and then you will keep being called back. I haven't even gone around any other schools yet whilst this current school is using me so much. Also, at $322 a day it can be better economically than a permanent job

Hi Starlight, Do many people watch neighbours in Melbourne, I must admit I'm quite a fan it does seem in general that most fans of both shows are in the Uk. Prrhaps when I have been here a bit longer I will not see bush fires as such a big deal but it was definately a shock yesterday.

Me and the other half decided to go and see the set of home and away today at Palm beach. We had been there 10 minutes before we saw smoke on the hillside. Next thing we know the whole of the heathland is ablaze. Luckily no one was hurt and the lighthouse didn't catch fire. On getting back to our apartment however we've noticed that this seems to be bigger news in the uk than in Sydney. Why do you reckon that is? Because home and away is more popular in the UK or because the Aussies have got used to bush fires? It was so sad to see though

That sounds good

Hi, I'm a primary school teacher. I moved here 7 weeks ago. I moved to Sydney and its important to note that each state has its different rules for teaching. NSW needed me to send all my qualifications to them, along with identification. Get an eligibility or accreditation to reach, A working with children's check and a criminal check. However, you can only do most of these things when you arrive in Sydney. The only thing you can do is get your eligibility for accreditation in the UK. Once they had all my forms, they then invited me for a department of education interview. Sounds scary but I think that as long as they can see you are not insane you're ok after that they then approve you to teach, although I did find out at this point that unless you have a permanent visa you cannot get a permanent teaching contract. In the meantime, I sent out my CV to many schools near to me offering myself as a volunteer. I had one school that took the bait so I did a few Fridays whilst I was waiting to be assessed. It worked though because as soon as I got my approval they had me in as a casual and have had me every day since. At $300 a day, it's not guaranteed work but you seem to get more than enough work. All in all it took me 5 weeks from arriving in Sydney to getting my approval and finding a job! Although I may have just been lucky

Hi, I'm 24 and I moved to Sydney 7 weeks ago with my partner who is 27. I've settled into our flat in Bondi now and I've started casual teaching so now I'm looking to meet more new people. Just wondering if there is anyone else around here who would fancy meeting up sometime? Looking for people to go for a coffee with or hang out on the beach with. I've also met a couple of other people since moving here so perhaps we could go out for a few drinks as a group sometime? Nat

Sounds like you're extremely organised! I arrived 6 weeks ago with my partner but whilst we were still in the UK I panicked constantly...I still don't know how i actually got on the plane! Everything has been fine since we got here though so all the panicking was for nothing. We took the panic out of finding somewhere to live by booking a one month rental so we had our own place to go to straight away and then we looked for somewhere more permanent. It was great bring able to take our time. Maybe you could do that?

Sounds great Sam. Your profile says you're from west Yorkshire. Where abouts? I grew up in Huddersfield but spent the last few years in Leeds and Bradford.

Hey everyone, So, I flew out to Sydney from London on Monday and by Wednesday I was settled into my new holiday home overlooking Bondi beach...very nice! There is a lot to think about at the moment but so far so good, I'm enjoying myself and don't seem too overwhelmed just yet Now I just have 3 things to worry about: I need to fid somewhere to live on a more permanent basis. Do I stay in Bondi or look further a field to get better value for money? I need to find a teaching job. Do I just wander around and get my face shown or is it best to go through an agency? And lastly, how do I go around making friends? Seems silly but I can't just approach people and say 'will you be my friend?' haha.