Don't worry you are not alone on the no mil. pension to top up your Oz earnings, we are in the same boat - not enough time in green stuff!
We depart the UK in June - 10 weeks and counting!
I've got a couple of UK pensions from previous non mil. employers, so will transfer those over once I'm there - just make sure the Oz pension provider is QROPS (qualified recognised overseas pension scheme) approved, otherwise the UK taxman will hammer you for tax, also if you don't transfer within 6mths of leaving the UK he'll get you again.
What I'm planning to do is take the option of buying extra monthly contributions, if I remember the Military Super is 9% per mth, but you can top this up by an extra 9% from your wages - this comes off before tax so also reduces what you pay in tax.
Hope this helps, of course if anyone else out there or already in Oz has any more info as they are actually there, then we'd appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks Breezy and Weegwa, great help, we are also a family of 4! Those cost are a great help! We can plan and budget better. We are trying to get our cards etc paid off with the idea of having no or little debt before we go (presuming we get accepted) Can you take debt from credit card over or doed that hinder your visa application?
Read with interest the reply from David Ashers post having read his posts from couple of years ago, however a little worried to the wages side of it because we havent go the pension to fall back on!
Gutted for Jacey also, I have read that the ADF are still looking for people! Hopefully the trade my husband is, will be needed I dont know if I could bare the thought of him getting refused he would be gutted!
Thanks everyone Janine
J&R,
Don't worry too much about the money side of things, I think it is more psychological than anything. Once you have got your head around the way things work over here then things tend to settle down, it’s just when you get your first pay slip (and still in the habit of converting back to UK pounds) you think how the hell am I going to live on this – but you do. Also Sydney/NSW is one of the most expensive places to live which does not help – like living in London but you don’t get the higher pay.
Best of luck with your application – I hope it all works out for you as I for one have no regrets making the jump.
I was told that all technical ranks who transfer into the RAAF, transfer in as Leading Aircraftman, no matter what rank you were previously. Has anybody heard or experienced different to this??
Thanks
Andy
__________________
Visa skilled independant 136, MODL (Aircraft Engineer)
Visa Granted 15 May 08
Live Alexandra Headland, Sunshine Coast
Dave - know Caringbah well, my sister lives in Yowie Bay.
Hi Suzi,
The process can seem to take ages, I started mine at the beginning of 2006, had the interview in London mid 2007 then had to fight my case as I smashed up my leg back in 1980 but persisted, had to pay for a civvy specialist report and xrays so it took longer than the norm. Waiting for a reply is the worst, you fall into the trap of thinking that they have not received your emails or your paperwork. The problems they have is that SCMA are very under staffed and you get placed in a que, I found the best way was to ring them up and speak to a person on the end of a phone, they are well aware of the problems and were very sympathetic and did all they could to help out.
Again I would advise anyone one to hang in there and don’t give up, just make copies of everything you send across, I even scanned it all into the laptop and sent them as an email attachment with the originals in the post. They still managed to misplace things but in the end everything turned up.
It will seem like an eternity but well worth it in the end, they are not like the UK armed forces who tend to be a bit jobs worth when dealing with you, remember the pace of life here is very laid back but they still get the job done.
Yes Caringbah (in the Shire) is a lovely part of Sydney – well worth the 45 min drive to work. You said your sister lives just down the road, if she lives here and is an OZ citizen you may be able to get a visa by claiming here. Unsure how it works but I am sure I have read about it somewhere.
Thanks Weegwaa ad Dave, great to have support from you lot, as family don't really want us to go ! Burning question though!
Can you take debt from credit card over or does that hinder your visa application?
My OH won't have any income from his mil pension he has only done 11 yrs in UK Mil! I'm looking to work though I am a Admin Officer at the mo on camp in Chatham and been a civil servant for 12 yearson Barracks is there any possibility of getting something like this in Aussie Army camps?
Don't like to be nozy weegwaa but what kind of job have you been offered, OH is Royal Engineer, and my boss (WO1) told me today that getting in to A.Army is really hard to get in now because they don't really need to recruit now and dont get your hopes up! Have anyone heard anything like this!
My OH is a Sapper too. We sent our paperwork off last year, or rather OH did, and we are waiting to see if the Labor Agreement is going to be ammended to allow Drivers and other trades onto it. The guy we email has told us that they are waitng for the government to decide what they want to do. But if it all goes through then they will let us know what we need to do next. So we are still in limbo. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We just want to get out there. OH misses the Army so much after 22 years.
Can’t see why taking debt from a credit card over would hinder your visa application, then again I am no expert on this and I suppose it depends on how much you are talking about. We were lucky in that we cleared all our debt, sold our house as we did not want any ties (apart from family and friends) left with the UK. Both of us were worried that if we did keep the house then if things started to go wrong and it did not work out then it would be to easy to throw in the towel and go back to the house in the UK.
There are plenty of other forums online that are similar to this one and it may be a good idea to post your question there, I will PM you with a list of the ones that we used, you may find many people on here also use them.
On the job front for yourself then I think there would be lots of opportunities for the work you do, I know there is where I work and that’s the beauty having a permanent visa is that you are able to work. Unsure where everyone is getting the info from about the OZ Army not needing to recruit, they have a massive recruiting and retention problem, nearly as bad as the UK. It could just be that with the new Government they want to find out more about the process but they should know most of it by now as they had a shadow Armed Forces Minister when they were in opposition.
If you want to come over that much then just keep trying, it does take a while and as I have said before it is frustrating but well worth it in the end.
Thanks for reply! funny your from Nottingham, so are we, infact going up in morning!
Anyway not sure whether to be worried regarding you still waiting to see if your OH will get in due to labour agreement!
My OH is a Brickie/Combat engineer/instructor, so hopefully they will need something like that? Application only went of on Weds, We have nothing to lose aswell because if we get accepted great infact super great if doesnt get in then stay in british Army , keep re-applying or check out NZ army (husband detirmined to get out of GB)
2nd attempt at reply - don't you hate it when computers kick you off this system.
Anyway, my first suggestion is go to the Army Rumour site ARRSE and find the Lat Tran link, load of good info on guys who are in the process of applying or already there. One guy who's working in Canberra (so ought to know) is saying the ADF is going from Army light to Army medium so has got to increase by so many 1000's by (guess here as I can't remember exactly) approx 2012ish.
This WO1 you work with, has he ever tried to transfer, or is he just one of the multitude of folks who appear out of the wood work who seem to know everything there is to about the process but have never actually taken that route themself? Some of these folks are positive,but so many are totally negative (I reckon they are jealous) - so my advice here is ignore your WO1 and go for it, be positive.
I'm a QA (nurse) so I've been offered my transfer on that basis. O/H's trade isn't on any 'most wanted' list, so he's going over as my spouse, but as the spouse of someone who holds Oz citizenship (I will do after 3mths, if I pass the test that is) you can apply to join the ADF. So guess what he's going to try - he's already been in contact with his trade folks and they are making very positive sounds of interest, so just have to wait and see once we arrive.
We almost ended up being neighbours, but for a last.minute.com change of posting, we are in sunny surrey instead.
If you need any more info let me know or if you want a chat pm me your details. Keep the faith and go for it.
I was told that all technical ranks who transfer into the RAAF, transfer in as Leading Aircraftman, no matter what rank you were previously. Has anybody heard or experienced different to this??
Thanks
Andy
Hi Andy,
This could well be true. I have just sent off my initial application and received an email straight back saying that I will have to drop from CPL rank in the RAF to an LAC in the RAAF as an Avionics Technician. I did ask what the immediately transferrable skills were even if I was promoted to Sgt soon. The reply was that we do not have immediately transferrable skills to go straight into the RAAF. This does not really bother me as its the lifestyle and family benefits that I regard as more important.
Has anyone else here gone from the RAF to RAAF, if so how has the process been for you?
