tina0101 Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Wow, a lot has happened so here is our update!! We landed in Brisbane at the end of August and spent our first 3 nights in the Meriton. Absolutely lush - 10 floors from the top on the river side, the weather was fab, the views were amazing and we couldn't believe how wonderful everything was!! I love Brisbane. It's so much more chilled out than the M4 corridor! 2 days after landing hubby (Vanduex) had an interview for Head of Pedagogy at a local school. So off he went, slightly jet lagged, and negotiated the Brisbane rail system. Their trains are easy to use, very cheap compared to the UK and clean. Fortunately, the school only made him wait over the weekend before we found out he had the job, to start in January 2015, but wanted him to come in and do supply work from October. Absolute result!!! Once he had started doing supply, they decided that as he was at the school each day, they may as well start him on a contract sooner. We then moved to Coomera, just above the Gold Coast. Being that hubby's job was in Wynnum, it became very apparent that we didn't want to be staying that far away. So we immediately started hunting for a rental. With hindsight, I wish we'd rented a place with a pool. We decided we wanted to be on the Bayside and started looking in the Cleveland/Wellington Point areas. I would say that we noticed a big difference between houses that were under $550 a week and the ones over. We found one in Wellington Point, and managed to secure it straight away using 6 months rent upfront, references from our UK employers and estate agent and our bank statement (house sold in the UK, so it was very healthy!). We moved in 10 days after landing. We viewed 3 schools for our son. He had just done GCSEs in the UK, but we have not found this to be a problem. He went into Year 11 in October and will be starting Year 12 when they go back in January. His GCSEs can count towards his OP for university. He's settled into his school really well and seems happier with education than he ever was in the UK. He's pretty bright and I think that because we can afford private school fees here, it has made a difference. I have also now got a job - I was so bored at home each day (although I did manage to fit in lots of coffees with people from PIO and Facebook!). I would recommend to anyone coming out to join groups, go along to meet ups and meet as many people as you can. We both know we've been very fortunate to secure employment for both of us within 3 months!! I love that the beach is right on our doorstep. And that you don't have to pay to park there!! There is an abundance of things to do and places to see in the area. We've found our shopping bills each week to be comparable to the UK. Petrol is cheaper. We have a car and a motorbike. Alcohol is more expensive, but we aren't big drinkers, so we haven't really noticed it. And the the biggest news is that we've bought a house today!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milliem Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Great update Sounds like everything has gone well for you. Thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Great update. We are still 7 months away so a bit jealous if I'm honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o'connors Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 thanks for the update, heading out in the new year with hubbie and 3 boys so really interesting to hear how you sorted everything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 Feel free to pm me with any questions :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 It is such a snapshot. You could type an essay in detail. Happy to help with any education questions :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I've learnt a new word today - Thank you. Pedagogy. Never heard of that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geordielass44 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Sounds amazing! We are hoping to make the move in the next 18 months to the Brisbane area. Just wondering if you know what the situation is for teachers who are specialised in SEN? I have been a SENCo at a secondary school (for 8 years) and have MA in SEN, taught in an enhanced resource for children with ASD and for the past 10 years worked as a behaviour support teacher for the local authority working with schools/teachers/children from nursery to secondary. Not sure if i should register with a supply agency to start with? We have PR already just been waiting for my husband to qualify as a nurse. Any advice welcome!! thanks Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Great to hear everything is working out for you and hubby found work so quickly. Thanks for the update Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Sounds like your having a great time, hopefully I wont be far behind you. We will be arriving a few weeks after you did in 2015 and I hope we have a similar experience to you :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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