gemstone

I find all this pension/super stuff very confusing and I know I need to speak with a financial advisor. However I am currently looking at the discharge papers for my uk pension transfer and I'm wondering whether it is worth it. Me uk pension is very small as I was only in teacher pensions for 6 years. If I send it over to hesta I know I will pay tax on whatever has accumulated since I left the uk. If I leave it in the uk I have been informed that I will lose 20% in tax because I am a non resident for tax purposes. I know exchange rates and potential growth factors in the hesta account are all a gamble as no one can predict what will happen over 30 years. I am just so torn as to what to do and more than aware of the ban that is creeping up on me. Does anyone have any advice or previous experience in this. thanks gemma

Thank you Andy. I had only sent the request for transfer of funds application form to teacher pensions. I had a letter yesterday saying they needed a formal request from my super fund. Which is now in the process. So I am in the very early stages. Is the initial application form the CETV or should I have another form? Teacher pensions told me about a PODCETV last night, which I found on the website, but it had not been mentioned before. As mentioned I have very little to transfer so I'm not even sure it will be worth it at the moment, and this is also the reason I decided to do it independently, although kind of regretting that decision now.

I started the uk pension transfer 2 months ago independently. But it seems I missed a vital piece of paperwork. Which means that teacher pensions may not get all the required documentation until late January. (Due to having to send documents to Hesta and then Hesta to UK.) Is it likely that this delay will now mean I have no chance of processing in time to meet the April ban? I only have a very small pension in the UK but would have liked to see my options. Does anyone have any ideas/advice with this? Thanks

Hi everyone, I have not logged onto this for ages..... but im after a bit of advice. I'm working in a very similar career to what I did in the UK. But I am absolutely miserable. I've heard of people completely changing careers when they emigrate but has anyone ever done it? And with what success? I need to still get paid a relatively decent salary, although I am certainly not highly paid now. i work as a teacher. I've been looking for jobs for a month on and off but just don't know what to look for. any ideas or previous experience changing career would be greatly appreciated thanks gemma

In reply to it not seeming that bad. Yes I'm over it... But I wanted to let other people know. I'm not going to rant away on every detail that went wrong. It just felt like very hard work having to deal with that company. It was very upsetting having very damaged sentimental items. Which was not tactical in insurance but I simply had no idea how much they would cost to repair as they had no real monetary value.

Hi everyone, i am now writing on here after getting no where with my shipping company and finally throwing in the towel and writing it off as the worst part of my moving experience. I want to share my experience with everyone because when I was doing the research back in the UK I relied on forums like this to make my choices. I understand that some people have good/bad experiences and it is just luck sometimes more than anything else. So please read what happened and make your own choices. Everything prior to my stuff being picked up was fine. It was when it got packed and from that point on that everything went wrong. * I was quoted 3/4 container and in the end it was under a half a container. Major discrepancy in my opinion but according to them it was a reasonable difference. Some money was taken off the original quote, but not what I would of paid had my quote been more accurate as 3 packers were sent instead of 2. * Some items were not packed properly which would prove to be one of the biggest problems in Australia. Luckily I saw my crystal glasses had not been padded out and asked for them to be before the box was sealed. * most of my invoices were wrong and I would have to revert back to previous emails and send emails back to have them altered and corrected. So always on my toes every time I got an email. Eventually the general manager had to intervene and offered some compensation at this stage. * when my stuff was delivered this end there was a number of broken items: Most of my plastic storage boxes were split or very damaged, glass photo frame, 2 glasses, a salad server, a race medal, a ceramic bowl and a wooden table was very badly damaged. Among other things. Dont get me wrong i understand things will get damaged in transit but a solid wooden table. Hmmm... That had to have some pressure on it to be in the state it is now in. And the unpackers this end thought it had been poorly packed. I was able to get my insurance payment but contacted BAR, unfortunately not really getting anywhere. The company were not interested. i appreciate that I got my insurance payment, however not enough to cover 2 of the most damaged items. And that they gave me a little compensation for the nightmare invoices. However the whole thing was an experience I would like to forget. It's stressful enough moving to the other side of the world without having to deal with things like this. It makes me wonder whether this has happened in the past with invoices etc but people haven't checked their emails and let it slide. i know I can not share the name of this company and I do not want to waffle on. If you are interested in finding out the company in question please pm me. In my opinion I would avoid them like the plague, and will NEVER recommend them to any friends/family.

Hi, I have been here since October. My husband is 34 and I'm 31. Where are you going to be living? Happy to meet up in the city when you get here. I know my way round the city fairly well as I was here for 5 months in 2005.

I'm still good for Saturday. Last few days/weeks have been crazy could do with a day out.

Me and OH will try and make it this time as super busy last time. Or is just families?

What time will it be then? We could all meet/congregate outside? How many of us are going now..?

Shall we go for the Carlton then as that is pretty close to flinders station.

I don't know a huge ñumber of places off the top of my head, bu I have been to pj o briens on south bank, lucylou do you have any suggestions as you have lived here a lot longer than me.

Hi, I'm free most weekends at the mo, apart from the odd house hunting. How about we all meet in the CBD on the 15th as that is the date fragglefeet can do. We could go to a cafe in the day or a bar at night.

Hi i currently live in Frankston, but planning to move to Carrum in next 6 months. My husband and I just got her 6 weeks ago, but have been before on WHV. I am 31. If you arrange anything let me know.

Hi we didn't get the car on finance, but they did try and offer it. They said they needed proof of address: lease contract or utility bill; contracts for work to prove we could pay it back. Other things that have been popular forms of ID when getting post box, renting somewhere, buying a car and getting a phone have been passports, driving license, bank statements/bank details, proof of visa. Hope that helps. :biggrin:

Thanks for all the replies. We are pretty happy with how it's all going. Munchkinpie - sorry we didn't make it to Berwick had so many bits to sort out yesterday. Happycat - I guess the things that have made it easier for us is being here a few times before. We didn't have to fnd our feet this time, knew where things were, etc. Also we contacted agencies, did relevant assessments for work, before we came out. For us we only got in contact around August time, when we were arriving in October. I had completed all the skill things I needed to do for teaching so the agencies were happy to listen, and OH company knew he was coming soon so could make plans rather than being too far in advance. That's what worked for us, but I guess different things work for different people. We were very lucky to get month accommodation with company as that was getting a bit tricky near to moving out. small update: now sorted medibank and bought a car :biggrin:

Hello, Thought I would fill everyone in on our adventure so far. We arrived last Wednesday after an absolute mammoth journey. The cheapest flight is not always the best. I couldn't fault Singapore airlines, however we left the UK at 11.30am on Monday and then arrived in Singapore at 7.20am on Tuesday. We had a 16 hour stopover, and then the last bit to Melbourne, arriving at 10.00am on Wednesday. What made it hard was being awake all the time. My advice do not book the long part of your flight in the day time. It has taken me till today to properly feel over the jet lag. Singapore airlines were great. We had managed to increase the baggage to 30kg (already validated in April so couldnt get 40kg). Overall we were 3kg over on checked in baggage and I dread to think how much the hand luggage weighed. We got the star bus in to the city. Sky bus for those of you who have used it is great, however star bus is even better because for a couple more dollars they deliver you anywhere in the city. OH had managed to secure a job before we left the UK and they supplied 1 month accommodation in the city. Happy days! We checked in, chilled for a bit and spent the rest of the day sorting tax file numbers and getting some groceries, etc. I know melbourne fairly well as have been 4-5 times before and OH has been twice before. The next 4 days were crazy for me - I had 3 interviews with agencies and a 2 day first aid course. Since then OH has started work and is loving it. Less stressful than back home and fewer hours. The pay is not as good, but if it means we actually see each other more than once a week its all good. Back home he was doing a lot of 12-14 hour days +. The agencies have all been good, and on my first interview I got offered a permanent job. That has never happened in the UK so I was a bit taken aback. The pay was good but not amazing, so over the last couple of days the agency has negotiated. I am going to visit the class for a couple of hours early next week and then make my final decision. Everything seems to be falling into place. We have managed to get short term accommodation for when we move out of the apartment we are in. It was a mission to find something with 4-6 months, but we got there in the end. It is a professional house share, so not everyone's cup of tea. But as long as we feel settled in 6 months we would like to find somewhere permanent on our own, which will be around the right time for our stuff coming out of storage and being shipped over here. The next plan is to find a car, which i think we are going to look at this weekend. Its a bit tricky whilst we are still in the city as no parking, unless you pay car park charges or move the car every 1-2 hours in the free parking bays (which is what i have spent the whole day doing today with a hire care - joys!) It is quite likely that we are going to live outside of the city. Near Frankston, Carrum etc.. We could probably afford a studio apartment in the city, but would like to get a 3 bedroom house so we have space for visitors. If anyone is around to meet up in the city or down in the suburbs over the next few days/weeks/months give us a shout. We are in our early 30's. As for costs of things, I cant comment on much just yet. But groceries don't seem too bad. There are some pricey items, for example, pizzas. However you can get a lot of special offers. One thing I noticed on here the other day was make up being pricey and I can agree with that, definitely bring some over with you. I went to the Queen Vic market to get meat and veggies this week and spent about $80. I have enough meat to last us both 10 'good' meals and veggies the same. For anyone who is interested in sat navs as well. (I am seriously rubbish at directions) I got a basic one for $98. It does the job fine and I got virtually the same one in the UK for £99. I am looking forward to the next few weeks, and meeting more people, starting work, and getting settled. Think we are going to like it here. :biggrin:

Hi yes it's qualified teacher in day care. I got it through an agency. I have spoken to OH since he got home from work. And think I will call agency tomorrow and ask if the salary is up for negotiation. If so I may ask if i Could get 29 rather than 27. Not a lot but makes a big difference per year. 100k is definitely enough for us, however I've got to have major surgery in just over a year and need to make sure I have enough to cover time off work, medibank, etc.

thanks I've only been here a week so can't complain that I've already been offered a job however worried if I turn it down I won't get another one there is nothing in the pipe other than this yet. I'm also worried that if I take it something better paid will come up. Argh!!! It's so hard, and I'm so confused.

Hi my husband has a job in the city as well but his wages are lower because he has had to start at the bottom of the ladder again. Together we would probably be earning about 100,000 before tax. We are in Victoria.

hello, I went for an interview today and was offered the job. The salary is $27 ph which works out to be $52,650 pa before tax. Is that good/bad? Should I keep looking. I have 6 years experience in the UK. Another agency said I should be looking at $29-33 ph and 2 said between $26-31 ph. It's a bit of a drive to get to the one that I went to today 30 mins plus. If anyone has any advice it will be much appreciated. thanks

Hi i cant do rural as my husband has to work in the city. He is planning to commute though but from no further than Frankston

I now have 2 interviews for the first 2 days i get to Melbourne on the 4th and 5th October. They are just for temp work as primary/pre-primary but the agencies are going to look for permanent whilst I do that. Hopefully will get something quickly and in the meantime have temp work to get me by. How are the rest of you getting on?

I have been to Australia (all over) 4 times for probably about 18 months in total. Ive seen loads of spiders, but no funnel webs and only one huntsman. I am petrified of spiders, however when i was on the WHV I did seem to get marginally better and not scream and panic when i saw them. The huntsman i saw was in a childcare centre staffroom on the wall in sydney. It was huge (like a tarantula). They put a pot over it and its legs moved out coz it was scared, but they put it in garden and never saw it again. I must admit i will be out there again in 2weeks, and I am having nightmares about huntsmans. It is just there size. When i was out there in April to validate I think I saw one run across the train track in Altona, and spent the next 5 minutes waiting for the train and worrying that it was going to come up on the platform. I dont know that I will ever get used to the big ones, but am definitely going to spray, and hope for the best. When we find a permanent place the first thing im going to do is introduce myself to the neighbours, so i can call on them if ever i need one removed. Hehe!

Hello, It is getting very close now. We are staying at parent houses and all our stuff is in storage as we are not shipping until we have found somewhere permanent. We fly on the 1st, have a mammoth stopover of 17 hours in Singapore and then land on the 3rd. My OH has pretty much found a job and is waiting for a medical which is in a week. They have given us accomodation for the first month which has really helped finances. We have saved money all year for a house deposit and cars and a bit of extra money but going to try and stay clear of it so we can use it for what we planned. Im also looking for a job, but hopefully i will get relief teaching until something permanent turns up. We had our leaving party this weekend. Which was really fun. I sent loads of invites out and hardly anyone replied but about 80 people were there. It was a great send off. My only concern now, and it is ridicolous is spiders. I have been over there before for a long time and saw loads, but only ever one huntsman. I know they are harmless but i despise them. How many have you guys seen, are they as rare as they seemed to be for me when i was there for a year, or was i just lucky. We are 31 and 34, with no kids. If anyone wants to meet up in the city, we are staying in South Yarra then we look forward to chatting with you.