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I am a dyslexia specialist (been here 3 yrs now) and run my own business here for dyslexia. Schools know very little about it and many people still think that Irlen lenses will solve all the problems! Support for anything other than behavioural issues and ASD are exceptionally hard to come by. There is no recognition in most schools here in NSW and it is very much up to parents to help. The good news is there are lots of great programmes that you can implement at home as well as asking the school for some simple accommodations that don't cost anything. Uni's and TAFE's generally cope better and accommodate learners more in my experience. If you want any more info feel free to message me!

Hi I would try looking on teachersonnet website - they advertise positions in independent and Cathholic schools mainly. Dept of ed jobs are usually advertised on their own website - NSW have a jobsfeed where they list all the current positions. I don't kow if QLD has a similar thing. Teaching over here is very different and very hard to get work in any vaguely nice area. I have Aussie friends who are teachers and even they are struggling to even get interviews. Unfortunatley lots of schools already know who they want, cheap newly qualified teachers. In NSW there has been a real shift with dept of ed designating jobs as in the past - most schools here seem to advertise and it tends to be all about who you know! This is the experience of my aussie teacher friends! But Maths and Science Secondary are always needed. IN NSW there is a big recruitment drive to get current unemployed teachers to change to secondary maths! Hope this helps!

Hi Mike - teaching jobs vary according to location and subject. Generally speaking teaching in the desirable areas is much more difficult to come by and casual work tends to be in the less desirable areas. Secondary subjects are more in demand than primary and male teachers are always going to be better off than females. Check out www.teachers.on.net it will give you a rough idea of availability in your preferred areas. The dept of Ed websites in your state also have jobfeeds which may be worth a look. If you are going to make the move get your CV done beforehand as this will save you time. Good Luck!

Dyslexia awareness is growing but very very slowly and there is a lot of generalisations about it over here. I would maybe try contacting SPELD QLD and Margaret Hardy who runs Dyslexia Testing Services in QLD - she may be able to give you some advice regarding schools. However, as Quoll says it gets covered in school but schools don't always have specific programmes.

We were in a similar situation when we moved here - no jobs, just some savings. Rentals are fiercely competitive in and around Sydney - we were turing up to look at houses with 60 others - all queuing outside. We eventually looked a little out of town and found a place in a nice area which we really liked. We got a 10 month lease as the owners were coming back in 10 months. We loved the area, but as the weeks went by, it was a real pain being out of the main area as we were using so much petrol. We couldn't wait to move and have now found our ideal area. It may be that you end up looking in areas which are not so popular (I don't mean rough areas) just less popular! Bring evidence that you are a good egg as it were, mortgage statements, loan statements - anything to prove you pay your bills and you should be fine! Good Luck!

We have been in Sydney for nearly 18 months now and although we pretty much knew what to expect as we had lived here before, we have no regrets about moving back. It is very different from when we were here before, but mainly due to the exchange rate. However as others have said you have to stop doing that because you earn dollars! Having been back to the UK very recently as soon as I landed, I knew I would never want to live in the UK again. We are so much better off in Oz, we can afford to go on several holidays, go for days out and eat out more often. The real bonus for me is I don't have to work full time and I had to in the UK. The only slight negative (and to be honest it isn't really) is we can't afford to buy as we have to build up our credit history here before we can get a mortgage - usually 2 years if you have a deposit. So we are renting a fabulous house which is massive compared to our 3 bed terrace in the UK, and unlike the UK you are actually better off renting as it is cheaper - no rates (council tax) only pay for water usage! The lifestyle is great - my husband finishes work at 3.30pm and 12pm on Fridays - allowing weekends away without using up holiday days. Of course there are days when you miss friends/family but the good days definately outweigh the bad!

Hi Anne We live in Leonay at the moment and love it. The local Primary School is lovely and my daughter will be starting next year. We live in a 4 bed house with huge living areas, a massive outdoor entertaining area and a reasonable garden. 10 min walk to the river and we overlook the golf course! We pay $500 a week to give you an idea. Houses here tend to be a little more pricey to rent, than Penrith. We started renting in Blaxland which is just up the mountain a bit, but it was just too far for us. Glenrook is nice, but pricey and can be noisy due to the highway! Emu Plains also nice but we prefer the houses in Leonay and I prefer the school here! Only my opinion! Also Leonay is less fierce for rentals as most people want to live in Glenmore Park or Penrith. We got our rental very easily and there are usually a few in Leonay as opposed to queuing with 60 others for houses in Penrith and Glenmore Park!! Leonay is also close to M4 which is great for getting into the city. If your husband needs to commute you would be better off here than Glenbrook as trains from Penrith go direct to city, mountain trainlines are slow and he would need to change at Penrith. To give you an idea of costs we pay $1000 a qtr for electric, $150 for water, $200 food (2 kids as well) we have a loan for our car but we only need one as hubbie gets a company one! If I can help with anything else feel free to ask.

You have to get registered and pay your annual fee (in NSW it's $100) but all states differ. SEN is very different in Oz, much more emphasis on certain programmes (Reading Recovery and Multilit in NSW). SEN jobs are hard to come by - as is teaching jobs in more desirable areas!

It all depends where you live. Some places only have one option - usually telstra and we pay about $100 for broadband and phone, but there are no free calls, it's all quite expensive. We were with TPG before but we kept getting slowed down because we exceeded our download limit. Where we are currently we only have the telstra option! It is so much more expensive than the UK!

Have flown both Ethiad and Emirates a number of times. Both very good and very similar experience. The food and service was excellent much better than BA and Qantas. Abu Dhabi airport is rubbish though - nothing at all there to do! Very small.

Hi Cal I live in Leonay currently and lived in Blaxland for a bit when we first got here. I love Leonay, it has such a nice feel and it has great access to all areas. The mountains definately have a small town feel, everyone knows everyone. Lots of great cafes and parks. Try these websites - www.infobluemountains.net.au and www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au Hope this helps!

Depending on the airline, they can be quite funny about children sleeping on the floor. Some will allow it and others are total Hitlers about it. I know the dreaded feeling, flying with a 3 yr old and a 9 month old last year, but wasn't as bad as I expected. My 3 yr old did walk around the plane a lot but I thought, she isn't disturbing anyone, surely it has to be better than her screaming because I am trying to confine her to her seat! As others have said most people are understanding, and those that are not - well it is only 1 day-not a lifetime! They'll get over it! My advice about medicine to make your lo drowsy - just make sure they have taken it before and they don't have an altogether different reaction. My friend also recommended phenegan but another friend did this on a long haul and it made her lo hypo - I mean seriously hypo! I am sure they will find you seats together - most airlines are pretty good and we have flown several times and never been seated apart! Good Luck and hope all goes well!

You will just get the same tax file number as you had 7 yrs ago. They only ever issue you one. But if you did not claim for tax back maybe that could pay your tax bill. I think you can claim tax back up to 8 yrs, as long as you have all the details, or can get them from the ato.

The child care options are varied. My eldest daughter goes to a pre-school, so term time only and we pay $40 a day, but that does not include food and is from 9am til 3pm. Depending on what visa you are on you may be able to claim some back if you are both working. Pre-schools are usually only available for 3 yrs and upwards, although most centres have pre-school programmes. My youngest goes to long day care as she is only 2 and we pay $79 a day which includes food and care can be from 6.30am til 6.30pm. You can claim a lot more back for long day care if you are eligible because it is more expensive.

Hi Jo My daughter goes to a KU but not in Pymble. KU is a not for profit pre-school, so they are usually better then the private ones. My daughters pre-school is great and she loves it. However, I have also worked in lots of centres around the city including KU ones which were appalling. It's best to go and have a look at a few to get a feel for them.

At some point it would be worth getting their status on the Oz immunisation register. If you take your red book to the doctors, they will fill in a form and send it off to get it on the official register.

Hiya - I think it is unlikely that they will get good support at school if they are seemingly doing ok. Private schools vary hugely in their approach and so it would be best to have a good look around and ask lots of questions about what programmes they offer. I would say get an official assessment done but dyslexia is not really recognised in Oz and there is no funding available - even though it is part of the disibility discrimination act! Most people with struggling children tend to go for private tuition as this is often the only option. It might be worth contacting SPELD WA as they may be able to give you more specific advice regarding WA education system!

I have to say we didn't do a container, we shipped boxes of toys, clothes, bed linen. I am glad we didn't bother with the furniture, Oz houses are so different and you can pick up furniture pretty cheap. As someone else said wardrobes are a big waste because of the built ins. The thing I had wished we had packed was more of our cooking stuff - pots and pans, bakeware, casserole dishes - only because we had good ones! So glad I packed my steamer!(Very sad!) Very glad we packed our laptop as well!

In NSW you have to get approval through the Institute of Teachers and Dept of Ed. You get approval based on your degree so if you are primary trained - you can teach Primary. However they are very desperate for Maths and Science Secondary and the dept of Ed have been offering retraining opportunities for anyone wanting to secure a perm job as they are virtually impossible to get. In Sydney casual work is also very difficult to get. Casual direct the dept of Ed agency offer very few opportunities so might be worth signing up to other agencies as well. If you are hoping to get casual work, my advice would be take your CV round in person to the schools you wish to teach at. They appreciate the effort and you will prob get more work this way! Australia appears to be very reliant on CV - so have one ready to go!

As someone else said submit evidence from different sources and from different time periods. We didn't submit a mountain, just some mortgage statements, bank statements, council tax bills, insurance certificates all from the previous 5 years. It was returned to us very quickly and our app was approved. Don't stress about it as CO's will ask for things they want if you haven't submitted it already.

Grilled Haloumi, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto or bacon, and mushrooms with garlic butter and camembert wrapped in foil! As well as all the usual stuff.

There have been some other threads about this and I think that the GTP route is not recognised. But I think you can do some extra courses to get recognised. Hopefully someone else will be along to clarify for you.

You would probably have to do the same in Oz if you wanted to get anywhere. There are lots of Speech Therapists around in NSW as it is very big over here. It would all depend on which state you were going to and the severity of his delay as to what you may get in terms of funding. Like the UK funding is difficult to get and each state has their own education department and rules. Also like the UK Speech Therapists are expensive and most charge between $65 - $85 per half hour in and around Sydney. Quoll is probably a good person to ask as she has lots of knowledge about the education system here as well as SEN.

The IB travels much better overseas than HSC for example. If she wants to go to uni in the UK the IB means she will prob be able to get into a better uni or has more choice. I have been having a similar debate about this but have done some research on it and spoken to various people who all tell me that IB is the better option. I am going to send my daughter to Private High School for this very reason!

Hi I have two daughters and was getting very frustrated at the immunisation schedule here in oz. Both my girls had chicken pox as well and there is no way of getting on record here (what I have been told by everyone I spoke to at Medicare) but you DO NOT need to get them vaccinated. The reason why many people get their children vaccinated against Chicken Pox is for child care benefit and rebate. If your children do not have up to date vaccinations, centrelink do not pay any child care rebate or costs that you may be entitled to. However, they CAN NOT stop payments for children who have not had the Chicken Pox vaccine - it is the only one, NOT linked to Centrelink payments. As for Hep B - if you want to have your children done then of course do so, however, I have also learnt that you DO NOT have to if you don't want to. You have to fill in a Consciencious Objection Form, which you have to take to a Dr here and they sign it, you sign it, send it to Immunisation people and your children will be exempt from the vaccine, and their records will be up to date for Centrelink.I have just done this recently as have previously been told by medicare that they have to have them! But their records now state vaccines up to date for Centrelink! I was so happy about this as I really did not want my girls to have to have 3 jabs for what I consider to be no real reason. They have a Hep B jab when they are 12 and my girls will have this then! My Doctor even told me there was no real reason for them to have the Hep B jabs! I am not against jabs - my girls have all their others, but I do not see the point in children having unecessary jabs! Certainly not going to give them a chicken pox vaccine, when their natural immunity is better anyway! Schools and preschools just want a record, they can't exclude children because they do not ave jabs! To get their jabs on the Oz immunisation record, you need to bring their vaccine dates and details (Red Book for most of UK) then the doctor or nurse fill in a form to send off! Bit of a pain as the schedule is different to UK, but does not take too long! Hope this helps - sorry for the ramble!