FamilyGuys

Thanks, peanig. Sent you a PM too today - bombarding you with questions!

Hello folks, Just another quick query related to my last one (above) please :unsure: Is it reasonably easy to get a rental in Geelong/ Lara region for a family with a dog? Don't have one yet but don't really want to have to wait until we buy. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Thanks Sammy1, that's very reassuring - now I can submit my application! Exciting times ahead ....

Hello fellow teachers, I am finally ready to apply for VIT but have been told that I can only apply for provisional registration as I have not worked in an Australian school. However, the VIT website suggests that it may be possible to get full registration if you can provide evidence of meeting the teaching standards. I was wondering whether anyone has managed to do this and, if so, would they please share their experience? Alternatively, it would be good to hear from any teachers who have received provisional registration and managed to get work. When I spoke to someone on the help line at VIT he seemed to suggest that having provisional registration wouldn't affect my chances of getting a job but I can't help wondering whether employers look down on it. Thanks for any advice!

Thanks for all of the advice so far. Sounds very promising! AJ, congrats on your OHs new contract and that's great that things have gone so smoothly for you. Are you moving to Geelong or the Western suburbs, if you don't mind clarifying, and how long are you committed to with your rental (3, 6, 12 months)? I'm so pleased to hear that it isn't a nightmare getting somewhere. We want to get son settled in school for final term so a bit of a tight turn around. Do you have children? Any thoughts on opportunities in Geelong for a teenager? Thanks again for yr advice. Peanig, thanks for sharing yr experience. I haven't researched Lara as well as Geelong but it looks affordable. Are you enjoying living there? Are there decent areas within striking distance from the train station - I will need access to public transport so this is important. I have been following realestate.co.au and am hoping we can get a smaller 3 bed for 300-350 (don't need a 4 bed and could manage with 2 bed if necessary) so fingers crossed. Thanks for your thoughts on this. akiralx, thanks for info - I've noticed that some areas are very expensive. We really need to live within striking distance of schools if we go for the state schools but are also considering one of the more affordable private schools. What areas do you see becoming more expensive? Cheers.

Morning PIO people! I've read comments about how difficult it can be to secure a rental in Melbourne. Just wondered if people have had similar experiences in Geelong (from Hamlyn heights down to Belmont, roughly speaking) or Western suburbs (Werribee, Lara, etc)? We'll be aiming for the $300 a week rentals (approx) and will be arriving August (I know it's a long way off but I'm trying to set up a budget for the early months). Trying to gauge how long it might take us to find something (weeks or months?) and whether we're likely to have to offer a large amount up front (3 or 6 months?). Ideally we'd like to rent for about 4 months and in that time find a place to buy with a view to moving in around Dec but maybe we'll have to offer rent for 6 months as we don't have jobs/ employment references yet. Just trying to get a feel for how competitive it is in these areas and at that time of year. Thanks to anyone with experience of moving to Geelong or Western suburbs. Much appreciated.

Thanks to everyone for advice so far. Andrew, I will send you an email explaining our circumstances and with details of our pensions. Cheers!

Thanks Gbye Grey Sky and Marisawright. To be honest I don't know whether it's the right thing to do which is why I want to get some advice. I think Andrew's main concern was that we shouldn't make the decision before living in Oz for a while which is fair enough. The majority of my family all live in Australia now and love it (one sister has been there for over 20 years) so I'm pretty certain I'll retire there too. Maybe I'll contact Andrew again and see if he can give me some pointers. If anyone else can recommend a financial adviser I'd be really grateful! :-)

Can anyone recommend someone for advice on whether/ how to transfer our Teachers Pension ( husband and I both teachers). I contacted Andrew at Vista months ago but he said he couldn't help as we're not yet residing in Oz. I have followed some threads on this but still none the wiser and feel we need professional advice. Or maybe we are too late to catch the April deadline? Thanks for any recommendations.

Hi Alan, sorry I thought I'd replied to this. Thanks for yr advice. We're thinking of moving to Geelong - if we need some financial advice I will get in touch. Go Matilda organised our visas ages ago and I was v impressed so ... :-)

Hi Charlie, which secondary schools do you recommend? What sort if problems did your son experience, if you don't mind me asking? Got a 14 yr old boy and worried about getting the right school (he's a bit quirky and sensitive type)

Most good migration agents will have a chat with you about whether you are eligible before you have to sign up with them. If you're in the UK I'd recommend Go Matilda. You could just give them a ring and tell them your circumstances. They will know whether there is an alternative family sponsor route for you but I think you usually need to be on a skills shortage list too.

Thanks wolvesaussie. I'm actually talking about the letters from previous employers not the form from the current employer. I started the process last year but then we got jobs overseas. I'm looking at it again because I've heard it can take a while and I want to start getting the paperwork together from my old schools but I don't want to start the online application just yet as it's too early for that (so I can't refer to the information on there). Anyway, thanks for your help!

Can anyone help me with query about VIT registration? Apparently I need letters from employers covering previous 5,years. Does anyone know what information these letters should contain? Presumably job title and dates but what else? Thanks!

Thanks SandyP. Maybe you could help me with another query? My sister, who lives in Aus has suggested she set up a savings account in her name for me to transfer my inheritance money as I'm not likely to be there for at least a year and a half. I'm not clear whether this would impact on her financially or affect her tax allowance? Any ideas? thanks !

Thanks, much clearer now! I also have some inheritance money (which did not attract iHT in the UK). Does anyone know whether I'm likely to pay tax on that if I transfer it to an Aus savings account?

Skippy1, I'd also appreciate advice on this. We're currently working overseas but have PR and hope to move to Aus in about a year and a half. We're putting money into a savings account here but now I'm worried we will get taxed on these earnings once we transfer them over in about a year. Does anyone know the situation? 10% seems like a lot!

Thanks, Rupert. You are absolutely right. I wish we could go right now! I think we need to start job hunting and see what response we get - then, if necessary, move on to plan B: I go out alone first and look for work over there. At least I have sisters I can stay with so that will make it a little easier. Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts!

Bumping this up - just in case, someone who can help missed it yesterday. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I wonder if someone might be able to help me. We applied for a visa several years ago and got caught up in the backlog (some of you may remember this frustrating phase, just before the elections in Oz) so it took a couple of years for our visa to come through. In that time we moved to a new area and my son started secondary school. The visa eventually came through and we went to validate it last Easter. We all loved Melbourne and would like to move asap but we don't have any savings at the moment so that is not an option unless we manage to get jobs from this end (looking unlikely in our profession). So ... we're thinking about spending the next couple of years saving and moving after our son has finished his GCSEs. I've read many posts about how GCSEs are not recognised so I realise that moving sooner might be a better option but we simply can't afford to do that without jobs to go to. The problem is our visa expires on May 26, 2016 - in other words right in the middle of exam time in the UK! So, in the event that we are still in the UK in the final year of our visa what chance do we have of getting an extension - through an RRV - or otherwise? Would this be a 'compelling/ compassionate' reason as per the criteria of the RRV? I doubt it. I could perhaps move alone before May, as the main applicant, but would my husband and son still have valid visas after the cut-off date? I suspect not. It is very frustrating as we would probably only need another 6-8 weeks to finish the academic year. If anyone has any advice, I'd be very grateful. Thanking you, in advance ... :notworthy:

So desperately sorry for you Salma. I, too, read about this yesterday on the on-line news when I got home and my heart sank. Your poor sister ... At least she has a fantastic sister who will travel across the world to be with her. We are all thinking of you and sending virtual hugs.

Hi munchkinpie Thanks so much for taking time to share your - and your girls - experience of Berwick and the school. Your comments about getting around the 'catchment problem' were so interesting and also reassuring. I had read about the difficulty of getting a place in a good state school and also about the cheaper fee-paying schools having long waiting lists so was beginning to despair. We certainly couldn't afford somewhere like Haileybury. Now I have some hope that with a good report from his school here, he should be in with a chance. Fingers crossed. Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be back in touch with more questions soon!

Congratulations to your wife! I was just wondering whether she's a teacher and, if so, did she use an agency that she could recommend? My husband and I are both teachers with PR but still in the UK and hoping to move to Aus in the next year or two. Thanks for any advice!