Goochie

I (mechanical engineer) found a job whilst still in the UK and had contracts signed and exchanged over a month before we flew. I had a few other companies say they wanted to interview me upon arrival but in the end that wasnt' necessary. Reecruitment agents wont talk to you when you're still in the UK - Do the homework yourself and email companies directly. Thats what I did and it worked well.

Will do.... I'm looking for a tree surgeon as well - Lets hope he keeps his clothes on.

Whilst looking for a window cleaner I found this: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hillarys/cleaning/cleaning-with-a-difference-nude-male-cleaner-for-ladies-only-/1007814834 Perhaps some of you ladies would be interested :biglaugh: EDIT to add..... http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hillarys/handymen/nude-handyman-for-ladies-only-perth-nor-furniture-assembly-etc/1007815151 So ladies, if you've got a dirty bit of furniture that needs assembling, you need to call the naked cleaner/handyman. I like the way he's said "no men" and doesnt put a photo of himself on the ad.

I've had a few conversations with colleagues who arrived here from the UK a few years ago. I was shocked to hear they are still paying low rents and the landlords have not put the price up by much over the last few years. So, for the benefit of those not here, and for those who have just arrived, how much are you paying for your weekly rent? Please complete the poll.

I've flown China Eastern many times whilst on business in China, sometimes in business class and other times in standard. My thoughts are as follows: Economy 1) The legroom is actually slightly better than in Virgin Atlatic economy - Strange seeing as Chinese people tend to be shorter than Westerners. 2) The food is not too bad - Its a bit like a small, basic UK Chinese takeaway. There are normally just a couple of options, both with plain rice and a strange warm, slightly sweet white bread roll. 3) The seats themselves are cheap feeling. The fabric is hard wearing tough stuff but a bit rough on your skin. 4) The entertainment is a screen hanging from the ceiling every 4-5 rows. There will probably be a few American films showing, with Chinese subtitles. Business Class 1) The seats are very slightly bigger with more leg room. They dont lie flat. 2) The food is pretty much the same but served on a ceramic plate, rather than in a foil dish. 3) There are only a few business class seats, separated from economy by a curtain. Small children will probably be allowed to run in and out and play with the curtain throughout the flight. General China Eastern (and China Southern, and nearly all other Chinese airlines) run late when taking off in China. You will need to bear this in mind if you have a stop-over anywhere in China. The normal delay is around 40 minutes. Chinese airports are not the most glamourous places to stop over. Shanghai Pudong is probably ones of the better ones and Guangzhou is not far behind. Howver (ladies in particular) prepare for a shock if you need to use the toilet when you're there. Whilst there will be western toilets somewhere in the airport, they're not in all of the toilet areas. Often you can walk from a nice new looking departure lounge into a smelly, smoke filled room where you go into a cubicle to do your business into a hole in the ground. As a sensible adult this is probably not too much of an issue but I wouldnt do it with children. Only half of the airline staff on the internal flights speak English - This may be different on international flights. Would I fly from the UK to Australia with a Chinese airline? If I was on my own I probably would. I dont tend to watch much entertainment whilst in the air, I prefer to listen to music and sleep. However, I've been flying with them for 7 years and the first few times I was accompanied by people who had done it before - I'm not sure I'd want to do it one my own for the first time. Its probably worth mentioning that prior to coming to Australia last month, my wife had only ever flown to California in Virgin Premium Economy. When we booked to come to Australia I decided not to go with a Chinese airline and went for Malaysia Airlines. However, this was partly due to the more civilised arrival time in Perth (3PM) and the ability to book exit row seating on their A380 double-decker plane. Total cost for two, one-way was approx 1300 pounds including 140 pound reservation fee for the exit row seating. If you'll looking to make an in-airport stop over more pleasant, why not conside the Plaza Premium lounges? You pay to get in but once there the food and drink is free and unlimited. The quality at both Shanghai and Guangzhou is very good. Take a look on Google and you'll get costs and pictures. Probably only worth it for an in-airport stop-over of 2+ hours by the time you've got to and from the plane/lounge.

We spoke to a few agents when we were tlooking. As said above, November to February are the long school holidays and there tends to be a few more people looking then.

I just posted this in the other thread but I guess it'll be lost in there fairly soon so here we go again: Our experience was nowhere near as bad as we expected, having read other reports on here. We have a medium size dog which we were expecting to be a problem. Its not. Unless the advert says NO PETS, the agent will be willing to consider it. Dont tick the "allows pets" box when doing a search as that eliminates pretty much everything. None of the places we viewed said they allowed pets in the description, but none of them said NO PETS. We viewed 5 properties in total - Rent is shown on bold. 1) $475 A unit in Scarborough - There were 4 couples looking around, we saw just one of them ask for an application form. We diddnt like the place because the bedroom was pretty much next to the neighbours car parking space and there were too many kids toys lying aout in the communal driveway area (we dont have kids) 2) $500 A house opposit the school in Quinns Rocks - Again there were 4 couples viewing, two asked for an application form. The house was empty and in good condition, We just found the lounge area a bit dark and the master bedroom was a bit small. Great location in you had kids though. Whilst we were there, the agent told us she'd just got the keys to another one around the corner and if we hung about for 10 minutes we could follow her there.... 3) $560....Us and another couple went along with the agent to the other house, it was freshly painted, a good size, bright and airy. The garden was neat and tidy. We took an application form just in case this was the best we'd see. 4) $600 A house near Ocean Keys shopping centre in Clarkson. The house was dark and smelt a bit odd. However the basics were all good and the kitchen area looked pretty new. The garden was a decent size. This is the only one where we found a lot of other people - There were probably 10 other couples there. We spoke to the agent about a few things and found her to be a bit of a snotty stuck-up cow to be honest. I wont name the agent but let's just say they would probably sit next to an agent called Century 22 (if such an agent existed). 5) $600 A small house in Hillarys. A classic case of the smallest house in the best street. 4 bedrooms, only one of which is big enough for a king size bed, all of the others are about the size of what you'd get in a small new UK house as the main bedroom. The kitchen and bathrooms are from the early 90s and the garden is small. However, it is 15 mins walk to the beach and 15 mins walk to the huge Westfield shopping centre. Its also 15 mins drive to work for me. There was just one other person viewing the house. We put this down to the agent who had it being in the city rather than locally. They have no shop and only advertise online. My advice is to go to as many viewings as you possibly can, even if you know you wont like the house. This will give you a good snese of the process and will make it easier to spot the right house when you walk in. You shoul dalso read the posts on here about what is required in an application pack. We included "to whom it may concern" references from our employers in the UK, contact details for our employers here, a print off of our Aus internet banking screen, showing total savings etc. We also wroote a 2 page letter that gave some details on why we had come to Australia, included photos of our house that we'd just sold and a list of "why a dog is a better tennent than a child"

On the flip side, our experience was nowhere near as bad as we expected, having read other reports on here. We have a medium size dog which we were expecting to be a problem. Its not. Unless the advert says NO PETS, the agent will be willing to consider it. Dont tick the "allows pets" box when doing a search as that eliminates pretty much everything. None of the places we viewed said they allowed pets in the description, but none of them said NO PETS. We viewed 5 properties in total - Rent is shown on bold. 1) $475 A unit in Scarborough - There were 4 couples looking around, we saw just one of them ask for an application form. We diddnt like the place because the bedroom was pretty much next to the neighbours car parking space and there were too many kids toys lying aout in the communal driveway area (we dont have kids) 2) $500 A house opposit the school in Quinns Rocks - Again there were 4 couples viewing, two asked for an application form. The house was empty and in good condition, We just found the lounge area a bit dark and the master bedroom was a bit small. Great location in you had kids though. Whilst we were there, the agent told us she'd just got the keys to another one around the corner and if we hung about for 10 minutes we could follow her there.... 3) $560....Us and another couple went along with the agent to the other house, it was freshly painted, a good size, bright and airy. The garden was neat and tidy. We took an application form just in case this was the best we'd see. 4) $600 A house near Ocean Keys shopping centre in Clarkson. The house was dark and smelt a bit odd. However the basics were all good and the kitchen area looked pretty new. The garden was a decent size. This is the only one where we found a lot of other people - There were probably 10 other couples there. We spoke to the agent about a few things and found her to be a bit of a snotty stuck-up cow to be honest. I wont name the agent but let's just say they would probably sit next to an agent called Century 22 (if such an agent existed). 5) $600 A small house in Hillarys. A classic case of the smallest house in the best street. 4 bedrooms, only one of which is big enough for a king size bed, all of the others are about the size of what you'd get in a small new UK house as the main bedroom. The kitchen and bathrooms are from the early 90s and the garden is small. However, it is 15 mins walk to the beach and 15 mins walk to the huge Westfield shopping centre. Its also 15 mins drive to work for me. There was just one other person viewing the house. We put this down to the agent who had it being in the city rather than locally. They have no shop and only advertise online. My advice is to go to as many viewings as you possibly can, even if you know you wont like the house. This will give you a good snese of the process and will make it easier to spot the right house when you walk in. You shoul dalso read the posts on here about what is required in an application pack. We included "to whom it may concern" references from our employers in the UK, contact details for our employers here, a print off of our Aus internet banking screen, showing total savings etc. We also wroote a 2 page letter that gave some details on why we had come to Australia, included photos of our house that we'd just sold and a list of "why a dog is a better tennent than a child"

We have a pair of mountain bikes which are 18 months old but by the time I'd cleaned them they looked like new. We packed them in bicycle boxes too so they really do look like brand new. We put copies of the original recipts inside with the purchase date highlighted just in case.

It seems that some people are just unlucky when it comes to customs charges. I wonder if they'll find my brand new Miele Vacuum cleaner burried under everything in ours??

We're looking to have a small'ish tree (approx 12ft tall) taken out. Does anyone know of a good tree surgeon or landscape gardener who could do it?

We've been here a month now and are keen to get out and about exploring WA. I know there are a few wildlife parks etc. within an hour of Perth and it's suburbs, but what is there beyond that which is close enough to go to and from in a day?

Sadly, its not quite that easy. A 12V halogen will be operating on 12V~AC power. However, some LED bulbs need to operate on 12VDC. Also, some halogen downlights will be fitted with a transformer that will cut-out if under-loaded. This means that because the transformer is not being loaded with the 20W+ it expects, it will switch off. Ironically, there is more chance of the LED working if the transformer you have already fitted is a cheap and cheerful one - The more expensive ones have the under-load cut-out. It is often easier to replace both the transformer and globe for one GU10 230V globe. However you will need to get a GU10 lamp holder and connect the wires yourself to do the conversion - Or pay an electrician to do it for you. LED technology is moving so fast that it is impossible to say what electronics (in the globe) will work with other electronics (in the transformer) - Therefore the easiest thing to do it remove the transformer. If you're interested in trying LEDs I would suggest you buy just one to start with. You can then test if it works in your downlights and see if you like the light output. I suggest running the single LED for a few weeks before buying the rest of the set.

Remove one of the bulbs/globes from your downlights. On the top of the bulb you will see the electrical connections - It they're pointy pins (normally silver coloured), it's 12V. If they're T shaped (normally brass coloured) they're 230V. There *may* be some printing on the back face of the glass too. Normally the manufacturer's name/logo and the voltage. When looking at LEDs you need to consider: 1) Colour temperature - Are they called warm white or cool white? Some Cool White LEDs create a very cold, grey look in the room. 2) Lumen maintenence (How bright the bulb will be in a few months) - You need to look for something that shows it's lifetime with Lm70 or Lm80. This indicates the number of hours until the light drops to 70% or 80%. If the manufacturer cant tell you this, walk away. 3) Colour rendering - Does the lamp have a CRI number on the box? Some give the CRI on a scale of 0-1 whilst others give it on 0-100. This should be 0.8+ or 80+ depending on the scale used. Any less than this and colours will appear strange. You know how orange street lights make it difficult to tell what colour a car is? Thats because the CRI is very low. 4) Forget comparing the wattage when considering the light output. We all know a conventional 100W globe is brighter than a 60W, but some 4W LEDs are brighter than other 5W LEDs. Other 4W LEDs are dimmer than anoter 4W LED. Look for the Lumen value (sometimes stated as "lm") or the Candela value (cd). Beware that lm and cd are not interchangeable so make sure you compare like-for-like. 5) Beam angle - Its easy to make an LED with a narrow beam angle of 25 degrees or less. Making one with a 36 degree beam (like your existing lamps) is much more difficult. A narrow beam will create spots of light directly under the downlight and very little else. With all downlight types, a broad beam is generally better, for LED lamps it is very much a case of bigger is best. Since being in Australia I've seen two stalls in shopping centers selling LED lamps. Neither of them have had any of this information. The brands I mentioned above will have all this info and will proudly give it to you. Lesser manufacturers dont know the answers so they wont put anything on the box.

Downlights come in two types. 1) GU10 230V downlights - These bulbs/globes are connected directly to the mains power and operate at 230V. 2) MR16 12V Downlights - These have a transformer/regulator which changes the mains power into a low voltage (12V) and the bulb/globe is then powered by that lower voltage. You can get LED blubs/globes for both types of downlight. Buzzing normally only occurs when: 1) You try and dim a non-dimmable LED 2) You use an incompatible dimmer with an LED 3) You try and use a standard transformer on an LED 4) You use a poor quality LED which does not meet EMC requirements 5) Something else in the house (fridge, ceramic hob, hair driers, anythign with an electric motor in it) is emmitting EMC interference which is being picked up by the LED I spent 7 years as technical manager for a UK company that designs and manufactures downlights. In that time I saw LED technology move on very quickly and the performance of the leading brands has increased dramatically. However there are a LOT of cheap, poor performing LEDs from Chinese factories which often lose 30% of their light in the first 6 months. Others are electrically unsafe whilst others will buzz like crazy. If I were looking to buy some I would only consider those manufactured by GE, Osram or Philips. The Philips LED technology is arguably the best available at the moment.

so is bankruptcy a more "honest " way do you think. Does a debt managment plan last "forever" bit stuck on this ourselves In my opinion, bankruptcy is a way of legitimatly saying "I screwed up". A debt management plan is just a way of putting off the inevitable. A debt managment plan will tie you in to making payments for years and having no disposable income. Your debtors will keep asking for you to pay more and you'll still feel they're hassling you. When you go bankrupt, your debtors wont contact you again and you'll feel you have a clean slate. However you'll find it near impossible to get a mortgage, loan or credit in your home country for 6+ years and you wont even be able to have a normal bank account.

I was lucky enough to find a job whilst sat in Staffordshire a couple of months ago. If you've got the skills required, you should be OK but it seems those who think "I can turn my hand to anything, it'll be fine" are struggling. The skills vacuum has pulled in experienced, skilled, qualified people from all over the worls so employers can easily find someone who meets the brief without the hassle of training someone new.

I have it all forwarded to ukpostbox.com Works extremely well but you need to ensure you cancell all catalogues and junk mail first, otherwise you'll pay for receiving rubbish.

Here in Perth, you can buy Bisto from Woolworths - They have a very small "British" section that also has Birds custard powder.

So, we’ve been here in Perth for a month and so far, so good. I’m sure different people will see the place differently but as there are a few talking about coming over, I thought I’d share out initial impressions: Probably due to it being spring, the whole place looks a lot greener than we expected. When it rains, it’s all-or-nothing. You don’t get hours of light rain here, you get a heavy shower usually accompanied by a strong wind to give you a feeling similar to standing in front of a pressure washer. Every house we’ve been in has shockingly bad windows. We’re coming to the end of our stay in a new-ish $1.5M house (didn’t book it – long story) and even that has single glazing which doesnt close properly and when it rains really hard, you get puddles on the inside sills! I’ve yet to see a house with double glazing. You need to get used to traffic lights – They’re everywhere. Buy an automatic, not a manual (see above) Most people drive exactly at the speed limit. This makes freeway (motorway) driving either very annoying or very easy, depending on your mood. Buy a car with cruise control (see above) All the Brits moan about the cost of things because they’re still spending pounds in their head. You need to understand that Perth is a very isolated place in a pretty isolated country – It costs a lot to get stuff here and you have to pay for that. Once you start earning dollars it seems a lot better. Most of the TV shows are British or American. American Pickers, Storage Wars and Repo Man are quite entertaining and currently you’ll find at least one of these on TV every night. The nightly “news” is a sports news show with a few other items at the start. The free-to-air TV is like having 10 versions of Channel 5. (UK) Foxtel (Sky equivalent) is just like Sky – Loads of channels filled with repeats and crap. Every other ad on the TV is for a health supplement. Perth city centre is clean, small and feels like a nice place to be. The trains are great. You can park most places for free. Parking for the train is a couple of dollars for all day parking – Unless you’re lucky enough to get one of the free spaces. You’ll find yourself killing everything that resembles a spider if it is within a few feet of your house let alone IN the house! Lots of people are into keeping fit – They’ll be power walking from 6AM. People get up early and go to bed early. There are scummy, lazy, work-shy people here too. The woman are not as attractive as I was expecting (this pleased the wife!) When you hear a V8 roaring up alongside you, don’t look up expecting to see a nice car – It’ll be a 10yr old Holden (Looking rather like a Vauxhall Omega) A ute is hopelessly impractical – Thanks to my employer for lending me one for 2 weeks so I could find this out whilst doing the shopping on a rainy day. The rental market is, in our experience, no where near as bad as some would have you believe. However, if you’re looking at the low end of the spectrum, expect a lot of competition. After all, everyone loves a bargain. A cheap house is rarely a bargain. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. Pay $600+ a week for a nice place. You’ll also have a lot less competition. Go to as many viewings as you can to learn how the process works and get a feel for it. Joondalup area is like an Australian version Milton Keynes mixed with a film set - Some of it just looks a bit odd (take the road leading up the hill to Clarkson railway station, for example) Supermarket chickens sometimes still have the neck attached. Kangaroo steak is quite good but kangaroo mince does not make a good chilli. Learn to love millipedes. There seems to be a lot more new cars north of the river than there are down south. Maybe this is a sign of relative wealth or maybe it's a sign of people in the north getting things on credit.

It all depends on your individual circumstances and is so difficult to pick a number that will work for everyone. Not only do different people have different financial requirements (kids, cars, job/no job) but some just dont like the feeling of starting out all over again with nothing.

More info on IP mapping here: http://www.iplocation.net/

It is if you have a job to go to and you know how much you're going to get paid. The whole idea of a credit card is that is delays pament for a month - That's exactly what we've done. I wouldnt recommend this strategy to anyone who isnt confident in their ability to pay it off within a month though.

If you're in Perth i may be interested in buying them in the next couple of weeks.

Just to update this threa dnow we're here and have paid our rental deposit (bond). As stated by others above, no agents will take a bond payment on a credit card. However, if you get yourself a credit card sorted before you arrive (Commonwealth Bank + Job + 176 visa) they can write a cheque for you over the counter and put the balance on your credit card. The interest rate is high though so you'll need to pay it off ASAP.