Bythesea

I got my job out here via Skype. Only thing I would add is that you have to be a bit more disciplined in waiting for the other person to finish before you start answering compared with a face to face. I "drive a desk" for a living and normally wear a suit. I had an interview at midnight (my time) and wore my suit and tie. The interviewer who is now my boss was surprised but I would rather have been over dressed than under dressed as impressions count and bad impressions count more....

The Leader of the Opposition is a coeliac and Melbourne is very friendly on the GF front. We live near a Gluten Free bakery which is great - they also supply cafes and restaurants. Our local Thai has a menu with all the GF stuff marked on it. Etc etc You do have to watch out though as some products do contain gluten where in the UK they don't eg mass produced ice cream..... But that isn't too much of a hardship as the gelato shops here are superb eg Davey Macs near us and very GF aware. In general there is far more awareness and even that great Melbourne dish the Parma sometimes comes in a GF version I was told that the reason for this was that there were more coeliac s in Aus was that the wheat here is harsher than in Europe. That might be cobblers though.....

By the way we used insure your move and made a claim which we were satisfied with after negotiation. But in the end they are a broker and you end up dealing with the insurance company behind them.

Not answering your question directly but really the question about insurance should be not what the premium is but what people's experience is on making a claim. You may get a cheap premium but if they are tighter than a gnatt's chuff when it comes to pay out you lose out big time. Not trying to be a smart arse but it is not about price but about value.

We shipped about 6 with no problems. Some from UK and some we had originally bought in NZ. Some had stamps on, some didn't and we had no problems. We declared them on our packing lists.

Thanks for both the repsosnes - much appreciated. BTS

That's an intersting one. Am still in the UK with my old man overseas/ UK and technology has certainly improved our relationship. Whereas we probably only phoned each other 4 times a year and caught up f2f once a year, with Skype etc we talk at least once a fortnight. He really is the tech-savy one with Pads & Pods coming out of his ears and I am the laggard.... So yes, although the miles can be further, it can be easier for relationships, IMHO. BTS

Hi hopefully someone can give us some recommendations....when we move to Oz we are looking at moving about 2/3rds of our stuff over and storing 1/3 in blighty. We are West Midlands based so if any one has any recommendations for storage companies we would be very grateful to hear about them. We are looking at long term humidity controlled storage and we will not need access to our stuff during the time it remains in the UK. Cheers BTS

I know the answer is no already, but just want you to put me out of my misery... :cry:I have an 05 plate Saab 9-5 estate diesel with 110,000 miles on the clock. I assume that a) cos it is so high mileage and b) Saab are no longer with us (RIP :cry: ) and c) the car is basically worth the square root of bu55er all, I should basically "lose" it (as no-one is going to nick it :laugh:) If I was staying in the UK, I would either run it into the ground or wait for it to gain classic car status :embarrassed: Shame as she is a great car, have no finance on it, she is in good condidtion, given us no problems & it suits us down to the ground. I love rocking up to work in it amongst all the Beamers & Audis clones. :jimlad: I guess the cost/ supply of Saab parts going forward really rule out us considering bringing it over. BTS

Indeed it did - help that is... BTS

We often use Sigapore as our stop-over en route to NZ from the UK. The great thing about it is that it is so well organised (now some of course will say that is its downside.... but that is a whole other thread.) but as a stop-over it feels like that an hour after tocuh down you can be in your hotel room in the centre (well, okay maybe an hour and a half). With small kids that is great... Not sure who you are flying with - but Singapore airlines do (or at least did last time we did it) do special deals for stop-overs (eg reduced rates, transfers etc) which includes some vouchers which include the hop-on hop off bus which is a great way to get round. Our personal favourite was the Botanical Gardens - we went as a time filler but loved it so much we keep on going back. Gives the kids a chance to run around. Beach at Sentosa is good for kids as well. If you arent staying out there arriving by cable car will be a hit with them... Any of the big hotels in the centre are family friendly. BTS

23!!!! Wow - I am double your age and also in the process of migration - better late than never, eh?. Dont have any actual advice, apart from go for it. You dont want life to be full of "what if's". Grab it with both hands and go for it and even if it doesnt work out; you gave it a go. Thousands didn't. Blimey I wish I was 23 (knowing what I know now :wideeyed: ) BTS

Interesting points - the poshest people I know have the most clapped out old volvo I have ever seen and their clothes although smart are really old and tatty. They just dont give a "flying " at all. BTS

There is a big deabte about the whole "diving with sharks" industry ie chumming etc. I guess there are responsible operators and those who just care about making a quick buck. Although this article from a UK dive magazine "Diver" is about South Africa it is quite interesting. Uncaged minds - Divernet As a diver, I know that if I ever see a Great White it has found me and not I have found it :chatterbox: The bigger debate is the fact that it is probable that our childrens' children may never see sharks at all - as we* are driving them to extinction. This will create another huge problem (not least for the sharks :no:) but because there will be a huge upset in the whole food chain. Millions of sharks are being killed a year :mad: - that is no exaggeration btw, just Google "Shark Trust" for more info. Again, this is a UK organisation but I am sure there are similar in Oz. BTS PS - * by "we" I mean certain countries

Number 2 in fact, behind Adecco. They are Dutch in origin but they have moved into the Uk high street in a big way. Cant speak about Oz but in the Uk, they are certainly reputable. Although as always with recruitment agencies, it is often about the person you deal with........ BTS