debbie13

we had that info too and live in Queensland. Good to be cautious but this rule is very vague. My children 9 and 11 would often walk to and from school on their own, my son now in high school so my daughter at times walks to school with one of her friends of the same age. Usually the school route is very busy and I am more than happy for her to travel with someone. I see nothing wrong with this.

I am teaching here in Brisbane and did my B.ed in the UK. It did take a few months for my qualifications and teaching experience to get recognised. In relation to my teaching experience I had to get a letter/record of employment from my last UK employer detailing how many years I had worked within the department, how many days absence/ leave I had taken and my hours of work.I had to send this to the department of education here and within a few weeks my correct status was reflected in my pay. I initially registered for relief work, getting on average 4 days per week. Good luck with the move.

Love"a new life in oz"much prefer watching those who have made the move too. Unfortunately only two shows were put onto you tube so I can't get to watch the rest of the series.

I am sure they will be thrilled to have you back home, if you hadn't tried it you would have always wondered what your life would have been in Australia. Good luck with the move back.

yep I can relate to you with the teaching registration....it was such a piano to get all the documents certified time and again, as well as tracking down my teaching prac transcripts from my old university, well worth it now though. Been here 4 years now and enjoy teaching here.

we came over 4 years ago on 457 to Queensland. As was mentioned above, if you intend to go to a state school then there are no fees just the payments for books, writing tools etc. There are lots of private schools which are quite reasonably priced too. We opted to send our two children to state primary school but will send them to a private high school.

defo bring jackets for winter, it does get cold. Houses aren't as insulated as houses in the uk so unless you have costly reverse cycle air-con or a wood burner you will need to layer up in the evenings. I couldn't believe that I would be using my duvet but I do!

loved reading your post Daffodil,. Like you I still miss beautiful Wales and all those fundamentals you mentioned in your post, but have only been in Australia for 4 years. It's good to know you can change your mindset if you really want to, it is going to be vastly different to life back home but like you said it is about appreciating the good things. Good luck to you and your family.

and living down the road from me :biglaugh:

and living down the street from me :biglaugh:

Hi, we moved over from "sunny Wales" nearly 4 years ago. As Neil said get some of the practicalities out of the way such as medicare, tax file number, centrelink, bank account. so you can start enjoying it here. My husband started working about 3 weeks after his arrival and I found joining several mums groups made it easier for me to settle in. The home sickness kicked in at around 3 months but from speaking to friends is very common. Hope it all goes well for you and that you enjoy your new life here!!!!:cool:

We had the same dilemma when we first moved over with job offers in Perth and Brisbane. We went for Brisbane for many of the reasons mentioned by others on this post and have not regretted it, its a great lifestyle for us and our two young children. I haven't been to Perth and so can't comment, I have heard it is very beautiful but isolated. We do see lots of geckos, spiders and creepy crawlies, not sure how that compares to Perth, although when hubby worked over there on one site he did comment on there being far more flies during particular times of the year. I suppose you have to weigh up what needs you have for your family in terms of entertainment/lifestyle etc Hope you get lots more advice to help with your decision.

I think ( although not certain) that Strathpine would be a better option- I live in Eatons hill and can get to the station in around 10 mins and the traffic always seems less busier going in that direction than anything moving south.

Hi Lyndalou74, Welcome to the area, we have been here two years now and love it. One of our friends also does family day care and she always seems fully booked so you should have no trouble once you get your name out there. I am also a qualified teacher and have been working here the last 18 months. In the meantime if you wanted to meet for a coffee and a chat pm me and a few of us could arrange something.I Hope you will be very happy in Eatons Hill.

We bought a new 3 piece suite two months before coming over along with several other household items bikes etc...we just claimed they were older and that we didn't have the receipts. This was accepted. Just make sure you remove all packaging and it should be fine.

Hi Kay, I had been teaching in the UK for 14 years but still had to go through the registration process. I did my registration over here only because our move was very short notice and did not have time to look into it whilst still in the UK so I am not sure if you can do it from abroad, I think I had to have proof of an Australian address, I could be imagining that though, we have had to do so much paper work since being here I forget what was for what. I think the further away you are from the city areas the easier it is to find work but I am talking about out in the in rural areas. I live around 40 mins from Brisbane CBD and full time teaching jobs are not easy to come by, I've travelled a further 40 mins away for relief work and even these schools tend to have long established teaching staff and not many vacancies, I think this may be due to the recent cuts in public sector jobs here in Queensland.

I work in Queensland on a relief basis. I too obtained AITSL whilst in the UK but still needed to register with QCT (Queensland College of Teachers) whilst over her which took 2 months as you have to produce all your teaching practice documentation, etc etc and priority is given to registering those who trained here first then those with mutual recognition i.e teachers who have taught in a different state who want to register in queensland. I would be very surprised if you manage to secure a full time position in such a short period of time, I work in the primary sector and although relief pay is good you have to take into account quiet periods ie beginning of term and the fact that for 12 weeks holiday you will get no pay. To teach in a catholic school you will need to then register with the catholic education sector after obtaining your QCT status. Hope this helps.

Many people say you should give it two years but I think if you haven't warmed to it within 10 months that's long enough to stay. You are lucky that both of you want to go back to the UK and it's not just one of you...that's when it get's difficult. Also it is probably best to go before your child starts school as returning to the UK school system can pose peoblems due to the late starting age over here. I wish you all the best, enjoy your first glass of vino in the pub and don't look back.

Pay in the urban areas is much the same as the Uk, there are good schools and many bad ones too. You are in a good position as your partner has been offered a job, it is quite difficult to break into education over here if you are from overseas.

I totally understand your homesickness. We have been here just over a year now and even though I am much more settled I still get my days when I feel really low. To be honest it took a good nine months before I began to feel like this was the right move for us. I to gave up a job in the UK, and spent most of the first year here settling our children into their new environment, I understand where you are coming from when you say relying on your partner is adding to your frustration. Even though it is a partnership, going from providing an income for your lifestyle to not having a job can be tough. I am sure something will turn up, but as "Rupert" has stated it would be better if you could get onto the 457 visa as it will look to employers that you are intending on being here for a good number of years. In regards to missing home I don't think that will ever totally go away, in my experience it just gets easier with time. See how you feel towards the end of the year, this does not have to be a forever move, and you should feel no shame if it's not for you. Good luck, and hope things turn a corner for you soon.

Good for you Missus B, I really hope things work out for you and that you will be back on your feet quickly. It must have been a difficult move, coming over on your own and I totally get that it would have been lonely in your situation, most of the people I have met have been through my children, I wonder how I would have coped in your shoes. All the best on your journey home, I hope you have some good memories to take back with you.

Our ENS PR took just over 6 weeks, that was before all the changes in July so I am not sure if they have changed things since then.

Apart from family and friends I miss the seasons, although from what relatives have been saying their seasons back in the uk have all been the same this year...wet! I do miss the cold crisp mornings and the autumn trees. I also miss the freedom to walk in the countryside without having to worry about snakes etc. On a selfish note I miss the variety of food in the supermarkets back home... ....and yes dentists back home!

It took around 3 months for us

Hi tfarrell, Ive been over here for eight months now and those feelings can still come over me out of no where and to be wuite blunt it certainly gets worse around that time of the month, could quite literally jump onto a plane then. And although I don't think those feelings of missing your family will ever go away it does ease with time. I really hope the job situation sorts itself out as I can imagine that is a major cause of your stress at the moment, and limits how settled you can really feel at the moment. I really do believe I have to give it at least two years here before I up and leave. Hope everything works out for you!