Mizzmp

You don't have to have the label as far as I know but deffo get it! Makes life so much easier when doing things the other end so I hear. We sent ours special delivery to london, they came back in 3 days! You have to pay for postage there and back but well worth it.

Just wondered out of interest if anybody from the uk who suffers with IBS has felt alot better on aussie food? (obviously take aways not included lol)

Our furniture is too old to bother taking but we are going to get second hand furniture once we land as its cheaper than buying new. Hey, one spilt drink and the sofas old anyways. PSS were really expensive but we are using Doree Bonner when the time comes, £2200 for contents of 3 bed house apart from sofa, dining table and our double bed. Pickfords were very close on price but we chose Doree Bonner as preferred their agent who came. I would ship anything thats in good cond as it is expensive over there and you do have to wait for your stuff. Good luck!

Seen a thread on here this year somewhere, WA resident was charged $300 for ambo.

You cant leave it out as it will come up somewhere along the line and then you have lied. They ask for police clearance. They are fine with old trouble anyway as long as its not murder of course. Declare it and say it was 20 years ago with no dramas since.

We were advised to clean them up and then just before packing, spray with jeyes fluid. Apparently the smell is very strong so customs know you have made the effort. If theres any rust maybe spray with hammerite, altho i know thats not really possible with a trowel. My hubbys a bricklayer and thats wat we will do if ever the bloody house exchanges!

Totally depends on what lifestyle you want and what your skill is. I would look at doing working hol visa, you can have it for 12 mths then if in that 12 mths you do 3 mths seasonal work i.e. farm work, you can extend visa for a further 12 months. That gives you 2 years to check things out without major committment.

Whatever you do dont book the hilton! We went last year for hubby to do his practical and it was horrid! Got a good deal on the room and when we arrived it was just awful. Complained only to be told they are not "rectifying any damage due to the hotel having a refurb in the future" so unless its now been re-done, steer clear! Best bet is premier inn and then get a cab to the college.

The major job site is seek.com.au and theres mycareer.com.au however I don't think many plumbing jobs would be on there as most trade jobs are in local paper. All the plumbing and elec qualifications here don't match up over there anyway, you would have to do a course to get inline with how they work. Not sure on your age but if you're 18-30 your best bet is to go over on working hol visa and check things out from there.

I would make it a "joke" type one so it doesn't end up being a tear jerking event. Maybe "Thanks everyone for coming its great to see you all. Can't say I will really miss any of you but do feel free to visit and bring some decent teabags with you" Maybe let people know why you are going i.e "its not been an easy decision to move so far away however we believe its the right thing for us and we hope you can all be excited for us" Good luck!

Everyone says a different thing, they don't advertise online for bricklayers you need to look in the local papers. Generally you can ring them (once you have your ABN and whitecard) and if they give you a go, don't be surprised if they start you as a general dogs-body. They sometimes do this but once they know you can lay they move you up. Think they got fed up of people going over as foremen and expecting the same job over there.

Hi Jenny, well done on the job offer! Subiaco is VERY posh! Your wages should be good working there so rent shouldn't be too much of a prob. Have you looked at aussiemove.com? You can click on perth on the map then click put in Subiaco on the dropdown and get info on it plus a map of local areas. Also, realestate.com.au has all the rents available. It really depends on if its just you wanting a 1 bed flat or a family needing a bigger home. That area is very expensive but if you try innaloo or Scarborough they are cheaper yet still very affluent. You need to decide how long you would commute for and whether you want SOR or NOR (south of river or north of river).

Dont worry flo, they are soooooo laid back, don't forget us English expect things "now" and we are always under the rat race pressure. They wouldn't have put so much effort in so far if they didn't want to proceed plus they are obviously being cautious after the other person left. The visa ride is utter ball ache and you do feel like you wont ever get there but you will! Hang in there x

As far as I know they aren't legally allowed to take more than 3 months rent in advance which consists of 1 mth bond and 2 months upfront. Usually you put in your application with character ref, bank or landlord (or mortgage) ref and any letter from your employer. Im sure one of you will have found work by then. We are landing in the coming weeks but our friends landed December and found one no probs. You go to the open house, fill out the forms inc all your paperwork then they get back to you if you are successful. If you have 12 mths upfront I would pay the 3 mths then put the rest in a separate account for the direct debit so you know your rents always covered maybe. Good luck.

Perths heats dry which is easier to deal with. Yes its hot at times but your hair doesn't give Dianna Ross a run for her money and its not so sticky like in say Cyprus or Brisbane. You will get used to it for sure.

The whole "job" things a total load of ball ache. The gov say building is on the up, yes my hubby is a bricklayer and has work, you will be pleased to know every house (bar about 10) he has built in the last 24 months have been for DSS, i.e WE are paying THEIR rent (sorry to be blunt but its a fact). We need to build houses people will actually be paying for themselves through a mortgage. The gov keep saying there are jobs for everyone forgetting the fact that most are part time and for min wage which nobody can live on. The best part, if you are a family and you pay for childcare, you can whistle for tax credits after recent changes. I could continue but I would probably end up offending.

Problem is, more and more will keep going on benefits as there are less and less jobs. Some people do work for such a small wage they end up giving up and changing onto benefits. The only way forward is to possibly cut immigration (being VERY carefull what I say here) until the UK is back on its feet and try training the people we do have. I have always said anyone on benefits (unless disabled, elderly of course) should only be paid said benefit if they complete a certain amount of voluntary work each week. Sad to say nothing is likely to change tho. x

We got quotes from Doree Bonner, Anglo, PSS and Pickfords. Doree Bonner and Pickfords came out the same but we are using Doree, they have been so good to us as our exchange keeps being delayed so we keep changing the date. PSS were dead expensive. You can't pack anything yourself as they need to do it for insurance purposes, the package includes them coming in, packing, wrapping, shipping and then delivering to us in Oz. Also, Doree are unpacking our gear the other end AND taking away the rubbish, job done! We have a 3 bed house which we are taking everything apart from the sofa and our bed and its £2200 all in.

Best person is a solicitor, they charge between £5-£15 depending on the office but they do it there and then and its so much quicker. If you are using a police officer as the authorised person it will be one from the country you are in. Do you have any friends who could do it? Doctors, solicitors, social workers etc?

I think the Aussies have a totally different outlook on things. In the uk we cannot have "christmas" lights because they are "offensive" to certain people, they are called fairy lights (which could actually offend gays if you want to be smart about it). The whole of the UK has gone over the top on being PC and its suffocating. The aussies however don't mince their words, they say what they think. They aren't being particularly racist just very blunt, they don't get hung up like the UK and other countries. I do find they take you at face value and go on your personality rather than grouping people together. You will be fine.

Im 30 and I've worked since I was 12, never missed a day. What concerns me is that you work your butt off to pay for a house you're never in because your working, then when you finally pay it off, you either have to sell it to pay for someone to change your pants in old age or if you do avoid needing care, your kids will have 40% tax to pay in inheritance which you bloody earnt yourself paying tax along the way! Im on min wage at 30 doing 45 hours a week and struggling. When I was 19 I was on a much higher salary doing 37.5 hours a week! Also, it makes me sad to see so many people aged around 70 years old plus, still working. Saw an old boy in Wickes pushing a major hunk of tiles on a trolley and he was almost passing out whilst the young teen sat comfy on the cash desk! In my opinion, the old boy should be enjoying his garden not working, its plain wrong. Benefits have a time and a place but it does seem obvious too many have taken the p*** leaving tax payers to pick up the pieces. Blame also lies with the bankers and the stunts they have pulled tho. Rant complete.

Aussies tend to steer towards men, they can be quite "traditional" like that. What about hairdressing? Prob quicker than anything like accounts or nursing plus way cheaper! Also, its a way of earning while you learn and from home. Looking into it myself when I land. Most colleges do a range of courses from full time to evening. Maybe google your local college x

From what I remember, it took a week to get confirmation he passed, 2 weeks after that to get the hardcopy certificate (which you need as you have to upload it for SS). Once we had everything we went online and applied and SS WA and paid $220. They told us yes within a week. This was last year though and I have heard that they are taking around 4 weeks now. They are mega nice if you call them though, once you have applied, wait say 2 weeks then call them and ask if they know how long it will be. Once you have your ss from WA, you can apply for the visa. Really hard to say if you will be ready for July as im not sure on current timescales x

Have you looked into studying over in oz? I know its expensive but if you qualified there you can apply for visa onshore and possibly get employer sponsor as you would have the degree. Tricky to say as they change the skills list all the time. If I was to place a bet, i would go for a trade i.e carpentry as it will never be off the list. Do you think you could master it? Might actually be cheaper to do carpentry course in oz than a uni degree plus you can earn and learn. Good luck anyways, must be very annoying when you know where you belong.

My OH is a bricklayer and i think we put cv, skills cert, passport and ref from his current boss as an extra. We didnt need ILETS as applied last june. Good luck x