cronemeister

Hi I have been living and working in Australia on a 457 Visa for the past 2½ years. My wife and children have had to return to the UK for medical reasons and I will be following them in a few months. The company I work for are looking into the possibility of me continuing my employment with them and doing my work remotely from back in the UK. I wanted to ask if anyone knows whether or not this can be done and what considerations need to be looked at mainly from a tax aspect but also things such as the additional contributions that make up my salary like my super, whether I get paid in $$$'s into my Oz bank account or to my UK bank account. Would I be classed as employed in the UK or would I have to register as self employed etc ? If anyone has any links to any information I can find out that would be great or know of anyone else that has done or is doing this and how it's all done. I've got just over 3 months left until my 457 expires but we've both (my employer and I) agreed that if we can sort something out that we'll review it in 6 months and if it's not working we'll have to go our separate ways unfortunately...at least it gives me 6 months back in the UK to get something lined up etc whist still earning a crust :-) Thanks in advance guys.

Wow, that is a crazy bit of legislation. Can anyone please recommend some companies for me to try for quotes that people on here have used in the past. We may need to ship our dog back to the UK soon (from Victoria, 3hrs east of Melbourne). Also do they need all of the jabs and gap inbetween jabs before flying (think we had to wait 6 months between rabies jab and him being able to fly out here 3 years ago). Any other advice or considerations I need to be aware of would be most helpful and appreciated. I've had one quote, I won't name the company....yet but it was $5200. :unsure: Thanks in advance.

Thanks for your replies guys, does this just apply to Australian citizens....or is it for everyone ?

Or just pay for a bigger data allowance on your broadband and download stuff like I do. Before I moved out here I had TB's worth of stuff that we never got time to watch cos the missus was to busy watching graham norton, how clean is your house and every cooking and diet documentary ever shown on TV ! We haven't got foxtel so it gives us chance to watch loads of stuff we've been wanting to for ages. I can watch my team (NUFC) on a website I subscribe to so everyone's happy ! Don't really miss UK tv, like I said we can download most of the things we used to watch anyways....and there's alwas youtube as well !

Hi Just wondering if anyone knows the rules with regards to flying within australia on a UK Passport. We've been in Oz for just over a year now (Victoria) and we are looking to fly up to the Gold Coast from Melbourne in a couple of weeks, but have just noticed that our childrens passports expire a week before we want to travel and we won't have time to renew them. Will we need our passports for interstate flights, or do we just need photo ID ? Thanks.

You should absolutely ask the question in my opinion. Moving to the other side of the world is a big commitment from a personal and financial point of view. You need to make sure that it is going to be the right move for you and that you are going to be able to stay assuming you like it and want to of course. i don't think anyone would think anything of it if you asked the question. All you need to know are what are your options etc. im here on a 457 and came with my missus 2 kids and a dog, and our house contents. The exec for our section has already spoken to me about converting my visa to a permanent residency one which would tie me to the company for 2 years. The only reason they do the 457 visa is cos its quick for them, and cheap and gives them the chance to make sure they are employing the right person etc. You may find it the same for the company you are going for the job with. good luck !

I certainly wasn't expecting the guys to unpack our boxes and put stuff in wardrobes and cupboards and drawers for us. What I was expecting, and what I thought I had paid for was for our furniture (mainly bedroom) to be put into the correct rooms, it was all clearly labelled up at the UK end so easy to direct to the correct room here. I would have then expected clothes etc to simply be emptied out of boxes onto the beds, tv's put on the units and anything else we didn't have an immediate home for to just be left in the boxes and they were supposed to come back and collect any boxes etc that were left unpacked at our request. None of this was mentioned to my partner, and yes she could have asked at the time, but as I mentioned earlier, we had just moved into the house that day, had brought some cupboard stuff and clothes etc from the furnished rental that we were in previously so she was busy putting this stuff away. Yes I could have and probably should have taken the day off work, but having only been here 3 months I don't have many hols, and needed to keep what I do have to have a couple of days off over the festive period with the other half of my family that I hadn't seen for 3 months, whilst also keeping as many possible for when family and friends visit later in the year, but in all fairness that was the whole point of me paying for this service in the first place. Friends of ours here had theirs delivered (lady at home whilst hubby out at work), he came home to find all their stuff from England assembled and in the correct rooms and everything pretty much in its place. That's what I thought I had paid for, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a reimbursement for the parts of the service I have not received through no fault of my own. Unlike other things, like car servicing, decorators, gardeners etc etc where you pay after the work is done, the removal and shipping service is all paid for up front. If you pay someone to service your car up front or decorate your house, and they miss a few bits off, or don't paint a couple of rooms and you've paid up front, you would either point it out and get them to rectify the problem, or ask for a refund. As I can't ask them to come back and unpack and put stuff where its meant to go, because I've had to do it myself, my only course of action is to request a reimbursement. I've just looked at my invoice again and it was £2600 which is just over $4000 so not the $5000 I initially thought, that was for the Dog we shipped as well...bloody expensive business this...thank heavens for Salary Sacrifice that's all I can say! So based on that, how much do people reckon they would charge if you were paying them to deliver goods 280km to your door, unload a truck, unwrap, assemble and unpack stuff onto flat surfaces and take all of the wrapping and packaging away ? I reckon it would have taken them a good 4-5 hours at the very least to do all that once they were here !

I'll try and answer as many questions people have asked as possible. We have about 500cu/ft of stuff, which came groupage from Newcastle UK to our new home 3 hours East of Melbourne. All of our stuff was packaged up in the rooms the stuff was in and clearly labelled on the boxes as to which rooms the stuff was from, this was to make it easy for the stuff to go back into the rooms they needed to go into here in Oz. I was at work when the stuff arrived and the missus was at home, and we had literally moved in that day (were in a furnished rental prior to this). Had I been here I would have asked the question about stuff being unpacked etc, but my missus wasn't quite sure, and the guys seemed to be in a bit of a rush to get off (possibly the 3 hour drive back West)! I have spoke to the shipping company and they have admitted that it was their error as the guys that came had not long been with the company and this was the first international delivery they had done so weren't quite aware of how the company worked. Still doesn't explain if they had a job ticket telling them what to do why they didn't do it, but they've apologised and admitted it was their fault that I haven't had the service I paid for. Will let you know how i get on !

Hi, the shipping company I used delivered my furniture a couple of weeks ago, but just literally dropped it off at the house (about 80 packages in total). They were supposed to unwrap, assemble basic furniture and unpack items onto flat surfaces and take all of the packaging and wrapping materials away. So bascially I've only paid for them to deliver the stuff and nothing else. I've got someone from the shipping company calling me back next weds, and based on the fact that I paid getting on for $5000 for a door to door packing and unpacking service I don't think its unreasonable to be reimbursed for the elements of the service I have not received. Just wondering what people think would be a reasonable amount for me to ask for. Has anyone else had similar experience ? Thanks.

If you haven't got much money for things when you get here, and you can afford to ship as much as you can then do it. We sold out living room furniture prior to coming out here and after being here for 3 and a half months we still have no furniture. Luckily we shipped our beds and bedroom furniture so we're living in our bedroom at the mo. I guess it depends where you are moving to as well. We are 3 hours from Melbourne (to the East) and can't seem to find any furniture we want on ebay/gumtree etc etc, and can't afford to go out and buy new stuff at the mo due to just me working. We are so wishing we'd paid the extra £1500 to ship our living room furniture now! I would have also started sorting stuff out earlier...it takes longer than you think to sell stuff/de-clutter etc. It doesn't help when you're decorating your whole house prior to renting it out either I guess...but we're here and loving it and don't regret the move one bit.

Hi All Haven't been on here much since arriving so just thought I would drop in with an update for anyone interested in reading it. Well I've been here 3 months now and have to say that things seem to be working out pretty well. Had a bit of a wobble before coming out here to Oz when the missus said she couldn't do it, but eventually talked her round and she arrived 2 weeks ago - she stayed back cos our dog couldn't fly till the end of Oct....she'd rather be without me than the dog !! So I arrived with our son (10) early september and started work a week later, my son also started school then. The first couple of weeks were quite tough as we were in a motel that work paid for to give us time to get a rental sorted out which we eventually did. We took a 3 month rental which was furnished and had no trouble getting it. Moving into our own place was a massive help, as prior to that we were living out of suitcases and eating out/takeaways and couldn't do any grocery shopping really. We have moved to a lovely corner of Victoria about 3 hours east of Melbourne called Bairnsdale - at least thats where I work, we are currently living in Payensville but due to move in 2 weeks. A lot of you may or may not have heard of the place, but its quite out in the sticks but a lovely place, and there are so many wonderful places which are easily accessible from here. My first month or so here was bizarre, and quite difficult, especially as I was away from the missus and our daughter (13). It seemed to take forever to get sorted with internet/phone and home and mobile etc so contact with back home was sporadic (mainly at work where I had wi-fi) which didn't help things much, but once contact had been established with the outside world again via the internet, feelings of normality started flooding back thankfully !! Its not much fun turning up at your new rental house on day one at 5pm when it's dark to find that the electricity hasn't been turned on when it should have been and the sim card you have in your phone has no-signal where you are....all part of the adventure I suppose. So fast forward a little bit, and the missus is now here with our daughter who started her new school here yesterday. My kids love it here, they love school, they love the place and they love the weather......they have really surprised us !! They didn't have loads of friends back home, but the ones they had were good close friends, and they and my OH are very close to her side of the family...as am I (my side is a bit dis-jointed), already my two children seem to be forming a better bond between them (they have a typical brother sister relationship), but you can see signs of small changes already which is very pleasing. What is more pleasing is how my missus feels. She has left behind her best friend who she has known since they were 4 years old, and after initially not wanting to come out here, she appears to be loving it already. The drive home from Melbourne she says felt very familiar and a lot of the scenery on the way reminded her of the nicer parts of North East England where we came from. She loves animals and nature and stuff like that so it made her really happy and content to see so many animals on the drive home etc...I know it sounds daft, but those types of things make her happy. She loves the beach and the water, and we have already found what she describes as the best beach she has ever seen in her life so she is very happy at the moment. She doesn't miss anything about home, obviously she misses not being able to pop and see her friends and her parents etc, but not to the point where its affecting her or making her wonder if this was the right thing to do. Facetime is a wonderful thing, and we speak to people back home quite regularly which is great for us, and especially the kids. We are due to move house in less than 2 weeks which will also be a massive step and help for us, as our furniture and stuff will be arriving at our new house from the UK, so the kids will have their TV's and games consoles back etc, Daddy will have his PS3 and surround sound system and hard drives etc for watching movies again so that is going to be great....not to mention our lovely bed. We've managed to secure a lovely 4 bedroom home and have signed up for a year and done it privately with the owner direct to reduce the rental rate which suits both parties. We have the option to extend for a 2nd year also if we want it....which we more than likely will. Do I miss the UK? In some ways yes, and in some ways no. I'm finding it very hard to get into the Christmas spirit at the moment. It's a bit surreal, walking back home of a night after you've just been swimming with the kids in the lake to cool down and walking past houses with Christmas lights, and stepping off the beach into supermarkets playing christmas music. We can't really afford christmas shopping this year as its cost us an arm and a leg to get out here and bring our dog and home contents and the christmas shopping always gets me in the spirit so I miss that, but I'm sure next year we will be sorted and be able to get the christmas shopping done early to help get in the mood, but it'll still be weird. In a funny way I miss the cold and the snow and all that christmas time used to bring us, but some of those things we can still have here...just not with cold weather...or M&S food :-( We have said we will give it 2 years here to give us plenty time to settle and decide whether we made the right move or not. My partner will hopefully find work in the new year once the kids go back to school. My job is great, the place I work at is great and the people are also great so I've hit the jackpot there I reckon. Once the missus starts work we can start paying off the little bit of debt we have left back in the UK that the rental income from our home in the UK is covering (credit cards, next, overdraft...usual stuff!!), so once that's cleared off we can start saving either for flights back to the UK for holidays, or for holidays here. One thing is for sure though, even if we do head back to the UK after 2 years, we will be in a better financial position than when we left, and we will have had one hell of a holiday here in Oz...a long one at that, but early signs are looking good and everyone seems happy enough. Good luck to all of you who are heading out here to Oz, despite some of the things you read on here it really does offer a lot and you will adjust and get used to things over time. It's horses for courses I know, but you gotta give these things a go sometimes. It doesn't make you a bad person if you decide it's not for you and head back to the UK. I will try and drop in again soon with another update but if anyone has any questions I'll happily reply with pleasure.

Hi I've been on oz for just over 2 months now and my other half and daughter are due to fly out next week to join me. We shipped our home contents over with Doree bonner and they are due here in a few weeks but my partner has bought loads of clothes and other stuff back home that she can't bring with her in her luggage as emirates are only giving my missus and daughter 30kg each. Does anyone know a cheap way to send maybe a 30kg-50kg box of stuff out here from the UK to where we are in Victoria? Thanks.

Well having been in Oz for just over 2 months now I can honestly there are things I miss more than what you've put - food wise at least anyways ! Sauages I find no different to back home - I prefer pork to beef. Beef is for burgers in my book! Bacon here is nice too, looks a bit anaemic (spell?) but i guess thats cos it doesnt have **** loads of dye injected into it like back in the uk to make it bright red - made a cooked english brekkie for me and my son on Melbourne Cup morning..no different to back home. Local place in town does good kebabs - chips with chicken salt as well has to be one of my favourite finds here ! As for curries, you want a decent curry, you're better off making ya own - at least that way it wont be swimming in grease and fat. Links below for one of my faves that I've made since I've been here. Ingredients here are a lot nicer and fresher I find but depends where you go I suppose. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/thaistylechickencurr_86976 Chocolate does taste awful over here, although i find some better than others. I've never been a massive chocolate fan anyways so i'll cope.

I've found varying different things in the short time that I have been here (4 weeks). I'm out in the sticks a bit so things maybe marginally cheaper than closer to and in the city's but here's a few prices of things I can reel off the top of my head:- Loaf of bread $3 Milk $3 (think its a 2 litre bottle) Chicken breasts (pack of 10) $9 Apples $4 per kg Bananas $4 per kg Mushrooms (600g) $4 Beer is expensive, you'll pay between $5 and $7 I would say for VB or Carlton, imported beers a bit more. I had a couple of bottles of Duval (Belgian) in a local wine bar the other night and they were $9.50 a shot. Fortunately they're 8.5% so you can't have too many even if you wanted to. Haven't really ate out much but the few places I've been here are my findings:- McDonalds meal (large) - $8-$10 Kebab and chips - $10 Pizza's (takeway) - $8 - $15 depending on size Fuel is cheaper - $1.40 per litre for unleaded and diesel, and about .70c for LPG Internet is expensive out here in the sticks, but if you're in a metro area its a lot cheaper. I'm currently paying $80pm for home phone and broadband with a 5gb data limit (upto 20mbps). I can upgrade to 200mb data limit once I get some sort of credit rating for about another $20, but in the metro areas its a lot cheaper....and you can get naked broadband also. Overally I find that things even out. I'm paying $1300 per month rent for a lovely 3 bedroom home (furnished) which I was lucky to get. My mortgage back in England was £150 per month but that was interest only so that's been a big jump for me. My salary is £10k more than I was on back in England, but that's just my starting salary and my missus will be working when she gets out here whereas she wasn't back in England (having a year out after finishing Uni), so we will be miles better off financially anyways so its horses for courses really. What I will probably find being out in the sticks here is that I don't spend as much money socially, there are virtually no pubs so to speak where I am whereas back in Newcastle I would go out once or twice a month but things will balance out I guess. Hope I've helped in some way ! I'll try and put some more prices up here as time goes on !

Well I've sold my car today...woooo hoooo ! Thank heavens as well cos I'm flying out to Oz on Monday and the shippers are coming this friday (kinda needed to sell the car to pay for the shippers!) Now to finish off sorting the house out, and then my hard drives so I've got stuff to watch on the plane and for when I get there !

I have a 7 hour layover on my flight. I've heard there is a free city tour bus thing if your layover is more than 4 hours....not sure if this is right though !! Really looking forward to the flight to be honest, and my little boy will be in heaven on the top deck of an A380.

Ok people...after a wee bit of help please if anyone can oblige. I've got the shippers coming on Friday to pack our things. Can anyone please tell me what I need to make sure is very clean and smelling of Jeyes ? Is it just outdoor stuff that we are taking, like tools (only a few), shoes etc. Or do we need to wash gym bags etc, trainers that have been worn in the gym ? I'm also taking my golf clubs, bag and trolley and shoes. I'm guessing these will need thoroughly cleaned and all jeye'd up ?? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Yeah saw the friend request. Looking forward to posting some updates of our adventure once we finally get there. One week to go !!! My missus will have arrived by the time you both arrive so we'll definately have to meet up for a beer or summit. Is there just the two of you or do you have children also ? What line of work are you in and I'll keep my eye out for ya when I'm there. I'm going to be working for the local water company out there on a 457 Visa. My missus will be looking for work once she arrives, she has just finished Uni and got her Psychology Degree so she's hoping to get into something along those lines ! Don't do what we've done and think you've got loads of time before you go cos it will fly over. Start doing stuff now. I haven't even got suitcases yet and my car has still not sold ! Shippers are coming on Friday and I need to sell my car to pay for the shippers....yikes !!

Hi Well I have recently left my local government job here in the UK (voluntary redundancy) to pursue a move to Oz. A mate of mine worked there last year but left and I applied for his job and got it and am moving out there on a 457 visa in 10 days time. My background in local government initially was GIS which then evolved into a Business Analyst Role, working with 3rd party suppliers, internal business departments and IT to develop, and implement mobile working initiatives and business process re-engineering. So I am going back to my GIS background in my new job although they use a different software package, they are all fundamentally the same really, however having scoured the job market since I left my local government job, it is clear the direction that GIS is moving in, which is something that I am hoping to hone my skills towards whilst in my new job. Web/server based GIS and cloud technology seem to be the way things are going now so I am going to have to get into learning something from the following asp.net, c#, java, ajax in order to pursue this area a lot more in the future. I have some basic knowledge of SQL and did VB at college years ago so I'm hoping that my ability to pick things up quickly and being fairly technical minded anyway will stand me in good stead ! Working for a Utility company will give me the ability to use GIS to its full potential rather than for just printing off maps which I was used to doing. The salary I'm starting on isn't fantastic by comparison to what can be achieved, but its £10k more than I was on here in the UK and that is just my starting salary so hopefully the only way is up, and I can prove to be a real asset to the company so that they sponsor me and my family permanently. I've got 2 months before my missus joins me in Oz, so I'll have plenty evenings free (saving cash) where I can sit down and start working through some ebooks I've downloaded on the some of the above mentioned languages. I'm under no illusions though that I am going to have to work my ass off to get anywhere. The main difference I have been told between the UK and Oz is that if you put the effort in it is recognised and you will be rewarded, whereas back here in the UK that tends not to be the case. Whether that's strictly true or not I don't know and I'm sure it will be different for all parts of the two countries depending on who you are and what you do, but if it is true then hopefully this could be the start of bigger and better things for my family and I. That's my bit said anyway....hope it helps.

Just been through it all myself mate. Best bet is to tell the family first. Ours have been amazing in the help that they have given us since we told them....my in-laws mainly. Looking after the kids whilst getting the house re-decorated etc etc which has been a god send especially as its the 6 weeks and they're off school. Feel so horrible that we've done nothing with them, but we'll all be in Oz by the end of October and they will break up from Oz school at the end of Dec and have another 6 weeks off....and we'll have a whole other country to explore. My other bit of advice would be to do as much as you can as soon as you can so that you can enjoy the rest of your time in the UK with your OH. I fly a week on Monday with our son (10) and the missus and our daughter don't follow until the end of October and we've hardly seen nor spent any quality time together over the past 2 months. Oh, and enjoy it. You'll be surprised how quickly the time goes between now and when you go. Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

Well folks, its been a long hard 6 and a bit months since applying for the job in Australia that I was eventually offered and accepted, but I am now a mere 10 days away from embarking on the next chapter in my life. Shippers were booked yesterday, flights have been booked for a few weeks now and excitement is starting to build. Some of our lovely furniture was sold and picked up yesterday and me and the missus got a bit sad to see it go, but we know that it is the start of moving onto bigger and better things. Shed and loft cleared out today so we have a weekend of decluttering big style to do along with multiple trips to the tip to chuck stuff, and the in-laws to put stuff in their garage that we don't want to take (at the moment) and don't want to bin or sell. I am flying out with our son (10) on the 3rd Sept from Heathrow and start my new job the following week. The company I'm working for are putting us up in a motel for a couple of weeks to give me time to find accommodation. My missus and our daughter will arrive at the end of October once our dog can fly so its gonna be a hard couple of months without her (not being sarcastic !!). It will be fun just me and the boy though, and we are both really looking forward to it. Boy's school has already been sorted so he's taken care of, so just need to find out about after school stuff for him and me to do (play footie etc etc)...maybe get him to drive me round a golf course in a buggy..heh heh ! So that's my story in a nutshell basically. It doesn't come close to explaining the wave of emotions we've gone through over the weeks and months...but we are finally there and all the pieces have come together quite nicely ! Good luck to anyone else about to embark on this adventure, and thank you to each and every one of you that have helped me along the way on here....it really is a massive help and so nice to have people go out of their way to take the time to offer help/advice/support and very much appreciated. If anyone else is flying out of Heathrow @ 18:30 with Singapore (SQ319) on the 3rd of September then let me know...would be good to meet up with a fellow PIO'er and share stories etc etc over my last (for a long while) good old English beer !!!

Having to reduce the price for this for a quick sale. Now looking for offers around £7250 Anyone ????

Well we've decided on Doree Bonner and they were booked yesterday. Came in at £2500 for 425 cu/ft but I think we'll come in quite a bit under that as we will be leaving some stuff that they quoted for as my cousin is renting my house off me and they are moving from a furnished flat and have nowt of their own barely ! Doree Bonner have been great as we've left it so late in the day to make a decision and book - we're moving out of our house next Friday and they've squeezed us in, and they're even taking our stuff without us paying a penny as I need to sell my car to pay them, so it'll basically sit in storage (free) until its sold....hopefully before next Friday so storage won't be necessary and it can get straight onto the blue stuff and on its way ! Will post an update on the end experience once everything arrives....hopefully I'll be somewhere with internet connection by then !

Congrats mate. I'm heading out to East Gippsland to work for the water company out there a week on Monday ! I'll be working in Bairnsdale and hopefully living there, or in nearby Paynesville (depending on how quickly I can procure transport). I've been told its a beautiful part of the world and me and my little family are looking forward to it immensely ! Not a well known part of the country I don't think so quite freaky that someone else on here is heading there soon as well !! Maffra is about 60km away so not that far (if you've got transport I guess). Good luck to the both of you. PM me if you need any info and I'll try and help if I can !! I think the company I'm working for cover Maffra and have a depot out there I think so there's a fair chance I might be in the area at some point once I'm there !

Hi I'm moving to Oz in a few weeks and I have for sale my lovely Audi A3. I am based in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I have it for sale on ebay, gumtree and autotrader but here are some of the details:- Audi A3 Sportback 2.0L TDI (2006 plate) - 140bhp Just over 50,000 miles on the clock which is nothing for a 6 year old diesel car. Black metallic paintwork 3 spoke leather steering wheel Remote central locking (windows open/close with remote also) Driver/Front Passenger airbags Driver and passenger side airbag 6 speed gearbox Full Black fabric Interior with red and black check The headlining in the car is also black. Audi Symphony sound system with 6 disc cd changer Onboard computer Climate Control with quick demist/defrost windscreen feature Centre console armrest Courtesy lights underneath doors and in front footwells Courtesy lights behind door opener handles Audi TwinSky electric panoramic roof system (£1200 dealer extra) with sunblind to front panel Electric tinted heated wing mirrors Silver roof rails Front Fog spotlights Privacy glass to rear windows 18" Alloy wheels which have all had new tyres fitted. MOT until June 2013 Tax until Sept 2012 Service is due Full Audi Service history up until I bought it - my mate is a mechanic and serviced it for me last year. Minor defects Front centre armrest has a burn to the top of it from the cigarette lighter. My daughter thought it would be fun to burn it for some strange reason. Speaker grille cover on the rear n/s passenger door has a small hole in it. Both of these things have happened within the last few weeks. Rear bumper has some scuff/light scratches where stuff has knocked it going in and out of the boot. Most of the surface scratches you see were on the car when I got it but I just put it down to general wear and tear. The car comes with the private plate that I have on it. I'm looking for sensible offers in the region of £8000 for it. Thanks.