SydneyAnne

Happy to help you find short-term accommodation. A few questions: Do you have a location for employment as yet? A requirement for schools? Preferred lifestyle? Budget? Can often arrange corporate discounts. Cheers SydneyAnne (www.relocate-east.com.au)

Hi Roberts Clan – Just a quick note to mention there are other school options apart from the state school system (with its catchment areas) to choose from: there is also the Catholic (and other churches) system and the independent school system. These are less catchment area dependent (ie they take students from all over Sydney), although you still have the commute issue to deal with. Their fees might be on a similar par with the 457 visa. Look for rental property near workplaces perhaps, or good suburbs from which there is good transport to workplaces. Or look for suitable areas based on your preferred lifestyle – do you want to live within striking distance of the beach or mountains, for example? Happy to help identify the options. Cheers SydneyAnne (www.relocate-east.com.au)

Remember, of course, that there is a difference between the long-term rental and the short-term rental markets. They are very different beasts – the latter being much easier to track down. Yes, it is hard house hunting remotely over the internet when you are trying to navigate your way around a strange city with a very competitive rental property market. Which is why, if you don't have friends to stay with on arrival, the short-term rental market is worth considering until you find your feet. That way you don't have to add "homelessness" to the list of challenges you confront on landing in Sydney and you don't end up living in a suburb you hate during your often emotionally taxing first year away. SydneyAnne (www.relocate-east.com.au)

It might be useful to watch the Sydney Morning Herald – about this time every year since MySchool began they have been producing a league table of the top 50-odd primary schools based on the NAPLAN results which, as mentioned, have their critics. The table is not produced by the MySchool site, it is produced from independent analysis of the website's data by the Herald. Of course nothing beats visiting schools and talking to people connected with it when trying to find the right school "fit" for your child. That way you'll be able to see what it offers and what "extras" it has to attract you.

Hello. A schools league table comes out each year for the various primary schools across the state, giving each school's results in the national NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) tests. Children are tested in Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9. You can look at the website Myschool.edu.au to see how a particular school performs. Of course there is academic debate about how useful such results are, but people do pay a premium for housing in the catchment areas of state schools that perform particularly well. Two such schools in Sydney, for example, are Woollahra Public and Balmain Public. Private schools also do these tests, although their funding is not related to how well they perform – that's more down to parental pressure. The other option you have if you go private is whether to choose a single-sex school or co-ed. Boys schools tend to have a stronger sports focus, but not always. Sydney Grammar, a top-ranking and costly boys private school, is highly academic in its focus. Coogee Preparatory, as another boys' school example, also has a great reputation but is cheaper and more sports focused. Depending on your visa type of course, you could be paying fees for any school your children attend – from about $4500 for a local primary school to $19,000 a year for Kindy at Sydney Grammar. The school websites have all the information. Perhaps a good start point to identify suitable suburbs is to look at where your employment is situated and what the transport options are. I can help you this if it would help. Cheers, Anne (www.relocate-east.com.au)

Along a train line might be helpful transport-wise, but the bus system is pretty efficient. The CityRail Eastern Suburbs-Illawarra line travels close to the coast (from Bondi, through the CBD, down to Cronulla Beach), if you are beach-goers. Could be useful looking in suburbs around where you work (whereis.com.au will show the nearby suburbs). Perhaps you should consider arranging short-to-medium-term furnished accommodation for your arrival, then look at the suburb options with your family before you commit to one place. Loads of great choices, but housing is a significant cost. Might help to think about the kind of school you want the children to attend (the new school year starts end of January) as another point to start your suburb search. Three systems of education to choose from: the state system, the Catholic system, the independent system. Choice will depend on budget, education priorities (i.e. do you want a sport school or a more academic one?) and catchment area you move into. Happy to help further. Cheers, Anne (relocate-east.com.au)

Why not try Malabar as a place to live. It's lovely – has the feel of a quiet seaside town yet only about 20 minutes' drive to the CBD. Good choice of schools, good community spirit, gorgeous beach, close to Maroubra Junction shopping centre. Perhaps you should consider arranging short-to-medium-term furnished accommodation for your arrival so you can look at the suburb options before you commit to one place. Loads of great choices, but housing is a significant cost. Might help to think about the kind of school you want the children to attend (the new school year starts end of January) as another point to start your search. Three systems of education to choose from: the state system, the Catholic system, the independent system. Choice will depend on budget, education priorities (i.e. do you want a sport school or a more academic one?) and catchment area you move into. Happy to help further. Cheers, Anne (relocate-east.com.au)

Hi. A British friend of mine has got IT jobs in Sydney through an employment agency called Candle IT. That might help with the employment issue. Perhaps you should consider arranging short-to-medium-term furnished accommodation for your arrival so you can assess the employment situation, find a job, bring the family out, then look at the suburb options with your wife before you commit to one place. Loads of great choices, but housing is a significant cost. Might help to think about the kind of school you want the children to attend (the new school year starts end of January) as another point to start your suburb search. Three systems of education to choose from: the state system, the Catholic system, the independent system. Choice will depend on budget, education priorities (i.e. do you want a sport school or a more academic one?) and catchment area you move into. Happy to help further. Cheers, Anne (relocate-east.com.au)

Greetings from Sydney! Nothing like the beach lifestyle to burn off the vast amounts of energy small boys possess (I know, I have one) – so I'm sure you are heading in the right direction settling in the Northern Beaches. Perhaps it might give you more time to find your feet if you arranged short-to-medium-term furnished accommodation for your arrival so you can assess the beach suburbs yourselves before you commit to one place. Each of the suburbs has lovely areas so you won't go too far wrong in any of them. Might help to think about the kind of school you want the 5-year-old to attend (the new school year starts end of January) as another point to start your search: the state system, the Catholic system, the independent system. Choice will depend on budget, education priorities (i.e. do you want a sport school or a more academic one?) and catchment area you move into. Happy to help. Cheers, Anne (relocate-east.com.au)

Another great way to see Kuring-gai Chase National Park is from the water – catching the ferry from Palm Beach into Bobbin Head. There is time to eat at the cafe before the ferry returns to Palm Beach. Along the way you'll see the sea planes flying people into Pittwater from Rose Bay for lunch at the Cottage Point Inn. Journey is incredibly picturesque!

Hi Rich and Steph. If you fancy the Sutherland shire the CityRail train line you will be using is the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line, which runs roughly from Bondi (through the CBD) to Cronulla Beach and on to Wollongong. The suburbs along it don't take you too far from the coast if you are beach-goers. Perhaps another starting point in your search might be the sort of school you want your daughter to attend, and work from there. You probably know about the school system here but, if not, there are roughly 3 choices: state schools, Catholic schools and independent schools. Latter 2 are the harder ones to get into and more costly. Perhaps it might be useful to take a short-to-medium-term rental property when first arriving and have a good look around once you arrive in Sydney? Happy to help answer any further queries you might have. Cheers, Anne (relocate-east.com.au)