rosiew

If they are truly prize winnings, then they are not taxable anyway

You could also look at http://www.purplebricks.com.au who charge a set fee but do the photos, internet listings, floorplans etc for you. That could be the happy medium

You should get your Vitamin D checked and supplement as necessary as they think it may have a link to MS as well. It's also really bad for your bones to be short of Vitamin D. The supplements are easy and effective in quickly rebuilding your stores.

It is unlikely that you were immunized against chicken pox as a child. It might be simpler to simply have all 3 injections and move on.

Do you know that if you can show about 70000 pounds in savings you do not need to be employed? If you own a property here you may have that in house equity. Obviously that is not going to work for everyone but if you have owned a house in Sydney or Melbourne for a few years it might apply to you.

In case anyone misses Lakeland products, I noticed that the Good Guys are now selling Lakeland products on line and in some stores.

You can find rooms to rent on www.flatshare.com.au or www.gumtree.com.au and don't forget air BnB which is huge here

NSW no longer sponsors visas for primary school teachers as the profession is very over subscribed. You will be arriving mid year so hopefully you can pick up some supply work to gain some local experience before recruiting for 2018 starts in earnest in about October 2017. There is a degree of luck involved and you may have an opportunity to impress a school whilst doing supply work which might lead to a longer term contract. Sydney is is one of the world's most expensive cities so make sure you have funds behind you and polish up polish up any other skills you have. The good news is that unemployment is relatively lower in Sydney. Have a look around the forum for suggestions of lower priced areas to live and work which will make the move less stressful financially. i hate to sound so negative but the competition is fierce both from new arrivals and the thousands of unemployed teaching graduates - be ready to hit the ground running. Hopefully the excitement of the adventure will outweigh that initial uncertainty when you arrive.

What type of visa are you coming on?

Does anyone actually ask your visa status when you apply for credit or insurance? I don't remember ever being asked

You might also want to check how it might or might not affect any required medical insurance as a pre-existing condition.

Just re-reading your post, catholic schools have no obligation to enrol anyone and will only take you with space. You can adjust the Melbourne school zones site to show catholic schools and I'd be getting onto that now. There is often no enrolment fee and you may want to have a couple of contenders in the area!

There are class size limits in Victoria. The schools have enrolment ceilings and do not have to take your child if they are full. That is a rare event though and more likely to occur in areas with alternatives close by. For example where I live just beyond Melbourne the school nearest to new housing is full and new students are directed to a larger school close by. I'd be making the calls now for the schools in the areas near where you plan to live to give you an idea. Go to wwww.melbourneschoolzones.com.au and adjust the filters to select primary or secondary. The maps on that site will show you the closest schools. Many schools do not need to strictly enforce zones and it is not the issue that it is in many parts of the UK. Melbourne from Christmas to mid January can be a bit like Paris in August and you will find it challenging to get some things organised. best to make your enquiries now as the end of the school year is a very busy time for schools.

Debenhams opens in Collins Street shortly so if you are lucky, they will also stock it

I agree with all of those. The reason I specified Ringwood itself was for the Ringwood High school zone. But that is a few years off yet. The suburbs above are all greener. If you are concerned about bushfires 9as some newcomers are) you might be a little wary of some the more bushy parts of Warrandyte - but it is a diverse place.

I think whatever offer you decide to make you should make sure it is in writing - if you make a serious offer in writing he really should put it to the vendor. The vendor would like to know!

Have a look at Ringwood and surrounds. Excellent schools, nice streets, great shopping and transport links. Established suburb so all of the infrastructure is there. About 30 mins to the city by train. Freeway straight down to Frankston and beyond for the beach in about 30 mins

The OP seems to be in WA where as I understand it, prices are falling so he is in with a shot

That's a very good point as Melbourne is experiencing very strong interstate migration too. Part of the problem is when we make attempts to work on the infrastructure the whining never stops about those delays either....

If you are lucky enough to live here in Victoria you can - Ferguson Plarre sell Cheese and Onion pasties!

What I suspect Quoll is trying to do is NOT give you false hope that there is a way around this. You require the same qualifications to teach in any school - unlike the UK. I know you feel like you are banging your head against the wall, and I hope you can resolve it quickly.

There is growing pressure in the media from the nurses union to stop 457 visas being given to nurses when Australian graduates are struggling to find placement after graduation. Anyone planning on that route may be advised to get a wriggle on.

Anyone thinking of moving to Australia as a solicitor should make some in depth enquiries of recruitment agencies and the various law societies to check out the actual level of demand for any lawyers - let alone foreign trained ones. You could also look on http://www.seek.com.au which has pretty much all of the vacancies. There are a lot of lawyers looking for work in Australia and thousands of graduates in the pipeline. Many of the large firms here have merged with, or have a relationship with, international firms who are looking to circulate their staff through the Australian offices. It would be good if some people who have made the move could share their stories so that people have an idea of whether their move to Australia will be at the cost of their career - and whether some states are better than others.

It also concerns me that people say "Oh well, I am prepared to look at private schools" as though it is easier to get a job in a private school. In my experience there is just as much competition for those places - if not more.

My husband is the emigrant so I can relate to the issue and help with what NOT to do. When you leave the UK before you are a parent yourself I think you never truly empathize with what your parents feel. You are off on an exciting adventure and you do not have a grip on the depth of their feelings. I think it is important to be honest about how you feel without going over the top into the guilt. It will not stop him going but it will made things hard between you. I know that my mother in law in the UK was never honest about her feelings and this meant that for 30 years it has become apparent through spiteful outbursts at certain times which have done nothing to foster a healthy relationship with her son. I think it will be very difficult when she dies as there will be unresolved tension and guilt between them will likely manifest itself when it is too late to do anything about it. So be supportive and encouraging but it is Ok to be honest that it feels a bit like a bereavement but that you know it is not. Time does help but as the other posters have said, concentrate on the positive things in your life and don't let this eat you up. Hopefully your son will thrive here and be able to afford to bring you over from time to time. Particularly if you buy the tickets in the UK it is not TOO expensive with free accommodation at this end. Best of luck.