rosiew

I understand that those new houses in Epping look like a bargain. However, for better schools I would be looking at Thornbury, Northcote, Pascoe Vale South. If you go to http://www.melbourneschoolzones.com.au and set the filter for secondary schools you will see the catchments for Strathmore Secondary College and Northcote High School. The catchments are strictly enforced. Have a look at rentals in those zones on realestate.com.au - you can get the results displayed on a map. Also - has had already been said, look east to Rosanna, Heidelberg way and check for good schools. you can also check school rankings on http://www.betterschools.com.au Good luck!

There are several threads dealing with all of these issues. I suggest you use the search facility at the top right corner and look for "solicitor". You should find the answers you need there - it is not a rosy picture I'm afraid.

Just also bear in mind when considering regional areas that you need to consider the educational opportunities available for your own children.

Before you invest too much into this, just make sure you are fully aware of the employment prospects for primary teaching here. Whilst you have a lot of valuable experience you are also expensive. Many schools look to replace departing teachers with younger, cheaper teachers in order to balance budgets.

Yep - plain or chicken. On special this week...........

How about agreeing a timeframe - say 6 months? Take a look at 1 bed properties around areas like Brunswick/ Brunswick West, which rent from $250 - 300 a week. Approach agents and ask about a 6 month lease. Vacancies are reasonably high right now and that may be a possibility to get someone in and paying rent. Or move to a share house again where you will have more flexibility. Have a look at Readings window in Lygon Street for ads - or the noticeboards at Melbourne Uni Union HOuse If it is all still looking bad in 6 months then you will need to make a choice - and probably go back to a more familiar life in easy reach of the rest of the world. If your husband is willing, perhaps look at some counselling at Relationships Australia or similar so that you can make a plan - not only for these 6 months, but beyond. Good luck! He is probably a bit shell shocked and feeling very foreign right now in the unfamiliar world around him, so be kind to each other.

see below!

Sure doesn't sound like it. You know that you can benefit a lot from this forum, so I'd be accepting the advice and moving on, even when we have plainly touched a nerve. How about we move back to the original idea of this thread? I know that I am looking forward to your full report on what you found and your future plans after the trip.i

What we are trying to do is tell you that to sound credible, steer clear of "Mellie".....that's all.

Never!

Melbourne is over 100km wide. Perhaps you could tell people what's important to you in terms of location, what you want good access to, whether you are buying or renting and approx budget. Melbourne is bigger than greater London so you will appreciate there is a wide range of prices, house styles, access to beach, city or country feel etc. Collingwood is central so that is only a small factor. Presumably you are after a family house and access to good schools and transport but what else?

"static caravans" is an English expression which is why it is hard to Google in an Australian context. Try "on site caravans" and look for cabins in caravan parks. Many caravan parks have moved to install cabins for rental rather than caravans. On ebay you can often find caravans permanently in place in caravan parks that you buy from the owner and pay a site rental to keep it there. Many retirees own these as cheaper alternatives to holiday homes. Good luck!

Just correcting myself - looking at the map, most of Pascoe Vale is in the school zone. Pascoe Vale South is probably nicer, but more fashionable and popular so also more expensive. When you look at the map you will see a fair chunk of Coburg too - but it can be pricey. They are all established areas - many houses in Coburg/ Pascoe Vale South are 80 plus years old. There are also plenty of knock down/ rebuilds as well.

Strathmore has a strong reputation. People move there for the zone. You are zoned for the closest school and Pascoe vale is unlikely to have strathmore closest. There is a website called Melbourne school zones which has the maps. You simply use the filters to select primary or secondary. Strathmore would be strictly zoned. If you are looking out that way Keilor downs secondary has very good results at vce too. If he is working in Collingwood you can also explore areas on the eastern freeway corridor as it ends at Collingwood.

Just bear in mind that houses in Ringwood are going through the roof so factor that in to your balancing act.

In Melbourne a house renting for that would cost a lot. But then 100 suburbs in Melbourne have a median over $1 million. That's another factor to take into account when considering a move based on a low paying job.

sorry. I made the assumption based on the anticipated rent for your home.

You appear to be quite asset rich. Have you explored the various investor visas?

I've just checked and the first year award for a newly qualified plumber is around $800 per week so way under $55k I'm afraid

If you are determined to pursue this then check out that training provider. It is an organisation that only caters to overseas students. You should check with the Victorian Building Authority http://www.vba.vic.gov.au who deal with plumbing registrations to check that people who complete this course are able to be registered as plumbers.

Yes, it is the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In Australia around 30-40% of children attend private schools - either religious or independent. This is because the government contributes to the school funding making the fees so much lower. Right now, many private schools are advertising their known vacancies for next year. Of course as they fill the merry go round continues as people move. But most jobs are filled by November. There are not that many schools here that concentrate on senior school. It is usual for a school to teach Years 7- 12 and teaches work across the levels. You will find the type of jobs being advertised for next year at : http://www.mycareer.com.au http://www.seek.com.au http://www.independentschools.com.au The Victorian Government has a website to advertise jobs in state schools. Go to http://www.education.vic.gov.au to find the links and register. As people have said above some of these jobs are in fact contract renewals for existing teachers - so the 'job' may be in name only. But you can't tell so get used to applying just in case! The government jobs require you to address selection criteria and the norm is half to one page on each. Finally, go to http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au where you will find not only the curriculum, but also the VCE curriculum for Victoria which covers years 11 and 12. There are great resources there including past exams and examiners' reports so that you can impress with your knowledge. Most jobs in Victoria go to direct applicants rather than through agencies, so you will need to do your own leg work. Obviously agencies are great for supply work that may lead to a longer term role. Most schools rely on their own pool of supply teachers rather than paying agency fees.

Sorry - I see you are coming to Melbourne. Definite oversupply of supply teachers in a lot of areas. The full time positions for the following year start to be advertised in August (the 2017 ones are in the papers now). So if you arrive in July you maximise your chances for an ongoing position in 2018. If you arrive in November most jobs are filled and you are competing with the latest crop of (cheaper) graduates.

Your husband is a carpenter. Most Australians working in the building trade have a "shut down" for 2-3 weeks from Christmas to mid January which comes out of the holiday entitlement. That leaves a couple of weeks for the rest of the year (remembering that Australians only get 4 weeks annual leave). Whether or not he could take leave in November depends upon how much his new employer needs to employ him honestly. However, arriving in November is a risk because he may not get a job at all if no one is recruiting until mid January. Also, depending on what part of Australia you are heading to you may not be able to rely on a steady stream of supply work, so factor that into your costings. Australia has a huge oversupply of teaching graduates and there is competition for supply work. Again, arriving in November you would be unlikely to work at all until the new school year starts in Feb as most schools rely on senior teachers whose cohort has finished exams to cover absences in those last few weeks of the school year and do not need supply teachers. So you have a quandry! On balance, I'd say come in July as work prospects will be better. If you both need to work casually until November at least you will have an income.

Short term is definitely what you are after until you find out where the work is. If you can only find work in the eastern part of Melbourne you will be 2 hours from Torquay.

As you are looking to go to Torquay I would approach one of the several local real estate agents about your needs. They also let out holiday lets in the area and may be able to get you a longer term deal on one. As Torquay is a holiday town there is a lot of rental accommodation around before it is all booked for December/ January. If you google real estate agents Torquay you should get at least 3 to contact. They are usually helpful people.