FHGC2013

Hi Chris, I'm really sorry about your experience, as panic attacks are really scary and have nothing to do with being a wimp. If you are still intent on moving out there, then you most likely will be fearing another attack and that fear can make things worse. If so, the reason for the panic attack is not important at the specific time that you are having the attack, as you will be focusing on the more immediate need to breathe (!). Have you investigated techniques to control panic attacks and fear generally, which can be very useful in the moment? NLP (Neuro linguistic programming) and hypnotherapy are really useful tools ( anywhere between 2 to 6 sessions is typical for most problems) to help you control your nerves and fear and are well worth a go. You can find all sorts of therapists near where you live online. It would be sad if fear stopped you from enjoying the experience of living abroad and these techniques may also help you to get to grips with the deeper issues that motivated the attack in the first place. All the best.

Hi. We are moving to Melbourne in November. OH's job will be based in Bundoora (RMIT), with a couple of days a week in the CBD. We are looking for somewhere to live that is within a 30-40 minute commute maximum from Bundoora and easily accessible for CBD. We have a 2-year old, so we are also after a suburb that is good for childcare and has good parks, playground/kiddies facilities and some cafes too. Unsure what the commuting options are to RMIT and particularly commuting times to Bundoora and CBD from the various suburbs around them. The closer you move to the CBD, the more expensive to rent too. Any suggestions for areas that would meet these requirements? Many thanks.

Hi all, We (me, OH and toddler) are very soon to go to Oz on a 457 visa. We were about to open an account with Westpac, only to be told that, because we are on a 457 and in serviced accommodation for the first couple of months, we won't be issued with bank cards (either debit cards or credit cards until we have a permanent address in Oz). This will leave us unable to access our money from ATMs throughout this time. This is despite being able to prove that we have a permanent work contract and a significant monthly salary and despite being told at the Migration show we attended in the UK that this would not happen. Same story with NAB. I can sort of understand the rationale for credit cards in case you leave OZ with unpaid bills, but for debit cards used to withdraw money out of your own account?!?! Then the story changes each time you speak to a different bank rep. All we want is to be issued with at least debit cards as soon as we arrive so we can access our money at our convenience and for written confirmation of that being the case to be given before we open an account with whichever bank we choose, but that seems quite a tough thing to achieve. Has anybody encountered this and how did you get around this? Thanks for your help.

HI, As a registered student at a UK institution, you are entitled to supervision whether you are physically present or not. This may be via Skype or email, phone. ie whatever you can put in place with your supervisor. Discuss things with your supervisor now (although remember that August is both time for holiday and for attending conferences and sept is the very busy start of the new UK academic year, so not hearing from your supervisor at this time is not that surprising. Contact them again (maybe by phone to make sure you get hold of them)). If s/he won't play ball after that, you should refer the matter to your Head of Dept or School asap (so there is a record of your not receiving supervision from a set date) for them to put something suitable in place, which regulations require they do. Several people are indicating on this site that academics don't supervise for free. That's not entirely true! We regularly assist students who are not our own students because it is quite frequent that a supervisor won't have expertise in a particular aspect that becomes relevant for the student's PhD and that the said student contacts someone at another institution. The likelihood of your finding someone to help, however, strongly depends on the amount and the type of input required. If you do find someone who has the right expertise you need, you may have to compromise and offer in return to the individual helping you co-authorship of journal articles and research publications or such like. In all likelihood though, if there is a lot to do on your thesis, you are very unlikely to find someone to help you if you are not registered with that person's institution. It really all depends on how 'nearly done' you are and all you can do is identify someone and contact them to discuss the options. You may be surprised by what you get back. Your supervisor at your UK institution cannot withdraw supervision. So if you have not received supervision for a while and there is a record of that (hence informing your HoD) and if you continue not to receive supervision and cannot sort this out direct with your supervisor, your completion date may be pushed back accordingly if a valid case can be made. Remember though that you will have to be physically present for your viva at the very end, but the date would be set in consultation with you and usually months in advance. Yes, suspending/deferring is an option, but in my experience, those who do rarely return and complete. It all depends on how much your really want to complete your PhD. I would suggest you try and resolve this informally with your supervisor via a phone conversation and agree a plan of action now. Be clear about what you want/need from them. Everything else will be time consuming and once you go down the route of official complaints etc at your UK institution, a lot of red tape will be involved. Good luck!

Thanks, Memmymooch. That sounds very promising and not having to do skills assessment or medicals would simplify things greatly. I see that some people are saying that they got their 457 through in about 4-6 weeks. If so, can't wait! Time to put the house on the market then!

Hi Bamboozled, Just want to double check. You say there is no skills assessment for 457. We (partner, child and I- he has job via sponsor) are about to start application process for 457. We were told that a 457 requires a skills assessment for my partner (though unclear for me, as I have no sponsor). Whilst he has all the relevant qualifications, it would certainly speed things up and be cheaper not to have to do skills assessment. We need to appoint MA, but getting confused about what is required for 457 application. Thanks for any guidance.

Hello, I'm new to this forum and I am hoping that someone can advise me. My long-term partner has just been offered a job in Victoria under subclass 457. We want to move with our 2-year old child and are looking to appoint a migration agent to handle the application (any recommendations by the way?), so I am busy doing the background research. There are a couple of points that I could do with guidance about. My partner and child are British. I am not (French national -living in UK for past 20 years). Does my not being British, as the partner of the main 457 visa applicant, complicate matters for the visa application? If so, how? What do I need to know about, in this respect, and what additional info might I need to provide? Would like to hear from people in a similar situation. Also, I understand that, as the main applicant with the job offer, my partner will need to have his skills/qualifications assessed. As the second applicant (without a job offer), do I have to have my own qualifications assessed too? Or is a partner's application based on medical and police checks only? By the way, do the medicals require you to give access to your medical records or is it based on a medical consultation with one of the approved doctors? Thanks for any advice F

Hi, if you are looking for last minute (usually discounted) accommodation in OZ, including serviced apartments, check out www.needitnow.com.au Have used it several times on arrival from UK and whilst travelling within Oz and always found something reasonably priced on there.