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Jessica Berry

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Posts posted by Jessica Berry

  1. We had a 3kw solar system put in 4.5 years ago, since then we haven't paid an electricity bill or gas bill (we use the remaining credit to pay our gas bill). One year we had enough left over to pay a water bill as well! We love our solar system!

     

    Our council rates are also much cheaper here in Adelaide than in the UK.

     

    For us, if we ever decided to live back in the UK we feel our standard of living would drop and so would our disposable income!

  2. We are back...

     

    We originally looked at emigrating to Australia in 2013, we went on a successful recce to Adelaide/SA and set plans in motion to make the move. However, without raking up the past (and old thread/s on here) for one or two reasons it did not happen.

     

    However, we have both since had a total re-think and have decided to approach the idea again. We went to Perth & WA for what was only really going to be a holiday but ended up becoming another recce earlier this month and returned last week. Things have moved fast and we attended Down Under Live at Sandown Park this weekend. Other than a bit of a refresher course we didn't actually learn anything we didn't already know (it was very busy though....) and actually on some subjects we knew more than some of the speakers and exhibitors. We never saw anywhere in Perth selling a Beer for $30. Anyway, I digress.

     

    A question we could/should have asked today but didn't (the queue for the migration agent was huge all day) and we were wondering if any of you guys on here had the answer without us trawling through paperwork and websites.

     

    Kirsty received a positive skills assessment from VETASSES in June 2014. We cannot see anywhere on it that gives a time frame, but how long does this last? I'm thinking two years from date of issue or have I just made that up in my mind?

     

     

    Are you still thinking of moving to Adelaide? Is Kirsty fully committed to moving to Australia this time as she was unsure previously?

  3. I'm sorry to hear about your struggle to find work in Perth. I noticed that you said you work within the IT industry, what area do you specialize in? The reason that I ask is that my wife, 2 small children and I plan to make the move to Perth later on in the year and I am worried we will not find work. I work in IT as a Network Engineer (Cisco technologies mainly) and taking advice of others on these forums I look at Seek Australia weekly. My job searches only return around 70 jobs in Perth and surrounding areas. We really want to make the move but we do worry about possibly making a terrible decision. My wife and I do not struggle in the UK, we have a combined annual income of £160K. I am hoping that more job opportunities materialize in WA during the year.

     

    Good luck with your move back home:wink:

     

    The question I would ask is are you looking for a similar income in Australia to what you earn in the UK? If so, I would encourage more specific research.

  4. To be honest I don't know how you had time to feel homesick or get in a rut if you were both working and had 3 kids under 8, surely life would be pretty full on between work, the kids and activities.

     

    When we came over we were pretty busy for the first 12-18 months, both working fulltime, doing all the usual stuff food shopping, washing etc, we moved rental properties a couple of times, buying furniture (we sold up everything in the UK and basically just came with suitcases full of clothes) we were also keen to buy a house so spent a lot of time going to open inspections, looking at new housing estates, driving round suburbs to get a feel for them, also we tried to fit in some Adelaide sightseeing of our new home town, I then worked out if I wanted to earn more money in my line of work I needed to get a couple of Australian qualifications so I was working fulltime (40 hours a week) then attending evening classes twice a week 6-9pm and then doing assignments....

     

    The point I am trying to make is we were committed from the day we started the process and arrived in Australia to making ourselves a life here and getting stuck in. Can you all offer that commitment a third time?

  5. Just for anyone looking for work in Melbourne. I did manage to get a job on a 3 month contract so it's not impossible. It took me 6-8 weeks to get something however.

     

    I've been doing it for four weeks and it looks like it's time to get back on the phone to the agencies, as the next 2 months will fly by!

     

    Well done on securing work.

     

    I am always surprised that people seem to be shocked that it takes time to get a job. If my situation was reversed and I was to return to my UK home town, I wouldn't expect to get a job straight away, as the process takes time. When I lived in the UK, council/Government jobs used to have a standard line saying 'if you haven't heard within 6 weeks' indicating that this is how long the process could take.

     

    One of my previous postings regarding statistics on how long it takes to find a job in Australia....

     

    http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/242095-statistics-time-takes-find-job.html

  6. When we came over here, as the breadwinner I was super stressed about whether or not I'd done my research well enough in terms of cost of living, whether or not my job would work out, and as it was my job I felt responsible for my whole family's happiness, schools etc included. It was a lot to process and I'm sure the uncertainty made me grumpy

     

    I think this is a good point to make and something that perhaps is not considered. I have seen examples where the husband has struggled to find work/or work at the same level/salary, but the wife starts to flourish and then the husband becomes resentful and creates a situation so they return to the UK.

     

    We certainly didn't put pressure on ourselves, we saw emigrating as an adventure and were grateful to be given the opportunity to come to Australia. We left the UK and had a 31 day holiday on the way here because we figured once we settled in Adelaide we would be too busy getting stuck into creating a new life for ourselves to go on holiday or take time off work.

  7. When I was 5 years old, I met my Dear Old Dad for the first time ,due to WWII and the Japanese prison camps...When he came home, he used to regale me wit the escapades of some of the Australians who were incarcerated in these prison camps. He was very mindful of their ability to keep going in such vile conditions. It was something that D.O.D. wanted to do after WWII but Mum wanted to go to the UK to her family ...D.O.D.s family had died out. So, when I had saved the huge amount of £134, I set off and have never regretted one second of my life in this wonderful country.

     

    Cheers, Bobj.

     

    OH's Great Grandad was captured in Singapore and a POW in the Far East and was killed over there. We were made aware of this exhibition at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance and on a recent trip to Melbourne (from Adelaide) we visited it. The story of Fred reminded me of your dad.

     

    http://www.shrine.org.au/Exhibitions/Temporary-Exhibitions/The-Art-of-Survival

     

    DSC07923.jpg

    DSC07923.jpg

  8. looking at doing my NVQ 5 instead of the Diploma as I feel a NVQ will be more recognised abroad.

     

    What you 'feel' and what is the reality are two different things. In my experience employers are looking for an Australian Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety as a minimum and they have no idea what an NVQ or NEBOSH are, unless they are a pom or have worked in the UK maybe.

     

    You haven't checked out yet if you can get a visa but again 'feel' doing an NVQ 5 in H&S will help your application.

     

    In my opinion you need to be checking facts regarding your eligibility for a visa before embarking on another qualification that may be a waste of time and money.

  9. I wonder if the lack of work is just an excuse to return 'home'. I have seen this several times before where people use the line about not being able to get work as a way of returning to the UK, when in fact there is work but they just want to do a specific job and won't consider anything else and the reality is they just want to go back to the UK and this helps justify their return to themselves and the people back in the UK.

  10. UK retailer Topshop coming to Myer Adelaide in February

     

    December 21, 2015 9:03am

     

     

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    Pridemodels Ravi Baltutis and Holly Watson wearing international brand Topshop. Picture: MIKE BURTON

    ANNA VLACH The Advertiser

     

    SOUTH Australian fashion-obsessed youth wondering what’s in store for them in 2016 can look forward to hot fringed jackets for girls and cool blue suits for guys.

     

    And for the first time they will be able to shop locally for those up-to-the-minute global trends from legendary British retailer Topshop.

     

    Famous for collaborations with supermodel Kate Moss and designer Christopher Kane, Topshop and brother brand Topman are moving into Myer Adelaide.

     

    The Topshop Topman concession, which will be like a store within the Rundle Mall department store, will open on February 11.

     

    The only high street chain on show at London Fashion Week, Topshop and Topman offer affordable cutting-edge clothing like the blue suit and fringed jacket worn, with two other strong trends for 2016 – the men’s floral shirt and the metallic slip dress – by Ravi and Holly from Pride Models.

     

    Like other fast-fashion names Zara and Sportsgirl, Topshop and Topman’s ranges are frequently updated to meet the demand of style-conscious young men and women with disposable incomes.

     

    The concession, which will include a Topshop petite section and denim for women and men, will have twice-weekly deliveries of stock direct from London.

     

    “The international design team from Topshop Topman UK ensures seasonally relevant, constantly updated product in line with global trends for our customers,” Topshop Australia chairman Hilton Seskin said.

     

    Locals who love the labels and have previously only been able to buy the brands online or from interstate outlets, will be able to purchase the current Autumn Winter collections when the concession opens.

     

    “This will be the first time South Australians will be able to purchase Topshop Topman in an in-store environment, and see up close all the latest on-trend designs from one of the world’s leading fashion brands,” Myer’s Daniel Bracken said.

  11. Not sure if you have seen one of my previous postings on how long it takes to find a job....

     

    http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/jobs-careers/242095-statistics-time-takes-find-job.html

     

    If I was advising you in Adelaide, at this time of year (Nov, Dec, Jan are generally the worst times to look for work here) I would say 8 weeks is not long at all and I wouldn't be stressing until after the 6 month stage.

  12. Are you sure you just aren't finding / looking for reasons to delay the move?

     

    I had the same thoughts when I read the post.

     

    If the plan was to move over when your daughter finished her GCSEs, why didn't you have everything already booked and in place to head over to Australia as soon as your daughter finished her GCSEs eg flights booked, notice handed in, temporary accommodation booked etc or am I missing something?

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