Kooky

Paw the little squares were party balloons etc to celebrate they didn't show up! :-(

Yipee!!!! Can I join the invite club?!

thanks M1cha3la good luck to you too. I am in the same boat i will drop 10 points at the end of feb as i will turn 40 so i am praying for an invite soon!

WOW fab news!!! Good luck with the next stage!! Hope i will be joining you with an invite - I haven't heard yet - i am hoping its just that my agent isn't as work focussed as yours and has had a weekend work free and therefore not looked yet!! very nervous now about tomorrow!!!

Hey kellie I submitted mine this week and I am also praying for an invite tomorrow! Fingers crossed! My points change in March cos I turn 40 so I am desperate to get an invite in the next few rounds at least!!! Good luck Kellie!

When we are looking at teaching/leadership roles in oz it keeps giving a salary plus a remuneration package - can anyone shed light on what that is? :confused:

I know paul1perth. None of my other schools have been so bad (I have worked in 4). I am only 'teacher of' here whereas I have bee head of department and faculty before but I hve never had to work this hard. My school had 'notice to improve' and consequently has been piling on the pressure ever since. I have had 3 different heads, and advisory head and an executive head in the 3 1/2 years I have been there so many changes, lots of work to 'prove' to ofsted we as doing everything well. I only hav 2 hours free a week and work all my lunchtimes and after school for extra curricular so consequently all the planning, marking, work scrutiny, reports etc all have to be done in my own time. My line managers both dont want children and are VERY ambitious so want everything done 150%. Teachers at my school are either going off sick through stress or being put on programmes to improve (then usually end up on the sick anyway). So it's a pretty poor environment. I am looking for a job regardless of australia happening because I know it's not this bad everywhere but working there has made me not enjoy teaching anymore (and I have always really loved it).

i know what you are saying paul1perth but aside from the holidays I am getting home from work (picking kids up from after school club on route) at 6pm then sort out kids dinner, homework, bath an bed routine and it's 8pm. Then but the time I make and eat dinner it's getting on for 9pm. I then do my school work til around 11 (10.30 if I am lucky). Then at the weekends I usually do a day working and DH does the other. I am thinking I may be better earning less and having less to bring home then at least the evening with kids is less pressured and I get to relax at night. It is brilliant having the holidays and that I will miss a lot if I go a different path but I do tend to spend a lot of the holidays either panicking because I haven't done a lot or doing loads of work at home or in school. Just not so sure I want to keep this up. My school is particularly bad at piling on pressure though so maybe a new job will help (think I will get a new job even before we go to oz as my school is A bit rubbish). And maybe starlight7 is right teaching might be more enjoyable in oz.

Our retriever runs forever! I think it depends on how much they get used to. He does sleep a lot after a long one but he keeps up walking/running with us over the Pennines for miles and miles.

Golden retriever :-)

I know I sound pretty crazy but I am actually quite sane! :biggrin: In process at the moment - skills assessment complete, once papers get here will do EOI then hopefully get invite. Teachers on here seem to be getting invites pretty quickly. I have enough points so should be ok.

Thanks everyone. I think I am going in with my eyes open (but as with anything until you are there doing it you can only guess at what it will be like and how you will feel). I think if we decided to do some sort of change we will do some supply teaching if we can to help us start out in whatever it is we decide to do. Like I said before we have a decent amount in our house now (our mortgage is tiny) so will not be in a really bad position - my friends went over with 5grand to their name and they are doing pretty well now (5 years on) but it was a massive struggle the first year or so. Thanks for the positive posts - it's really encouraging! rainicorn I don't particularly like city living (my husband would get us out in the middle of nowhere if he could) so will be looking at the outskirts really. We are thinking Adelaide or Brisbane at the moment but a good way from the city.

we already live in a cheap part (West Yorkshire) and i work 3 days (though i find that more stressful then working full time as i miss so much i am always on catch up!).

thanks everyone - i knew there would be very mixed thoughts on this. I am almost 40 and have retrained before (to be a teacher) form hairdressing. I think i am after a less skilled role to be honest and at the moment it is all pipe dreams. But i am with Que sera sera in that life is what you make it. Lifes too short - lost my dad when he was 47 (he fell down the stairs and dies from head injuries) and my sister had a stroke at 40 (2 years ago) and is now very disabled (paralysed down right side and struggles to speak/read etc). My husband lost his mum and brother young (60 & 42). Life can be just over before you know it and i don't think i want to be drifting and not doing something i want to do! I guess i never want to look back and regret not doing something. I could stay in teaching (it pays well, i know what i am doing, it is a 'decent' profession) but do i really want that for the rest of my life? Not sure I do, perhaps the coffee shop idea Lady rainicorn suggested is a good one (but not in the UK!). I want sun, i want beaches, i want wildlife, i want exploration, i defiantly want to go to Oz. I just question if i want to go to Oz and teach or take a risk on something else. We are lucky we have enough money to go and have a good deposit or buy a small business. Just need thoughts on what to do. Thanks everyone - keep the ideas coming - we may end up sticking to what we know for safety but if you don't have ideas/dreams then life can be a little dull i reckon! :biggrin:

Just that really, we are both teachers and heading off to oz as long as we get our visa but i can't help but think this could be my opportunity to do something different, less stressful, less time consuming. I think if we go to Oz as teachers we will be in it for the long haul because thats what you do - you get on with it and used to it, but maybe this could be a chance to make a new start in everyway - we are changing our lives massively by moving so maybe it is an opportunity to take a few more risks!?! I know we won't earn as much money doing other stuff but maybe we will have more time with our kids (something i always feel bad about now - teaching is so time consuming these days that i feel my boys get a raw deal sometimes. we try to do as much as possible with them but in reality during the week by the time we get home they are tired and not far off bed time then weekends more often than not we have a day where i do school stuff and a day where my husband does. I am trying to think of how we can use our skills and do something a bit less stressful/time consuming. (haven't thought of much yet though to be honest!). Difficult though as you get used to the money you have too so not sure we could change and earn as much. if i am honest I would love to just make cakes and cupcakes all day but in reality i know thats not an option! :biglaugh: i think i am having a mid life crisis!!:rolleyes:

Thanks. I thought humidity made a difference but keep worrying hearing 40s and thinking I won't survive the heat in Adelaide! My friend who lives in Adelaide keeps saying it feels warmer in Brisbane even when temps are cooler but wasn't sure if she was just biased (and wanting me to move there rather than Brisbane!).

I thought Brisbane winter was warmish (like our summers?) and Adelaide was cool (not as cold as here?)

Thanks tink. It does help.

We are trying to decide where a good place to settle will be and I think Adelaide or Brisbane seem to be favourites. Can anyone help with the pros and cons of the weather though? I know in winter it is pretty cold in Adelaide and warmish in Brisbane. Either of the winters seem ok but it is the summer I am unsure about. Does the humid climate in Brisbane mean it is really uncomfortable and unbearable in summer? I know Adelaide I a a dry heat but it can get unbearable for a little while I think - is it only for a little while and how does it compare with Brisbane? Any thoughts would be appreciated! :confused:

Ha ha I thought it was me not understanding it when I opened it the first time! Thanks for the update itchy feet!

Thanks everyone it really helps. So hard to decide where to settle - everywhere is sooooo different!

My friend lives in Adelaide and complains about the cold in winter but to me over here it sounds warm - is it really so cold in winter there or has she just got used to the heat and it seems cold? weighing up places to live and i like the sound of adelaide and do like the fact that unlike some places it does seem to have seasons but is it FREEZING in winter?! Also how unbearable is the height of summer - is it TOOOOO HOT? i know everyone is different and comfort for one may not be for another but still interested in other opinions

Out of interest how many points did you end up with vandeux?

Just seen this congratulations vandeux!!!! Fab news. Good luck with job hunt!!!

Hi Tina (nice to 'meet' you). I didn't get round to it (work gets in the way!) sorry! itchfeet thanks for sharing ;-)