claudy mucker

guys, we were very lucky when we moved in that we had a car thrown into out first rental as landlord travelled overseas. now in our place, again lucky as friends have lend us their second car, but we need a new car and now that our tax return through, looking at buying a second hand car in melbourne. what is the process? any tips, as heard rego and roadworthy being mentioned etc?

no, it is time enough by shipping, looking at sevenseasworld wide, any recommendations or other advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi all, all we looking to ship is an extra three suitcases full of clothes if costs are reasonable, if not we are happy to fly out in next few weeks, but worth picking people's brains....contacted airline and they said its 85$ (US) per kg, any tips on shipping a few extra suitcases from northern Ireland to oz?

From reading these forums and from people who have been through the process, it can be very hit and miss. your scenario where they appear to have misplaced or dealt with the nomination in a timely manner must be so frustrating and annoying. I see yours is Melbourne, so was mine. so if your company resubmits it now, based on mine it can give you hope that there can be a quick turnaround. on the positive note for you, at least it means you have more time to treasure with family especially over Christmas. im sure it will come, and I truly hope it is dealt with in a more efficient and timely manner this time around. best of luck lemon!!!

Nomination and Sponsor lodged 10.10.14, approved:15.10.14 My part of the visa lodged: 7.11.14, granted 11.11.14 will look at flights now, great news!!!

Any clarity on pregnancy and employment will count as tips for me as hoping to move over soon as this playing on our head in case my wife becomes pregnant so we know where we stand

Posted very similar thread so very interested in responses and tips

Apologies if this has been posted before. But hopefully moving to melbourne soon. Got a sponsor and job pending checks etc. My query is if my wife becomes pregnant before or after we get there . I know we not entitled to child benefits etc. But are we entitled to free healthcare. Any tips advice and our rights would be greatly appreciated

so sorry for your loss, lovely wee quote someone reminded me off when my dad died 9 years ago was "death ends a life, it does not end a relationship" (taken from 'Tuesdays with Morrie', great book btw) and it has always stuck with me, so during the times of grief and process of bereavement, do treasure the memories you have and remember your mum will continue to always influence you as you will never lose that relationship and love. take care

it can be a lengthy process (a bit like a move to Oz as I am finding out), and you are no doubt asked very tough questions in the assessment stage, very personal ones at that, but it is not to try and catch you or your wife, rather than prepare you best you can by thinking about you may cope with as you said earlier, times where you are struggling at looking at a "problem child". remember behind every bad behaviour, is a vulnerable child looking for a good home. all the best

I have no knowledge of the fostering system in WA, try: https://www.dcp.wa.gov.au/FosteringandAdoption/InterestedInFosterCaring/Pages/InterestedInFosterCaring.aspx there appears to be a good wee video and different stories and FAQ's In terms of fostering in general, as a uk social worker,I have experience in this field, and if I was you, if it is something you areinterested in, at least contact the fostering team at WA and register aninterest, and see if you could arrange a meeting or request information pack tobe posted to you. It is a big decision, and I know you might entertain the ideaof entertaining the kids and them getting a buzz from the attention, in somecases they may well be happy to find a home where there is no shouting,fighting, parents drinking etc, but they well resent not being allowed to liveat home and this may manifest in challenging behaviour. Remember, never callthem a “problem child”, because, when you put something who is presenting withchallenging behaviour, you would be angry too sometimes, when for example, yourparents couldn’t even ensure your safety, hit them, bought drink ahead of foodfor dinners etc. That’s where goodfoster carers can be a lifeline as they can bring stability for vulnerablechildren. When you ask how long do the foster kids stay with you, it is down tocircumstances, sometimes it could be a weekend, a night, a week, a month, year,or longer. But if for whatever reason, a foster placement is just not workingout for either the young person, or you and your family, you can ring FosteringCase Worker at any time and be honest with them. They might suggest trainingfor you or your wife, or even a change in placment. So bottom line, key skillsto being a foster carer is empathy, ability to build relationships, and evenjust thinking about becoming a foster carer shows you have great potential, soregister an interest, no harm looking into it. good luck in what ever youdecide!!!

Catbax, if you were not to take the opportunity you may well regret it, if we were not to move I think we would, even just to try it out and see if it was for us. family support like us will be the biggest drawback but if your heart tells you that your 5 year old will have a better life down under? good luck, big discussions, and big decisions for you ahead, good luck in whatever you do ps. chuckles, good luck on your journey through uni, it is a great course and great profession, no doubt studying and uni will have its moments, but in those stressful times ahead from sept onwards including essays and placements etc, keep in mind that you are always going to make mistakes in this job, it is how we learn from those mistakes, and ensure you have good work life balance, use your family support networks, and I can honestly say it is the best career move I could have taken as it is a very enjoyable and rewarding job, good luck!!!

Lou, this is going to be confusing as me and my wife post using same username, but Len here.... that's great that you got over with relocation package, would be great if we could get over with one of those as obviously would alleviate so much worry and cost too!!! I am in statutory frontline child protection, whereas my wife does therapeutic work with children affected by domestic violence in the voluntary sector with previous experience in child protection too, so both backgrounds mainly family and childcare. that is very good to hear that they recognise skill base over there so great potential for progression from sounds of it? is the structure of teams very similar? don't need to ask if the work will be as hard, because I think you could knock on any door in any country and find worries within families!! under no illusion that the work will be difficult, but the lifestyle and being so close to the beach like you enjoy everyday is great, you are very lucky. ps. what would be average starting wage for social workers in Australia? thanks again, you are very helpful, and this is all very appreciated

Hi Louise, This is Cait Len's wife, thanks so much for the response to his message. U have made us even more excited at the prospect of moving to Oz. It's a big step that why we want to put in good planning, as we have great jobs at home which are permanent and secure which means great risk going to temporary and thought of not getting work. Since the baby has come along we have realised that there has to be more to life than the cold and rain. We want more of an outside life. We would like to be in a nice community with good friends as you say that will be our aussie family. Its nice to know that we can practice Social Work in Oz as we would be bringing lots of experience. We are not set on moving to a particular city, so would you recommend social work (+ life) in Victoria? My hubby was considering Perth because he heard they have in past offered relocation and sponsorship packages, though I am drawn to East Coast and South as this is where I visited on my travels. Your job sounds very interesting, well done on living the dream, what are the job prospects for child protection in Victoria? or would we have more chance of getting work in a more rural area like Perth where they are short of child protection workers? sorry for lots of questions, but this is me holding back from questions as don't want to ramble

Hello, me and my wife are both Social Workers from Northern Ireland, we have a six month baby and we cannot stop thinking about moving to Oz, never been down under but my wife was when she was younger, and we would be interested in moving to Brisbane at this point. like anybody on this forum, we are hoping to be near enough to beach and close enough to work. it is not to say we are trying to escape from here as I am only 15 minute drive from current work, and my wife 20 minutes. we would not be this lucky im sure in oz. any ideas, advice, or encouragement? realistically this will be a 2-3 year planned move, but I have got the itch!! nerves, excitement, butterflies etc, way we are thinking we have a great life here, but we think we will have a better lifestyle in oz. million questions, best way to get a visa? any SW's out there, what are job prospects and what could we be expected to earn? thanks for any tips Len