themaccas

Oh wow I just feel for you so much. I’ve been there too, my father in law was diagnosed with lung cancer and my mum with ovarian cancer in the first we months we moved to Oz. I remember the phone calls and the urgent plane rides both hubby and I took when we went back to be with our parents each on our own. The distance can seem so vast and I ended up feeling a bit heartless in arriving then leaving but I know here in Oz is where we need to be as a family unit, we too are building a house. I’m not sure how your mum could come over I think there are visas available but depending on circumstances these cost huge amounts of $$$$ and they take several years but someone else maybe able to point you in the right direction. You will face a tough time my only advice is to grab the support of your family and embrace the time you have with them, when you come back to Oz it will feel very disjointed and distant and don’t turn down any counselling opportunities you can get through your employer Hugs xx Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Main difference between public and private is that the public is like the NHS and in private hospitals the consultant will do the antenatal appointments and undertakes the delivery of the baby. However in private hospitals the midwife will still do much of the labour and postnatal care. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes midwives all do VE's. If a midwife has an existing injury that prevents her undertaking a core skill requirement she might find it difficult to get a job. Just as in the U.K., midwives are moved to other wards in time of high activity so although your job might be on a particular ward, they can be deployed anywhere. Happy to answer any questions Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can really understand your fears, I felt exactly the same, 5 years ago I was coming to work in a managers position and I thought the local Aussies would hate that I, a new Pom, would be managing them. I couldn't have been made to feel more welcome! On my first day they were all excited to meet me and in my office was a bag of Aussie goodies (vegemite, lamingtons etc) and a welcome card that they had all signed. I was incredibly touched by the gesture and it was an amazing start to a great relationship I have developed. I have since moved jobs a couple of times but the people I met in my first job are all still great friends. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We have been here 5 years, we came when we were in our early 40's with three kids. I couldn't have imagined coming out here what the emotional toil would be on our children who had to leave cousins and family and friends behind. They have settled well now though and we are here permanently (we have all just got Citizenship) We decided to come here and not look back, the emotional and financial cost was so high we couldn't go through it again. Just don't think about future plans too much as everything changes, think about what is important now, one step at a time. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great post! It's hard doing all that with kids too, I came over on my own for the first two months and got everything set up for the family it was good just getting on with it without distractions, I started work 10 days after arriving so had to do everything quickly. One bit of advice about getting a rental (we live in Sydney).... I knew getting a rental would be very competitive and we would probably not be strong candidates, I decided to put together a one page 'newsletter' for prospective landlords, introducing us as a family and included some photos. I got the first rental I applied for and was absolutely over the moon, it was a stunning house with river views. The real estate agent told me the newsletter swung it for us, the landlord didn't really want kids in the house but when he read the letter he immediately offered to us! We stayed there for 3 years and loved the place, we had to move out as he wanted it back to renovate and move into and I didn't blame him! We are building a house at the moment so in another rental while it's being built...house prices are crazy in Sydney, our build will cost around $840,000 when it's done with land and build costs but buying an equivalent already complete would have cost us $1.5m at least. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great post, we have just turned the 5 year mark since arriving and we still love it as much as when we first arrived, we became Aus citizens last month and this country is very much home now. Prices have fallen for many things since we arrived, I think food prices have fallen as have clothing. I had to go and visit the UK last year and I thought prices were no cheaper there for many things, remember walking round Tesco and converting prices and being very surprised at how most things were priced the same as Aus. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you go with Singapore airlines and book a one way ticket for emigration they will allow you 40kg checked luggage each. At least they did in 2012 so check they still do this Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep agree with dental! Costs are off the scale, our oldest son had all his orthodontist work done on the NHS, our daughter came to Aus with braces but still needed the second half of the work done ($5500), our youngest has just started and his teeth aren't that bad, just crooked on one side and no overbite to sort out but it is still costing $7800. Bupa have paid $1600 towards the cost, and the rest we pay monthly to the dentist over 18 months, we did not have to apply for the payment plan it was offered at the initial appointment. You won't be expected to front up fees, our daughters costs (different orthodontist) were paid exactly the same way. Bupa pays the cost of two annual checkups for the kids so their checkups are 'free' within the health fund. We have top family cover at $300 a month but we definitely get a lot of use out of it especially the extras (dental/physio/opticians etc) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You will find it expensive now if you are over 30 and or have been here over 12 months. The government gives you one year grace when you emigrate so you can join a private health care fund within 12 months from when you arrive with no additional levies. We did that and we had to get a letter from immigration to provide our insurance company with proof that we were within the 12 month window. After the 12 months, the levies rise substantially. We have family cover with Bupa and have found it really good we have a concessional rate through my employer so I think we get a good deal comparing against others. See if your employer has a preferred health fund which would give you concessional rates, it's really worth doing and you may save some money that way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Please call the police, you are at serious risk of harm. I know you don't want to destroy his life but he is destroying yours. He will NEVER change and his behaviour will get worse. You need to report this, you will be looked after and protected. No woman deserves to be treated like this, you have done nothing wrong. Please get help! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You should also be aware that on a 457 visa and working in NSW you will have to pay school fees for your children even if they go to a local government school. This can be very expensive! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I kept all our main costs we moved in 2012 and I was sponsored PR. We still had to pay our PR visa and all our moving costs, all up we didn't get much change out of £30k (family of 5) and that was including a shipping container of our furniture and worldly possessions. Also provided the bond for our rental, the more you can do yourselves and not use an agent the less it will cost you. Have to say we risked a lot to come here and therefore we were determined to make it work and it has done so in every way. We are so happy we made the move!! Oh by the way the younger your children the less you will pay for everything - visa, medical, police check etc I could list all the costs if you wanted. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just get a holiday rental or Airbnb for a month and prioritise finding a rental as soon as you arrive. I rented a 2 bed holiday apartment for 4 weeks when I arrived, it cost about £2000 for the month but by the end of the second week I had my rental signed up, I found renting highly competitive and difficult I did everything to get myself into a good position- paperwork all in order and a letter to the potential landlord explaining I would be a good and respectful tenant. It worked for me. I found no estate agent would consider me for a rental until I had arrived. And yes having a job will be essential to prove you can pay the rent. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with the council leisurecentres they are fab and definitely consider these if you end up living/working nearby to them. My virgin active membership is $65 a fortnight so not cheap but will do me until a new leisure centre opens up in my suburb in a couple of years time! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can comment on two of those..I'm an experienced cyclist and unfortunately I think Sydney is the worst and most dangerous place in the world to be a cyclist I used to cycle all the time in the UK and never gave a second thought as to whether the traffic would be considerate - I never had a problem. There are some cycle lanes and Sydney is trying to get more so it's getting better but you take your life into your own hands mostly! Gyms- these are on almost every street you can pay as much or as little as you want. A good 24/7 gym will cost around $20 a week with up to date and good quality equipment but will often be unstaffed out of hours. I am a member of Virgin Active which have a few in Sydney and Melbourne and I love it, they have a pool, classes, great equipment, yoga, Pilates, climbing wall and it is always staffed, the one I go to opens at 5.30am but most open at 6am. I have made really great friends from my work and socialise with them regularly but I also have a family so not out all the time!! We have been in Sydney for 5 years and absolutely love it, no intention of moving back to the UK. Also the housing situation is very $$$ we are building a house, it's the cheapest way we could get our own place and it's 50km outside Sydney :-( our eldest son lives with his girlfriend in Balmain where they rent an apartment for $500 a week but it's quite old and basic, they are moving soon and looking for something newer with aircon but for $500 a week they need to move further out of the CBD. Weather - not as cold as Melbourne, it's winter now and around 18c it will go down to single figures soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes I read 110k and just shortened it, sorry I wasn't clear. My son was renting in Surrey hills and now Balmain where he has a one bed apartment for $465 a week which is a bargain but it's extremely basic. He was renting a room in surry hills for just under $300 a week and it was like a student house! He has viewed many many places and believe me the pictures you see on websites are usually nothing like the reality!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For $110 you will be sharing a rental house which will look like student digs. Sydney housing is extremely expensive but the social lifestyle is amazing, expect to pay a lot more for everything except petrol! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like you do a similar journey to me, south west Sydney to randwick return via the tunnel 5 days a week[emoji30] waiting for light rail to finish then that's what I will use! You get used to the commute though, radio helps, phoning my friends also commuting home helps pass the time! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We only emigrated with me having been over, the rest of the family trusted me and followed! It definitely helps having visited and I personally would never emigrate without visiting first so good job it was me that did that! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You will find you get will get more than enough support if you're a permanent member of staff but if you're casual/pool then not so much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree it's one of my favourite places to visit, but that's it...visit and not live. Maybe retire there though one day in the future! Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Also don't rule out neonatal units you are qualified to work in this area too in oz Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

I wish we had bought a flat in London or Cambridge to rent out before we came to oz but financially this was not really possible, we sold our house at the height of the GFC losing £50k but still having some equity to finance our move to oz. However, house prices in London were pretty good at the time we sold our U.K. house (early 2012) and would have been a great time to get something. I came over to oz first, the plan was to find a rental move in, unpack the container register the kids into school and make their rooms look homely for when they arrived. In the 8 weeks I was here on my own i managed all that, it worked out perfectly and just as I planned. We had gone to tkmaxx and John Lewis a lot before we came over as I knew certain things were hugely expensive, the container had new mattresses, bedding, linens, saucepans, towels. We bought over power tools but not lawnmowers and no white goods. I'm glad we did all that. I wish I had not gone into a new car showroom and bought a brand new car the day after I arrived, it was a $20k Hyundai i30 and a year later I replaced it taking a huge loss in what I paid for it. I blame jet lag for that one! My son should have taken a great job offer he got the first week he was here, fresh out of uni with a uk degree in tv production was offered a job in Canberra but having just arrived he wanted to stay in Sydney. It took him hundreds of applications, countless interviews and another 10 months before he was offered a job on minimum wage! He's moved on since to a better job but it was a painful lesson for him. Other than that we sometimes think of something we should have brought like better luggage for travelling! We scoured this and other emigrating websites for information and advice before coming and think we are pretty happy with the way we did it all. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

I love Sydney, I also love Melbourne, Hobart and Noosa I could live in all of them! However we chose Sydney when we arrived here 5 years ago. There are some beautiful parts most tourists miss as they concentrate on visiting the city icons where no one actually lives. Sydneys main issue is the transport infrastructure which is undergoing major redevelopment but at the moment my commute is painful! Despite this the food is amazing, the jobs (I speak for my family) have worked out better than we could have hoped and we know we made the right choice on where to live. We live south west Sydney, cheaper to buy a house and less populated (at the moment!) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk