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It depends on where you live, how much you like to "enjoy life" as some people say, or how much you are saving/investing in the future. The starting salary for most teachers is fine if you are in regional (less temptations for spending/wasting money), but in Capital cities/suburbs, that's another story. There are a lot of couples with 2 children who live comfortably on 1 salary at about $60K, but how they budget is the key. In any case, Australia definitely has some of the highest salaries on the developed world for teachers and professionals. The rest is up to the individual, I guess...

I like your comment Sammy1. But a "palace" depends on what your standards are. As a single teacher, I always struggled to find good housing at affordable price in West London/UK. In France, it was fine, but not the best (still about 1/3 of my salary for rent, after tax). Now that I am "remote", by the seaside, with a 3 bed house and spacious garden for myself at a ridiculous rent rate, I consider that I have a palace, for sure. Obviously, if you live above the 26° latitude line of Australia which is prone to storms and tornadoes, floods, etc..., well, housing quality becomes an issue. But the salaries are compensating this well...

Hi Prakash, If you have a 3 degree+1 year post graduate or a 4year degree in Education with 45 days of training in secondary school age range (11-19), then you can contact AITSL for skill assessment. You wil need to do IELTS and gain a 7 before you apply with them. Another route would be to look at skills assessment with VETASSESS for your subject area (anything Bio-scientific stands a chance), albeit ignoring your teaching experience. The key with teaching in Australia when you are not a British or North American citizen is the Skill assessment for a skilled occupation in demand. Secondary, Special needs and Pre-primary teachers are somehow needed, but Primary school teachers/college lecturers are not...

Hi ChristophJPlatt, From what I have read, you only just need to be registered with th State you are interested in teaching with. But I believe most require a PGCE or SCITT with Uni qualification attached... The key is to have a 3year degree+1 year post graduate in education of anysort...

To Jazzhead, I teach in WA where Languages and Music teachers are sought after. However, they don't have the best working conditions. Music teachers tend to do a few hours in secondary, primary and instrumental. This means being spread across different institutions, with different programmes and different assessment outcomes. It requires a lot of flexibility as well!! The good thing is that you can find a job (at least in WA); provided you get out of Perth. Government subsidises housing in salary packaging. The more experience you have, the more you get paid. In my case, they recognised my 5 years experience in both UK and France, regardless of whether I was part time or not. You can realistically start with a fixed-term contract in WA, while in VIC or NSW, you would have to do day to day relief. You just post your cv and apply to a fixed term pool with the govjobs.wa. Principals are often chasing possible long term cover for music teachers... Hope it helps.

Hi Sara, You are better off posting an ad on gumtree. There are similar types of request from Oz Travellers...

That's a promising statement, but is it backed by actual facts? I've read on the Immi website that you "should not attempt to contact the CO" while your visa application is being processed. It makes sense not to contact them at all, because you never know when they are assigned to your case anyway, you just get a surprise email after many weeks. That's it.

Hi Sophia, I did go that route myself, and I'm now at the final stage of my PR application. Your plans sound good, but you will have a few obstacles to keep in ming: 1) You are far away from age 25, which is when you get the maximum points for Skilled Migration 2) You have very little Skilled employment experience. As a graduate, you could be battling with local graduates who have had lots of networking opportunities. 3) WHV is a strain when you are planning to apply for PR as you always have financial pressures from the cost of necessary documents and the 6 months work right limitation. On the other hand, you could secure Employer sponsorship if you are assessed positively for your skills (coaching) and willing to follow a job in a "remote" location. I know most people rush to Queensland or NSW or VIC, but WA is a pretty amazing state too, with great salaries, healthy lifestyle, and numerous opportunities as the workers are constantly on the move. All in all, it will depend on where you choose to settle prior to obtaining your PR, I think...

I don't think we are required to lodge 80form until we get a request from CO. However, it would be wise to fill in in advance, as it takes a LOT of time, especially if you have lived in different countries and/or had several jobs! (It took me 3 days to complete mine, but then, I have a long history of living acrosse the EU...). A friend of mine lodged her 186 visa and got a phone call after 3months from the CO requesting she sends her form 80, ASAP. She had it filled in so she did send it on the spot. She got the grant the following minute. All in all, it took her only 3 months to get a visa that normally takes 18months .

Hey, I also lodged my visa on 10th April, one month after submitting my EOI with 60 points. I did my medicals beforehand and obtained my Police clearance from UK and France back in December 2014. All has been uploaded upfront and my Medicals have been processed on the same day I paid for my visa 189 fees. Now, I'm waiting to see whether this will help get my application processed before the 3months waiting time. Who knows? I get the feeling that applying for these GMS visa after January of each year makes things a bit harder because there are reduced numbers of invitations, and also Case Officers are busy dealing with the earlier applications that are dragging on... Still, I'm waiting and hoping with positive thinking though...

Hello everyone. I have a few questions about this ACPO UK Police clearance and the conditions of its validity. I lived in the UK from 2006 to mid-2012, before moving to back to France between mid-2012 and early 2014. I've been in Australia since early 2013. I'm on my way to apply for PR through the 189 or 190 (unlikely, though). I have an ACPO clearance certificate from England issued in January 2014 (while I was in France), but I'm not sure if it will be valid when I apply for my PR visa in April 2015. I have read that these certificates are valid for 12 months (according to DIAC). However, I have also read that this rule doesn't apply, as long as I didn't return to live in the UK in between the date on the certificate and the date of visa submission. Has anybody got any personal experience to share on this matter? I'm worried about having to go through the whole process of obtaining a new certificate, as I've been extremely unlucky with mail since I landed in WA (i.e My supervised teaching practice statement from Liverpool Uni got lost twice! The letter containing my teaching diplomas sent from France arrived after 2 months!). Needless to say that if I can avoid relying on Australian Post, I will. Please let me know if you have any info on this matter. Thank you ever so much! Ana.

Thank you for your reply. I do already have an IELTS test, but it is from June 2013, so over the 12 months specified by AITSL. I am going to sit it anyway. My question was only related to understanding the terms of AITSL so I know when to apply (before or after new IELTS). It's all sorted out now.

Thank you for your insight Sammy1. I am by no mean a Law graduate, but I've worked out, since being in Australia, that every detail matters in their Immigration procedures and forms. You can't assume things because it ends up being time and money consuming. I will try to get more advice on this matter because it's either 1) I submit my AITSL application now or 2) I submit it in 2 months, after I sitting an IELTS test.

The reason I'm asking this is because I have read on a different forum that a lady with a German Degree from a German University who did her PGCE in the UK got her skills assessment English requirements validated, despite this "4 years of study in..." statement. I did feel that the "award of qualification comparable to..." somehow was a bit confusing, as it seems to offer another alternative... I guess it's much safer to submit IELTS results in this case (although, that's another set of pages to certify!). Anyway, thanks for enlightening me on this English Vinglish matter.

Thanks very much for the reply. I realised I didn't present the whole thing properly. So I will have another go. The AITSL form says for a): "An applicant has completed at least four full years of study in higher education (university) in Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States of America. This study must have resulted in award of qualification(s) comparable to the educational level of an Australian bachelor degree or higher and must include a recognised initial teacher education qualification." What I want to know is whether the core of the requirement is "to have studied 4 years in an English speaking country" or "to have studied 3 years (anywhere) + a necessary ITE year from an English speaking country"... Thanks.

Hi all, I hope some of you will be able to help me today. I'm currently in WA on a Working Holiday Visa and registered with the Teaching board of WA. I'm looking at applying for PR visas 189 and 190 in a year or so. I have an MA Degree in French from a French University and later completed my PGCE Secondary in an English University. I've read that the AITSL requires a) a 4 years study including Teacher Training from an English Speaking country or b) an IELTS Test as a proof of English competency. I'm not sure if my LOTE Degree + PGCE qualify me for option a). Any idea? Thank you very much. Ana.