pennywise

Thanks Suzu I have done that this eve so will wait to hear what they say. have also asked the company if I can arrange shipping myself and claim back...

I am going alone yes - I'm not planning to move any furniture at all, I just don't think 8 standard 50x40x30 boxes is very much? I planned to take for instance: kitchen stuff, bedding, small lamps, photo frames etc... I don't have a huge amount of stuff to be honest, but it's probably more than 8 boxes worth. I am totally on board with having to pay the relocation costs back if I leave before 2 years - I'm not arguing that concept. It's just not ideal if I'm expected to pay back $3000 for shipping that actually should only cost $1000 and $4000 for accommodation that should only cost half that... etc Agree with what Chortlepuss says about it being a warning sign on the employer but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as I was recommended the job by a friend who works there and says its a great place to work.

That's not really the point. I can't afford to move to Oz without a relocation package and I need the move to be worth my while i.e. not have to sell half my stuff and buy more stuff out there. I also recently mentioned my salary in a thread and half the replies said it wasn't a great salary for Sydney (can't win hey) so even more reason why the relocation package needs to be worthwhile!?

Hi all Looking for some advice. As part of my relocation offer with my new employer in Aus (going out on a 457 visa) they have agreed to ship my belongings with a cap of USD 2500. When this was mentioned during the offer I thought great! I can ship all my stuff! And I accepted the offer. Now we’re actually fine-tuning the details of the relocation, they use a mobility company that are arranging the shipping and this company have said that based on my allowance of USD 2500 I can take 8 Standard boxes by airfreight with a max weight of 150kg. Box sizes I believe are 51x41x31 (ish). This doesn’t seem like much at all and when I asked if I could ship my belongings instead of airfreight so that I could take more for my allowance, and they said no there are higher costs for shipping and that all I could get for the USD2500 was 8 standard boxes by air freight – that’s that it seems. I did a quote with seven seas worldwide (and a couple of other websites) and 8 boxes with 3 weeks storage by airfreight came to £600! Furthermore, if I leave the company before 2 years I have to pay back the relocation costs and it feels a bit cheeky that they are saying that it costs that much to ship stuff over and would make me pay that back when I know that it can be done much cheaper? I’m not planning to leave before 2 years but you never know what might happen. I feel the costs they’ve quoted for other parts of my relocation allowance are high too (i.e. 4000 AUD for 2 weeks temporary accommodation – hoping I’ll be in a 5 star luxury mansion for that price but I doubt it!) I am bringing this up with my relocation manager but I just wanted to see if anyone else has been in this situation and if it’s normal (it’s a large company so maybe it costs a lot more due to the third party involvement etc) or maybe I've just totally underestimated shipping costs.... Thanks

Hi all, hoping you can help...I am 29 and my UK provisional license expired a year ago. I haven't renewed it and I'm moving to Oz (NSW) in 7 weeks. If I want to learn to drive out there will I need to renew my UK provisional license before I go? I know I will need to apply for a learner license out there regardless but not sure if a valid UK provisional is necessary in order to apply?? I'll be on a 457 visa. I checked the RMS NSW website but couldn't find a clear answer on this. I know it's a longer process to learn to drive in Oz vs UK (though I don't have to do the 'logging 120 hours' thing because of my age which is good) but there's no way I can learn/pass before I go.

Thanks all, very helpful especially on the transport links and lots of areas to look into. Think I've probably been looking a bit too central so far! Is 85k really a bad deal for Sydney? I'm on 38k in London but only moved jobs a year ago, I was on 31k before that and that was fine so thought 85k seemed like a fair move to maintain the same sort of lifestyle.

Hi everyone! I've been browsing this forum for a while but this is my first post. I currently live in London - A few days ago I accepted a job offer in Sydney and will be moving out in a couple of months on a 457 visa. I'm a 29 year old single female and will be earning $85,000 p/a (inc super). I'll be working in North Sydney. I'm excited but a bit overwhelmed at how much I have to do in just 8 weeks! I'll be looking to get a flatshare when I arrive (company is giving me two weeks temp accomm) - however I've had a browse of rental sites and I'm a bit concerned about budget/commute times/competitiveness of flats! I could probably afford up to $400 a week on rent, and I'm wondering which areas to focus on to get the most for my money with the minimum commute time (I hate commuting!). Unlike London which I know like the back of my hand I have no idea which areas are easily commutable to North Sydney! So far I've been looking at places within walking distance e.g. - Kirribilli - Neutral Bay These seem to have a few nice flatshares available (but not loads) - are these good areas to live? I'm sociable and a bit of a foodie so I like going out to eat/for drinks etc but I want to come home to a quiet flat not a party flat. Surry Hills seems fun and easy to get to North Sydney via Central Station but it seems a bit more studenty in terms of what's available. I'd also like to get somewhere furnished as buying furniture seems like major hassle especially without a car. Are furnished rooms common? Do people typically ask for previous landlord references for flatshares? I don't have any recent references as I've been living in a flat I part-own in London for the last 4 years. Any advice on the above or other places I should consider to easily commute to North Sydney would be greatly received!