syd

A question: If you have an Aus PR visa but end up getting a job offer in NZ, then activating the visa in Aus for a day, before moving directly to NZ to take up the job, do you still have 5 years to move to Aus permanently? I would think so? If so, do you lose any benefits being an Aus PR living and working in NZ? I may be able to have all relocation expenses paid to move out to Auckland. I'm thinking that if this something I do for 2 years, it's another life experience, another job on my CV, some NZ/Aus experience on my CV, and all expenses are paid in the process. After 2 years I could start looking for a job in Aus and would have an easier time interviewing etc. from there as well. What do you guys think? Doable? Crazy? Both?

Three interviews and they treat you like this. Man. I've only interviewed a handful of times in my career, and all of them have been genuine, so I'm not used to people being this inconsiderate and insensitive. Tough times for employees, it seems. Absolutely agree. Rather a devil I know now than a devil I don't later.

LOL. I have to remind myself that I'm just one more applicant in the pile. I just thought that a 45 minute interview that ended with her going "I'll get back to you tomorrow because that's the next step in our standard hiring practice" actually meant that she would. I also thought that they wouldn't be the kind of company to string me along (Ken's theory, which is a decent guess at what's happened). If they really are doing so, then yes, I gave them more credit than that.

Disappointingly, this is probably the best explanation I've heard of what could be going on. I gave them, their company and their 'culture' a lot more credit than this. I really hope this isn't the case. But if it is, at least I have a scenario that makes a bit of sense now.

This is directly with the company, directly with the team lead. So no agency, and no HR, which makes things a lot easier, quicker and more direct. The only reason I expected to hear back so soon, and why I followed up twice after the thank you mail, was that she said it was company practice to get back to me within 24 hours with a reply. Anyway, soldiering on with more applications, secretly hoping I'll hear back in a few days. What's meant to be will be.

I can't argue with that. The first included some follow-up information that she requested, so I don't see that as a problem. But I swore I wouldn't send more than one more mail to check in. It's a great job that's worth chasing, but I think you're right. There is such a thing as coming on too strong.

You're right, Marisa! Trying not to read too much into it, in case it does work out. But I think I've sent enough emails at this point. If I don't hear back by mid-week next week, it's clearly not going to happen. I wish she hadn't initiated the timeline. She should've just said, "If we'd like to move ahead, we'll let you know", instead of "we'll get back to you tomorrow". I understand that recruitment eats into the rest of your working day, especially if it's not your full-time responsibility, but a one-line reply doesn't seem like a lot to ask for. If I don't hear back at all, then I'm glad to have had his experience as early in the relationship as possible. Rather now than once I'm in the job!

... after a first interview, four days later, and three follow-up emails, I've heard nothing. Is this something that happens in Aus particularly, or just as random as any other country's hiring practices? I don't get why they wouldn't reply. If they wanted me, they would've surely replied. If they don't, why not just say - thanks for interviewing, but it's not going to work out. And if they're still deciding, or interviewing other candidates, surely they realise it's not the best start to a relationship with a potential employee. Whichever way I look at it, I can't understand it. :arghh:

Thanks Col! I'm definitely partial to Balmain and surrounds, and it helps to have your description of all the benefits nearby. Hadn't looked at Drummoyne and co, so will have a bit of an exploration online and start to draw a new circle around that side of the map. Thanks very much!

That's a mighty fine checklist of features there, Jilly! Thanks for the heads up on the area - I'm going to have a look through maps, rentals and areas and see what our money can get us out there. And thanks Marisa/Mary. Trust me, I'm going into anything that's NOT in the city with my eyes wide open ... not a fan of commuting, but I have to keep an open mind, especially with dogs, and maybe just for the first year while we settle.

The Garden Route is incredible! Agree, the poor old country is not in good shape at all.

Have you ever been to Cape Town? Beautiful, beautiful city. It's sad that our exchange rate is plummeting, our government is (on the whole) corrupt, and we have limited job opportunities (affirmative action, which is needed, leaves many of us unemployable). It's an awesome country but it needs new management. And that, unfortunately, is not coming anytime soon.

This makes a lot of sense, and helps put things in proper perspective. I think because I think of it as first world, I put UK and Aus in the same boat, which isn't reality at all - it's like comparing San Francisco and Paris. I'm sure that it will all become even clearer when I step off the plane and start exploring. I've heard a lot of SA peeps heading out St Ives way, but I'm not looking to congregate with any particular people. I just want to live somewhere that's comfortable, beautiful and convenient to get to and from

I've also travelled, and know both Sevenoaks and Kingston extremely well. There's nothing that compares to them in South Africa, where I live.

Thanks for the additional feedback. I think you're right - the distances on the map don't do the real distances justice. For the record, I'm not in or from the UK, so I can't 'stay in the UK ', Bungo. I've referred to spots in the UK because this is the PomsInOz forum and I thought using those reference points would be useful to illustrate what I was after.

Agree about them being outliers, but the ease of travel into the city balanced with the look and feel of the neighbourhood is something similar to what I'm hoping to find. I know it's not just a matter of copying and pasting, because it's an entirely different country. Just trying to give an idea of the context of what would tick all the boxes for me. Not that I'm expecting ALL of them, just giving a comparison that might make more sense than trying to describe things in abstract terms.

You're probably quite right about the last part. I'm starting to come around, though, as we continue the discussion (and I continue the search - never looked at so many maps in such a short space of time). As for something within London itself, how about Kingston or Richmond?

I've never been. Busy with plans to move over before Feb. But let's talk Sevenoaks then, rather than Canterbury. Bigger than a village, for sure, but still extremely leafy, spacious and tranquil, with some really affordable pockets, and not all that far from the city.

Apologies, Oatley it is. Tranquil setting is exactly what I'm after. Think Canterbury (Kent), but closer to the city. I'm going to have a much closer look at Oatley now, because it seems I may have judged it too quickly. When you say 'old Sydney', what suburbs would that include? Perhaps that's a good ring fence for me to be looking at. Thank you for taking the time to respond, I really do appreciate it very much.

Thanks for the blue rinse alert - that could've been a close call! LOL. I'm still after a village atmosphere, but one that feels like history in a heritage sense more than a 70s sense. I get the 70s vibe from the pics I've been able to find of Oakley, but of course very difficult to tell simply from photos. Woollahra looks like it has the makings of a village feel in terms of its architecture, and really the butcher, baker and candlestick maker are nice extras that I'm not too fussed about, though being able to choose the thickness of lamb chops wouldn't be a bad thing Seriously though, the only reason for looking at Leichhardt and others are because of their proximity to the CBD and somewhat of a leafy existence - and Centennial Park isn't far either. These are the photos that made me think Woollahra ticked the village boxes: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woollahra+NSW,+Australia/@-33.888384,151.23724,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s117640486!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fstatic.panoramio.com%2Fphotos%2Fsmall%2F117640486.jpg!7i5760!8i3840!4m2!3m1!1s0x6b12add9dcc19089:0x5017d681632d0d0!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woollahra+NSW,+Australia/@-33.886858,151.252803,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s1946741!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fstatic.panoramio.com%2Fphotos%2Fsmall%2F1946741.jpg!7i2304!8i1728!4m2!3m1!1s0x6b12add9dcc19089:0x5017d681632d0d0!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woollahra+NSW,+Australia/@-33.8839792,151.2388179,3a,75y,32h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1slc0C5CfGNhoGzPTfggvsrw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dlc0C5CfGNhoGzPTfggvsrw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D32.140976%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x6b12add9dcc19089:0x5017d681632d0d0!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woollahra+NSW,+Australia/@-33.8889773,151.251105,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s-SpRhYAA3mlg%2FVJyqts1qkdI%2FAAAAAAAAHck%2F5eocvlcFBOE!2e4!3e12!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-SpRhYAA3mlg%2FVJyqts1qkdI%2FAAAAAAAAHck%2F5eocvlcFBOE%2Fs203-k-no%2F!7i4128!8i2322!4m2!3m1!1s0x6b12add9dcc19089:0x5017d681632d0d0!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woollahra+NSW,+Australia/@-33.887995,151.238235,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s-JtGPMji3UmI%2FVHadDBTNvlI%2FAAAAAAAAwJ4%2FUGD2NgXeEjk!2e4!3e12!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F-JtGPMji3UmI%2FVHadDBTNvlI%2FAAAAAAAAwJ4%2FUGD2NgXeEjk%2Fs203-k-no%2F!7i2592!8i1936!4m2!3m1!1s0x6b12add9dcc19089:0x5017d681632d0d0!6m1!1e1 So please help point me in the right direction with this in mind. Villagey is still on my list! P.S. Thanks for the flight path heads up. Definitely something I don't want to be lumped with, especially when first moving to a new country!

After taking a closer look at suburbs, I'm thinking Inner West and Hills are probably the closest match. You're right - again! It looks awesome. Have a look at this little gem: http://www.domain.com.au/for-rent/10-carlotta-street-greenwich-nsw-2065-10038826?sp=5 Thanks for the pointers. I'll have to do some digging into these. Haven't considered this properly yet. Checked out Oatley and it seems decent, though not quite Woollahra Thanks for the extra options! Funnily enough, I've been looking at inner west in those three L-areas. Some very nice options on the Lane Cove and Lilyfield side. One or two options in Leichhardt too

Breakfast Point looks beautiful - will have to investigate how long it'll take into the CBD though. Looks a little far at a glance. JockinTas, you hit the nail on the head with Woollahra. The historical architecture, the trees, Cooper Park, near to the CBD. Aargh ... is there a slightly more affordable version of Woollahra that you know of?

Will check out the area search on Domain, didn't know that was possible - thanks! How about areas like Annandale (http://www.domain.com.au/for-rent/112-trafalgar-st-annandale-nsw-2038-9996617?sp=9) or Lilyfield (http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-lilyfield-405154559#). Are these decent suburbs?

Wow. At this point I'm considering investing in a salt mine! Seems that besides the nice pics and sweet reviews from residents, the site offers absolutely no value for what I'm needing here. Thanks for the heads up.

Not sure what went wrong, but thanks for saving my post - and the welcome Very good to know. I know absolutely nothing about the good areas vs bad, so the pockets look amazing on Google Images, sound great when reviewed by residents, and tick lots of boxes in terms of features. You're right about villagey meaning different things to different people. I'm not looking for the village-nothing-village isolation, I'm looking for the small town feel, feeding ducks at the local pond or strolling along a river without thousands of others, a big church, loads of green space, local milkman, a pharmacy that knows your name, wider streets, fewer homes, more space between them, that kind of thing. Of all my criteria, it's really the most flexible of course, but it would be very nice to have if it is possible. I don't know at this stage. I realise it's a bit of a cart-before-the-horse scenario, but I'm guessing that my budget will dictate area regardless of where I work in the CBD. But yes, I'd like to avoid long commutes if at all possible while ticking other boxes within my budget. Only found them because I was looking for something unexpected and came across the site I referenced, that weirdly put Surry Hills at somewhere like 324th on the list. I was hoping to find a few not-so-obvious options, which I think I did ... but from the sound of things, in all the wrong ways. Brilliant! Adding it to the list and will be off to explore after this. Thank you Beautiful, thank you. I was hoping to be closer to the CBD than this, but will have a browse of the area to see what it has to offer! This is where I kinda started, but tried (not so successfully) to zoom in on suburbs to be able to search for rentals to see what I could get for my money, and what kind of area I'd be living in with the budget. I have a general idea that the beaches are to expensive, Sutherland is (at this point) a bit further than I was hoping for, and the rest are good (and bad, if you look at my list), so I'm trying to get a little closer to the suburbs I might be choosing between. LOL. Yes, I've come to agree, unfortunately. But thanks to you guys, I now know that I was on the wrong track. Decent transport links are crucial, which I'm kinda taking for granted in areas somewhat close to the CBD.