The Smith Clan

If you're a native speaker, it isn't difficult at all to pick up 10 points with IELTS or PTE-A. I've taken IELTS, PTE-A, and TOEFL, and I'd recommend you give PTE-A a crack. You might be pleasantly surprised how well you do. Oh, and don't bother studying for it: just a waste of time.

 

Incidentally, no idea what profession you'll be applying for; however, if it's any of the 2611/2613 categories, feel free to give me a nudge. Went through the process without an agent (hate spending money if I don't need to), so relatively well versed in what you'd need for these.

Im a qualified social worker. The skills assessment looks like a mind field with so much information to provide, I'm guessing with dedication I could do this but still need agent for visa application as an error can cost dearly.

thanks

I am looking at applying for 189 visa, i am a qualified social worker and would be moving with husband and children. Are the working visas only up to 31 years, just wondering if cheaper option for visas?

How difficult is it to get the 20 points? At present I have 70 points based on getting 20 in test, I lose 10 points in Jan as I turn 40. My dilemma is we visit oz in August and by then be too late to start visa process and submit by Jan as need to do skills assessment and English test. We need to go with an agent due to all paper work and want to get it right. Due to the costs of agent and if we don't wish to proceed I've help back starting process. Just wondering how difficult it is to get the 20 points?

We arrive august 17th until 6th sept, arrive in Brisbane, travelling up sunshine coast

@The Smith Clan - just don't let your sister turn it into too much of a holiday! If you want to make the right decision, then at least two of those three weeks should be spent touring the suburbs and going to look at houses to see what you can really afford, checking out schools, and making appointments with recruitment agencies to discuss your prospects. You should go to the supermarket with your sister when she does her weekly shop so you can see what prices are like.

 

You are going at a time of year when the weather is COOL by Queensland standards, so keep that in mind when judging the weather!

Thank you, I am of the mindset that we will stay in UK, but the dh is undecided and wants to still consider while we are out there. My dh has friends in landsbourgh and we will be staying there for a few days, they moved from UK and love it there. Really looking forward to the experience if anything else. I will know for sure when we leave. I love to visit many places but happy to come back home.

Thanks for your advice.

Hope you enjoy the time away. We head out in June for good.

Good luck with your new life, how exciting, not sure we are ready yet.

Thats fab news. We have just booked our flights to Brisbane for 3 weeks. When are you going? We are going in August.

 

It will be lovely for you to see your sister.

 

Adele x

Arrive august 17 th

Looking forward to 3 weeks in Brisbane, moving up gold coast. Will be seeing my sister after 11 months I guess we will know for sure if we want to return!

Hey guys,

 

My names Connor, I'm 21 and from England.

I'm looking to come to Australia in April/May on a WHV, planning to fly to sydney and work my way up the east cost, I have my visa but haven't booked flights just yet.

 

Is there anyone with similar plans or going to Australia around the same time? It would be nice to get to know some people before going as I'm travelling solo!

My sister has been in Melbourne since oct and has made many friends, also on a whv, she also travelled alone. You will be fine.

We are booking to go to Brisbane in August. I am still in shock actually, was about to book flights £3450 for 4 of us, went out came back went to book and the cheapest is now £4100 how did that happen????

 

Really looking forward to it, are you?

remember delete your cookies or prices will go up as it records searches

yes hoping to travel

Ready to book flights to head out to Oz in August. Can anyone recommend days out, want to make the most of our time there. Plan to stay in Brisbane.

All information much appreciated

Maria

I hope we haven't been too negative about Australia. The thing is that both Australia and the UK are good countries to live in, both have advantages and disadvantages, and which ones suits you is a very personal thing because everyone is different.

 

A good example is a friend of mine who came for a recce to Sydney and was ready to go back on the first plane after she had a close encounter with a flying cockroach (Sydney is infested with them)! The creepy-crawlies would be a trivial irritation for most people but a deal-breaker for her.

 

Like I said, the heat bothers some people but not others. And let's face it, there's air conditioning everywhere so in the summer, it is possible to go from your air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned mall to the air-conditioned restaurant. If you struggle with the heat, you'll just be hibernating in Dec/Jan/Feb to escape the heat in the same way you hibernated in the UK to escape the cold. You've still got lots of fine weather to enjoy the rest of the year. It just always felt weird to me, to be stuck indoors when the sun was blazing outside - when you've grown up conditioned not to "waste" a sunny day, it goes against the grain!

 

It sounds like a good plan would be to have a short recce at the hottest time of the year, you might find you don't mind it as much as you think.

I feel I would get used to the heat, we go to florida and it gets very hot, that's a slight worry its just the finances and not having jobs to go to and the cost of the visas if we cant get work, I know we would not move until we got work, if we went ahead would plan a trip to activate our visas and hope to get work whilst there. Its such a risk. If we lived in the area we did 10 years ago and our financial situation then we would not have the same concerns.

We are so grateful to everyone that has responded as its opened to our eyes to things we had not considered.

If we had a lotto win of course we would be applying for our visas

We are not put off by the country, just the concern of not getting work when we are stable here now, we have kids so need stability.

We are yet to do our math on what we would need to move but its not looking good

If you don't have a "career" kinda job.....its f-ing hard to find work! I'm on job interview 39 and I've been here 4 months.

I find it very much, its not a "CV" kinda place (Darwin anyways) but who you know that can help. Also getting an interview and explaining your situation

 

Also, personally for our situation, if you fall in the trap of one person loves it and the other hates it, the chance of going back is like opening a can of satan's worms!

Our marriage is hanging by a thread and we practically hate each other because he loves it and I want to come home but kids are involved etc etc etc....

 

So yeah, emigrate with your EYES wide open! Its not all barbies, sunshine and G-Day mate!

I am a social worker but understand I may need to retrain to some degree due to policy/legislation.

Sorry to read this, I hope it works out for you x

If you've got everything you dreamed of and you enjoy your current life the I can't really see the point in the move.....unless you just want the adventure.

I am very much a person and dh that likes to have a plan of where we want to be and what we hope to achieve, generally a 5 year plan, up to now this has all worked well with lots of hard work and dedication along the way and the last plan was achieved a few years ago and I guess its now whats next? The sense of adventure is a factor of course and that's just my personality I like to dream big and go get it. However, as this involves a big risk its not so easy, some one put wait to retire and that's a good possibility (we have always joked about getting a camper van and travelling when we retire lol) The more |I read the more I think to live in the here and now instead of chasing dreams and I do agree with you, just can't seem to forget about Oz. As it happens I had training today and the trainer was from Melbourne, the irony, he did however tell me to bring a lot of savings until we got work and how expensive renting was but plans to return.

That's a good point you make there about moving to Australia late in your career.

 

If you have an established stable career in UK, it's a lot to throw away just to satisfy an itch for "beaches and a nice house".

 

If you are over 40 it becomes a much bigger risk.

 

Do proper research or make a special groundwork trip to Aus on a tourist visa, just to find out what work you can get first and what your chances really are.

 

Not fully assessing all the cost/risks involved and hoping that it will just "all work out in the end" is a very stupid thing to do.

 

Last thing you want to do is move somewhere with a shrinking economy and tightening job market to be facing the real risk of unemployment and losing chunks of your savings which you will never get back.

 

We had many months of unemployment when we arrived, and we paid dearly for it.

Yes that's the concern. I have a good job in that it enables me to work pt financially, dream home for us from where we were and what we planned for 10 years ago. DH qualifies shortly as gas fitter and will have work with no concerns. The children are settled at school and area is lovely for trips out, by holiday villages and semi rural location.

I guess your think so what are we on here for?

I was the dream 10 years ago and now we have achieved the home ect there is that part of me that says what if? and our last chance I guess due to me turning 40 next year (losing out on points) and hubby will be 47.

As you say and rightly so its a lot to throw away!

We will take the time but I thank everyone for your responses as with research as well and your experiences we are more aware of risks, concerns and also good points, sadly less of the latter.

Thanks

Came over to Oz in November heading back to the UK in July! Main reasons for leaving: The heat! My one year old son cries and cuddles me when we have to go out in it,came here for good weather but need to stay in between 10 am and 2 pm! Poor services: waited 3 months for centrelink to register out kids immunisations to enable us to get them into nursery,waited 6 weeks for wheely bins from council (no fun with stinking nappies in stinking heat!),will have waited 3 months to get a landline and internet by the time we eventually get it!We find the quality of the nursery/daycare for our kids is nowhere near that in the UK,the tv is terrible! do not come here if you intend to watch tv.We looked forward to an open plan house but find it is impractical with small kids,very echoey and noisy,no character.Australian grass is horrible!!its rough and most of our lawn has burnt grass and a big patches of dry mud!I do not like the in your face commercialism either.

I recommend you look at positive reports of Oz,negative ones and in between ones and then make your decision.Australia does have wonderful beaches,the standard of food in restaurants/pubs is I think excellent aswell.Nobody can tell you if it is for you! Australia has helped me realise that there was nothing wrong with what I had other than me not appreciating it! Ultimately there is nothing wrong with Australia other than me not being happy here! Some of the problems I have listed seem trivial and can be overcome, but the heat,feeling as though I am on a holiday I don't want to be on and feeling I am missing out on the life that is familiar to me means its not for me.

Yes the more I read about the heat he more I wonder and for the children and pets. Thank you for your post.

Yep I agree with a lot of this.

 

We are currently packing to move back to UK after 8 years in Australia.

With no family here and very little family there I haven't got those kind of ties however my family is on the East coast USA and travel for them is much easier and cheaper to UK than here.

In the 8 years here my Mum has visited once (2years after we arrived) OH's Mum visited once (also 2 years after we arrived)...... and that's it.

Until about a month ago when my cousin and her family dropped in for the day we have seen no-one. None of the friends who made endless promises of holidays to the sun have ever visited. The odd school friend gets in touch to say they're heading down-under for a holiday and want to catch up, have us show them around, go mysteriously silent until after their trip.

 

I totally get the "Feelings of displacement" - that was a big one for us. What we thought would feel familiar feels very alien.

Also the weather - we have discovered we hate the sun. When our back yard hit 49.6'C a few years back we could not believe we had willing signed up for that! Looking forward to some cold weather.

Strangely one thing we both missed very quickly was proper lush green grass. The kinda grass you can take your shoes off and walk around on without fear of sharp stabby blades of grass or bites from poisonous tiny creatures or random blood-sucking leeches.

And, like you @thinker78, we are not beach people. I get sick of sand very quickly and neither hubby nor I will ever, ever go in the sea here. Ever!

 

One other thing I've found, since getting here unfortunately my health took a turn for the worse within 18 months and has never recovered. Yes Australia has Medicare but we were not aware you have to pay. Weird system of pay everything upfront then Medicare will pay you back but not all of it, just a percentage... so being sick became very expensive, very quickly. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it come to the past 8 years.

 

I am truly happy for those it works out for... Just a shame I wasn't one of them!

As I read this I recall all the times on holiday when ive wished it to rain and the heat has been unbearable

The medical side is a concern and something I have not looked at yet.

Thanks for your comments. I am not sure what causes the feeling of fear if I'm honest, maybe just the thought of going through it all again? I don't see how my post is odd however, I am contemplating a move to the other side of the world and I am just feeling a bit unsure nothing odd in that! I am after all only human!!

We are the same re the fear to try Oz out. On one day we are so positive like life is for living on other days we are like no its too much of a financial risk

Know that feeling!

We are at the stage of deciding if we should commit to applying for our visas? This site has been great for information but also has highlighted things we need to consider seriously, the initial thought of moving to Oz seems to trigger excitement and the thought of a warmer climate but we also need to be realistic.

What made you decide to move back to the UK?

Appreciate any response?

We are considering the move to Brisbane, is it difficult to make new friends? As we will have no family or friends I will feel very isolated if we didn't make friends.

Maria

Hi Maria

I totally get where your coming from it is such a huge deal to pick up the family and just move from everything you have ever known , it's bound to give you bad nerves , it's sounds like your much the same as me in that you have an opportunity to go but your worried in case it all goes wrong , the driving force for me is friends I have over there now that left the UK years ago and absolutely love it there and wouldn't dream of returning to the UK . Its just the worry of finding work , apart from that one issue there is absolutely no reason for us to want to stay in the UK. The problem is its like a tick that won't go away ,I think once you have it in your head that you want to live in oz it never goes away . I think sometimes in life you need to just go for it.which is why for us I think we're going go ahead with the visa application and hope it all works out for us . I hope you both do make it there and it's everything you hoped it would be . And yes it would be great to hear from you in the future on how it's worked out for you both .

Good luck

Sam

Pleased to hear that you have been able to make that decision, yes its hard to forget the idea, even though you think you have made a decision, for us its that what if. Yes please keep us posted on your journey. Fingers crossed we can make a decision soon

Good Luck to you all too

Maria

Hi everyone

Well after years of thinking and dreaming about moving to oz I am finally in a position to be able to make the dream happen , I am married and have a 4 year old son , I am an level 3 qualified plumber since 2007 and am gas safe registered, I have been talking to Ian harrop associates who have looked over my quals and work experience and have said we have a good chance of making it over on a 189 or 190 visa .so apart from the 20 odd grand we would lile to save to take with us were good to make an initial payment to Ian harrop and get the ball rolling . It's just now it seems like a reality I am now having last minute nerves ,I have done quite a bit of reading up on other people's experiences etc and my only real concern is work , I am panicking a bit about getting work In oz as a plumber , I am aware I need to resit all my quals once arriving and have heard ball park figures of around 4 grand to do them , absolutely fine with that , and I know I can do any kind of work to fill the gap while retraining , I am just a little worried as I have read quite a lot of negative posts about tradesmen finding work in oz (especially in my line of work )and that people are having to return to the UK as they cannot find enough work to stay . I know everyone's situations different and I am not gonna let it put me off applying I think it's just not knowing what to expect if we make it there , obviously money is a big factor ,if we go we need to make it work as we're not in a position to be able to just take a chance and hope for the best , I was just wondering if anyone on here is in a similar situation

Many thanks

Sam

Exactly the same position as you, found our agent and I have the qualifications to go (back in 2006 we tried but pathway changed for my dh skills) but we are a bag of nerves and the main reason is the financial risk and like you saw some negative posts on finding work. We plan to visit in august and hopefully will get an idea if we could live there but I lose 10 points in jan (due to age) making It too late then to get visa submitted by jan if we start in sept and feel like we need to make decision now as if I don't get 20 points in English test we would not make the 60 points.

We have discussed that at the point of getting visas going out to initiate visa and then move out when we secure work. He qualifies shortly as a gas fitter/plumber and will be gas safe registered but as you put will need to pay$4,000 for course once there.

Good luck and if we here of anything workwise we will let you know, we are hoping to find work in Brisbane.

Maria

With PTE you receive your results the very next day so it might be worth a try if time is a factor. I believe IELTS take much longer ?

 

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I believe you can choose which one you do, is this correct?

With PTE you receive your results the very next day so it might be worth a try if time is a factor. I believe IELTS take much longer ?

 

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Thank you I never thought of that.

Can anyone advise who has taken this I am referring to IELTS test.

My situation is I lose 10 points next jan (due to age) taking me to 60 which includes 20 for English test, so if I fail to get full amount of points will fail to get enough for visa. We are looking at going to Oz in August to see if right for us and by then may be to late to submit for visa by then, as need to do skills assessment. So we have dilemma of going with agent now and paying costs and if we go aug and do not like it will lose agent fees.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Maria