evets

I agree with rammygirl, when I relocated to Canada. The movers were very professional and efficient and very quick, in and out with a few hours. I was slightly concerned that things did not get packed as I would have done, but in the end no broken goods. I could not have done what they done in the timeframe. Just ask them if they need a tea/coffee/water when they arrive. Small things!

Nice story. So happy things have worked out so well for, made for a nice read and put a wee smile on my face. Good luck with your future.

I did a couple of days later.

This may work, taken from the website as had to email them yesterday. Still pending a reply! info@bupa.com.au

emm, believe the same could/would be said if invited to a BBQ in the UK or any where else in the world. Same principle would apply to being invited to dinner/housewarming/etc, bring a bottle of vino or something for the hosts. Same courtesy applies world wide, well IMO. Not really an Aussie specific thing.

You should also note, as I found out, you may have bought the flight on Singapore Airlines then find out the actual flight is with Virgin. Who do not have the same baggage allowance in place and as such will want to charge you the excess baggage fees.

Not sure if this helps you at the moment; http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2016/12/07/importing-foreign-maths-science-teachers/ But you could be very indemand soon

I found that also after I sat the test. The online tests appear/are harder than the actual test. I was in the same position, sitting there reviewing my notes and documents. Was shocked at the actual outcome. Better to be more prepared than not.

Congratulations and wish you the very best on your move. It is a huge leap of faith and flying into summer! Nice I am on my 6 week time line countdown of relocating from Australia to Canada. Nothing personal, have loved my time here in Melbourne, just job market not that great in my industry, lots being outsourced or mainly offshored. Your post resonates with me, as I feel exactly the same aside from the house sale as kept mine for a rental as the property market has crashed at that time in the UK, while the property market in Australia appears unstoppable now!!! For me it never truly hits home until the plan is taking off and you think WOW no turning back now!

Good luck leanie, hope it all goes well. As for the test, have to agree I used numerous online tests like toOZ2012 mentioned as was a little shocked by the actual test. In and out between 5- 10 mins!

I would also stock up on towels(expensive in Oz for anything decent)(hand, bath, etc), dusters(I know, but I read this from another poster before I moved and now makes sense). If you are into cooking and buying nice pots and pans,etc double check the prices here and consider if worth purchasing in the UK and including in your freight shipment. Was a little, very, shocked at the cost of reasonable cookware in Oz!! Also are you shipping a lot of electrical gear, if so consider 4 way adapters as only means one plug to change. Not sure if you are shipping your bed and duvet(doona here), if so bring some extra sheets and covers as sizes here are slightly different as you have already noted. And can be expensive to buy anything decent, not like just popping round to Tesco. Some things you might not expect, not exactly sure(not checked your profile) what state you are moving too. But I am in Melbourne and have never owned so much thermal clothing in my life. Get down to M&S and stock up on some long johns, thermal vests etc if moving to SE Australia. Also if you are a fan of M&S, stock up on underware(I have found it hit and miss here and the quality so so) and even singlets(for hubby)(useful in the hot weather to wear under shirts to keep the sweat under control) Not sure of your exact moving date, but you are close to London. If you can make the most of the sales at John Lewis for pillow slips and pillows, maybe even duvets if you are already thinking of them. Ikea is useful and cheap here, but quality can be hit and miss. Probably same can be said for the UK! Think about the things you would not buy the most, but that you would think essential creature comforts. Choice can be limited in Australia and with that can sometimes be expensive. M&S now does shipping to Australia and from memory if you spend a certain amount, free shipping(I could be wrong on that as not used it for a while or even double checked) Depending on your budget and your lifestyle places like Ikea and Fantastic Furniture, will help you get started cheaply. If they are not to your taste, then things can get expensive quickly.

Completely agree. The problem with Australia is they took so long to decide on mass immigration, look at when the US embraced it. Now they cannot cope and provide the infrastructure that is now required for the population growth. The housing market and other parts(land, business, etc) are all now on offer to foreign investors pushing the local market out, as they now cannot afford to live here. I look at auctions in my suburb, hardly any first time buyers, mainly local investors who are just looking to rent it out or foreign investors wanting to do the same or house there children here. With Brexit and Trump, people are starting to turn against the current way politics is run. Some, hopefully, interesting times ahead here.

OK agreed and makes sense now. I mentioned Indians, as from the map provided it had Indians has the main population which I found odd as it was not my experience living here. But as I think about it more, it could well be probably be true as have been observing the area more since this post. I would still think "white Australians" are the dominant race, with Asian(Chinese and Koreans), Indians, Italians, Eastern European following. One suburb to the left of me, I see a couple of Indian stores while two suburb's to the right of me is predominately Greek. Yes when I first came to Australia, 2002, I hardly seen anyBlack or Indian people, odd since I was coming from SE London where mass interracial culture already exists and you do not even think about it. And yes during my first visit I noticed the discrimination but this was reflected towards the Aboriginal's. Now I see it reflected towards Indians and Africans, and somewhat towards the Chinese especially I think because of the property market. I fully agree with you, the applications I support are deployed at tier 1 telcos, and are largely supported by Indian System Integrator's, some onshore some offshore. Some of the guys are really good but the majority fall short and have this blame the vendor attitude so not to take/accept responsibility. Sometimes I wonder if the Telco really cares about the support they are hiring or just about the bottom dollar! Reading one of the more local forums ie dominated by Australians and not expats, the 457 rort as they put it needs to be addressed. It is a shame as so many people are investing tons of money and effort in relocating on a dream of a better life only to find that the jobs they want have been offshored to there home country. For some it works it positive, for a large majority not so good

Agreed, it is great when you want to move to Australia but the job market here is now saturated with locals struggling to find work. The SOL does really need to be reviewed as Australia has not geared up for immigration, and the cracks are starting to show. The damage is already done, locals are pissed with it and they want it reviewed.

Sorry your post makes no sense. Most if not the majority of Indian workers I know come over doing IT related work. I work for a software vendor and deal with tons of these guys. Also see tons driving taxis for a living as they cannot find any work. The suburb I am in is heavily Asian dominated, and that is confirmed from the people I see walking around and frequenting the shops/restaurants. I could count the amount of Indians I see here, my suburb, on a daily basis on 2 hands, maybe 3 at a push. Actually will change that, as the majority in the suburb are all working at woolworths.

Agree with flag, check out the job market in the areas you are thinking off. For the roles you have mentioned you would probably find Melbourne or Sydney(and also Canberra especially with security clearance(once you have citizenship)) would offer more opportunities and better salaries especially for the 2 roles you have mentioned. Unless you get lucky or find a work from home role. Have a look at seek.com.au, indeed.com.au, glassdoor, linkedin to see how many roles you both could apply for, job market here is very competitive at the moment.

Ah OK, makes more sense now. I did think/thought coming on a 457 visa and if English was not your first language you would still have to sit and pass the IELTS test. Not looked this up just an assumption. Sorry being lazy

Oddly I see another type, the young Asian whose English is very poor. I can understand people that came many years back, whether Asian or European, who would have never had to complete the IELTS test, but wonder how these younger people managed to get PR/citizenship for Australia.

Looking at my suburb, the top group is Indians and I see no Indian restaurants or shops here. The area is mainly Asian restaurants, with the odd western fast food joint, aside from the obvious coffee shops. I do see Indian people walking around, but the majority would be Chinese(or Asian if you want to group together).

True, good point.

Hookturn, Maybe contact these guys, they have a number of WFH options. https://www.pythian.com/career-opportunities/ Also have your heard of this firm: http://www.uxc.com.au/ They do not have anything posted at the moment, but you could contact and discuss.

I called them after 3 weeks and got the same response.

Any ideas how long the approval letter can take, I am at 5 weeks since I sat the test. Glen Eira, Melbourne.

Coming home depending on what station you get on in the CBD will determine how easy it is to get a seat. Melbourne has this interesting concept called the city loop. It still confuses me to this day, depending on the time of day or the weekend. Your train will start at Flinders Street and go round the loop or go direct to Richmond. At rush hour coming home, I believe it starts at Flinders street and works it's way round all the stops before hitting Richmond, by the time it gets to Parliament the train can/will be pretty full. https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/ Will give you a good idea of travel times and the city loop. Another thing to note is Early Bird train travel, is you will not be charged for your travel at 7am, as it is before 7:15am(weekdays only): https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/myki-money/ Since you are coming in November, this year I assume, be aware of the rail works on the Cranbourne and Pakenham line: http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/crossings/caulfield-to-dandenong This will add to your journey until the works are completed which is a few years away, but such a welcomed change.

Am in the same boat as you Eltoro, I sat mine the 26th August. The guy interviewing me said the approval would be sent out next business day. I called the DIBP today and they told me my application was still being processed.