The Gees

@InnerVoice @rammygirl thank you both so much for your advice, it’s much appreciated!

Mad indeed. That is including our recent pay award, which we went on strike to fight for last year. I have been at the top of the pay scale for about 13 years. The workload and stress have also become so much worse over the last 10 years in particular. If we were staying the UK I have a plan B to leave teaching. There is a recruitment and retention crisis, all of which is played down by government but is having a terrible impact on our young people. I hear that there are similar issues in Australia but not quite as bad as the UK - I hope!!

I have a 491 and am planning to arrive in Australia by May 24. Just looking at teaching jobs on Seek and various agencies. Can anyone offer me insight into what is a respectable wage? I have been teaching 20 years (secondary) with management / subject leadership and also act as subject lead tutor for a university accredited teacher training provider. Current salary is roughly £49k here in the UK and obviously I’d be very happy to improve on that in terms of disposable income in Australia ! I’ve seen a post advertised at 130k AUD - any feedback on that salary? Also interested in thoughts on teaching in public vs private sector as we currently have a child in private so would like to maintain that for them.. . (though open minded - will go with what is best fit for them). Do teachers get reduction on fees or places for children? I understand the school year starts in January and I may therefore have to do supply / relief for a while if we are arriving mid- year.

@InnerVoice I had done EOI for 190 and for 491 in Jan 2021 - maybe before things were really looking better for teachers ? Anyway, I was invited to apply for the 491 and not the 190. Perhaps due to my age? I was one month off my 45th birthday when the visa was granted.

@QuollJust returning to your point re Uni fees … we are planning to keep our UK home. Do you happen to know if this might help with residency for UK uni?… just thinking if council tax has been covered? Though if we rented it out I guess this wouldn’t work.

@InnerVoice many thanks. That makes sense. The uni information above means we are feeling it would have to be a commitment beyond 2028! ( subject to a 191!). I am a teacher as well so will be looking for work in Aus. Would be interested to know how you have found it compares to UK in terms of workload, pay etc. We are hoping that we might get a better standard of living and lifestyle, especially for the kids. My OH will be looking for work in Construction Management but mine is the primary visa. I am very keen but now and again feel terrible gilt and worry about leaving my mum. My dad passed away a few months ago and despite the frustration and delays caused by borders closing due to covid etc, we were at least able to spend his last few years with him as he was ill with dementia. It’s been a hard few years and we are hopeful that Aus will give us fresh opportunities and reinvigorate us.

Thank you. Hopefully we would be on a 191. Is there a website you can recommend for info on HE options eg range of degree apprenticeships, degrees etc?

Thank you, this is helpful. I hadn’t picked up on the implications for uni fees. If we stay in Australia would there be any implications for uni fees? or would they just apply as they would to any citizen? Unfortunately I really don’t think boarding here in the UK would work. We are a very close unit and she is quite shy and sensitive. We will have to think quite carefully. This is our only stumbling block but it does make me think twice about going. However, we won’t get another chance!

We are likely to be moving to QLD in July 2024. Our daughter will turn 15 in June 2024 and will have just finished her first year of GCSE study - Year 10 in the UK. ( We also have a 12 year old but think transition there is less complicated). Am I right in thinking that our daughter will be going into middle of Year 10 in Queensland? Or would it be Year 11? I have struggled to find a simple year by year explanation of Aus education and how it works in Year 11 - 12 also. Do students choose certain subjects for TAFE, as they would chose their option subjects here in UK or does the curriculum remain broad? We are thinking of finding her an international school or supplementing school with online study so she can continue her GCSE core subjects through to examination. I have only been able to find one school in QLD that offers iGCSE - Matthew Flinders in Buderim... is anyone aware of any other international schools or options here? We are aware that GCSE's don't 'matter' in Aus and the important qualification comes in year 12, just wanting to fully understand our options and ideally provide her with a back up plan. She is keen to make the move, we are just trying to get our heads around the system and to think about how we can preserve her options in case we return to the UK at the end of our visa in 2028 (we have a 491 visa so should be able to move to PR via 191 at the end of the 491 but... just in case!) Grateful for any information and advice!

Sorry - wrong forum

@paulhand Thank you for your help Yes, I have provided the full long form birth certificate. It is for my father. I did the same for my aunt's birth certificate (his sibling) and that has not been questioned or requested again, however I did label the document with her full name when I uploaded it originally whereas I only used my father's initials for his document. That is the only difference I can see, so I think the CO must have just not been able to find it easily amongst the huge number of documents. Do you think I should provide a transcript as well? My aunt's is written in the same handwriting and seems to have been accepted though. I am a bit nervous - it has been a long journey so far and I don't want to 'fail' at the 11th hour! I'm looking for silver linings and hoping it is a good sign that the application is actually now being processed! Thanks again

@wrussell Thank you. I will do this. Sorry if this is a stupid question but 'm not sure how to reply via email as the email came from an address I can't reply to! Is there another way to email the CO? I only have their first name and 'position number'.

Please advise: I have had CO contact asking for additional information. The CO wants a birth certificate (to prove relationship to sponsor for 491) which I have already provided. I am thinking that I will upload it to the application again, more clearly labelled. I will also type out a transcript as it is in small, old fashioned handwriting. Is anyone able to offer any thoughts on why else it is being requested again? Many thanks

Congratulations! That's brilliant I am a History teacher and just lodged a week ago. They requested medicals, with a 28 day turnaround, as soon as the application was lodged. Have you told your head yet? It's tricky with the notice periods in schools isn't it.

Wonder if anyone can advise? I am filling in the visa application / ELodgement form following invitation to apply for a 491 family visa. It asks for details of studies at secondary level or above. I have given degree / postgrad qualifications but do I really need to also include A Levels and GCSE's? The form doesn't 'work' easily for these. Many thanks!

@Cobs_Ahoy It sounds like you have researched very well and know your stuff! Did you find out the processing times through your own research too? We're aiming for the sunshine coast (and the visa obviously limits where we can live and work). Yes, all very tricky trying to get timings right when you have family considerations as well. Good luck to you, it sounds as though you are very much on the ball so I'm sure it'll all work out perfectly with the house, and the market is certainly in your favour.

I didn't realise! Thank you for the explanation!

A similar situation then! It's been really tough sitting in rented accommodation, watching the cost of houses go up in Australia and here in the UK - worrying that the proceeds of our house sale pre-Covid would get us less and less wherever we end up. I've got 85 points, including the 15 for nomination. It's a family sponsored 491. Congratulations on your invite too! Did that come through recently? Well done on keeping it all quiet. As a teacher I had to tell my head as a courtesy when I applied for the skills accreditation as I needed the reference. I think I'll keep this news quiet until I am more confident all is okay with the EOI error ! Whereabouts in NSW are you headed?

Thank you, that's interesting. I submitted this particular EOI in November so maybe they are still working through their back log. Hopefully if there is a shortage of teachers it will make it easier to find work within the location limits of the 491. It's a really strange feeling as we had given up hope really and even started rethinking our plans, particularly as we needed to think about stability and education choices for our children. Life has been on hold for such a long time and we sold our house in 2019 when we started this process so really have been in limbo! Fingers crossed that it's a sign things are opening up for offshore generally.

Thank you. I am really not sure why the invitation has come - my EOI is clear that I am offshore - maybe they are clearing a backlog. I'm sure it will unfold! I think I haven't been clear though - the change happened after my EOI was submitted but before QLD invited me. I hadn't updated my EOI because their website said they weren't accepting offshore submissions, so I thought I had time to update it before they opened the offshore submissions. I will also ask our agent for advice but obviously can't do so until Monday and was panicking a bit! Thanks again for the reply

Grateful for any advice. .. Am overjoyed to have received an invitation to apply on an offshore 491 to QLD (and totally shocked as had almost given up hope, particularly as I'll turn 45 this summer!). I have applied as a secondary school teacher. Since lodging my EOI I have been granted Irish citizenship. I am a UK citizen and passport holder but applied for the Irish citizenship through descent in order to keep it alive as family heritage and as a future option for my children. The Irish citizenship came through in the new year (having taken about 3 years!) and I went to update my EOI and then didn't because according to their website, QLD aren't even open for offshore. So my question is - what is the best approach to take here? I can no longer update my EOI as it has been locked due to the invitation being issued. Do I try and contact them directly and apologise profusely and offer my explanation or have I stuffed up my chances on the application? I have no intention of trying to mislead or hide any info - do I submit the application and wait for them to ask the question about citizenship, which will surely arise? I understand that I can submit another EOI, but as I mentioned previously, I am on a bit of a tight time frame due to my age. Many thanks for any advice you can offer