JRC

My migration agent also requested that I stated the school or nursery setting details too - not sure whether it was specifically needed or whether she wanted to make sure that all possible questions were answered before being asked.

Yes we could pay in full or in instalments - it definitely softened the blow as it felt like a lot of money for not a lot of work to begin with. However, after the amount of time, effort and expertise put into the application it was definitely money well spent. Whenever we have applied for the ETA though we have done that ourselves online it’s only because the 489 included quite a few steps and hoops to jump through and my skills assessment wasn’t the most straightforward to begin with.

We are currently using Smith-Jones Migration and I’ve been happy with the service. Can’t remember how much they charged now though because it’s been a while since we paid the final instalment.

I am considering visiting an Australia expo/ seminar but is it worth it?! Does anyone have any experiences of these? I have my visa application in so I’m not in need of visa advice and I cannot register as a teacher in SA until I have completed the one day course but have already had my qualifications positively assessed with SA TRB. So I am wondering whether it would be a waste of time and money going to an expo?

Yes the 489 is becoming obsolete very soon. We are still waiting on our visa - it was submitted earlier this month. I didn’t have enough points for the 189 and the 190 wasn’t available for my skilled occupation sponsorship for SA unfortunately so it was the 489 or nothing. It is all very complicated which is why I chose to use a migration agent and also with working full time as well as having a family I didn’t have the time or energy to do it independently. To begin with my husband and I thought it was an expensive option but now we feel like it’s been worth every penny.

I have had to opt for a temporary 489 visa because it seemed like slim pickings for teachers with lots of hoops to jump through Which included working full time in teaching (I had to return full time after maternity leave because of this reason ) I have used a migration agent and she just suggested getting letters from each employer confirming the job role undertaken and hours worked - even when I was working as a supply teacher nine years ago. It seems like gaining a skilled visa as a teacher is not straight forward unfortunately.

Thank you so much for this. I managed to call them and book a weekend appointment. I just presumed that they didn’t after Manchester saying no.

We are going down the 489 route and using an agent. The agent and I both received a notification email with the invitation to apply.

I am currently using Smith- Jones Migration. She’s been very knowledgable and professional throughout the whole process. She was recommended to me from a family friend who also used her services.

I’m expecting it to take months and months yet! So I’m trying to almost put it to the back of my mind and enjoy what I hope will be the last working school year in the UK.

This is all really positive to hear. We are just waiting on our visas and will be heading to SA (with a toddler in tow) after never visiting anywhere other than WA so it’s brilliant reading all the information you share on here. Thank you

As a teacher let me reassure you that kids are fine if they start mid year so don’t panic about the time of year you put them into school, they are so resilient!

We plan on renting a holiday let via Airbnb for a month when we first arrive and fingers crossed this will be roughly in the suburb we hope to rent long term in. Don’t know about the school intake though, sorry. I have looked on the Realestate.com.au app and it lists all local schools for each property listed which is useful - I’m a teacher so it’s helped me to see which localities have the biggest choice of schools so therefore more chance of job vacancies.

Yeah I realised that I needed to contact them individually but just wanted to find out before calling around whether anyone already knew about the weekend appointment likelihood. For anyone else wanting to know this information... Manchester do not offer weekend appointments.

We submitted our EOI in May and got the invite to apply by the end of June. It was on a Saturday which surprised me because I expected it to be a Monday-Friday kinda job!

We have just submitted our visa application and our agent has asked us to now get our Medicals booked in and done. None of the locations are particularly close by and as a teacher I may struggle to get them done once back to work so wondered whether anyone knew if they do these at a weekend or whether some branches/medical centres do and some don’t? I haven’t called any of them yet and thought it’d be worth asking on here before calling each one inidiviually. My family emigrated 14 years ago and we had Medicals in York but that’s no longer even an option by the looks of the immi website. By the way, I’m based in the uk! Thanks

Hi, Yes you definitely need four years university education which could be in the form of a MA or PGCE. I was in the same predicament, I had three years BA in Primary Ed so decided to do a PGCE in early years education because I had primarily worked in the EYFS since qualifying as a primary school teacher anyway so it made sense whether I emigrated or not. BUT they only counted my experience post PGCE qualification so my 7 years previous experience didn’t count for anything and therefore impacted on points.

I am currently using Smith-Jones migration consultant. She is Mara and was recommended to me by a family friend who used her a few years back. I don’t see her on here but she is very thorough and honest even before asking for any money!

I realise that each state has their own Teacher registration board but for SA you can’t get fully registered until you complete a full days safeguarding training (only available in SA) but you can get your qualifications assessed by the SA TRB before applying and they provide a certificate as evidence that your qualifications meet the requirements. I didn’t need to have this before applying for the 489 for SA but my migration agent recommended that I had this ASAP in order to avoid any hiccups down the line and also show that I have looked into work opportunities in SA.

You definitely need four years of higher education relating to teaching and if you want to apply for the SEN teacher route then you will need to prove that you have experience in this field - work experience not just placements. You also need proof that you have undertook a minimum of 45 days work experience on your education course(s). I only know this because I am currently going through the early childhood route and had your predicament of three years BA Primary Ed with QTS and have then gone and done an early years PGCE (I chose this rather than a masters degree because I have been working mostly in early years since gaining QTS so thought the EYTS would be useful for my career in the UK too anyway). But when applying for skills assessment and the EOI (through an agent) I have had to provide proof that I have work experience in the early years sector as well as my placement days. I also then needed to provide this evidence when applying for the SA Teachers Registration Board Qualification Assessment. I hope this is helpful.

E2 Language on YouTube are free and give really helpful advice. I paid for the E2 language basic membership before doing the PTE test too - mainly because I was determined not to have to pay to resit it after attempting the IELTS one numerous times. I managed to pass the PTE one no problem but definitely think it was down to the revision beforehand.

Wowzers! How annoying!!!

PTE is not an ‘easier’ test than the IELTS it is however a much more professional atmosphere when you’re undertaking the test and more fairly marked (computer based as opposed to a person). I undertook the IELTS three times and each time received 8 or above (usually 9) in reading, listening and speaking but 7.5 each time in writing. Yesterday I undertook the PTE and scored 90 (equivalent of 9 in IELTS). Clearly the IELTS’ subjective marking approach is failing test takers unfairly. What’s also unfair is that IELTS do not give specific feedback as to why your score was below par. Overall I would recommend PTE, not because it’s easier or because I received the desired score but because it’s a fairer system.

My agent submitted my skills assessment the week before Christmas 2018 and we received a positive skills assessment back in February2019. We weren’t asked to provide any more evidence but the agent ha asked for everything but the kitchen sink before we submitted lol! We have however got another hiccup as I have turned 33 between this and now lost the much needed points.