cg9456

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

@cg9456,  I'm confused why you're not going to Europe, which is where you really want to be?   If your partner is Lithuanian, then there are no barriers to you settling in any EU country you like.  Brexit makes no difference to you, because you're the partner of an EU citizen. 

I appreciate that it'll be difficult to get a job as a secondary school teacher in Europe, but you could offer tutoring in your subject and in English, and perhaps consider other jobs.  Once you are residing in a city, you'll have the advantage when applying for international schools in that city so eventually you could land one of those jobs.  

I guess it comes down to what's more important to you. My advice would be, activate your Australian visa, then move somewhere in Europe and try it out for a few years.  Once activated, you've got almost 5 years before you have to make a move to Australia.

Of course you could do it the other way:  give Australia a try for a few years, then if it doesn't work out, come back to Europe.  However, that's going to be a much more expensive way of doing it -- even taking into account possible periods of unemployment or under-employment if you try Europe first. 

My partner isn’t Lithuanian - did I maybe make a typo somewhere? I can apply for international schools but the positions are extremely extremely competitive. 

Hey all,

So my partner and I (both in late 20s) recently got 190 visas for Victoria. My job is a secondary school teacher, partner an accountant.

Since the visa was approved, I have become so unsure as to whether I want to go or stay. We have a dog, so the idea of going for a year and then coming back if we don't like it becomes a bit more complicated as I don't want to put our pet through the ordeal of flying back and forth.

We recently did a roadtrip around Europe and I realised that (1) I do want to leave the UK, but (2) I only applied for Australia due to Brexit and the limited options we face moving abroad now. I have contemplated applying for International schools in Europe, but those positions are extremely competitive (I have tried previously). This is a shame as I really love Europe - the cultures, the cities, the proximity to family and friends...

My partner and I have planned to do a "soft landing" to Australia so we don't lose our visas, but I guess I am looking for some reality-check feedback on what Australia is like for those who were hesitant to go? I know many would kill for our position and we are so lucky to have these visas, but I can't help but feel that I truly want to relocate to somewhere else in Europe. Then again, Australia is English-speaking and would maybe make more long-term sense...? Feeling lost, unsure, frustrated and scared.

3 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Melbourne's climate is unique in the world, apparently, because it sits on the edge of a very hot continent, but there's nothing between Melbourne and Antarctica except little Tasmania.  So when the wind comes from the north (inland) it can be blistering hot, but when the wind changes, you can get a freezing blast or pouring rain from the south. 

We do get hot summers but the weather isn't predictable. Besides, the beaches close to the city aren't what you'd think of as Australian beaches, so it's not a particulary outdoorsy city.  I'd say winter is like a British autumn, with grey skies and unpredictable rain. I lived in Sydney for 30 years before moving here. I've had to buy woolly hats, gloves and scarves again (today I went out shopping in my fleece and a beanie).   It is definitely not what you think of as Australian weather!    It suits me because I came to hate Sydney's stinking hot, sticky summers and Melbourne's weather suits me much better.  I do miss the mild, sunny, blue-sky Sydney winters though. 

Is there a reason you're looking at Sydney and Melbourne and nowhere else?  That's a bit like saying you're moving to the UK, but the only two cities worth considering are London and Manchester. Both have eye-wateringly expensive real estate if you want to live in a half-decent suburb.

How long does winter last, roughly? 

My partner and I really want to have a big city experience (we have both lived in big cities before and want to experience that again). I think maybe the only other option we would consider would be Brisbane, or the Gold Coast (which I know isn't a big city, but it appears to have a high number of visitors to keep it exciting?). As you can see, nothing set in stone yet!

Hi all,

So my partner and I (both in our late-20s/early30s) are moving over next year after securing permanent visas. We initially decided to go to Melbourne, but after reading pages of complaints about the weather, we are reconsidering it (climate was one factor influencing the move, as we both enjoy warmer climates and this was what I was expecting from Melbourne, at least for half of the year...).

We currently live in Southampton, but are both originally from the north of Scotland. How will we find the Melbourne weather in comparison? I keep reading how it is "cold and grey" for "half the year", and honestly don't think I want to experience any more of that! But when I look at the weather forecast (for what is technically the start of their Spring), the weather looks more like June weather for the UK (a bit up and down but mild). Is this just a complaint from Australians who find Melbourne cold in comparison to other Australian cities, or is it a legitimate complaint? We are considering to go to Sydney instead so any insight would be hugely beneficial from fellow expats!

Thanks.

Just now, Welshieabroad said:

Any luck?

Yea. Granted October 3rd :) 

On 06/08/2023 at 18:58, Welshieabroad said:

Ok great thanks 

Then I assume it's obvious at a later stage that you aren't claiming points for them?

Have you received an invite yet?

We are all very new to this!

No invite yet, still waiting! Did receive a letter about three weeks ago stating it was being reviewed by an officer though, so fingers crossed!

On 02/09/2023 at 09:34, SleepyCat said:

Hi, I know this was a while ago. I did Teach First and am looking to move to Australia. Do you know how they managed to bypass the 45 day teaching observation?
 

Hey, during the Teach First PGCE my uni professor and in-school mentor both observed often so I just asked Canterbury Uni to provide a letter to that fact and they did  

1 minute ago, Welshieabroad said:

Hello,

We are just at the EOI stage and wondered about the partner skills too.

My partner doesn't have a skills assessment and won't be getting one, but did you still fill in the bix stating what their job was? Or did you leave it blank in the end?

Not sure what to do

Thanks 

Hey!

We entered employment details for him, so it was obvious in the application that he was working in finance/towards becoming an accountant. 

Any progress yet? I finally lodged my application and passed medicals mid-June for the 190 and still waiting for an outcome  

On 03/05/2023 at 07:05, ZAtkin said:

Can I ask, are you completing your visa application/journey yourself or doing it through an immigration agent? 

Hey! Sorry for delay. I'm doing it all myself. Only issue I'm having is getting a Spanish criminal background check from my Erasmus days...! The Spanish consulate is simply ignoring all of my emails/calls and I don't know what to do.

You?

24 minutes ago, ZAtkin said:

Awesome congratulations to you too!

quick question, not sure if you can help. The question ‘are you including your spouse/partner on the visa’ I selected yes. It then asked for his occupation to which I selected engineering manager from the drop down list which I also stated on the EOI on skill select. He doesn’t have a skills assessment though and stated this on the EOI therefore, I haven’t claimed any points for him…

Was this the right answer to put? 
I’m hoping I’ve not answered wrong and they were asking if he’s part of the nomination?

I've got no clue! My partner is a soon-to-be accountant so I just put Home Duties for them. Maybe quickly pay for a Skills Assessment just in case? In any case they have access to your EOI.

Just now, ZAtkin said:

Hi, 

I’m a sonographer and applied for 189 10/02/23 still waiting for an invitation round to happen. 

Recently decided to apply for 190 VIC 24/04/23 and submitted ROI the same day.

02/05/23 I’ve received an email saying I’ve been selected to apply for 190 and signed the declaration. Once that’s assessed… I believe there’s priority for certain occupations so could be within 5 business days, they’ll send an invite through skill select to go ahead and apply for the visa.

Hope this helps, I was surprised how quick it was. Think you’ll be contacted soon enough as you’re a teacher. 

Hey congratulations!

And ditto. I also received an invitation to apply for the 190 so sent off my declaration too. Good luck!

Any progress? I submitted my EOI and ROI on Friday (secondary school teacher).

Hi all,

I submitted my EOI and ROI for the 190 to Victoria on Friday. My occupation is "Secondary School Teacher" and I just wanted to get an idea on other's timelines for the process as well as sharing some of my own timeline too! 

Skills Assessment: Applied 21/03/23. Approved 20/04/23.

PTE: sat and gained results 27/04/23.

EOI (189 and 190) and ROI (Victoria) Submitted: Friday 28th April.

Good luck everyone!

On 29/03/2023 at 00:00, benj1980 said:

Teach First is different. It's got real mixed results in terms of teaching retention, that said the academic element to it is robust.

I just got my AITSL skills assessment approved so I guess you were right.

On 11/03/2023 at 02:50, benj1980 said:

For reference my transcript was called a reference transcript. It stated the following:

• Name
• Student ID (Uni ID)
• Course studied
• Length of course

Within the transcript table:

• Modules and credits
• Days it took to complete
• Detail of the module

No final grades provided. But it had the letterhead of the university, which presumably is the crucial element! The most ridiculous thing is a SCITT is a more robust way into teaching. You have more time in the classroom learning your craft instead of discussing theory. You still complete assignments but you have a superior amount of time immersed in the classroom. I have worked with/for Uni's since and confident in what I am saying! In fact, a lot of feedback from schools in Australia is graduates haven't had enough exposure to the reality of the classroom. 

This whole thread is so frustrating. I just replied to the OP saying three Teach First graduates (is that different from a SCITT? I'm not sure?) got accepted by AITSL, one just last week!

On 18/01/2023 at 23:56, Rob Frain said:

My visa wouldn’t go through as it wasn’t Liverpool John Moores who gave me the placements in school in my Scitt year it was the training provider and they would t budge at all after about 4 months of going back to AITSL. 
 

We’re now wondering do we go for the 189 visa or do we go for the sponsored one from WA? What are the pros and cons of both?! 

That is so weird? I know three people who did Teach First where Teach First chose their training school, but they then did a full-time PGCE alongside Teach First and all three of them were accepted (one literally one week ago!). This really makes no sense at all.