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Hi guys! I know that this is a wide question, and I don't expect thorough answers as I will be doing my own research on it I just thought I'd ask if there are any drastic/obvious differences in the education system/school life in Australian secondary schools compared to UK ones? Is there anything that I need to be mindful of/take into consideration?) I don't necessarily mean bad things either, but things that could potentially surprise me when starting a new school? Anything at all would be appreciated! Thanks!

Been reading quite a few comments about Sydney, and some not very good experiences, so thought I would add my thoughts about the different areas to live in Sydney, and their advantages/disadvantages In a nutshell, the eastern and northern suburbs are well off, likewise some of the southern suburbs. The further south west you go, the poorer it gets. The eastern suburbs, so between the CBD and the beach, on the CBD side of the bridge, are the most expensive. Places along the harbour, like Watsons Bay, Vaucluse, Double Bay, Elizabeth Bay, are especially expensive. Veryu nice places to live mind you, if you have the dosh. On the ocean side, Bondi, imho, is a bit overrated for the price, though I have lived there and enjoyed it. Lots of good cafes, a good place to brunch on a Sunday. Bronte, Coogee Beach and Maroubra, the beach suburbs going south of Bondi, are all pretty nice places to live. Something to keep in mind though. The train service terminates at Bondi Junction. So if working in the CBD and wanting to take public transport (the sensible choice, because parking in the city is terrible and expensive), you would get a bus from the beachside suburbs and then the train from Bondi Junction. The northern suburbs, especial betwen the Pacific Highway and the sea, are pretty nice. On the ocean side, Manly has good transport links (ferry, and buses as a back up in case fog closes down the ferry) but going north, through Dee Why and on up to Palm beach, if you have to commute from there, that means driving, and it is a seriously long haul from there, in the rush hour, to get to the CBD. Directly north, suburbs like Turramurra and Warringal are expensive but very bush and country style compared to in closer to the city. On a direct line west from Turramurra, about 15 or 20km west, is Castle Hill. Good quality, big houses. Too far from the city for me, but a nice place to live. Beware Lane Cove. Lovely to look at and visit, especially for picnics down by the Lane Cove River, but if you don't fancy a bush fire right next door, don't go there. Some idiot always seems to set fire to it in the fire season. Going west from the city, the Parramatta Road is a horrible drive if you have to commute to the city each day. If you are living out that way, it's better to catch a train in. Strathfield is very nice, as is Burwood, and close to good schools, private and state. Coming closer into the city, Dulwich Hill/parts of Canterbury, Lakemba tend to be where a lot of middle eastern families live. The main mosque is in Lakemba. Marrickville is quite Chinese/Vietnamese. To the south west of the city you have areas like Campbelltown, Liverpool, Cabramatta, and directly west of the city , far beyond Parramatta, you get to Penrith, and then to Emu Plains which is at the foot of the Blue Mountains. These areas have cheap housing, but this is suburbia with a capital S. In summer these areas are seriously hot, as in 40 degrees C, schooling is very so so, - just dull and boring. And far from the sea. On the south side, Cronulla has a great beach and very good train links into the city. Brighton is nice too. Coming back towards the city, I wouldn't live somewhere like Petersham or Alexandria though - small terrace houses and right underneath the flight path for Sydney airport. Redfern is not such a good area to live. It has a large population of Aborigines and they can get fairly tanked up on the booze. I wouldn't as a lone woman, get off and walk from Redfern station at night. Likewise from central station. Inner city, they may both be, but not such a good walk to and from the city. They remind me of somewhere like Hulme in Manchester or Muirhouse here in Edinburgh. Avoid Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. These are inner city but on the east side, and are the red light districts. If you fancy the inner city on the east side, Paddington is a lovely area to live, though a bit pricey and not really value for money. Just up from Paddington, Woollahra is very nice - lots of good antique shops there. Both have good bus links into the city. On the inner west side, my favourite part of town is Balmain. Brilliant cafes, good transport links (ferry and bus) to town. Though, if you fancy the ferry, my advice is to live down at the point, near the main terminus, and not on the west side near the Thamse street stop. The west side ferries don't always turn up. Going back towards the city, Rozelle is okay, but not as nice as Balmain - poky houses. Pyrmont and Ultimo are quite grainy. In a way they are trendy, but basically they are converted or redeveloped factories. We lived in Ultimo for a time, and I found the flats were solid but didn't have good air flow. No good parks nearby. Not a very nice walk into town. Going away again, along Parramatta Road, Glebe is a nice place to live. Opposite Sydney University, so well situated if you want to study. Good cafes. Right in the city, I always fancied living in The Rocks (the area underneath Sydney Harbour Bridge. Good night life but a bit hairy if walking home alone at night.

Hi I have been offered a job on a 457 in Melbourne, but have just have just been told about another location for the same job in Adelaide. To be honest I have not really considered Adelaide before and would be interested in peoples opinions on whether they would choose Adelaide over Melbourne and vice versa? I like the idea of living someplace that is not quite as big as Melbourne and get more for my buck, but I don't know if Adelaide has much going on about it. We have done a lot of research into Melbourne to accept the job, now this alternative office base has come along has given us a dilemma. Would be interested in any perspectives on both locations! Thanks, Ginge

This is just me thinking out loud because me and Harpodom have a bit of banter and throw a few sweeping generalisations around about northers and southerners.(uk) Do you think theres any REAL differences in mindset/attitude? I dont really tbh,"maybe" ive found southerners a bit less outgoing,a bit less likely to engage a stranger in conversation in the pub kind of thing. This is just my own experiences working in various parts of the country,London,quite a few areas from Harrow to Mayfair,Bristol and Bath,Reading etc. In the city i come from the people are(in general)very outgoing,wear their heart on their sleeve,if we like yer were not embarrased to tell yer,probs the same in reverse as well:laugh: To some we actually have a bit "too" much to say for ourselves,the playwright Alan Bennett once called us the norths cockneys,personally i'l take that as a compliment because east enders were the freindliest people i met in London. So do you think we have little differences/traits? i know i wont be bothered about walking into a pub in Aus on my own and having the craic no matter how many other brits there is in there or not. Also do you think where your from in the uk has any influence on how you settle and make freinds etc in Aus?:unsure:

Hi Dear All, Are there any visa condition differences between 475(family Sponsor) and 475 (State Sponsor)? I checked the DIAC Web site. It has mentioned following details. i have few doubt about that. "Specified Regional Areas If you apply for a Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa, you and any secondary applicants included in your application must agree to live and work or study in a Specified Regional Area in Australia. The definition of Specified Regional Area depends on whether you are being sponsored by an eligible relative or nominated by a state or territory government. State or territory nomination If you are being nominated by a participating state or territory government, you must agree to live in regional Australia or a low population growth metropolitan area. See: Regional Australia/Low Population Growth Metropolitan Areas If you wish to move to another regional area to live and work, you must notify both your current and new state or territory government of this change. Eligible relative sponsorship If you are being sponsored by an eligible relative, your sponsor must be usually a resident in a designated area of Australia at the time of the sponsorship. You must also agree to live in a designated area of Australia. http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/specified-regional.htm What is different between " regional Australia or a low population growth metropolitan" and "designated area of Australia". Please reply me..... Thanks Samk6

Hi Guys! Just wondering if there`s any particular differences between each and every different sub classes of Australian permanent resident? I am currently holding a CLASS BW Resident, Sub Class 857 ( RSMS ). Any responses and answers are appreciated!! Cheers

Hi all, Have had some great tips and advice from my other post. Just had one last thing to ask and didn't want to drag my other thread on.. I keep reading on here that to apply offshore for a De Facto visa works out cheaper and faster than applying onshore. The DIAC site is pretty confusing for me so maybe someone can clear it up for me. Firstly, is a De Facto visa the same as/a different name for Spouse visa? Please can somebody outline all the costs involved, both for offshore and onshore applications. Is there just the one main fee? Processing times would be helpful too. Thanks! Sophie.:confused:

I have read about a difference in the work between OZ and UK practice, it was child protection that was mentioned. Does anybody have any further information on the apparent differences, good or bad?? At present I work in child protection but do not feel child pro is 'my thing.' I enjoy working with Looked After Children, children and families. I have found it very difficult to get any info about the differences in practice, wages etc. My partner and I are hopefully heading to VIC, just awaiting SS, its been 11 weeks so should be anytime soon!

Which would you go for if the choice was there and why. Whats the difference for the employer/ employee Is there different cost implications Do the timescales differ by much

Hi we're moving over to brisbane in july and hope that my son will go to one of the bayside private schools-although currently we're not having much luck with finding a space. Anyway that aside was wondering if the class sizes are smaller in private schools as they are in the uk. My son currently attends a private school here main reason being the attention he gets from the smaller class size. He is currently in a very small class size of 10 although we expect this to get larger as the years go on and would get to the level of around 20 compared to the state school class size of 30. We really love the school and were hoping to find somewhere similar in brisbane however it doesn't appear that the schools there have as small class sizes is this the case. thanks em

Hello all If all goes well, I should hopefully be in South Australia within the next 6 - 18 months, as a roof slater/tiler, my question is to any British/Australian roofers who have worked in both countries, are both trades similar in both nations? i.e do both use the same types of slates/tiles, use grp/lead in valleys, use lead on abutments,etc or is it totally different, or are there just a few differences?, if anyone has any knowledge about any of the above it would be greatly appreciated. p.s merry christmas to all and happy new year

Hi all, I am working on a project for University and could do with some help and info really if you could spare me the time. I am looking at the differences in Curriculums, in the UK and Oz, not so hard, as all this info is online.....but I am also interested in how migrant teachers affect the class. I would be very grateful for anyone who has some stories, or info that they could pass on that they feel would help me out!! I would be EXTREMELY grateful. If you think of any other avenues that I could explore for this project..they are also gratefully received. Thanks Donna :rolleyes:

Hi all, We're getting to the end stage of our application and hoping for a positive decision soon. Want to move to brissie to a family friendly area near the sea with nice beaches but close enough to commute to the city-not sure which part but imagine central. We've looked at the redcliffe area and also cleveland/redland bay. Both seem to have positive reviews in the main on this board. Wondering how to compare the 2 areas and which would be more suitable for us. We have 2 children aged 20 months and 4 years thanks em

Hi all, just wondering if anyone could please tell us what the main differences are with the 175 and 176 Visa? My hubby will be applying for the Visa and we are a family of five altogether. Many thanks X :unsure:

Hi It seems strange using this forum now we are actually here!! We have been in Oz for three months now and loving every second of it. I thought I would just do a little post to let other know the things that are so different over here or just not so good. Firstly, the supermarkets are a definate experience so if you like M&S/Sainsbury's etc. I would get your fix before you fly. I really miss the uk supermarkets, the Oz ones have all the food you could want and some but they are totally different, very hard to explain. The food here is also quite expensive....Especailly fruit and veg, I was really shocked by this but meat, fish etc is a touch cheaper than the uk and much better quality. A loaf of bread can cost anything up to $4 and last time I want shopping brussel sprouts were $8.98 a kilo. The other thing that is very strange is you can not buy alcohol in the supermarkets, their off licences are drive through shops and totally independant to other stores. Clothes, what can I say.....Arrrrrrgh !! If you are down in Sydney you are fine, gold/sunshine coast not so bad, any where else give up. Definately bring any favorite clothing items and have a mad shop in next before you fly. Television, you will need sky !! I am currently watching the 'My Hero', 'Minder', 'Some Mothers do Have Em' episodes and coronation street is about 5 months behind the uk. Cars are much cheaper here as is the road tax, car insurance and fuel. Child care is much cheaper and subsidised very well by the government. Just in case anyone is interested, smoking in public places is also banned here like in the uk. Alcohol and cigaretts are about the same price as the uk. Drinking in pubs is much the same as the uk price wise as is eating out. Australia is a fantastic county, the little bit we have seen is beautiful and the people are just fantastic, much more laid back than the uk and unless you are in the city there is no rush to do anything.

Hi my names Laura I’m 16 and leaving school may this year. Me and my family are looking to move to Brisbane early next year. Is there anyone else my age who knows what the colleges are like out there and how I would go about continuing courses which I would have started here? How different are they compared to the colleges over here? I have a brother, Josh aged 11 and a sister, Harriet aged 9 (coming 10), they will both be attending school over in Oz (secondary and primary) how do they relate to the schools over here as they are curious to find out? Thanks -x- Laws -x- Ps. What age do you have to be to get your driving licence?