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Hello, My partner has been given a tentative booking for his practical assessment in roughly 6 weeks. Can anyone advise him on what to expect on the day? What tasks will he be required to carry out for the special class? Many thanks, Rhian

Hi I am new to the forum. I am a special needs teacher with 12 years experience and MA degree plus other Post grad sen quals and have put everything together for skills assess. However i cannot illustrate 45 days of supervised teaching experience for MA...don't think that exists in UK. So was wondering if there are any other SEN teachers who have got through (or not ) the skills assessment? Hoping to get the paperwork to my agent by the end of the week. He told me to put together what I had and send it but don't want to spend any more money on IELTs tests etc if I am going to fail the assessment :unsure:

we are looking at migrating to adelaide my son has autism i am trying to identify special schools in this area. Any feedback would be useful to us and appreciated kind regards maria

Hi was hope someone could help- Im a primary school teacher, I work in a main stream and special needs mixed school and I'm the nursery teacher. I obviously teacher "pre school" children and special needs but I trained in primary. Would I still qualify for the Special Needs teacher or the Pre Primary teacher on the new list??? Or would i need another qualification- if so any ideas what?? Stressed out as Primary Teacher and IT consultant (OH) now taken off the list!!!! Thanks in advance

Hi guys I would be grateful for ay information on this topic We will be arriving in Melbourne (hopefully) in March 2012 . the start date is flexible for a few months. I have a child who is 5 yrs old. He does have special needs (speech and communication issues) possibly ASD. When does school semester start ? Does it cost to enroll in a public school and how much is the fees (as we are on 457 visa) . IS there good support in public schools. What does private shcools cost . Ay good schools in the private sector that will cater to children with special needs? I will be with the locum sevice so where I stay in Melbourne will primarily depend on the schools. thanks a lot

Hi All I am a newley quallfied domestic gas engineers and my wife is a special needs teaching assistant, 11-16 year olds. Is there a need for her skils in Oz. Thanks Guys

Hi were really hoping to start the visa process very soon,hubby is a plumber.We have 4 kids our 3rd has special needs he is nearly 11,developmental delay and speech and language.He's in main stream school here in Ireland with a full time SNA[special needs assistant].We are wondering has anyone moved with a child in a similar situation or has anyone been turned down for the visa.Really hope we get going,things so dismal here in Ireland

I get a lot of the newsletters for holidays etc and this one has just come through, I thought it may be of interest to some of our members. $75 -- Whitsundays Resort inc Upgrade & More, Reg. $160 http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116248/ Source: Club Crocodile Resort Airlie Beach $1043 -- 7-Day Deluxe Campervan Hire Across Oz, 40% Off http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116333/ Source: Apollo Motorhomes $149 -- Chic Cairns Beaches Resort inc Breakfast, Save 54% http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116247/ Source: Reef House Resort & Spa $159 -- NSW: National Park 'Moonwalk' inc Dinner, Reg. $279 http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115025/ Source: Understand Down Under $99 -- 4.5-Star Melbourne Hotel inc Late Checkout, Save 60% http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115783/ Source: ZUJI $119 -- Boutique Beijing Hotel inc Double Upgrade & Brekkie http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116245/ Source: Red Wall Garden Hotel $2775 -- 1 Week in Tahiti w/Overwater Bungalow, $500 Off http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116283/ Source: Tahiti Travel Connection $9 -- One-Way Flights within Europe, up to 75% Off http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116380/ Source: Ryanair $99 -- Central Gold Coast Apts w/Breakfast, Save $60 http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116371/ Source: Quickbeds.com $398 -- 8-Day Northern Thailand & Bangkok Tour, 45% Off http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115762/ Source: My Adventure Store $40 -- Sydney: 2-for-1 Unlimited Luna Park Rides Pass http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116314/ Source: Luna Park Sydney $585 -- Daylesford 3-Night Midweek Villa Getaway http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116332/ Source: Hepburn at Hepburn $34 & up -- Travel Queensland in Summer by Train http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115003/ Source: Queensland Rail $574 -- WA South Coast Break inc Spa Voucher & Brekkie http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116342/ Source: Chimes Spa Retreat $889 -- Last Minute Fares to Hong Kong From Sydney, $315 Off http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116331/ Source: Virgin Atlantic $110 -- NSW North Coast Holiday Cabins, Save $60 http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115793/ Source: Blue Dolphin Holiday Park $186 -- Luxury London Mayfair Stay w/Extras http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116336/ Source: Westbury Mayfair $580 & up -- Fly to New Caledonia from 2 Cities, $300 Off http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115785/ Source: Aircalin $340 -- Sunshine Coast 4-Night Escape w/Wine http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1116372/ Source: Cheltenham Apartments $3545 -- 8-Day Luxury Mekong River Cruise inc Meals, 2-for-1 http://www.travelzoo.com/au/top20/15863740-1115787/ Source: APT

Hi, I am in my final year of a teaching degree. I will qualify with a BA Hons in education with a subject specialism in special needs and inclusion. Will this qualify me to apply for a visa on the skilled migration list for special needs teacher? I have 3 years experience of being a special support assistant to children with special needs in a mainstream school. I was doing this job whilst completing the first 3 years of my degree. However, as I am now in my final year I have had to give up my job as the 4th Year is full time. I am 32 years old and have a husband and a 3 year old and a 5 year old. Please can anyone give me advice on applying for a visa through this route. Thanks in advance.

Any advice, would be really grateful We are just about to have our medicals and hopefully visit Oz next year to validate visa. Our 3 year old son is having speech therapy as his development is not where it should be for his age. we have gone private because NHS only want to "observe" his development and we felt this was not good enough. If he does not catch up by school age then we would look to place him in a school with a speech unit attached. I am concerned that if we uproot to Oz, I do not have the adequate knowledge to know whether the education system would support his development. I am a secondary school teacher so I know the system well here and know that in his early years his education would be good in the UK but when it comes to GCSE's I am not sure that this type of education would suit him, I am all in favour for the TAFE system which we do not have in this country. Any help/advice would be good.

It can't be only me that has a 'special' place,:shocked::policeman:. No seriously a place, box, drawer, and the like where you keep the more 'sentimental' items as it were. I have a few things around the house that mean a lot to me, pictures and so on, but I also have an old Apple Mac box that I keep the more sentimental things in. I won't list them all, as some are way too personal, but here is an idea of what is in my 'special' place. My Granddads old plain gold ring, way too small for me, and besides I hope to pass it onto my kids.:cry: My granddads old log book from the merchant navy, where it shows he was posted to Australia way back when.:cry: An old wristband that my kids bought me in Tunisia with a smiley face on it, unfortunately it started to cut the circulation off from my wrist some years ago, and when I became a fat barsteward.:no: The letter given to me by an ex wife which outlined just why she upped sticks and left, still look at it now and again to remind myself what an arse I could and can still be.:yes: A belt buckle that says, 'You Can Make It Any Where'. And believe it or not, it was a freebie with the duty free baccy I bought many years ago. A flower print that my nan used to have hanging in her bedroom, if I smell it to this day it still reminds me of her,:notworthy: A letter from the House Of Commons reminding me that I had to 'adhere' to the privilege of having a registered political party,:biglaugh: The actual letter from the Electoral Commission in confirmation that I had registered said party.:cool: All my First To Fly A380 memorabilia. My first copy of the Jaws book.:notworthy::jiggy: Several other bits and pieces that no one knows about, but are very dear to me. So what if any little nick nacks do you have that are in safe keeping, not of monetary value nessacarily, but much more valuable in terms of memories. Cheers Tony.:wink:

If anybody out there is looking at getting a VOIP based phone line or internet etc, then I would suggest looking at www.engin.com.au as well as the other mainstream providers. We have been with them for nearly 4 years now, and we have a package which gives us unlimited free calls to 8 countries (including UK) free local & national calls all for $19.95 per month. We have always found them excellent, and at the moment they are running a promo at the moment which gives you $25.00 off your bills if you sign up plus the usual free modem etc. Might be worth looking at if you are unsure as to which provider to choose. To get the $25.00 discount you need to ring 1300 761 242. You also need to mention our account number to get the discount (we also get a discount on our next bill :wink:) PM me if you are interested and I will PM you our account number. I admit this is a plug for Engin, but we have found them excellent and if you are looking for a cheap deal for calls to the UK, then its defintely worth looking at.

My Sis and OH are looking at making the move to Oz, and will be going to see a migration agent soon to look at which avenue is best for them to take, but I thought that I would see if anybody else out there can offer advice as well. My BIL is self employed and if I am correct has tickets for a number of trades so would go down the vetasses route, but my Sister is a support worker working with special needs children for the last 2 years, and is just about to pass as a fully qualified nursery nurse. I dont believe her profession is on the list (even with the up coming changes), but is it a profession that is in demand here in Oz that might qualify for sponsorship? The reason I ask is that they have 3 kids, and the eldest is 14, and I think it would be better for them to make the move sooner than later, so obviously sponship would be the quicker option. anybody got any ideas

Please see my thread in Job Vacancies - "Midwives wanted in NSW" Also looking for nurses with Special Care Nursery/NICU experience wanting to make the move to Australia... PM me for more information

Hello everyone, I will hopefully be living near Brisbane by July, my fiance has a job at Springwood near Logan to start but I need to find one I currently work in a school for children with severe learning and physical disabilities and would like to find a similar school or work when I move but I cant find anything on the internet to do with special needs children. I wondered if the terminology was different in Australia.I have tried Special needs, disabled children, PMLD, SLD , Teaching assistant for special needs children, caring for children with severe disabilities etc. Can anyone help?

Hi everybody, We have just received our visas and we plan to move out to Australia in January 2012 ready for the new school year. We have narrowed down where we would like to live to Brisbane or Adelaide. This is because we have a young family and we both work in IT, so are looking for a good home/work balance and preferably be near to a beach! My big question is about schooling. My daughter will be 7.5 when we arrive. In the UK she will be Yr2 (England) or Primary 3 (Scotland). In the UK she has a teaching assistant for part of her day as she has development delay (she has Williams Syndrome). What options are there in Brisbane and Adelaide? How do I go about finding where the best mainstream primary schools with teaching aide support are? And should I have my daughter assessed before starting school? Can anyone recommend an educational assessor? What are they called in Australia, and what is the special needs assessment called? Thanks for your help, Rosie

Hi, This is probably quite a tall ask but hopefully someone can help. Not sure which heading to place this under in the forum but here goes. We have a son who is 14 years old and an Australian citizen, he has two more years at school in the UK. He is high functioning autistic (diagnosed In Qld) and doing quite well at school.He will have UK GCSE grades (probably B's and C's) which I believe could be converted to Australian ones? He is doing so well at school here we don't want to risk moving him to Australia until he finishes his GCSE's although we would consider paying for 1 on 1 help in Australia if there was a good chance of him maintaining his current success? We would love to hear from anyone from any state of Australia that has experience or knows of people with experience with such children leaving school, obtaining work (supported or otherwise). We would also love to hear about their views on support services for for young people / adults with autism in their area. Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Hi All I am a special needs teacher / assistant specialising in speech and language and have carried out a search on here to see if anyone has commented on special need education provision in Aus - more specifically Adelaide and Melbourne - but cannot find any specific threads. What is the situation with special needs education there; do they have specialist schools/units or provision for the needs in mainstream schools using inhouse specialist staff / bringing in outside agencies? I would love to carry on with this work in Aus if we get there so any comments would be much appreciated. K :wubclub:

Hi everybody.i am a new user and we are coming to melbourne soon an a temp visa.I will be bringing my kids with us and my 6 year old has high functioning autism.Can anyone recommend a primary school that would be suitable or where to ask about special needs in schools. thx :biggrin:

Hi there me and the missus and 2 rug rats are planning to move to W.A in the next 2 years and I would like to find out if anybody out there in the Midwifery Community can give us some pointers my wife is a experienced Midwife who works neonates and she wants to to find out if midwifes in W.A work in the Neonatal Units. Any help would be much appreciated.

Hello, Anyone out there have experience of special needs provision at schools (public or private) in Sydney for a 10 year old with speech and language difficulties? Cheers.

My Son is currently taking his lessons here in the Uk....So by the time we move to WA, he will have his Uk drivers license Could anyone please tell me (or point me in the right direction) will he need anything extra to be able to drive once in Australia? :unsure:

Well folks thought I would share this with you. At midnight in UK, (ten minutes time) 2 July 1995 my youngest daughter was born, in Australia. It's a very special time for us all, but mostly for me and my mrs. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were at the pier market place in Cairns. We had gone down there to see the replica of the Endeavour. It had always fascinated me, the discovery of Australia and all that it entailed and to get the chance to see this great ship was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately I was the only one who set foot on the replica as Ruth was ready to pop and she couldn't manage the tiny cabins or stairs. I got of the ship and Ruth said to me 'I think' I am ready to go'. Within ten minutes we were at Cairns base hospital and HALF an hour later my youngest was born.:hug: So I will try and keep this as short as possible. Today is a very, very, special day today. Me and youngest are sitting up till midnight to see the day in and in some small way this day brings Australia far closer to me. So I will ask anyone a favour. Whoever is in Cairns could you do me a favour, say hello to the place for me and tell it that one day we will all be back there again. To see my youngest who is an Aussie by birth is a blessing, and for her to be born on the day we went to see the Endeavour just makes her birth that much more special. This day will always bring back many memories of Australia and what it holds for all of us. A very special day indeed. I am about to try and teleport myself back in time, and feel the excitement we all did on this day. Cheers Tony, mixed emotions today.:jiggy::unsure::yes::swoon::biggrin:

Hi all , We are relocating to AU , and the within the salery package , it says that a new "temporary resident " regime came into effect in 2006 , which " partial or full exemption from the tax applies to certin benefits provided to expatriates including relocation travel costs,housing and children's education costs" Does anyone any futher info. regarding this , I could not find any usful info. on the web Thanks very much in advance

Hi All Last night, I received an unexpected phone call from a tradie who is using George Lombard and who will be 45 before long. He told me that he and his wife got up on Friday and went to work without checking their e-mails at home. His wife checked the e-mails when she got to work and phoned Hubby, to say that there was an e-mail from George which she did not understand fully but the gist was that they must make a GSM application immediately. The tradie said that George then phoned the tradie's mobile. He asked where the tradie was and was told, "At work. Why?" George told him, "Drop everything and go home immediately. When you get home, make a GSM application immediately. I will e-mail the link and then you phone me if you get stuck on any of the questions in the on-line form." When the guy got home, he found another e-mail from George, who provided a link which got the guy straight into the on-line form. The tradie says that whilst he was driving home, a question occurred to him to which he didn't know the answer, so he phoned George's office. He says that the minute he mentioned his name to the lady who answered the phone, he was put straight through to George, who dealt with the query. George gave the guy George's mobile number because George was about to go home, but George told the guy to phone his mobile if there were any more queries whilst the guy tried to fill in the form. The tradie told me that it took him 4 hours to complete the on-line application form but eventually he completed it, paid for it and got a TRN number plus some sort of receipt/acknowledgement. I had spent 24 hours worrying about this particular tradie because although he had a posiiive skills assessment, he was waiting to hear from one of the States about State sponsorship. When I got home and read about the suspension of GSM visas with almost immediate effect, I thought that the tradie would be done for because without the MODL or an IELTS, he does not have enough Points for a sc 175 visa and he has no rellies in Oz so he can't rely on Family sponsorship if the State should reject him. He said that George told him to gamble and to get on with it in good time because he only had about 7 hours to go when George first phoned the tradie. George had phoned the relevant State and had told them that he planned to advise the tradie to go ahead and gamble. This is a SHINING example of where an experienced Migration Agent can really add enormous value to the proceedings. Sometimes you need somebody who will not panic or dither about the bits which are not in the bag yet but who will tell a client, firmly and clearly, "Get on with it because if you don't take this gamble, you could lose out." I'm sure that Alan Collett of Go Matilda was phoning his own clients and telling them the same things because Alan told a lady on a Poms in Oz thread to cancel an appointment that she had and to make the GSM visa application immediately instead. My special thanks go to George Lombard because I've heard a description of the way in which he went the extra mile for a client who had only instructed him less than a fortnight earlier so George did not have enough information to deal with the visa application himself. George has more than earned his own fees for taking over from an applicant in person because on his own, the tradie would have dithered and would have missed the deadline and I would probably have done the same as the tradie. My special thanks also go to all and any of the other Agents who did the same as George did on Friday 7th May. Very well done, everyone. :hug: Cheers Gill