tina0101 Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 We land 3 weeks today!!!! 499 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanduex Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 499 hours Bored of waiting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 It'll go quickly enough and then it'll be a dash to the airport! My brother still lives in Caversham, btw. I did love the 2 High Streets of Reading & a lovely wet fish shop on the corner of a lane (but perhaps it's gone?). Anyway, did you see the details of the North Lakes' get-together earlier in this post? You'd be very welcome & PM me if you need help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Congratulations, Mark, on the visa! What kind of office work? Any particular industry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 It'll go quickly enough and then it'll be a dash to the airport! My brother still lives in Caversham, btw. I did love the 2 High Streets of Reading & a lovely wet fish shop on the corner of a lane (but perhaps it's gone?).Anyway, did you see the details of the North Lakes' get-together earlier in this post? You'd be very welcome & PM me if you need help. We're in Caversham!! I've lived there since I was 1. Reading changes all the time. Used to be the two main streets in town, then they built a shopping centre and one of the streets is pretty much all pubs and £1 shops! We saw the North Lakes get together - when we get out there we will have a better idea of what we are doing. Got a few interviews with schools, need to get a car etc. Would be lovely to meet up with everyone though :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 We were en route to Adelaide where jokingly everybody seemed to originally be from north of the Watford Gap! Now here and moving to Brisbane, everything seems a whole lot more southern, next there will be talk of house prices, private schools and which Porsche to buy next!!:wink: Seems like all this talk of Australia slowing down and UK recovering is not stopping the exodus of poms. See you all soon. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossFit Mark Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Congratulations, Mark, on the visa! What kind of office work? Any particular industry? Thanks Pat- to be honest I'd just like to start working and earning. So I'm looking for anything and everything at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flissbob Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Hello fellow poms, I have recently moved to the north lakes area with my husband. I am a nurse and my other half is working as a retail manager for a large supermarket chain here in brissy. I used opal relocations (Shelley) who found us a lovely house before we even left the uk, which took out the stress of dealing with real estate agents and booking expensive short term accommodation. Shelley also arranged to pick us up from the airport and bought us a bed complete with bedding, along with some other bits and bobs. This meant when we landed exhausted from our 24 hour flight we had somewhere to sleep and some essential foods, including a much needed cup of tea! Shelley also gave us a welcome pack on the local area, introduced us to previous clients (yey friends!) and has answered all those silly little questions, which has made settling in all that much easier. I would highly recommend using a relocation agent and in particular opal relocations as they are a boutique business who only take on one client at a time and I also feel I have made a friend. We feel in the long term we have saved money as we have not had to pay for expensive short term accommodation and meant we could focus on essentials such as looking for work that much sooner. If anyone would like to message me please feel free, I am always on the look out for new friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammybb Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Hi everyone and good luck flissbob sound alike you are pretty much sorted me and my boyfriend are planning to move inbrisbane in dec 2015! i am a qualified nurse and he is an electrican seems hard for him to get work I think With their regulations we are going to a conference in Birmingham next month hopefully get some advice! does everyone applying have to complete the English test do you know? I am from Newcastle upon tyne and I tought it was only if you were from outside England i aim to startt application for registration over there in January as I believe it's hard work lol!!! Then we can both apply for working visa in April time I think so I know I have everything in place ready to go thanks hope everyone who has already moved are settling in xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Sammybb, seems like you are at the beginning of the long and winding road in trying to get yourselves to Australia. Here are my tips for what they are worth. 1, The conference as you call it, don't depend at all on these, full of agents simply wanting you to sign on the dotted line and hand over handfuls of cash. Do your research and speak to recommended agents who will usually give you 15mins chat on the phone with no charge. Go Matilda are recommended and we used Thames Migration. 2, Make sure you are on the skills list and that you have the required qualifications which will transfer and importantly you have the experience too. 3, Start saving asap, the whole procedure is expensive. 4, The IELTS is not compulsory however it is a quick and easy way of gaining additional points (up to 20) so the majority of people even native English speakers will take the test. I ended up with the full 20 meaning my EOI was submitted as an 80 point submission. 5, Select your visa carefully, I obtained a 189 and we changed out arrival destination before even landing from SA to QLD simply to secure work. State or employer sponsored will not allow this. I cant comment on nursing although I understand this is not in huge demand at the moment however a fully qualified and certified electrician is likely to get work quickly (although will need to gain licence) especially in Gold Coast as friend mentioned to me (im a Chartered Project Manager in Construction) that there are circa 30,000 jobs currently being talked about in preparation for commonwealth games and general development. Best of luck with it all, there will be ups and downs, just remain positive and determined and im sure you will make it through S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammybb Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Srg73 many thanks for your advice i will bare this all in mind ill have a look into visas also i was planning on applying for the working holiday visa and then hope to get a job over there and become sponsored I know a friend who has a lot of agency work over in Brisbane so pray that will be me to, very soon thank you once again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim bugg Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Hi all, We are now only a few days from leaving, PR189 was stamped back in feb, i just had to finish my work contract, then we were free to move. Im a licensed maintenance engineer on aircraft and the wife is an accountant, so im sure we'll be along shortly for some pointers to find work. Look forward to geting out to the sun next week, see you all soon at a meet up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Hi all The 4 October North Lakes get-together/bbq has had to be postponed for 2 weeks and will now be Saturday 18 October. Still from 2pm til you have to go. BYO all your need: food, drinks, possibly chairs - and hats as it's getting warmer! Will be at the Parkside Park/bbq area, Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes 4509 (behind Bounty Boulevard School). Would love to see you (see the note on the calendar for 18 Oct), but pm me if you have queries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraxFM Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Hello fellow poms, I have recently moved to the north lakes area with my husband. I am a nurse and my other half is working as a retail manager for a large supermarket chain here in brissy. I used opal relocations (Shelley) who found us a lovely house before we even left the uk, which took out the stress of dealing with real estate agents and booking expensive short term accommodation. Shelley also arranged to pick us up from the airport and bought us a bed complete with bedding, along with some other bits and bobs. This meant when we landed exhausted from our 24 hour flight we had somewhere to sleep and some essential foods, including a much needed cup of tea! Shelley also gave us a welcome pack on the local area, introduced us to previous clients (yey friends!) and has answered all those silly little questions, which has made settling in all that much easier. I would highly recommend using a relocation agent and in particular opal relocations as they are a boutique business who only take on one client at a time and I also feel I have made a friend. We feel in the long term we have saved money as we have not had to pay for expensive short term accommodation and meant we could focus on essentials such as looking for work that much sooner. If anyone would like to message me please feel free, I am always on the look out for new friends That sounds great, I never thought of using someone to help you move. Do you mind me asking how much that all cost? I know exactly what you mean about saving money in the long run on expensive short term rentals and stuff. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flissbob Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 Hello! I think it was around the 1k gbp mark (I can't remember exactly, even though it wasn't that long ago ?) but I remember thinking to myself we were going to spend that on the 3weeks short term accommodation we had provisionally booked anyway. Shelley provided a reference for our application and knew how much to bid to win the property as she has worked in real estate for years. The thought of landing jet lagged and hunting for a house with a 3 week time limit scared me! With hindsight I would definitely recommend using an agent, Shelley was worth her weight in gold as she helped us settle that much quicker. It's a point of contact for any silly questions and a friendly face! Once you have an address you can start applying for things like a tax file no, Medicare and driving licences (application forms were in the induction pack she gave us) and most importantly jobs! I am a nurse but as Shelley had secured the rental house for us a couple of weeks before we left, I applied for numerous vacancies before we flew. The week we got here I checked my emails and had an interview, within 9 days of being here I was offered a job! I completely know what you mean about saving money, we are in our 20's and after having an expensive couple of years getting married, applying for the visa and going on some lovely holidays we needed the cheapest option we could find!! Good luck and let me know how you get on ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flissbob Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 PatW will have a word with the hubby but hopefully we can make your next BBQ (providing both our shifts allow!) Sammybb, what kind of nurse are you? Feel free to message me if you need/want any pointers or even just a rant, it's a stressful process! But as they say, anything worth having us never easy! X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekygill Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Hi all, i have lived in Brisbane for the past year with my boyfriend, we're both in our early 30's with no children (like the party life to much). we moved from Liverpool and currently live in Kangaroo point, across the river from the city. Although we have been here a year it's been difficult to find friends who are english, understand our humour and enjoy english football. We would love to meet some like minded people. if anybody fancies a catch up get in touch x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gateshead girl Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Hi, all we are moving to Brisbane from Mackay next month looking for advice on nice subusidewise schools on the south side and advice on where to stay away from. Thanks rachael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi CG. OH & I arrange 3 monthly migrant get-togethers in a park in North Lakes (30-40 minutes' drive north of the city/Kangaroo Point) and the next will be next Saturday 18th October, from 2pm until you have to go. You'd be very welcome - and some of the guys definitely talk football! We get about 8-10 families - some with children, some not. All from England. BYO food, drinks, etc. (there are free bbqs if you want to use them). We meet at the Parkside Park/bbq area (also known as Aurora Park), Aurora Boulevard, North Lakes 4509. PM me if you want more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi GG. Where on the south side (it's a big area)? Are there travel considerations? You don't want to travel miles/hours for a job location, it gets too much after a while. What age of child/children? It's State School (junior) grades 1 to 6 (5-11 years) and then Grades 7-12 (11-17/18) for high school. We're on the north side, so I don't have intimate knowledge of specific schools, but most schools have web sites these days. Have you something temporarily arranged for your arrival, or are you hoping to go into something more permanent once we get to Brisbane? Do pm me if you want to ask specifics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi johnsons. You've probably already figured out that 2 Oct wasn't a Saturday. Oops; my typo. Sorry. Then we had to postpone for 2 weeks (from 4 Oct) and it'll be on this Saturday, 18 Oct (it's on the calendar here). Same details: from 2pm, byo, North Lakes Park/bbq area, Aurora Blvd, North Lakes 4509. Would be great if you can get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sihammike Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi Pat, my wife and I would love to join everyone at the get-together. Can you PM us all details? Thanks, Mike and Siham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekygill Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi Pat get together sounds good, could you PM me the details please x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllanScott Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Hi All, we got our 190 visas back in July and are making the move in 4 weeks over to Brisbane, no accommodation arranged as yet but looking at Southern suburbs at the moment. Any tips or advice would be really appreciated as we hope to get our boys into schools as soon as possible. If anyone can recommend schools and areas that would be a great help. Also liking the sound of a relocation agent too. I am a plumber/gas engineer (38) and my wife Susan (37) works in private banking/stockbroking administration. We have 2 sons 6 & 4. We stayed in the Gold Coast in July 2012 for a holiday and loved the lifestyle. I understand I need to get my plumbing license, does anyone know how to go about this? Once we arrive it would be great to come along to the get togethers and get the chance to chat with other people in the same boat. The nerves are well and truly kicking in eeeekkk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy P Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Hi there PatW, We've been over here for nearly 4 months, living in Samford Valley, would love to join your meet up on Saturday. See you then! Jim and family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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