xxlornaxx Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Be aware This is the longest thread ever..and not interesting to most people!!but it would have been to me if someone had written it before I left lol xx I'm a mental health nurse and my husband has various unskilled work experience. This is our journey of arriving in sydney in July 2013 on a 457 visa. In October 2012 when I had been qualified for one year i contacted HealthStaffRecruitment. I applied to Ahpra in November and got letter of eligibility 8 weeks later. HealthStaffRecruitment arranged an interview for me with New South Wales Health in London in December and I was offered a full time post with 457 visa sponsorship in a new hospital in Sydney, the Concord Centre for Mental Health. All paperwork, visas etc were complete by April. We flew with Emirates/Quantas via Dubai and Perth from Newcastle costing £1300, that included one night stay over in a Dubai hotel and transfer from airport. We were allowed 30kgs each and one carry on bag each of 7kgs plus an extra handbag for laptop/documents was allowed. The flight from Dubai was late leaving so we arrived in Perth late, that resulted in us missing our connecting flight, however it was no problem and we were booked on another one a couple of hours later. We arrived in Sydney close to midnight and missed our transfer so we paid for a taxi to the staff accommodation where we were staying in Concord which is about 10km west from Sydney centre, it cost $80. The flights were great, we ordered special meals and they were beautiful! Service was exceptional and entertainment was good. They are strict with hand luggage weights, they carried out random checks just as people were boarding the plane and some people had to leave things behind despite being told at check in it would be ok I had previously asked how much an extra 25kg bag would be and was told with 30%discount it would be £680...so I down sized my wardrobe! We saved £6000 for coming, we changed it for dollars with ICE which gave best rate at the time and free next day delivery. You can take up to $10000 in cash without declaring it so we we chose to carry it on us. We opened a bank account with Westpac and deposited the money, we needed Passports, an address and at least $20 to deposit. They set up online banking and gave us a statement/letter too which was great for proof of address for other things. We collected the cards and pin numbers from the bank 2 days later. There is no overdraft and to have one there is a monthly fee and other banks appeared to be the same. They offered us a loan while we were there which we refused. The staff accommodation was only $70 a week but we wanted our own place. We looked at places within the budget of $300 to $400 a week and within 5km of work. There was lots available, studios, one bed and two bed units, furnished and unfurnished. Estate agents said we just had to check on line for viewing times and turn up, however 3 hours into our search we saw an ad on gumtree for a furnished place we liked for $400 a week, we had missed the viewing so we called and it was an estate agent, he asked if we wanted to view straight away, it was beautiful, big balcony, all newly fitted and huge for a one bedroom with secure underground parking, we loved it. We filled in paperwork, paid a total of $2400 which was the bond (4weeks rent) and 2 weeks rent in advance. Don't pay agent fees, council tax or water rates. We were given the option to pay weekly, fortnightly, monthly, whatever we liked. We did give names of previous landlord however this was not checked, all we needed was ID, print out of visa and my job offer letter stating my salary.That was it, we moved in after less than one morning of looking! We live in Burwood now, 10 mins bus ride to work and 15 minute train journey to CBD. I found renting here a lot more straightforward than in the UK, they also don't come to check the property every 3 or 6 months like they did in UK. I feel safe here too which is important I went into Sydney city centre to finalise Ahpra registration and was charged $20 per hour parking! I didn't have an appointment just turned up with passport, eligibility letter, print out of visa and proof of address. We took a seat while the lady at the desk done a final police check and after few minutes that was it. I didn't pay anymore money and was told renewal was due 31st may 2014 as is with all nurses. Later that afternoon I got an email saying registration was complete, it gave log in details for Ahpra website and in 4 to 6 weeks they will post out certificate. Went to Vodafone and got a Samsung galaxy express for $40 a month, get unlimited free texts in Australia and internationally, $250 worth of calls a month and 500mb of Internet data which is plenty for us as we rarely use the phone, we just wanted it for a work contact and my mum likes a daily text! Signal has been great with Vodafone. Dodo was cheaper with free unlimited access to Facebook, twitter, etc but they wouldn't give us a contract without 6months proof of banking in Australia. They have 4G here too. Applied for TFN numbers online which was easy, need passport number and address. They gave a ref number to use till TFN's arrived in post, we got ours in 10days. Home Internet is different to UK, not really any good unlimited offers and more expensive, virgin appears best so far but we haven't got Internet yet as I cant find a good deal for us There is loads of free wifi spots around though. The weather is beautiful, i liken it to a Scottish summers morning on a good day, bright and sunny but also nice fresh feeling, can be cool in the shade. It's not cold in the flat even though we have no heating, i usually wake up too hot, it can get cooler at night but nothing a cuppa and a onesie cant fix RTA said we are to use UK driving licences for 6 months and then as long as we haven't left Australia for any period of time we can change them for NSW ones. Driving here is ok and everything is well marked, roads are wider. People appear less courteous than in UK. At Medicare we showed our visa print off, driving licences, passports and had a short form to fill in. The lady gave us a number to use until the card arrives in 7-8 weeks. I went to a bulk billing doctor to make an appointment and was told I could be seen straight away. Consultation was free with Medicare or $50 without. We hired a car for a week with Red Spot, cost $280. We looked for a car for ourselves with a max budget of $2000 with at least 4months rego left. We searched gumtree and went for a 1995 Mitsubishi magna, low mileage, very good engine and reliable however not a great looker but we love him and christened him Barry or big baz to us lol, he cost $900 with service history and 7months rego. Petrol is about $1.50 to $1.60 per litre. We haven't found things overpriced or much more expensive, mostly the same except rent/Internet. In Sydney centre it was obviously expensive but in the surrounding suburbs we have spent surprisingly little to what I thought we would. Got fantastic big thick pillows $5 each, double duvet for $20, got pack of 12 coat hangers for $2, Kettle for $10 and 5 piece pot and pan set for $25 from Big W. Food shopping, clothes, shoes, hairdressers, all same as what I would pay in UK. Gumtree has been great, we went to garage sales and got lots of second hand things for cheap/free. We got 2 good bikes for $60, Vacuum for $10, iron for $10, got a 2yr old Tomtom satnav for $25, there was new ones in target for $119. We got a 2 year old 32inch flat screen LG Tv, a dvd player and solid wood tv unit for $200 and a stereo for $30. In a lot of the shopping malls parking is free for first 2 or 3 hours and there are lots of malls within close proximity. The suburbs round here are beautiful, the houses are omg! It would be perfect for a family, so gorgeous. We are spending approx $5 for a meal for both of us eating in each night. Eating out, the cheapest has been $15 for the two of us and the most expensive was an all you can eat buffet for $45 for 2. My husband got a hair cut and style for $12. Finally smoking, my fag ash husband gets 25g of tobacco and bag of filters for $16. One thing i didn't expect is the amount of Chinese/Asian people, I expected it to be multi cultural but it doesn't appear to be that, just Asian! Nearly all the shops are Chinese, eating out has been difficult with little options, i also got mild food poisoning on our first day But we see that as a good thing as we will save money eating at home! In the quieter areas of the suburbs there appears to be less of an Asian influence. We went into a hairdressers and my husband was refused service as we were white, the Chinese lady was very rude and clear about this but hopefully it was a one off. The train cost us $32 to go a few stops but the bus is reasonable with great service, it costs $3.00 to get me to the next suburb. The buses in sydney centre don't accept money so need to buy travel cards, we didn't realise this but the bus driver said not to worry and took us nearly all the way home for free I went to meet the HR manager from my work, and wow the mental health system they have here sounds amazing, it makes my old job in Devon feel like a third word country! I was so amazed and excited by the thought of these much improved services for patients I could have cried lol the hospital is very modern too, although i've not started yet so who knows. I was told that as soon as I want to apply for permanent residency they will support me. There sounds like there are a lot of options work wise and I got to pick the area I wanted to work in. He told me that I will earn a lot more than my salary states due to enhancements for certain shifts, and i will get paid fortnightly. When I asked about the dress code I was told 'as long as you can't see through it it's fine' lol. I was told to be aware that i may feel undervalued initially as tasks I'm used to doing in the UK are the doctors responsibility here, I don't know how I feel about that. My start date has been put back a week to the 6th August due to some paperwork fluff. There is loads of car washes advertising vacancies, my husband went for one and it was 10hrs a day 7days a week for $450 a week, another was 8 hrs a day for $40, he turned down these jobs (been there done that in the UK) however we kept the option open. He went for a job as a removals man, it sounded like a con though and he didn't get the job anyway. He went for a job as a paintball marshall, he got offered that job but it was casual and doesn't start for 6weeks and we needed something sooner, again we kept that option open. He went for a job in a garage too but didn't get that. He got an interview for a youth worker in a residential children's home, it does a 4 step recovery programme for PTSD, we had applied a couple of months ago through Seek and they told us to email when we arrived, we did and he got the job He's had his working with children check and starts on Tuesday So that's it, 2 weeks in..feel like we've been here months but still much to learn. I probably wouldn't visit sydney on holiday as its nothing special touristy wise, (we have done the main ones),but it appears to be a beautiful and interesting place to live. And my dad will be glad to hear we still have plenty of cash left Randoms: The money feels like plastic and they don't have one or two cents so if something is $9.97 they round it up or down. I have seen loads of young women out as 'workmen' with hi vis jackets on working the roads/traffic control. Toilets have an option to half flush or full flush..luv it! Cyclists go on the motorway! People don't expect tips. I was told by someone that because I work for the government things will be easier for me like getting rental accommodation, loans etc..don't know If that's true. Target, Big W and Coles have great bargains! Its no where near as expensive as I had braced myself for. You get electric/static shocks if you touch the underside of the escalator rails in malls The posh australian accent sounds Americanised. People are happy to help if you don't understand something. There is a lot of ads about keep Australian jobs for Australians and reduce the 457s which made me want to hide! But it's not affected us so far. I saw an ad at a circus for 'performing lions' hope that's not usual...there is also a shop with cats and dogs for sale, lots of young and old dogs alone in tiny spaces, it appears to be accepted so I just avoid walking past Water pressure here is amazing. We have noticed our skin is a lot dryer and tighter feeling, i feel like my skin is ageing right before my eyes! And my hair is all dry and full of static..it's never been like that TV is ok, quite a few british programmes, radio is great. Seen a fair few overweight police officers. Its dark by 17:30hrs. Nurses were on strike the other day about staffing levels. Most people we have met so far have been friendly and welcoming If anyone has any advice for us it would be much appreciated or any questions. Thanks to pomsinoz as so many questions i had were answered here and it would have been made a lot harder for me to move, get a job, etc without this site, I read it obsessively for months lol xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 What a brilliant update, I'm exhausted reading it so you must be fitting all that in to 2 weeks. Im glad things are coming together for you. Please can you copy the post on to the Sydney forum http://www.sydneyforum.com as I feel it will be very beneficial to members over there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelD Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Heya and welcome to the big smoke :-) My wife and I have been over since April and are loving it too lol Im trying to sort a bit of a get together next weekend, theres a thread in the socialising forum on here so feel free to have a look, its a free for all in the hope of expanding friend networks, its the only thing missing for us since moving over. Its great news that your hubby found work so fast, it took me 3 months to finally pin down a job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy1 Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Fantastic post and well done in such a short time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Counting Stars Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Loved reading your post! Thank you for sharing xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki244 Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Fantastic post! Great to hear it's all going so well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robo234 Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Loved reading, loads of interesting info ace, lovely your both enjoying & nice to read things aren't quite as expensive as you braced yourself for keep em coming, thanks x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samc Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 wow thanks so much for this lorna, I too am a nurse and moving to sydney in september, this has been really useful to read. can't wait to get out there too now, good luck with starting your job x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldaboy46 Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Thanks for your post, it was really interesting and informative. Good luck for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Great post. Sounds like you have embraced australian life well. Debs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikearkwright Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 What a great informative post Lorna, thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapri Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Hi Lorna I am also a mental health nurse and arrived in NSW the same time as you. I agree with most of your post, I too am not finding it as expensive as I had been led to believe. Great update, I will get round to doing one soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Thanks so much for your update, Im happy it was so long - its really helpful. Im a MH nurse in training (just finished 2nd year) please come back and let us know how you have got on! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacticenurse Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Well done! Great post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lounrich Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Thanks, great post, really informative for me as I'm a nurse looking to start the emigration process in November, just getting 12 months experience under my belt before applying for PR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can1983 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Be aware This is the longest thread ever..and not interesting to most people!!but it would have been to me if someone had written it before I left lol xx One thing i didn't expect is the amount of Chinese/Asian people, I expected it to be multi cultural but it doesn't appear to be that, just Asian! Nearly all the shops are Chinese, eating out has been difficult with little options, i also got mild food poisoning on our first day But we see that as a good thing as we will save money eating at home! In the quieter areas of the suburbs there appears to be less of an Asian influence. We went into a hairdressers and my husband was refused service as we were white, the Chinese lady was very rude and clear about this but hopefully it was a one off. Randoms: The money feels like plastic and they don't have one or two cents so if something is $9.97 they round it up or down. I have seen loads of young women out as 'workmen' with hi vis jackets on working the roads/traffic control. Toilets have an option to half flush or full flush..luv it! Cyclists go on the motorway! People don't expect tips. I was told by someone that because I work for the government things will be easier for me like getting rental accommodation, loans etc..don't know If that's true. Target, Big W and Coles have great bargains! Its no where near as expensive as I had braced myself for. You get electric/static shocks if you touch the underside of the escalator rails in malls The posh australian accent sounds Americanised. People are happy to help if you don't understand something. There is a lot of ads about keep Australian jobs for Australians and reduce the 457s which made me want to hide! But it's not affected us so far. I saw an ad at a circus for 'performing lions' hope that's not usual...there is also a shop with cats and dogs for sale, lots of young and old dogs alone in tiny spaces, it appears to be accepted so I just avoid walking past Water pressure here is amazing. We have noticed our skin is a lot dryer and tighter feeling, i feel like my skin is ageing right before my eyes! And my hair is all dry and full of static..it's never been like that TV is ok, quite a few british programmes, radio is great. Seen a fair few overweight police officers. Its dark by 17:30hrs. Nurses were on strike the other day about staffing levels. Most people we have met so far have been friendly and welcoming Where you are has a large asian community, the money feels like plastic because, well, it is plastic :tongue: Glad you are having a good time. We live in Drummoyne and i sail at Concord and Ryde sailing club which is not too far from the hospital you work at winters been lovely roll on spring and summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 "We went into a hairdressers and my husband was refused service as we were white" Racism works both ways......................if I could prove I was refused service because i was white, I'd have the full weight of the law on 'em. Informative post Lorna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeybee Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Such an informative and positive post, thank-you. I've been reading a lot of horror stories from people who've found australia so expensive and unfriendly and difficult to get work. I'm a nurse too and my Husband doesn't have a 'skilled' profession. Similar situation to you. Good luck with everything, I hope things continue well for you, keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samdom1 Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Really great post Lorna, Thankyou very much for taking the time x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattress Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Your husband couldn't get a haircut because he was white......in Australia???!!!! Crikey, i really wasn't expecting that one.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I've just read your very interesting post from July and wanted to add a few comments. We went into a hairdressers and my husband was refused service as we were white, the Chinese lady was very rude and clear about this but hopefully it was a one off. This actually contravenes the Australian Racial Discrimination Act and the hairdresser could be prosecuted for refusing service like this. The money feels like plastic That's because it is plastic. The polymer notes were developed here because they can include security features which can't be used in paper notes...so are more difficult to counterfeit. They also last longer than paper notes. There is a lot of ads about keep Australian jobs for Australians and reduce the 457s which made me want to hide! No reason for you to feel targetted. There have been some industries/employers rorting the 457 visa but medical services are not included in that. .there is also a shop with cats and dogs for sale, lots of young and old dogs alone in tiny spaces, it appears to be accepted so I just avoid walking past There is action to have this practice banned but, because it falls under state legislation, progress is not uniform across the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Thanks for that very interesting x I've just read your very interesting post from July and wanted to add a few comments. This actually contravenes the Australian Racial Discrimination Act and the hairdresser could be prosecuted for refusing service like this. That's because it is plastic. The polymer notes were developed here because they can include security features which can't be used in paper notes...so are more difficult to counterfeit. They also last longer than paper notes. No reason for you to feel targetted. There have been some industries/employers rorting the 457 visa but medical services are not included in that. There is action to have this practice banned but, because it falls under state legislation, progress is not uniform across the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain maracas Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Thanks for posting this. Really useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anilasohaib2 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 please help me for the process.where i m supposed to contact first for nurse immigration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgpant Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Thanks for the detailed and helpful post regarding your experiences. Hope you are still enjoying Sydney.. Be aware This is the longest thread ever..and not interesting to most people!!but it would have been to me if someone had written it before I left lol xx I'm a mental health nurse and my husband has various unskilled work experience. This is our journey of arriving in sydney in July 2013 on a 457 visa. In October 2012 when I had been qualified for one year i contacted HealthStaffRecruitment. I applied to Ahpra in November and got letter of eligibility 8 weeks later. HealthStaffRecruitment arranged an interview for me with New South Wales Health in London in December and I was offered a full time post with 457 visa sponsorship in a new hospital in Sydney, the Concord Centre for Mental Health. All paperwork, visas etc were complete by April. We flew with Emirates/Quantas via Dubai and Perth from Newcastle costing £1300, that included one night stay over in a Dubai hotel and transfer from airport. We were allowed 30kgs each and one carry on bag each of 7kgs plus an extra handbag for laptop/documents was allowed. The flight from Dubai was late leaving so we arrived in Perth late, that resulted in us missing our connecting flight, however it was no problem and we were booked on another one a couple of hours later. We arrived in Sydney close to midnight and missed our transfer so we paid for a taxi to the staff accommodation where we were staying in Concord which is about 10km west from Sydney centre, it cost $80. The flights were great, we ordered special meals and they were beautiful! Service was exceptional and entertainment was good. They are strict with hand luggage weights, they carried out random checks just as people were boarding the plane and some people had to leave things behind despite being told at check in it would be ok I had previously asked how much an extra 25kg bag would be and was told with 30%discount it would be £680...so I down sized my wardrobe! We saved £6000 for coming, we changed it for dollars with ICE which gave best rate at the time and free next day delivery. You can take up to $10000 in cash without declaring it so we we chose to carry it on us. We opened a bank account with Westpac and deposited the money, we needed Passports, an address and at least $20 to deposit. They set up online banking and gave us a statement/letter too which was great for proof of address for other things. We collected the cards and pin numbers from the bank 2 days later. There is no overdraft and to have one there is a monthly fee and other banks appeared to be the same. They offered us a loan while we were there which we refused. The staff accommodation was only $70 a week but we wanted our own place. We looked at places within the budget of $300 to $400 a week and within 5km of work. There was lots available, studios, one bed and two bed units, furnished and unfurnished. Estate agents said we just had to check on line for viewing times and turn up, however 3 hours into our search we saw an ad on gumtree for a furnished place we liked for $400 a week, we had missed the viewing so we called and it was an estate agent, he asked if we wanted to view straight away, it was beautiful, big balcony, all newly fitted and huge for a one bedroom with secure underground parking, we loved it. We filled in paperwork, paid a total of $2400 which was the bond (4weeks rent) and 2 weeks rent in advance. Don't pay agent fees, council tax or water rates. We were given the option to pay weekly, fortnightly, monthly, whatever we liked. We did give names of previous landlord however this was not checked, all we needed was ID, print out of visa and my job offer letter stating my salary.That was it, we moved in after less than one morning of looking! We live in Burwood now, 10 mins bus ride to work and 15 minute train journey to CBD. I found renting here a lot more straightforward than in the UK, they also don't come to check the property every 3 or 6 months like they did in UK. I feel safe here too which is important I went into Sydney city centre to finalise Ahpra registration and was charged $20 per hour parking! I didn't have an appointment just turned up with passport, eligibility letter, print out of visa and proof of address. We took a seat while the lady at the desk done a final police check and after few minutes that was it. I didn't pay anymore money and was told renewal was due 31st may 2014 as is with all nurses. Later that afternoon I got an email saying registration was complete, it gave log in details for Ahpra website and in 4 to 6 weeks they will post out certificate. Went to Vodafone and got a Samsung galaxy express for $40 a month, get unlimited free texts in Australia and internationally, $250 worth of calls a month and 500mb of Internet data which is plenty for us as we rarely use the phone, we just wanted it for a work contact and my mum likes a daily text! Signal has been great with Vodafone. Dodo was cheaper with free unlimited access to Facebook, twitter, etc but they wouldn't give us a contract without 6months proof of banking in Australia. They have 4G here too. Applied for TFN numbers online which was easy, need passport number and address. They gave a ref number to use till TFN's arrived in post, we got ours in 10days. Home Internet is different to UK, not really any good unlimited offers and more expensive, virgin appears best so far but we haven't got Internet yet as I cant find a good deal for us There is loads of free wifi spots around though. The weather is beautiful, i liken it to a Scottish summers morning on a good day, bright and sunny but also nice fresh feeling, can be cool in the shade. It's not cold in the flat even though we have no heating, i usually wake up too hot, it can get cooler at night but nothing a cuppa and a onesie cant fix RTA said we are to use UK driving licences for 6 months and then as long as we haven't left Australia for any period of time we can change them for NSW ones. Driving here is ok and everything is well marked, roads are wider. People appear less courteous than in UK. At Medicare we showed our visa print off, driving licences, passports and had a short form to fill in. The lady gave us a number to use until the card arrives in 7-8 weeks. I went to a bulk billing doctor to make an appointment and was told I could be seen straight away. Consultation was free with Medicare or $50 without. We hired a car for a week with Red Spot, cost $280. We looked for a car for ourselves with a max budget of $2000 with at least 4months rego left. We searched gumtree and went for a 1995 Mitsubishi magna, low mileage, very good engine and reliable however not a great looker but we love him and christened him Barry or big baz to us lol, he cost $900 with service history and 7months rego. Petrol is about $1.50 to $1.60 per litre. We haven't found things overpriced or much more expensive, mostly the same except rent/Internet. In Sydney centre it was obviously expensive but in the surrounding suburbs we have spent surprisingly little to what I thought we would. Got fantastic big thick pillows $5 each, double duvet for $20, got pack of 12 coat hangers for $2, Kettle for $10 and 5 piece pot and pan set for $25 from Big W. Food shopping, clothes, shoes, hairdressers, all same as what I would pay in UK. Gumtree has been great, we went to garage sales and got lots of second hand things for cheap/free. We got 2 good bikes for $60, Vacuum for $10, iron for $10, got a 2yr old Tomtom satnav for $25, there was new ones in target for $119. We got a 2 year old 32inch flat screen LG Tv, a dvd player and solid wood tv unit for $200 and a stereo for $30. In a lot of the shopping malls parking is free for first 2 or 3 hours and there are lots of malls within close proximity. The suburbs round here are beautiful, the houses are omg! It would be perfect for a family, so gorgeous. We are spending approx $5 for a meal for both of us eating in each night. Eating out, the cheapest has been $15 for the two of us and the most expensive was an all you can eat buffet for $45 for 2. My husband got a hair cut and style for $12. Finally smoking, my fag ash husband gets 25g of tobacco and bag of filters for $16. One thing i didn't expect is the amount of Chinese/Asian people, I expected it to be multi cultural but it doesn't appear to be that, just Asian! Nearly all the shops are Chinese, eating out has been difficult with little options, i also got mild food poisoning on our first day But we see that as a good thing as we will save money eating at home! In the quieter areas of the suburbs there appears to be less of an Asian influence. We went into a hairdressers and my husband was refused service as we were white, the Chinese lady was very rude and clear about this but hopefully it was a one off. The train cost us $32 to go a few stops but the bus is reasonable with great service, it costs $3.00 to get me to the next suburb. The buses in sydney centre don't accept money so need to buy travel cards, we didn't realise this but the bus driver said not to worry and took us nearly all the way home for free I went to meet the HR manager from my work, and wow the mental health system they have here sounds amazing, it makes my old job in Devon feel like a third word country! I was so amazed and excited by the thought of these much improved services for patients I could have cried lol the hospital is very modern too, although i've not started yet so who knows. I was told that as soon as I want to apply for permanent residency they will support me. There sounds like there are a lot of options work wise and I got to pick the area I wanted to work in. He told me that I will earn a lot more than my salary states due to enhancements for certain shifts, and i will get paid fortnightly. When I asked about the dress code I was told 'as long as you can't see through it it's fine' lol. I was told to be aware that i may feel undervalued initially as tasks I'm used to doing in the UK are the doctors responsibility here, I don't know how I feel about that. My start date has been put back a week to the 6th August due to some paperwork fluff. There is loads of car washes advertising vacancies, my husband went for one and it was 10hrs a day 7days a week for $450 a week, another was 8 hrs a day for $40, he turned down these jobs (been there done that in the UK) however we kept the option open. He went for a job as a removals man, it sounded like a con though and he didn't get the job anyway. He went for a job as a paintball marshall, he got offered that job but it was casual and doesn't start for 6weeks and we needed something sooner, again we kept that option open. He went for a job in a garage too but didn't get that. He got an interview for a youth worker in a residential children's home, it does a 4 step recovery programme for PTSD, we had applied a couple of months ago through Seek and they told us to email when we arrived, we did and he got the job He's had his working with children check and starts on Tuesday So that's it, 2 weeks in..feel like we've been here months but still much to learn. I probably wouldn't visit sydney on holiday as its nothing special touristy wise, (we have done the main ones),but it appears to be a beautiful and interesting place to live. And my dad will be glad to hear we still have plenty of cash left Randoms: The money feels like plastic and they don't have one or two cents so if something is $9.97 they round it up or down. I have seen loads of young women out as 'workmen' with hi vis jackets on working the roads/traffic control. Toilets have an option to half flush or full flush..luv it! Cyclists go on the motorway! People don't expect tips. I was told by someone that because I work for the government things will be easier for me like getting rental accommodation, loans etc..don't know If that's true. Target, Big W and Coles have great bargains! Its no where near as expensive as I had braced myself for. You get electric/static shocks if you touch the underside of the escalator rails in malls The posh australian accent sounds Americanised. People are happy to help if you don't understand something. There is a lot of ads about keep Australian jobs for Australians and reduce the 457s which made me want to hide! But it's not affected us so far. I saw an ad at a circus for 'performing lions' hope that's not usual...there is also a shop with cats and dogs for sale, lots of young and old dogs alone in tiny spaces, it appears to be accepted so I just avoid walking past Water pressure here is amazing. We have noticed our skin is a lot dryer and tighter feeling, i feel like my skin is ageing right before my eyes! And my hair is all dry and full of static..it's never been like that TV is ok, quite a few british programmes, radio is great. Seen a fair few overweight police officers. Its dark by 17:30hrs. Nurses were on strike the other day about staffing levels. Most people we have met so far have been friendly and welcoming If anyone has any advice for us it would be much appreciated or any questions. Thanks to pomsinoz as so many questions i had were answered here and it would have been made a lot harder for me to move, get a job, etc without this site, I read it obsessively for months lol xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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