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First week in Sydney!

bluewaterz

By bluewaterz
in New South Wales

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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Hey guys! We have just closed our first week in Sydney and we couldn't be more HAPPY!!!:biggrin:

 

SYDNEY IS AMAZING! The weather is fantastic, the city is beautiful and in general everything has been going as planned

 

FOOD:

 

The food here is incredible!There is absolutely no comparison! Anywhere we have eaten so far has been superb. Everything is reasonably priced (except for fancy sandwiches) the quality is miles ahead and there is an abundance of fruit and seafood. Supermarkets are a tad, literally only slightly more pricey than the UK but the quality you get in return is much better. The quality I would say is Waitrose standards therefore to be honest I think the supermarkets are fairly priced!

 

PEOPLE:

 

People are so friendly over here! Much more open, smiley and outgoing! We went to the semi finals of the footie on Friday and everyone was in a great mood! People from both teams were friendly to each other and there were no fights even though there were roughly 44 000 people.

 

REAL ESTATE:

 

So far the houses are beautiful! Most houses are good sized and are mainly detached and most gardens and paint work is well kept. We are two couples renting a two storey 3 bed 3 bathroom apartment in Concord. The flat is AMAZING! We have a marina view to look at from all bedrooms, the flat is new and modern and its huge! There are tennis grounds,a sauna, a pool, bbq area a gym (all communal) and two car spaces in an underground garage. We are paying 400 pounds per month each for this so by far a bargain! No way can you get anything remotely like this in London!

 

WORK:

 

Recruitment agencies are very efficient! I applied to 20 jobs and got three phone calls the exact next day. Went for three recruiting interviews on Friday in the city and will hopefully have 4 job interviews next week!

 

There are so many things to do outdoors even in the city centre and it is extremely family friendly everywhere. Parks at every corner you turn to and large pedestrian areas for children to run around!

 

So far so good! Next week we will be getting our bank, tax and Medicare in order so will keep you posted :)

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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Okay so here is my 2nd week!

 

So far how fantastic has the weather been and its not even summer!!! Had two job interviews and was offered a position but turned it down as I wanted more pay! I still have more interviews lined up. My partner unfortunately is still looking. I am in finance so I think there is an abundance of positions out there.

 

TV:

 

OMG the tv here is soooo bad! hahaha! there is literally nothing on EVER! Also the aussies do love their teleshopping! According to most of my friends here no one usually watches tv as they are more involved with sports and going out to socialise so I guess this is the reason for such underdeveloped media.

 

TRAINS:

Very very confusing for the first few days (don't know if its just me) but I have the hang of it now. How fantastic are the double decker carriages and the swivel chairs?!

 

DRINKING:

It's truly funny that the aussies think they have a problem with binge drinking! I have yet to see any youths drinking a cheap bottle of vodka on the curb of the street nor have I seen any drunks roaming the street! That includes the long weekend that passed us. I think people are much more sensible when it comes to drinking over here.

 

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS:

Now this is something the Aussies do lack!

 

PEOPLE:

I can't stop saying this but people are so friendly here! Strangers want to speak to you at bus stops, store workers, bank cashiers even the medicare staff want to know more about you and strike up a conversation straight away!

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Paul1Perth PIO Chatter Box

Paul1Perth

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If you swim try the Andrew Boy Charlton pool in the Botanic Gardens. You could take your swimming gear and have a day out with a great walk through the botanic gardens to the Opera House, which is just as good in real life as it looks on photos. Other way out of the Gardens takes you to Woolloomoolloo and a short walk you're at Kings Cross. Have you been there yet. It's improved beyond belief in the last few years and the once quite rough Kings Cross hotel is now a lovely upmarket pub. Just up Bayswater road from there used to be the Bayswater Hotel on the RHS. Now a very nice bar where you can sit outside and people watch and have some good food.

 

Loads to see and do in Sydney, great place.

 

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS:

Now this is something the Aussies do lack!

 

I find that rather refreshing to tell the truth.

 

 

Oh and you might see a few drunks around the Cross but like you say even the Cross is pretty mild compared to the average UK City Centre on Friday night.

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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If you swim try the Andrew Boy Charlton pool in the Botanic Gardens. You could take your swimming gear and have a day out with a great walk through the botanic gardens to the Opera House, which is just as good in real life as it looks on photos. Other way out of the Gardens takes you to Woolloomoolloo and a short walk you're at Kings Cross. Have you been there yet. It's improved beyond belief in the last few years and the once quite rough Kings Cross hotel is now a lovely upmarket pub. Just up Bayswater road from there used to be the Bayswater Hotel on the RHS. Now a very nice bar where you can sit outside and people watch and have some good food.

 

Loads to see and do in Sydney, great place.

 

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS:

Now this is something the Aussies do lack!

 

I find that rather refreshing to tell the truth.

 

 

Oh and you might see a few drunks around the Cross but like you say even the Cross is pretty mild compared to the average UK City Centre on Friday night.

 

 

Hey!!!! Thank you so much for that! We have been to the Botanical Gardens (my goodness they are beautiful!) I had no idea you can swim!!!! I am definitely going to look into that! Was at the Opera Bar ysday, view is amazing so is the bar itself, lovely cocktails and service. I also heard you can book in advance to hug and hold koalas at the zoo, also gonna look into that!

 

Have not been to Kings Cross yet, will check it out soon. So far I have been out in Newtown which I really enjoyed and also in Brighton which was also lively and multicultural (to things I love)

 

Concerning the political correctness I also agree with you...I hate being so uptight! I'm so happy I don't have to be so polite on phones and in shops and that I can swear to my friends and no one in listening proximity wont give me an evil stare....but I do still cringe when i hear the phrase "boat people" on the bloody TV! hahaha

 

about the drunks....after living in Newcastle....NOTHING compares to it...I'm sure the drunks at Kings Cross don't stand a chance!hahaha

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Paul1Perth PIO Chatter Box

Paul1Perth

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Hey!!!! Thank you so much for that! We have been to the Botanical Gardens (my goodness they are beautiful!) I had no idea you can swim!!!! I am definitely going to look into that! Was at the Opera Bar ysday, view is amazing so is the bar itself, lovely cocktails and service. I also heard you can book in advance to hug and hold koalas at the zoo, also gonna look into that!

 

Have not been to Kings Cross yet, will check it out soon. So far I have been out in Newtown which I really enjoyed and also in Brighton which was also lively and multicultural (to things I love)

 

Concerning the political correctness I also agree with you...I hate being so uptight! I'm so happy I don't have to be so polite on phones and in shops and that I can swear to my friends and no one in listening proximity wont give me an evil stare....but I do still cringe when i hear the phrase "boat people" on the bloody TV! hahaha

 

about the drunks....after living in Newcastle....NOTHING compares to it...I'm sure the drunks at Kings Cross don't stand a chance!hahaha

 

The pool is towards the Woolloomooloo end of the botanic gardens. It's a 50m outdoor and a play pool for kids. The view is over to the flash apartments where Russell Crowe has a place and John Laws lives. It's a bit of a gay hangout in summer so you might see a few leopard skin bathers laying around on the sunbeds.

 

Also right across from Garden Island where the Navy boats are.

 

Have you been to the rocks yet? Another good place for a drink and if you time it right you can get a happy 2 hours in when the pubs do $5 pints. There are some good pubs in the rocks and also a belgium beer cafe and the hoffbrauhus.

 

Got to say I don't reckon much on the swearing in public but don't find it much different to the UK. We've just been back to Manchester on holiday and we got on tram into the City from Salford with a bunch of school kids. Language was pretty dire but my youngster was laughing to himself at the banter. Man City had won and a guy said "if Sergio Aguero was in bed with my Mum I'd tuck him in":laugh:

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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I love your comment about the political correctness! This is a change I am definitely looking for :)

From your experience with searching for a finance job, which industries seem to offer good opportunities?

 

Hi diana!

There seems to be a lot of jobs in either the media, oil and gas and shipping industries. Go onto seek.com.au to have a quick check yourself and get an idea. As long as you can offer references you shouldn't have a problem finding something.

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DianaK Senior Member

DianaK

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Bluewaterz, thank you for the reply. :smile:

This is actually good news for me as most of my experience is in oil and gas and I was worried that it might be a limitiation, if I stay away from WA or Brisbane. If references from UK are accepted then those from Canada would be useful too. Do they want to see a long reference from a supervisor, stating how good you are at what you do or a letter with the description of the duties and employment period (similar to those for DIAC and CPA assessment) is sufficient?

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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Hey! Sorry for late reply. No there is no limitation trust me! I also come from a Oil and Gas background. There are a lot of jobs out here in finance. My phone doesn't stop ringing! References just usually need to state the dates u worked, your salary and if they were happy with you or if there were discrepancies.

Make sure your CV states in point form clearly all your roles and also mention ALL the accounting programmes you have used and what skills you have in Excel. Unfortunately Sage is not big over here :(

 

Try to avoid HAYS they are hopeless here (in the uk they are good)

Michael Paige is good, Account Ability is also fantastic and

Eastside Personnel seems to have a few oil and gas/shipping jobs

 

Bluewaterz, thank you for the reply. :smile:

This is actually good news for me as most of my experience is in oil and gas and I was worried that it might be a limitiation, if I stay away from WA or Brisbane. If references from UK are accepted then those from Canada would be useful too. Do they want to see a long reference from a supervisor, stating how good you are at what you do or a letter with the description of the duties and employment period (similar to those for DIAC and CPA assessment) is sufficient?

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DianaK Senior Member

DianaK

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Thank you so much for all the details! We were a bit worried as oil & gas accounting is a bit specific with all the joint venture activities. Our agent at Robert Half here said that she will transfer our files to their Australian office but it is good to know other recruiters that are strong with finding positions in the industry.

By the way, HAYS are useless in Canada too. I think that Sage is more popular in Europe as it is not big in North America either. I would think that SAP, Oracle, JVNexus, P2 are what they use there but I may be wrong.

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MichaelD Advanced Member

MichaelD

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Heya,

 

On the agency front dont forget your linked in, My wife is a BA with ACCA from back in the UK and the head hunters have been emailing for months now lol, they do the same as in the UK and search linked in for the higher paid jobs! Recruitment is big buisness and big money here so they will come looking for you rather than waiting for your CV to drop into there inbox!

 

I was so shocked when i read your first post saying how reasonable everything here is price wise compared to back in the UK right until i remembered the exchange rate has got soooo much better since we arrived in April lol. We found it a shock on the UK funds but about on par once we had Ausie income, A months wages last the month just like they did back home lol.

 

If your still exploring a few of our favorite haunts are as follows;

 

Manly Beach, for sun sea and surfing lessons!!! Surfing is my new favorite thing in the whole wide world lol

 

Manly Beach, Take a right and follow the toe path along the sand to a hidden little cove called Shelly Beach. It is beautiful!!! there is a few hours worth of walking behind it up through the national park, again truly beautiful.

 

DONT take the manly ferry from circular quay, it is packed on any day with sun! Instead go to the captain cook wharf at the other end of the quay, pay an extra $3 and take the fast ferry!! 20 min not 30min trip, Licensed bar, Never packed no matter when you catch it!!

 

 

The Rocks are great for an explore, Weekend markets have some nice food and craft stuff to browse, Pick a bar any Bar.

 

Botanics are amazing, nip into coles or woolies for some tapas and take a picnic!!

 

If you like fresh sea food take a walk through to the fish market in Pyrmont, You wont find better anywhere!!

 

Pop into Darling harbor for a Saturday night! Fireworks every Saturday from 20:30, We watch from our balcony most weekends lol

 

Try the Bondi to Coogie walk, looks stunning, take water its a trek lol

 

Paddy's Market, worth a look about!!

 

 

Hope you are loving the city as much as we do :-)

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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Thank you so much for all the details! We were a bit worried as oil & gas accounting is a bit specific with all the joint venture activities. Our agent at Robert Half here said that she will transfer our files to their Australian office but it is good to know other recruiters that are strong with finding positions in the industry.

By the way, HAYS are useless in Canada too. I think that Sage is more popular in Europe as it is not big in North America either. I would think that SAP, Oracle, JVNexus, P2 are what they use there but I may be wrong.

 

Diana I did not realise you are in Canada! Yes Sage is very popular in Europe but not in the rest of th world. If you know how to use SAP and Oracle you will def find a job really fast. SAP is mostly used! I need to do some youtube tutorials this week on it so I can add onto my cv hahaha

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DianaK Senior Member

DianaK

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Yes, we moved to Canada 10 years ago and now we are ready for new migration...:biggrin:

SAP is very intuitive and easy to use and I am sure that you will advance really quickly. For the last 5 years I am functional analyst for JD Edwards , which is Oracle, but I had an exposure to SAP as well.

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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Heya,

 

On the agency front dont forget your linked in, My wife is a BA with ACCA from back in the UK and the head hunters have been emailing for months now lol, they do the same as in the UK and search linked in for the higher paid jobs! Recruitment is big buisness and big money here so they will come looking for you rather than waiting for your CV to drop into there inbox!

 

I was so shocked when i read your first post saying how reasonable everything here is price wise compared to back in the UK right until i remembered the exchange rate has got soooo much better since we arrived in April lol. We found it a shock on the UK funds but about on par once we had Ausie income, A months wages last the month just like they did back home lol.

 

If your still exploring a few of our favorite haunts are as follows;

 

Manly Beach, for sun sea and surfing lessons!!! Surfing is my new favorite thing in the whole wide world lol

 

Manly Beach, Take a right and follow the toe path along the sand to a hidden little cove called Shelly Beach. It is beautiful!!! there is a few hours worth of walking behind it up through the national park, again truly beautiful.

 

DONT take the manly ferry from circular quay, it is packed on any day with sun! Instead go to the captain cook wharf at the other end of the quay, pay an extra $3 and take the fast ferry!! 20 min not 30min trip, Licensed bar, Never packed no matter when you catch it!!

 

 

The Rocks are great for an explore, Weekend markets have some nice food and craft stuff to browse, Pick a bar any Bar.

 

Botanics are amazing, nip into coles or woolies for some tapas and take a picnic!!

 

If you like fresh sea food take a walk through to the fish market in Pyrmont, You wont find better anywhere!!

 

Pop into Darling harbor for a Saturday night! Fireworks every Saturday from 20:30, We watch from our balcony most weekends lol

 

Try the Bondi to Coogie walk, looks stunning, take water its a trek lol

 

Paddy's Market, worth a look about!!

 

 

Hope you are loving the city as much as we do :-)

 

 

So sorry for late reply! I had to rush out! You are absolutely right about LinkedIn, it is widely used here from what I gather!

Been to Manly twice already, I actually grew up as a child in Balgowlah Heights of Manly so it was emotional going back to my old neighbourhood after sooo many years. It is surprising what a child's memory can hold!

 

Paddy's Market is our next stop, just need to get organised for a ridiculously early wake at 5 am! haha

 

I love seafood and was planning on going to the fish market for oysters until you mentioned Pyrmont...I am now in a dilemma!

 

We are absolutely loving the city and are looking forward to days ahead of us! I think it was the best choice we have made! Hope to hear more from you and thank you for all the advice!

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bluewaterz Senior Member

bluewaterz

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Welcome to Sydney!

I live near to you (Rhodes). Make sure you check out the huge IKEA at Rhodes Shopping Ctr, for all your household needs!

Have you discovered 'bubble tea' yet? It is an awesome creation!

BertieB

 

 

Bubble tea? I'm googling as we speak....

 

I hate tea in general so hope its nothing like it!:chatterbox:

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