surfandsea Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Hello well this is my story so far. Me (carpenter) 32 my wife (hair dresser) 28 and two children aged 2 & 5 from Essex U.K visited the gold coast for near on a month in may. We fell in love not just with the goldy but Australia and Australians. We did alot of exploring to make sure if the move was the right thing to do and hooked up with a few friends too. When we returned we talked it over to make sure we both wanted to do this. So, we found an agent and i sat my ielts and passed first time. After that i gathered all my paper work and sent it off to my agent. waited a few months and agent call to say ive passed the first part of vetasses then a few weeks ago i took my vetasses carpentry test and passed that so now we are just waiting for a reply from our EOI. So fingers crossed. In the mean time im hunting the internet at jobs and where to live,so far sunshine coast, noosa,gold coast and north NSW are our main parts to relocate to..... ....... stay tuned for more........ And any tips and help would be very much taken onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Great news it sounds like everything is going to plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30085 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Best of luck with the rest of the process, the worst bit is waiting for the grant once you know you've passed all the other stages, but well worth it in the end . Let us know how you get on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddydaycare Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Hello well this is my story so far.Me (carpenter) 32 my wife (hair dresser) 28 and two children aged 2 & 5 from Essex U.K visited the gold coast for near on a month in may. We fell in love not just with the goldy but Australia and Australians. We did alot of exploring to make sure if the move was the right thing to do and hooked up with a few friends too. When we returned we talked it over to make sure we both wanted to do this. So, we found an agent and i sat my ielts and passed first time. After that i gathered all my paper work and sent it off to my agent. waited a few months and agent call to say ive passed the first part of vetasses then a few weeks ago i took my vetasses carpentry test and passed that so now we are just waiting for a reply from our EOI. So fingers crossed. In the mean time im hunting the internet at jobs and where to live,so far sunshine coast, noosa,gold coast and north NSW are our main parts to relocate to..... ....... stay tuned for more........ And any tips and help would be very much taken onboard. Best of luck. Im from Essex too, well the less desirable part of Essex at least...will stay tuned like an Essex boy car stereo in the tescos car park on a saturday night!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfandsea Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Ha ha Im from north essex. so not to bad nice area. but im working in romford. bit dodgy.Are you in oz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toodolou Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 good luck with it all , just a waiting game now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddydaycare Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Ha ha Im from north essex. so not to bad nice area. but im working in romford. bit dodgy.Are you in oz? Yes, been in OZ 16 months now, we are warming up the front seats for you. You have made the right decision to come down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfandsea Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Ha ha cheers. so where in oz are you? also hows work out there all good? sorry for all the questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddydaycare Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Ha ha cheers. so where in oz are you? also hows work out there all good? sorry for all the questions no worries matey, happy to answer questions, Im in Melbourne, work is pretty good out here. And we get paid fortnightly, makes a difference, the weather is generally much better, dont have to travel aborad for a holiday coz you can just go to another state coz there is just so much to do, state schools are good as well, but one thing you need to know is cars are really expensive. i had a crappy car back home so I didnt bring it over. My suggestion to all my friend who have come over after me is to bring over one car. Petrol is cheaper than the UK, houses much much much more spacious. Last summer which was my first, I really enjoyed it, the sunny weather does it for me, but you defo need a good pair of sunglasses...and a comfy pair of runners (trainers) and you will enjoy walking around in thongs (flip flops) most of the time. Its these simple things that make a big difference. Its a big move, be prepared to miss friends and family the first 6 months but you will meet plenty other fun people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc 53 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Ok, I lived on the Gold Coast and have relocated to Brisbane and I work for a major Construction Contractor. In my Role I work all over Qld and the NT. I explain this so you understand that I have a grasp of what is going on here right now. The post is in now way angled to be negative it is merely information for you to consider. All the places you mention are stunning, unfortunately they are also struggling at the moment in terms of construction, albeit there are a few large projects on. If you do live on the Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast / etc be prepared for a long commute (1-1.5 hrs commute) and a $20 a day (roughly) train ticket. Parking is expensive here. Factor these costs in, as well as the effect on your family life. By the way I know plenty of guys that do the commute from Gold/Sunny Coast into Brisbane. It is not for me. FWIW I also notice how tired these guys look and how little time they have for fitness/personal affairs etc. Also be aware you may get a job now at the construction for a hospital, prison, whatever. Consider however what happens when that project finishes. The construction market (particularly in Qld) can be very closed to friends/families/contacts (who not what you know) and at the moment the job market is VERY competitive. Ask around on this site (and others) for opinions of carpenters working here in Qld now, and how they think you would get on coming into the job market cold. I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT COME ON A 457/WHATEVER TEMP VISA WHERE YOUR EMPLOYER CAN HOLD YOU BY THE VITALS! Temp visas are dodgy enough in the good times. They are even more dodgy with the economy being weak. A permanent visa is expensive and time consuming but you are your own man. I came on a perm visa and after seeing what happens in the 457 arena would not consider doing it any other way. i suppose 457's for nurses/doctors/inter company etc a bit different, but for "normal circumstance" I would not recommend it. Also do your research with the schools. As with the UK there cane be considerable variation between school standards and amenities. That is it right now, any questions I will try to answer. Me and my family love it here, but as with life anywhere for mere mortals there are things we need to think about. Oh also check out the Brisbane County Council websites for parking fees and the JP journey planner for travel times/costs. No point in living in paradise if you cannot afford or have no time to do anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Have to agree its not what you know but who knows you in construction. My friends have lived in Brisbane for about 15 years now and her husband is in construction and he has worked for many companies, fortunately as he is known he stays in work. After the big projects airport etc companies disappear, merge and whole new ball game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfandsea Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Thank you for the insight,its good to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak. we are planning to move in atleast 12months time. I have read about the not what you know but who and i think it is the same here in the uk. Ive no problem starting at the bottom and being a dogs body just so i can have the "local experiance" my day to day work at the moment is all in all 3-4 hr commute a day and i not only do carpentry as a trade,i find myself plastering ,roofing,windowfitting,concreting. the list goes on,and im happy with this so worst case it that i come to aus and do the same as what im doing now. which isnt a problem just as long as i have work. Any more help or advise would be great as all will be taken onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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