The4of us Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi All, Thought I'd best say hello as I'm probably going to be reading the threads on here a lot over the next couple of weeks. My husband has always wanted to move to Australia - I was never so keen, I misunderstood the school system and thought it would have a bad impact on our children, anyway I've recently been corrected and so now we've agreed that we would give it a go. My husband is a Reader at a University and has found a job being advertised at a University in Brisbane .... so he's applied! Obviously this does not necessarily mean he'll get the job but it's been a big first step for us, and I think he'll keep applying for jobs now until hopefully he gets one. My children are 6 and 4. I have quite a lot of days where I feel very excited with no doubts at all, but I do have moments when I worry a bit ... although I'm not really worrying about anything in particular, I guess it's just a few nerves as it is a big adventure. I can't figure out how people manage without their furniture (which I've read can take 3 months to arrive). If we rent somewhere furnished then what do we do with our own stuff when it arrives? Or if we then have to move to an unfurnished rental I'm concerned it might be in a different area and involve the children moving school twice in a short space of time. I guess there is a really simple answer which I just haven't figured out yet. Anyway, hello to everyone, hope you are all having a great day! Evie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteNAmanda Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi Evie I have all the same worried as you! In my head I have worked out the following! When we arrive we will book into a hotel for 2 weeks! We will then try Sussex out the schools although after some serious research into the area we are going. We do have a firm idea of the ones we like. We will then hopefully rent a 6 month fully furnished rental with a garage to store our belongings as and when they arrive until we move into something a little more long term and hopefully all in the same area as I don't really want my children moving schools more than the once! This makes sense in my head just hope it works out that way! Hope this helps a little. Amanda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteNAmanda Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Oops quite a lot of predictive text gone wrong there hope u get it haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesnparry Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi Evie we did the adventure - with both our girls aged 6 & 4 at the time. We've been without furniture when we landed, and had a outside table and chairs in side the rental house we took purchased from gum tree - and slept on air mattress bought from local superstore - kmart, and also cheap kitchen stuff, we had no washer no fridge no tv, nothing until 1 month after we arrived. We've been here 15 months and look back with fondness of having time reading, talking, drawing with out any TV's, and have bbq trays to cook things with.......great adventure, camping with having a solid roof and bathroom .....IMO don't do furnished rental, - you appreciate what you need and don't need more .......and value it when things arrive..... all i will say is start decluttering sooner rather than later, time creeps on you so soon. Schooling, our girls have loved it, and our girls get up at 6am more days than not, and during school days they either swim in the morning at swimming club - Tues+thurs before school, or at weekend do nippers at local surf club from 7am to 10 pm So - is it hard, - yes - do you get stressed - yes - but as the song goes, life is a roller coaster - you just got to ride it......................and its great......to see your children enjoy the school and out door life...................yeap its a true adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Regarding shipping furniture.... it's not that hard to organise. Ship your stuff in advance so it will arrive only about 3-4 weeks after you do. It's easier to borrow and make do without furniture on your home turf - people you know will lend you the basics until you leave. Book a furnished rental/holiday let here for 3-4 weeks only. Just long enough to find yourself an unfurnished rental in the area you want to live in. If you've timed it right you move into your unfurnished rental with your own furniture which has just arrived. If your furniture turns up early, it goes into storage until you're ready for it. If your furniture turns up late, you 'camp' in your unfurnished rental with blow-up beds, outdoor furniture and a small bar fridge until it does arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic1171 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 There are companies that can rent you furniture, whole house packages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The4of us Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Wow, so many useful replies already! I had to pop out this afternoon and it was so nice to see so many helpful comments when I got back. A huge part of me really hopes this will happen (I'm trying to ignore the little bit that's terrified!:nah:). It is definitely a good idea to ship furniture early and "beg and borrow" here for a while. This is a very friendly site, I'll be reading often and keeping my fingers crossed that we get some definite news soon. Thank you everyone.:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The4of us Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Just wondering, do families usually all go out together, or is it easier for one parent to go-ahead first and sort out accommodation etc and the rest follow after a few weeks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Just wondering, do families usually all go out together, or is it easier for one parent to go-ahead first and sort out accommodation etc and the rest follow after a few weeks? I reckon it's better to all go out together personally. Short term rentals can be booked online then you can all look round together for a longer term one. I'd always want to see a house and area myself before moving in. I trust hubby but he and I see things differently and he'd maybe not notice the layout of the kitchen or some such and be fine with it but I'd hate it. Stuck in a house for 6-12 months then I'd be a bit fed up if it didn't work for me as I would like. Same with an area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Regarding shipping furniture.... it's not that hard to organise. Ship your stuff in advance so it will arrive only about 3-4 weeks after you do. It's easier to borrow and make do without furniture on your home turf - people you know will lend you the basics until you leave. Book a furnished rental/holiday let here for 3-4 weeks only. Just long enough to find yourself an unfurnished rental in the area you want to live in. If you've timed it right you move into your unfurnished rental with your own furniture which has just arrived. If your furniture turns up early, it goes into storage until you're ready for it. If your furniture turns up late, you 'camp' in your unfurnished rental with blow-up beds, outdoor furniture and a small bar fridge until it does arrive. Yes, this was how we did it. Shipped our stuff several weeks before we ourselves left, then moved in with family. Arranged a short term furnished rental online before we came out, and whilst we were living there, sorted an unfurnished place ready for when our stuff arrived. We ended up camping in the new place for a couple of days waiting for our container to arrive, but by then we'd made friends who were more than willing to lend us stuff that we needed. I think most people head out together - this is such a big deal you really want to be all together to support each other and enjoy the newness of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Woooooaaa there. First thing first. Visas. Before you husband is off applying for jobs, have you checked if you would be eligible for a visa? The starting point in immi.gov.au and check out the SOL list and CSOL lists to see if his occupation is on one of them. Then, if so, there is a number on the list next to the job name. Google this number and it will tell you the skills requirements. If it is on the SOL then you can apply for skilled permanent residence (subject to meeting the other requirements). If it is only on the CSOL, then it would need either employer or state sponsorship. Normally, state sponsorship is the better option. If you go down the employer route, it is normally a 457 visa. This has some negative issues. The first one to understand is that it is a temporary visa normally for up to 4 years. Depending on which state you live in, there may be large compulsary school fees and it is tied to the employer. Which means if he were to lose his job, then you have 90 days to find another or leave the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The4of us Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hi VERYSTORMY We've been told that the visa would be: Permanent Residency (Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186). You are right that we are a long way from anything really happening (and that it might even never happen) but I'm enjoying the excitement of the possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 That is great. Unusual but excellent. With regarding shipping worries, i would first speak to the sponsor about it as i am assuming they are throwing in a relocation package and if so, it is likely they have a prefered company. These will then be able to advise on how it will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Tilley Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 You remind me so much of me when I read your first post! I went along with it because it was what my partner wanted and I sort of got rail roaded in to 'giving it a go for a few years and if I didn't like it we could come home again'. Believe me, when kids are involved it's not that simple! Make sure this is something that you really want for yourself too, and if it is then great. I would advise that you all go together as a family. We didn't, my ex went as soon as the visas came through and I stayed behind for three months to rent the house out, sell the cars, ship the furniture etc. When I got there he'd already established himself at work, got a social network and a life sorted - and it didn't include me or our son. We missed out on the 'honeymoon' period of starting our new life together, and as a result I really struggled to settle in Australia and felt very isolated and alone. I'd gone to be a 'stay at home mum' whilst he was the breadwinner and I'd given up a good job, but it wasn't for me. I missed working, I missed the network of family, friends, social life etc and really took for granted such simple things like my mum popping over for an hour to look after my toddler so I could go to the dentist in peace, or our parents babysitting so we could have some adult time together as a couple and go out to see a movie together or have a nice meal. From my experiences I would say that this has to be something that you both really want to do, and when children are involved there needs to be a realistic understanding of what will happen if one of you likes it out there and the other one doesn't, because once you are all there as a family, neither of you can come home again with the children unless the other one agrees to it. Many parents (and I'd say it's usually the mum) end up trapped in Australia unhappily because they won't leave their children and they can't leave with their children. I hate to sound so negative, but I'm being realistic. If you are going with genuine enthusiasm because it is what you want then you will possibly make this work and have a great time, but if you are going for someone else and it's not really in your heart then you will find it hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Rachel makes some excellent points there. I'm always amazed how many families do this move often without even visiting the country first (don't know if that is the case with the OP). It is vital for both to be committed to it and to have an understanding what each stand to gain and to lose and whether these are important. It is true that you can over-think it and end up so risk-averse that you do nothing however I don't think that one of the first thoughts should be the practicalities of moving furniture; that is merely detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathy99 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi there, we had our stuff packed up on 30th dec hoping it would be on it's way well before we flew on 27th jan, but because of a few hiccups with the shipping people it actually set sail a day before we did! We stayed in serviced apartments for two weeks whilst we tried to drive around and find a house. if i were you do as much research in uk as you can on tge areas you think you want to live, i researched the 10 best suburbs in sydney and wrote them all down so that when we got here and looked for rentaks i had a list of areas i knew were ok. What i will say is don't pin your hopes on one school as you may not get a rental in the catchment area. Getting a rental is very tough, they have lots of open houses on a saturday and when you turn up you'll find there are several other families there too! You tgen have to fill out an application form and submit it to agent and hope the landlord likes the look of your application and lets you have it! We were lucky (i did lots of research before moving here so came prepared!) and got a nice rental within 2 weeks. We then bought things off of gumtree to tide us over until our shipping comes on 28th march. It's what a lot of expats do and when your stuff arrives you just sell it on again - we have two beds, frudge/freezer, washing machine, tv sofa, microwave and table and chairs. my children are 4 and 7 so similar ages and its ok to be worrued or scared it's perfectly normal :0) x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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