Thevans15 Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Hi all, Hubby and I have had a discussion every year about moving to Aus but we've always put it to the back of the head and got on with life in the UK. Nothing wrong with that but we are working to live and the weather here is dire (South East, 40 min from London) Hubby is a trades and we hope to get in on his original qualification of Painting & Decorating, even though he now does loft conversions and Plasters (solid) I've contact the TRA and they want $1000 to asses his certificate, however they can't tell me if the City & Guilds qualifcation is acceptable until I've paid the fee (I have asked them again to look at this) He has to have his trade assessed as when I took the Express an Interest questionnaire on the Aus immigration site they said they wouldn't invite us at this time as skills not assessed!! Has anyone else had this happen and what did they do?? Could any one say wheres best to move also? We have 3 children 8 weeks, 3yrs and 9yrs and if we made the move I'd really like to do it before the eldest goes to Secondary school. I've been googling (best friend atm) and the house prices in Fraser Island look good and we've be able to buy or have a better chance of buying given their prices. I've trying to look at the pros and cons of moving to Aus and after looking at the Moving back to UK part on this site I'm now undecided. I know and understand there are going to be down sides, but why are 40% of brits moving back from Aus???? Also I work for the government in benefits, no qualifications. Does the Aus benefit system vary much to ours?? Whilst in NZ I obtained my Bar managers licence (expired now) and have a NZQA in Food and Beverages, will this help me find work in Aus if government don't need me?? What is Childcare like? IS the cost of living really as high as my price comparision chart tells me?? Would Hubby be able to find work easy ?? He use to work for Carillion but they are no more in Aus and he also has his PTS (Personal Track Safety) as does building maintence on the rail stations. Will this help for work? One last thing, how many of you did the whole process on your own and how many used an Immigration agency? Were they any good and how much did they charge and did you get in quicker with them and were any of you regreted even though you used an agency? Any info you have would be great - Good or Bad Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Best course of action is to speak with a good agent. They will give you an initial assessment and advise if you can get a visa. You need enough points aswell as have an occupation on the Sol or CSOL. We used Go Matilda, they were very good . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thevans15 Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Cheers - I've just emailed them. Based on points we'd scrap through. Higher points if he took the English test, but tests are't his thing so trying to avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozmaniac Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 He definitely must have a positive skills assessment and have 60 points on the points test before he can submit an EOI. If he hasn't been working in his trade for a while, he will have extreme difficulty getting to 60 points without getting at least some points for English skills. And your mention of buying a house on Fraser Island is a concern. If you're talking about the Fraser Island in Queensland (I think that's the only one), living there would be completely impractical for anyone who isn't employed in the tourist industry on the island and in fact, the vast majority of people who work in FI tourism, live on the mainland. If you ever see a house near the South East Queensland coast that appears to be affordable, there will be a huge gotcha hidden in there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thevans15 Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Cheers re info on Fraser Island. Geography isnt my thing in the UK, so must learn it for Aus. Re points, just got off phone to an agency and hubby currently has 40 points, to gain the 20 needed, he needs to take the IETLS test, however not sure which one General or acedemic??? If he only scores 10 points we have to go out on a sponsored area visa ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I did wonder about the Fraser Island bit!! Good luck with your quest though! The cost of living is higher but It depends what you are going to be paid in Aus. All relative really! Petrol is cheaper though! ( I've not emigrated yet BTW but have aus inlaws & visited several times) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thevans15 Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Yes I'm slowly learning thats its more expensive for stuff, broadband and utlities etc. Considering a holiday out ther first just to satisfy hubby as hes swaying to stay UK side, but I'm thinking a holiday out there will eat into our visa fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozmaniac Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I'm not surprised he'll need to do IELTS but the good news is that he only needs to do the General test. Academic is only required for a few professional occupations for skills assessment purposes and as he's a tradesman, General is definitely the right one. He will need to do some solid preparation before he attempts the test even though he's a native English speaker. See the following threads for guidance and encouragement: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/204946-ielts-band-8-too-hard-iam-tradesman-my-skills-my-hands.html http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/106001-ielts-rant.html Check out the Reccie and Arrival Reports section of the Forum. Several of the threads in there have heaps of up to date info on comparative costs and other things you'll find useful at this stage of your investigations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thevans15 Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Cheers for that. My eyes have turned square from looking on the PC for several days trying to source info. Wish I'd none about this site first, would have saved me time and stress levels lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Personally, I wouldn't consider moving to the other side of the world without at least visiting, especially when you have children etc. I think taking a chance when there are one or two adults, especially if you have good job prospects in both countries, is very different from uprooting your whole family to do so. But that's just my opinion, of course .:wink: I can't offer any insight into the visa process, because my hubby didn't need one, and I got mine 7 years ago, before the points system changed. But I can give you some perspective about what life here is like for us. I'm married to an Aussie, and we live reasonably close to his family, but we can't (and don't) rely on them for child care etc, so we have to either look after the baby ourselves or pay someone to do it (he's 10 months old). So, even a trip to get some milk and bread can mean taking a tired/hungry baby or waiting until the other one gets home, or else hubby having to go miles out of his way to do the honours. That means we don't go out together unless we all go, and the only time we get alone together is the two hours or so between bubba's bedtime and our own bedtime - much of which is spent clearing up from dinner, preparing bottles and lunches and whatever else we need for the next day. Having said that, we've been married for 10 years, and together for 14 years in total, so we're at the stage where we're not fussed about going out regularly anyway; and we're both pretty happy to put 'couple time' on hold while we focus on our son. At least the warm Summer nights we've been having here in NSW allow us to chill out on the sofa outside for half an hour or so after the baby's gone to bed. But I think for some people, not having family to call on to help with childcare would be really hard. My guess is that a lot of people who choose to return to the UK are doing so mostly because they miss their families and the support they received (I think sometimes we don't realise just how much help we get from those around us). I really felt it the day that I had a tummy bug, and had to try to feed the baby whilst throwing up, waiting for my husband to get back from work (and he doesn't get paid if he doesn't work). The other important thing to consider is that Australia is not like the UK in that many ways - sure enough we all speak English and drive on the left - but it is a different country with different attitudes and customs. My impression is that there are those who expect Australia to be much like the UK, only with more sunshine, but that's not really how it is. I know all of the above sounds really negative, but that is the reality of life without anyone to provide help when you could really use it. Thankfully the bad days are not common, and I love living here - for me I wouldn't choose to return to the UK unless something changed dramatically. But I'm in the situation where I have a work situation that I just couldn't replicate anywhere in Britain, and my husband's work arrangements allow us to organise our time and lives in a way that we wouldn't be able to do anywhere else, either. We knew before we had the baby that we'd have to be self-sufficient, and I think that made it easier; and we deliberately delayed starting a family until we got here in order to avoid tearing grandparents and grandchildren apart. I reckon you'd be wise to come and check the place out before you come here for good - whether that be holidays (though do bear in mind that a visit isn't exactly like living here) or for longer. I do think there is something to be said for keeping your house in the UK as a 'fall-back' and coming here for a period of time to 'test the waters' before making the move more permanent, when one has children. But I am mostly quite cautious, and I'm sure others will be happy to tell you of their experience moving with children. Good luck with whatever you decided to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Personally, I wouldn't consider moving to the other side of the world without at least visiting, especially when you have children etc. I think taking a chance when there are one or two adults, especially if you have good job prospects in both countries, is very different from uprooting your whole family to do so. But that's just my opinion, of course .:wink: I can't offer any insight into the visa process, because my hubby didn't need one, and I got mine 7 years ago, before the points system changed. But I can give you some perspective about what life here is like for us. I'm married to an Aussie, and we live reasonably close to his family, but we can't (and don't) rely on them for child care etc, so we have to either look after the baby ourselves or pay someone to do it (he's 10 months old). So, even a trip to get some milk and bread can mean taking a tired/hungry baby or waiting until the other one gets home, or else hubby having to go miles out of his way to do the honours. That means we don't go out together unless we all go, and the only time we get alone together is the two hours or so between bubba's bedtime and our own bedtime - much of which is spent clearing up from dinner, preparing bottles and lunches and whatever else we need for the next day. Having said that, we've been married for 10 years, and together for 14 years in total, so we're at the stage where we're not fussed about going out regularly anyway; and we're both pretty happy to put 'couple time' on hold while we focus on our son. At least the warm Summer nights we've been having here in NSW allow us to chill out on the sofa outside for half an hour or so after the baby's gone to bed. But I think for some people, not having family to call on to help with childcare would be really hard. My guess is that a lot of people who choose to return to the UK are doing so mostly because they miss their families and the support they received (I think sometimes we don't realise just how much help we get from those around us). I really felt it the day that I had a tummy bug, and had to try to feed the baby whilst throwing up, waiting for my husband to get back from work (and he doesn't get paid if he doesn't work). The other important thing to consider is that Australia is not like the UK in that many ways - sure enough we all speak English and drive on the left - but it is a different country with different attitudes and customs. My impression is that there are those who expect Australia to be much like the UK, only with more sunshine, but that's not really how it is. I know all of the above sounds really negative, but that is the reality of life without anyone to provide help when you could really use it. Thankfully the bad days are not common, and I love living here - for me I wouldn't choose to return to the UK unless something changed dramatically. But I'm in the situation where I have a work situation that I just couldn't replicate anywhere in Britain, and my husband's work arrangements allow us to organise our time and lives in a way that we wouldn't be able to do anywhere else, either. We knew before we had the baby that we'd have to be self-sufficient, and I think that made it easier; and we deliberately delayed starting a family until we got here in order to avoid tearing grandparents and grandchildren apart. I reckon you'd be wise to come and check the place out before you come here for good - whether that be holidays (though do bear in mind that a visit isn't exactly like living here) or for longer. I do think there is something to be said for keeping your house in the UK as a 'fall-back' and coming here for a period of time to 'test the waters' before making the move more permanent, when one has children. But I am mostly quite cautious, and I'm sure others will be happy to tell you of their experience moving with children. Good luck with whatever you decided to do. Your life sounds very similar to ours! Except we're still in the UK. ( sorry nothing to do with OP) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.