leapstar Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Hi all, We have a visa that is due to expire in Feb 2017.we have a 16 yr old in transition yr,one just gone into jnr cert and one in 3rd class. I work part time as an ID nurse . .my husband as a qsurveyor.we have a good set up at home with supportive family and friends etc BUT I am totally conflicted about whether to take the opportunity to head to oz. I don't want to mess up my children's education,my job(though wldnt mind a change)upset my family etc but I also don't want to regret not taking the chance. We have discussed going for a yr and seeing how this goes with option of coming home having experienced yr there at least... my older kids would like to go. .. I would like to hear opinions /advice please and thanks..please be kind:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amibovered Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Have you validated your visa yet? If not, why don't you have a little holiday to Australia to validate, and you'll give yourself a bit more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Have you validated your visa yet? If not, why don't you have a little holiday to Australia to validate, and you'll give yourself a bit more time. If the visa expires in February and hasn't even been validated yet then itis probably null and void. Validation usually has to take place within 12 months of grant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Hi all,We have a visa that is due to expire in Feb 2017.we have a 16 yr old in transition yr,one just gone into jnr cert and one in 3rd class. I work part time as an ID nurse . .my husband as a qsurveyor.we have a good set up at home with supportive family and friends etc BUT I am totally conflicted about whether to take the opportunity to head to oz. I don't want to mess up my children's education,my job(though wldnt mind a change)upset my family etc but I also don't want to regret not taking the chance. We have discussed going for a yr and seeing how this goes with option of coming home having experienced yr there at least... my older kids would like to go. .. I would like to hear opinions /advice please and thanks..please be kind:rolleyes: Where are you moving from? Reading the schools stuff it doesn't sound like the UK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evets Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 As mentioned, where are you moving from. Your child is probably in a important time of his education. Depending on the country and how the education system compares he could be stepped up or moved backups. Then you have to consider Uni fees. You have not mentioned what city you are planning or looking to move to. Graduate positions after qualifying may not be as easy as you think, all depends on what he wants to study. But times are tough for graduates, too many and not enough roles to fill. As Nemisis mentioned, you may have left it to late and you need to investigate that. You also need to review the job market in Australia, as times are getting tougher here. You will probably be ok as you can be flexible but your hubby may struggle in his field. This could be crap and your hubby scores an excellent job in a great city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 You would be screwing up your older kids' education if you only went for a year. If you are in a first world country already and it is working for you, stop the "what ifs", they're a waste of time and consider that one first world country is much like any other. Third world country then you probably would be better off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leapstar Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) Thanks for replies...we are in Ireland,thinking of going to Sydney and yes we validated our visas Edited September 21, 2016 by leapstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Hi all,We have a visa that is due to expire in Feb 2017.we have a 16 yr old in transition yr,one just gone into jnr cert and one in 3rd class. I work part time as an ID nurse . .my husband as a qsurveyor.we have a good set up at home with supportive family and friends etc BUT I am totally conflicted about whether to take the opportunity to head to oz. I don't want to mess up my children's education,my job(though wldnt mind a change)upset my family etc but I also don't want to regret not taking the chance. We have discussed going for a yr and seeing how this goes with option of coming home having experienced yr there at least... my older kids would like to go. .. I would like to hear opinions /advice please and thanks..please be kind:rolleyes: I felt exactly like you, we were offered jobs and even though when we visited be didn't really like Perth I though it was 'better to regret something you did than something you didn't do' - to be honest i don't regret the adventure but then I didn't have a permanent job and my son hadn't started school so there wasn't much to lose - house prices even went down whilst we were away so we now have a similar house an a smaller mortgage. I must admit though I now think 'if it ain't broke why fix it' & I think that is what is critical - Australia is not better, it is just different. i do think nurses seem to do well there so I suspect there is something better in that profession - salary at least but for your children it certainly isn't better. I don't know anything about the Irish education system so i can't really comment but a year out would be disruptive for the 16 year old at least unless they could resit the year. It is a huge expense to go for a year though, would you ship your belongings? pay for storage and buy new? Cost of flights, temporary accommodation etc. etc. Difficult to see how you could spend less than £20-30k - I'd be tempted to just have some damned good holidays! Going for a year is fine if you don't have children and are renting a place but not really a great plan for an established family unless it is a company move and all your expenses are paid, kids are going to international schools etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Thanks for replies...we are in Ireland,thinking of going to Sydney and yes we validated our visas One of the most expensive cities you could choose! That aside, kids of 16 (and that depends on when they turned 16) are already embarked upon their HSC which is a 2 year course leading to a Uni entry score. HSC doesn't travel that well internationally of you were to return. Another option would be to leave your 16 year old to finish education and the rest of you suss it out in the meantime. That way they could then have options open for Australian or European universities, but they would need to get a RRV which, if his family was established, should be achievable after school finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaty Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Hi all,We have a visa that is due to expire in Feb 2017.we have a 16 yr old in transition yr,one just gone into jnr cert and one in 3rd class. I work part time as an ID nurse . .my husband as a qsurveyor.we have a good set up at home with supportive family and friends etc BUT I am totally conflicted about whether to take the opportunity to head to oz. I don't want to mess up my children's education,my job(though wldnt mind a change)upset my family etc but I also don't want to regret not taking the chance. We have discussed going for a yr and seeing how this goes with option of coming home having experienced yr there at least... my older kids would like to go. .. I would like to hear opinions /advice please and thanks..please be kind:rolleyes: Greetings from Munster. Go, give it a year and make a decision after that. Your kids will most likely be fine, if the older ones are happy to go - fantastic. I know people making a killing in both your career paths (the QS is on three times over what he would be in Ireland, and if you are worried about 'upsetting your family' well, you'll probably never make the move. If you have the Visa, the funds to go, GO!! Beaty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leapstar Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 Thanks again for replies,I really appreciate it..my mind switches from only one life go for it ..to. ..am I mad why would I wreck everything I have here! Totally confusing..a decision needs to be made very soon! Thanks again. X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Hi all,We have a visa that is due to expire in Feb 2017.we have a 16 yr old in transition yr,one just gone into jnr cert and one in 3rd class. I work part time as an ID nurse . .my husband as a qsurveyor.we have a good set up at home with supportive family and friends etc BUT I am totally conflicted about whether to take the opportunity to head to oz. I don't want to mess up my children's education,my job(though wldnt mind a change)upset my family etc but I also don't want to regret not taking the chance. We have discussed going for a yr and seeing how this goes with option of coming home having experienced yr there at least... my older kids would like to go. .. I would like to hear opinions /advice please and thanks..please be kind:rolleyes: With a family and especially a 16 year old. I couldn't have the mindset to "give it a year". I would make up mind one way or other and if decision is made to go, then go with the mindset that it is for good (even if it ultimately turns out not to be the case). A year long adventure might be lovely for adults, but is surely going to mess up education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 (edited) Thanks again for replies,I really appreciate it..my mind switches from only one life go for it ..to. ..am I mad why would I wreck everything I have here! Good luck with your decision, but I wouldn't even contemplate coming for a year. I think you really need to sit down and do a budget for the cost of moving, and you'll see it would be a frighteningly expensive year. Does it really make sense to blow tens of thousands of dollars on a year's adventure? Just think what you could do for your kids with that money! The fares are the least of it, and you could spend those on a holiday anyway, so they don't count. However, there are other costs, and in fact they're exactly the same as if you were migrating for good. You won't be able to rent a furnished place in Australia. You might be able to make do with the basics for a month or two, but for a year you'll need to make a proper home for your kids - so you'll either have to ship all your household goods OR put them all in storage and buy a whole new houseful of furniture, whitegoods, pots and pans, linen etc for your Sydney home. Then at the end of the year you'll have to sell it all for peanuts on Gumtree or eBay, or ship it all back to Ireland. You'll have to buy a car (or two?) and sell them again at the end of the year. Add four weeks in holiday accommodation when you first arrive and three or four months' living expenses while you look for work. Then add cost of renting in Sydney if it's only a year (check domain.com.au for rentals, for a family home you'll need at least $1,000 a week). Will you keep your house or sell it? If you're keeping it, you could rent it out to offset the cost of rental in Sydney. As others have said, the older child may want to go but what will be the effect on his/her education? Are you OK with them dropping back a year because of the disruption? Also check out what the situation would be if you go for a year or two, then decide to go back and your eldest wants to go to university in Ireland. If you've been living overseas you may find they're classed as an international student and will have to pay horrendous fees, so it's worth checking what the rules are. Edited September 22, 2016 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Thanks again for replies,I really appreciate it..my mind switches from only one life go for it ..to. ..am I mad why would I wreck everything I have here! Totally confusing..a decision needs to be made very soon! Thanks again. X Is it broke? If not, stop trying to fix it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemav26 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Personally I would rather lose money and disrupt the family for 12 months if it means having no regrets, my parents regret not going years ago as the visa process is so difficult now, Iv just come back to the UK after 4 years because my visa expired im lucky that im in the process of my partner visa, having come back to the UK for the last 3 month nothing has changed here everyone is still doing the same ect, you would be mad to give up the opportunity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 A bad time to move the kids at that age. You can't really take them saying they want to move as serious as at that age it's a big adventure that will appear like a big holiday. They cannot see the effect it will have on their education which could very well be huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 (edited) Personally I would rather lose money and disrupt the family for 12 months if it means having no regrets, my parents regret not going years ago as the visa process is so difficult now, Iv just come back to the UK after 4 years because my visa expired im lucky that im in the process of my partner visa, having come back to the UK for the last 3 month nothing has changed here everyone is still doing the same ect, you would be mad to give up the opportunity And people who live in Australia are still doing the same month after month,nothing changes, work, bills, debts etc. My family moved a lot when I was a kid and my sister and I have memories of never knowing where we belonged,and constantly trying to fit into new schools and make new friends. I so envyall those people who are still friends with schoolmates, we never stayed long enough to make real friendshipsIf our parents had dragged us across the world, and then back again 12 months later, I suspect we would be even more bitter than we are today. At 16 the eldest needs stability to study, not constant movement. Edited September 22, 2016 by Nemesis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemav26 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 It's one year it's not the end of the world Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 It's one year it's not the end of the world Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Easy to say and true for an adult. But not fair on a teenager, they might struggle to find their mojo for education again after that disruption. And I peersonally cannot see the point of doing it for a year, my moves have cost me £25k each way if not more, in fact no definitely more if I count in the cost of redecorating the house after tenants neglected it etc. I think it was worth it, but then I did it for five years and we have no kids and high disposable income, but can the average family afford to just chuck away £50-60k for a year in another first world country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 It's one year it's not the end of the world Sure it's only a year but have you worked out how much it would cost? Young singles do it all the time but they're able to stay in backpackers and flat shares. A couple with kids can't do that, they'll have to set up a reasonable home with furniture, linen, fridge and washing machine, pots and pans etc etc. Then virtually give it all away at the end of that year. As Bungo says, it would be easy to spend £50-60k in relocation costs there and back. I'm very pleased for you if you have enough money to spend that much on a year's break without a care, I'm certainly not in that situation and I doubt most families are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 It's one year it's not the end of the world Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thats what my parents said when we moved to a sink-hole of a council estate, 'its only for a few months'. Put my sister in a school where she was so unhappy she failed every O level after being in the top sets two years previously. Brother prefered to hang out with the local gang and ended up shoplifting and taking drugs in his early teens. I'm sure some kids could take it in their stride, but many wouldn't, especially those who like stability, and have a good network of friends. Going to Australia, and going into a new education system for a year at 16, then moving again a year later at 17...........I culdn't do it to any kid I was in charge of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Thats what my parents said when we moved to a sink-hole of a council estate, 'its only for a few months'. Put my sister in a school where she was so unhappy she failed every O level after being in the top sets two years previously. Brother prefered to hang out with the local gang and ended up shoplifting and taking drugs in his early teens. I'm sure some kids could take it in their stride, but many wouldn't, especially those who like stability, and have a good network of friends. Going to Australia, and going into a new education system for a year at 16, then moving again a year later at 17...........I culdn't do it to any kid I was in charge of. We considered moving back to the UK for a year to help us to decided where we really wanted to be but we were going to put safeguards in place for our son who would have been 10. We were going to continue to pay for his place at school in Perth, he would have going to a school in the UK with friends he had kept in touch with and seen several times whilst we were away, I was going to take a sabbatical from work and we were going to rent our house out. The timing was such that my son would have come back for a final year at primary in Australia and we would have then either stayed there or returned to the UK for good. My son actually said though he didn't mind where we lived but could we please just decide and stay there (& this was despite him asking constantly to move back to Scotland). It actually was quite reasonable, a year is nothing in the life of an adult but for a child it is quite different. In our heart of hearts we knew the UK was where we belonged and were really just hedging our bets - we took the gamble of returning 'for good' and luckily it worked out I think having a clear plan of taking a child away for a year is fine, I'd be tempted to 'home school' and then return back to the year they left so they simply leave school a year later than they would, there are advantages to that anyway especially if they are one of the younger ones in their year. Not knowing whether you'll return or not is quite different - in the case of the OP I think if you do move you have to stay at least for as long as it takes your 16 year old to finish education. I'm not sure of the rules in Ireland for attending university if you have been overseas, in the UK you have to be resident for 3 years beforehand or you pay international fees so you need to check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Sure it's only a year but have you worked out how much it would cost? Young singles do it all the time but they're able to stay in backpackers and flat shares. A couple with kids can't do that, they'll have to set up a reasonable home with furniture, linen, fridge and washing machine, pots and pans etc etc. Then virtually give it all away at the end of that year. As Bungo says, it would be easy to spend £50-60k in relocation costs there and back. I'm very pleased for you if you have enough money to spend that much on a year's break without a care, I'm certainly not in that situation and I doubt most families are. We spent around £70k moving there and back, we were lucky with exchange rates and also with the value of our property going up in Australia whilst house prices in the UK were dropping so we came back after 5 years not much worse off but a year would have been disastrous. Actually we have often said we wished we had only ever planned to go for a year as an adventure but then we'd have been doing it with a pre-school child which is entirely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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