Time to migrate to Adelaide - Please Help!!

[Guest]

1 hour ago, KPG said:

Suggestions please from what you have experienced what would the best option be, i.e. shipping home appliances  and furniture or buying new one from Adelaide? I am more concerned about the appliances and wonder what the custom fee would be to import used furniture, home appliances etc.

Suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Iirc anything under 12 months old is supposed to be declared and charges applied. The reality is many with just their own personal household belongings including white goods and furniture less than 12 months old often don’t declare those items. It’s been opened, used and repackaged to ship so some people don’t feel the need or see they need to declare that sort of thing. As to if they get caught out, no clue. I’ve yet to read of a case of this happening with a migrants shipping, tho guess it could. Others so and pay the charges. There are no charges I am aware of it’s items are over 12 months old. You’d have just the normal fees everyone pays. 

I’d suggest pricing up like for like online and seeing if it’s cost effective or not for you. Some things can be replaced cheap as anything here but it will be poor quality and most likely not last long term (same as anywhere really). We didn’t ship much furniture and it took time to replace with decent good quality stuff. We made do in between with second hand from Gumtree etc and the odd new item but honestly, 18 months in we had it all and good quality items at that. Or good quality second hand. Happy we did it that way but it’s not for everyone. 

White goods and electrical appliances, we mostly bought new over the course of about a year after we arrived. Made do with some second hand stuff but did buy one or two new things straight off. 

[Marisawright]

4 hours ago, KPG said:

Suggestions please from what you have experienced what would the best option be, i.e. shipping home appliances  and furniture or buying new one from Adelaide? I am more concerned about the appliances and wonder what the custom fee would be to import used furniture, home appliances etc.

No customs charges unless the goods are under 12 months old - but in practice, let customs prove it!   If it's no longer in the box and has been used, how can customs prove you haven't owned it for 12 months?  

Having said that, I certainly wouldn't be buying new stuff in the UK specially to ship to Australia.   Appliances might be cheaper over there but then you've got the worry of it possibly getting bashed about it transit.   

If you've got decent furniture and appliances that still have a few years left in them, IMO it's best to bring the lot.  

[KPG]

Thank you @snifter and @Marisawright

[Gogi]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 17:07, KPG said:

Hi Guys,

Well by God's grace things seem to be progressing well and hopefully if we clear our Health Check then we seem to inch closer in acquiring a 489 Visa  and considering it would take 5 to 6 months i.e. May - June we should have our visa in our hand. If things go as per plan then we intend doing our landing in Sept - Oct 2018 but I have many queries on how to go about it? 

We are a family of 4 (2 children aged 9 and 4)

• which suburb in Adelaide do we decide to live in and what should be the criteria while choosing a suburb ? (close proximity to the city, schools, public transport etc)
• considering that there wont be any income when we reach, what is the monthly outgoing should we expect? We plan to rent  2 bedroom apartment / house.
• can my children get admissions in a government school? ( i know it wont be free as I am on a 489 visa) and what would the fee structure be like? (Grade 6 and Grade 1)
• what is the best way to scout for jobs? appreciate if anyone can share a template of CV's that are normally followed.
• are rental properties normally furnished or unfurnished? 
• can we get a short term rental where we can be flexible to move out once we decide on the suburb we want to live in?

I would also appreciate any additional info that you think can be useful, like from your own experiences, lessons learnt, do's and don'ts etc.

 

Thank you.

 

 

KPG 

Great Post KPG! My family is also in more or less the same boat as you. We have 2 kids ( 11 and 6) moving from Dubai to Adelaide. ( I gathered you are moving from Dxb too?)  .I Lodged for visa last week of December too.

I have researched schools. Our kids from British schools here possibly step down one academic year when they move to Oz. Infact my younger one may have to go down two years because he is born at the end of August and managed to squeeze into a high class, being on the edge of the cut off date.

Schools are free for 489 ( was my question too) we will pay the same as any 190 PR visa holder- its really lucky because SA is the only state that offers this to 489 visa holders. Most schools are not zone specific and do accept kids from other zones. Some very sought after schools are restricted to kids from their zone only.

Will be interesting to see if our visa grants come around the same time! We went through an agent and she told me it should be within 4 months!?? InshAllah!

 

[KPG]

Hi @Gogi happy to know that you are also also moving to Oz and both of us are sailing in the same boat.

7 hours ago, Gogi said:

Our kids from British schools here possibly step down one academic year when they move to Oz.

Can you please share with me the age criteria? I hope my daughter does not have to go a level down as she is competent enough to be in a higher grade compared to where she is now. 

 

7 hours ago, Gogi said:

Will be interesting to see if our visa grants come around the same time! We went through an agent and she told me it should be within 4 months!??

We launched our application on the 24th of Dec and did our health check on the 31st of Dec, fingers crossed. Which agent did you use? Lets be in touch so we can exchange thoughts and not only that have each other for company and shoulder to lend for moral support . Lets catch up on whats app, i will PM you my number.

I wish you and your family all the best and hope things work out for you guys as planned. take care.. and yes a big Insha-allaha!

[Guest]

9 hours ago, KPG said:

Hi @Gogi happy to know that you are also also moving to Oz and both of us are sailing in the same boat.

Can you please share with me the age criteria? I hope my daughter does not have to go a level down as she is competent enough to be in a higher grade compared to where she is now. 

 

We launched our application on the 24th of Dec and did our health check on the 31st of Dec, fingers crossed. Which agent did you use? Lets be in touch so we can exchange thoughts and not only that have each other for company and shoulder to lend for moral support . Lets catch up on whats app, i will PM you my number.

I wish you and your family all the best and hope things work out for you guys as planned. take care.. and yes a big Insha-allaha!

There is usually a cut off age wise for each year. 

TBH its a different system so it may not be a bad thing to go into a year group with kids her own age, they do teach then to their ability and don't all sit and do the exact same work each day. Much will depend on the school in my experience. Some will be ok with a child going up a year from their expected year level, others will say no and won't budge. 

My son was allowed to go up a year when we arrived but is the very youngest in his year. He missed the cut off by about 10 days only so its not too bad, but if he had been 3 or 4 months outside the cut off I'd not have had much chance with him going up a year. He'd also already done a full year of reception and a term of year 1 and had he had to stay with his actual age cohort would have had to have done 2 years and 1 term of reception. It was a far more easy decision than having a kid a full 6 or 8 months younger in the same situation. 

Consider also the maturity aspect and social aspect as your child gets older. If you try to put her up a year or two she could be with kids 2 + years older than her for the rest of her schooling. Kids who would be driving, doing school sports within their correct age group, camps, socialising etc. If she is say a full year younger or more than the others that could be tough going as she gets older. Even 6 months could make a huge difference. 

Just all things to consider. 

 

[KPG]

1 hour ago, snifter said:

Consider also the maturity aspect and social aspect as your child gets older. If you try to put her up a year or two she could be with kids 2 + years older than her for the rest of her schooling. Kids who would be driving, doing school sports within their correct age group, camps, socialising etc. If she is say a full year younger or more than the others that could be tough going as she gets older. Even 6 months could make a huge difference. 

Absolutely @snifter makes so much sense. 

Thank you for your usual valuable input. 

[Quoll]

12 hours ago, KPG said:

Hi @Gogi happy to know that you are also also moving to Oz and both of us are sailing in the same boat.

Can you please share with me the age criteria? I hope my daughter does not have to go a level down as she is competent enough to be in a higher grade compared to where she is now. 

Don’t get hooked on the “going down” “going back” “repeating” thing, just put her with her age cohort. It’s a foreign country with its own systems and quite a different teaching style.

Cut Off for SA these days seems to be 1 May so a child who turns 5 before 1 May can start full time school in Reception. So if a kid turns 8 before 1 May of the year would be in year 3 that year.  If SA is like all the other states you may find that kids with birthdays from February March, April choose not to attend school as soon as they theoretically can but they wait a year to give them a bit of extra maturity. Keeping kids with their age cohort is usually the best option.

[KPG]

Yes @Quoll absolutely and more over I wont have a choice 

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Quoll said:

Don’t get hooked on the “going down” “going back” “repeating” thing, just put her with her age cohort. It’s a foreign country with its own systems and quite a different teaching style.

Cut Off for SA these days seems to be 1 May so a child who turns 5 before 1 May can start full time school in Reception. So if a kid turns 8 before 1 May of the year would be in year 3 that year.  If SA is like all the other states you may find that kids with birthdays from February March, April choose not to attend school as soon as they theoretically can but they wait a year to give them a bit of extra maturity. Keeping kids with their age cohort is usually the best option.

KPG, keep in mind the once a year intake is only in its second or third year here in SA. Before then there were intakes at the start of each term. Kids would start reception the term after turning 5. So a kid turning 5 in May would start in July at the start of T3 for example. This means that kids who started in the first 2 terms would do one year of reception (well, some 4 and some 3 terms) and then go into Y1. Kids starting in terms 3 and 4 would be 6 term receptions usually. 

Your daughter going into Y3, those kids iirc would be from the term intake set up, not the yearly intake. Just something to research if interested to know more and consider. 

 

 

 

[KPG]

5 minutes ago, snifter said:

KPG, keep in mind the once a year intake is only in its second or third year here in SA. Before then there were intakes at the start of each term. Kids would start reception the term after turning 5. So a kid turning 5 in May would start in July at the start of T3 for example. This means that kids who started in the first 2 terms would do one year of reception (well, some 4 and some 3 terms) and then go into Y1. Kids starting in terms 3 and 4 would be 6 term receptions usually. 

Your daughter going into Y3, those kids iirc would be from the term intake set up, not the yearly intake. Just something to research if interested to know more and consider. 

 

 

 

Thank you @snifter just a bit confused and lost.. so my daughter is 9 years and 9 months old (DOB 08 June 2008) and she is in Grade 5 at the moment and will be completing the academic year in June 2018, now my plan is to enroll her in school in Adelaide at the beginning of the academic year i.e. in Jan 2019, so accordingly which grade should she fit in?

 

[Guest]

I shall PM you 

 

[KPG]

9 minutes ago, snifter said:

I shall PM you 

 

Thank you.

[Quoll]

1 hour ago, snifter said:

KPG, keep in mind the once a year intake is only in its second or third year here in SA. Before then there were intakes at the start of each term. Kids would start reception the term after turning 5. So a kid turning 5 in May would start in July at the start of T3 for example. This means that kids who started in the first 2 terms would do one year of reception (well, some 4 and some 3 terms) and then go into Y1. Kids starting in terms 3 and 4 would be 6 term receptions usually. 

Your daughter going into Y3, those kids iirc would be from the term intake set up, not the yearly intake. Just something to research if interested to know more and consider. 

 

 

 

I’m really glad they got rid of that term intake to be in line with the rest of the country! In practice it turned out much the same as having a May/June cut off anyway. It got more confusing if the kids moved states though. Now all we need is for a country wide cut off date and it’d be so much easier! Are SA still doing up to yr 7 in PS these days?

OP don’t get hung up on the year levels and names. Just because she’s done yr 5 in a foreign country doesn’t stop her from doing yr 5 in Australia which is what most 10 yr olds of her age would be doing. She won’t  have done it before. Ask the school where her age cohort is when you rock up having found your rental. Don’t sweat it, and why wait til the new academic year to enrol if you’re moving over later this year? 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Quoll said:

I’m really glad they got rid of that term intake to be in line with the rest of the country! In practice it turned out much the same as having a May/June cut off anyway. It got more confusing if the kids moved states though. Now all we need is for a country wide cut off date and it’d be so much easier! Are SA still doing up to yr 7 in PS these days?

They are, but for how much longer I don’t know. Costs and teachers will probably see it happen.

Private schools seem to have moved over to HS starting in Y7 (it seems pretty commonplace anyways). Often state schools with kids that are going on to private for HS see a drop in students in Y7 as they move over to their new HS for that year. 

And yes, I’d like to see a national standard applied to school start dates and ages. Much easier all round.

[KPG]

3 hours ago, snifter said:

I shall PM you 

 

Thank you @snifter received it, will read it at leisure and revert. 

[KPG]

3 hours ago, Quoll said:

why wait til the new academic year to enrol if you’re moving over later this year?

@Quoll I plan to move in Sept - Oct 2018 and then after a month my family will follow, so i guess its summer break for schools during that period, correct? Hence we thought on starting a new academic year in Jan 2019.

Please let me know if that makes sense?

[Nemesis]

2 hours ago, KPG said:

@Quoll I plan to move in Sept - Oct 2018 and then after a month my family will follow, so i guess its summer break for schools during that period, correct? Hence we thought on starting a new academic year in Jan 2019.

Please let me know if that makes sense?

The ozzie school summer holiday runs from late December until February. The new academic year starts in February. 

[Yelverton]

We moved to SA in June and our kids started in Term 3 in July. My daughter (Aug birthday) had just completed Y4 in the UK and the school wanted to put her in Y3. I didn't really understand the school system when we first got here so I pushed for her to be put in Y4 as it already meant repeating 2 terms of a school year that she had already done. She has easily kept up with the academic side of things as I feel that UK school are ahead at this stage however as she is getting older (currently Y7). I'm more concerned about the social aspect as most of her peers will turn 13 this year and she isn't even 12 yet. She seems to have made friends with girls whose birthdays fall in Jan-May so are nearer her age. I think it may become even more apparent when she is at high school.

I asked the high school that we are planning to send her to if she could repeat Y7 rather than move into Y8 and was told that now she is in the Australian system, they won't allow this. I think my daughter was quite relieved by this answer....!

[rammygirl]

Yes at that level it is more important they fit into the age cohort, as the school years starts at a different point they will rarely be repeating a year anyway.  The curriculum is sufficiently different too.  

Generally kids in the older range for their cohort fare better and as competitive sport is bigger here than in the UK they will be competing on a more even footing.

If you feel they are not getting the academic push they need as they are ahead then speak to the school, they should be able to stretch them. 

Moving to a new country the social aspect is very important.  Not much fun if in a few years your mates are driving and going out in the city, when you are still too young for your parents or the law to allow it!

 

 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Yelverton said:

We moved to SA in June and our kids started in Term 3 in July. My daughter (Aug birthday) had just completed Y4 in the UK and the school wanted to put her in Y3. I didn't really understand the school system when we first got here so I pushed for her to be put in Y4 as it already meant repeating 2 terms of a school year that she had already done. She has easily kept up with the academic side of things as I feel that UK school are ahead at this stage however as she is getting older (currently Y7). I'm more concerned about the social aspect as most of her peers will turn 13 this year and she isn't even 12 yet. She seems to have made friends with girls whose birthdays fall in Jan-May so are nearer her age. I think it may become even more apparent when she is at high school.

I asked the high school that we are planning to send her to if she could repeat Y7 rather than move into Y8 and was told that now she is in the Australian system, they won't allow this. I think my daughter was quite relieved by this answer....!

Its a tough one when you arrive isn't it. I knew coming in what I was looking at with ours and had he been the shy retiring type and progressing more slowly, I'd have let him do reception over again without a doubt. As it was, from the moment we arrived, academically he was up there with the kids whose year group he is now in and hasn't had any issues. That he has been doing work from the year above since pretty much the early days, I'm pleased he can have that option and he works hard and likes to do it. We don't push for it, he finishes his year group work and the teachers recognise his brain likes to be busy so they give him something else and he loves it. They manage it all so well

I do wonder how he would have found it academically had we kept him in his actual year group. As in how he would be be in terms of his learning. We won't know as he's in his year group and like yours, will remain there. He's happy with that though and we make sure to talk about it, support and encourage him. He has friends in his year group who are a year plus older than him, some who are only a few months. TBH it will all change again when he goes to HS. Lots of kids will go to different private ones, we are weighing up where to send him still. Chances are the mates he has now won't all be at the same school as him, if indeed any of them are  Thankfully if he continues to play club sport he'll see them via that and socially hopefully as they live locally. 

That age difference to the others is quite a bit for your daughter. I know a family who have August born children and who have the same issues in terms of social aspect now the kids are well into their teenage years and at high school for a while now or close to graduating. For the most part its been good but the age gap has made for some interesting times for them as the kids have gotten older. The whole driving thing was something they noticed. Lots of the friends were driving and theirs had to wait a long time before being able to. 

 

 

[flossybeth]

Exactly as Snifter says: our eldest is August 30th and was put into the year above her age peers when we arrived by the head. It is one of the few things we would change if we could about moving here. They're now in Yr 12 and academically have managed to keep up but socially there have been heaps of issues which don't really look like they'll be diminished on graduating this year: we're even looking at sending them back to the UK for 12 months so that when they come back they'll be 18 at least and ready to enter uni on a level social field (in regards to going out etc). We asked on a number of occasions if we could hold them back a year but each time got told that our child had to be failing everything before they'd consider it and of course they weren't.

Our middle child whose birthday is September was also put up when we arrived but we managed to move him back down when we moved house and schools because we could see he was being massively influenced by the older boys in his class and that was at year 5!

We toyed with the idea of a Waldorf education for our youngest when it came to switching from primary to high school last year just so she would be reset but she rejected it in favour of staying with her friends; her birthday is mid May though so it's not such a huge issue for her.

It's hard not to get hung up on 'repeating' but it actually isn't repeating, it's just a different system, accept it as part of moving half way round the world.

[KPG]

Hello,

We finally have got our grant and have a few questions that need clarifications:

We plan to do our first entry and stay there for a week and return back to ADL permanently by the end of the year and would like to know:

- Do we register / apply for TFN during our first visit or once we move permanently?

- What is recommended, to have one joint account for spouse and myself or better to have two separate accounts? (keeping in mind individual credit score)

- What documents (hard copies)do you think we should carry with us that can be useful?

- What should we cover / do in our first visit, any tips or do's and dont's ?

 

Thank you,

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, KPG said:

We plan to do our first entry and stay there for a week and return back to ADL permanently by the end of the year and would like to know:

- Do we register / apply for TFN during our first visit or once we move permanently?

- What is recommended, to have one joint account for spouse and myself or better to have two separate accounts? (keeping in mind individual credit score)

- What documents (hard copies)do you think we should carry with us that can be useful?

I wouldn't worry about the TFN until you move permanently, it's quick to get and it won't prevent you getting a job if you don't have one - you just need one before your first pay.

Credit score does not work like the UK.  I was amazed when I went back to the UK to find out how everything is dictated by your credit score - it's almost irrelevant here. Whether you have individual or joint accounts will make absolutely no difference, whichever you prefer.

What documents - can't think of any, other than what you'd normally bring on holiday.  It will be too soon to rent or buy a place.  If you want to try approaching some employers, you could bring your CV's, but with just a week I'd suggest spending it getting to know the place.

[KPG]

Thank you @Marisawright