Guest ENJA Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Can you help? We are parents with a young family (aged 6 and 4) and are seriously considering moving to Oz. We went to Australia in 1998 on our honeymoon and have dreamt of living there ever since. We are concerned that the children's education may suffer as there are no league tables how will we go about picking a good school? Does the Medicare system really work? Obviously there is a National Health Service in the UK and although it is not always the best we know we can be treated. What will happen if my son gets appendicitis or my daughter's gromits need replacing, or my husband becomes ill with aresnic posioning? The aresnic bit was just a joke (he's sat behind me and chewing my ear off!) Are there any significant differences in rules , regulations and taxes from the UK that we need to take into consideration when we make the final decision? Such as, driving and buying property and land. Can the government reclaim our land and build a road through it (like we have heard that they can do in Spain) or does this differ from state to state? We would be looking at the Melbourne area, as there is a possibility that my husband could transfer there with his job, on the West side. Whats good whats bad. Any advice on areas to look at to live would be gratefully appreciated and it would really help. Although living in the 'outback' would then prompt a whole new set of questions which we can post a thread about later. We've so many questions so we'll stop there HELP thanks ENJA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kelly Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 hi enja my husband has wanted to go for years and i always said no. after 3 or 4 years of him bugging me about it i have changed my mind, i cant answer all your quuestions but someone on here will know and im sure they will put your mind at rest. we have a son 9 and daughter 6 and i believe we are going to give them a much better life, as far as education goes i think oz is best and just the whole way they seem to put kids and families first is what prompted me to go. in all honesty i have never been to oz but life is a long time and i think a few years out of your life having an adventure is worth it, i would rather go and know i dont like it and maybe come back to uk than spend the rest of my life thinking what if, so i decided to go for it, i am petrified and cant bear the thought of leaving my sister but i have to give the kids the best chances in life and quite frankly i dont think being here is the best for them. hope you get your answers im sure others will reply good luck with whatever you decide kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dave&donna Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Hello Enja i'm not going to be much help and answer any of your questions i'm afraid but i was intrigued by your title cos every day i seem to ask myself the same question and whatever happens on our way to hopefully get to oz i'm sure we'll ask ourselves exactly the same thing. When we first started to think about moving to oz it was because of the same old reasons everybody on forums like this will tell you - less crime, safer life for our children, politics, weather etc etc and everybody out there seems to say that we can all get these things out there. The only thing i think i can help you with is the education part although i'm not an expert in the system in oz but just knowing what our education system is like here being a teacher in a reception class, i can honestly say that the chance for our children to grow up where they can enjoy their school years without being tested and pressured from 4 years old has got to be a good place and i'm sure you'll see their confidence and self esteem grow resulting in better grades rather than their education suffering. As far as deciding on which school to send them i'm sure there's loads of people to help on here with that plus oz schools seem to put loads of info on the web which will give you an idea of what they are like and i think i've seen somewhere that they put some sort of report on the school on - maybe a watered down version of our ofsted reports??? Even once you've found out all the info you're needing at the mo there'll be loads more that you'll think of and there'll always be loads of reasons you'll give yourself why you shouldn't go for it but also probably a lot more reasons you'll think of why you should. We're still at the beginning of the process and just today i was thinking that the time might not be right as my grandad is ill at the mo but as a friend reminded me there'll never be a right time we've just got to go for it!! Good luck with everything Donna x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Certainly in Perth some of the best high schools are state not private schools. There was a report on the radio the other day that private schools here do not offer a better standard of education as much as people think. My kids are in a state primary, the teaching methods seems less formalised but they're certainly learning and having fun doing it. My 7 year old who was quite indifferent to school in the UK can't wait to go here and declared he loved it the other day. It is early days for us, they only started here at the end of January, but I don't have any complaints yet. Re: medicare I had to see a doctor, it was $54, I've sent off a claim form and a refund (don't know how much) will be put into my account. Most Dr.s I think bulk bill for children and older people during the week, so you don't have to pay up front. Ambulance cover is a must (and which I need to organise) as it can cost about $500 a trip. Sorry I can't answer more, I'm still finding out the system myself, there are people on here though who have been in Aus ages and will be able to tell you more Good luck with whatever you decide Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ENJA Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Thank you for your responses. The problem is that my cup is half full and his cup is half empty, you would think that between us we could just have a half a drink! I hear lots of good things and that life is great for the kids and I agree entirely that life is too short. But my OH is quite pessimistic (although he calls it realistic!) Looks like I'll have to drag him there kicking and screaming!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nj Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hi Enja, my wife is also a half empty cup. :biglaugh: I have an uphill struggle to convince her to take the opportunity. Her current show stopper is the deadly critters, I have to come up with a solution that puts her mind at rest, must admit its wearing me down. We have 2 boys aged 16 and 14 and a girl 21 months. I've seen what my boys have gone through in UK schools and don't want my daughter to go through that. Their High School isn't that bad but weapons are quite common, knives and home made flame throwers, no joking, a can of hairspray and a lighter is quite effective. My son witnessed that in his class... Of course it depends where you live in the UK, I guess. The recent report showing the UK was the worst place to bring up kids is an interesting read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tahe49 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hi Enja I went to Oz in 1998 for my honeymoon - how strange! My thoughts about migrating vary from day to day, some days when i have walked the kids to school in the rain for the 4th time that week, I feel it is the right decision. Other days I get scared, I feel out of my comfort zone. However, having thought so much about it (or should I say having thought about it every second, of every day for the last few months) I feel that i couldn't NOT try even if I wanted to. I have come to a point where i think there is no going back, it's just a case of dealing with the negatives by putting your fingers in your ears and singing at the top of your voice :confused: I find that helps! :embarrassed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest franny22 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I have been humming and hawing for ages about this and all the costs involved in doing so, then I look out the window, or around the place where I work and think what am i waiting for. So i have taken the plunge, done some research and managed to finally apply for the visa information pack. This is the first step on the road to a new and better life for my family and our two boys who are 10 and 6. I want to be over there before the oldest one has to start high school. We have relatives in Perth, which is where we would like to settle but again a lot of it comes down to money. Anway, I have started the ball rolling so I will be back with lots f questions, and I'm sure you can too. Life is too short for what if's?? PS: I really hate creepy crawlies lolll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hiya I always say that to live here happily ever after you have to both want it to work ,,many that return have at least one family member who was unsure of the move in the beggining. Medicare my Dr here dosnt bulk bill ,it cost me $49 for an appointment and medicare put $32.10 back into my bank,the service i recieved was excellent ,thorough and quick ,i nipped next door to the 'blood shop' were my blood was taken ther and then free of charge and results sent back to doctor within a couple of days SCHOOLS as ali said most tend to stick witth state schools ,i too have heard the teaching is of a good standard and my sons teacher has gone above and beyond to make him feel welcome ,they seem a little stricter than the uk but surely thats a good thing. CRIME like any country you do get crime ,however the majority of areas stay pretty much crime free other than the odd burglary,you find big things hit the news more because its a rarity rather than normality overall in the few month we have been here ,i have enrolled my son in school ,daughter in nursery ,hubby & me got jobs ,bought a house and car ,and not for one minute have we looked back ,we use msn and webcam to stay in touch wityh the uk and phone calls are pretty cheap too ,,our only regret is not doing it years ago,,, take care Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Hi Enja, You could check out this site http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au i had to go to the docs here and my consulation cost me $50 then i went to medicare and got ust under $35 back ontop of this was my prescription which they also gave me a repeat one too for $20. Of course you can take out a helath care policy to cover you for anything major for your and your family and pay monthly. My 13 year old is in year 8 here and has been for the last 6 months, from what i have seen or her homework she has been set and what she tells me it seems that the education system is behind that of the uk here - she is finding that she is repeating alot of things which in some ways can be a good thing. I cant really answer the question about reclaimed land or where to live in Melbourne. Cheers gizmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ENJA Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Hi everyone, Thanks for all your responses. I think that we finally have movement with the OH. He came home last night and wanted to discuss plans for the move (hurray!!), when we will sell the house, who we will sell it with, which shippers to use, what house we could afford and where. I did try to remain calm but I finally think we are getting somewhere. I think we can leave with the medicare situation if we have to pay more in Medicare than we do National Insurance over here but the service is better then that isn't too much of a problem. As for schools, at the age my children are them repeating some things is probably a good thing. I am quite a strict parent myself so, Calngary I agree, if they are quite strict then I am happy with that. With crime I was put off by a thread I read (I think it was by Alan) with a negative view of living in Australia and he said that he had seen somebody using drugs. Having thought about it maybe that was because he didn't know the area(?) I have lived near a major city all my live (and I am not that young) and never seen drugs, apart from joints, is that because I know which parts of the city and surrounding areas to avoid? nj, I hate spiders too and anything else with more than four legs (I'm not even that keen on things with four legs either, lol). I just take the view that if you are relatively near the city there can't be that many and if you want to live rurally then take that into consideration. There can't be that many poisonous spiders in the city can there?!?!?! Anyway it is 9:05 here and I am at work, so I'd better stop dreaming and start working!!!!! Speak to you all soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fairleg Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 We too are thinking of moving to Oz. Have the kids in tow as well. Looking at possibly Perth or Melbourne? Would anyone advise areas around these cities to commute from? At a loss just now as there is so much info to go thru. Was looking to rent for 6 months then buy. Kids in tow as well and want to get over before they go to high school in a year. Where would you recommend to apply for a visa (skilled worker). Passed assessment on Visa Bureau.com, not heard from them as yet. Where do you find besst site for permanent application for a visa? Looked at two sites around Perth - Rockingham and Mandurah? Any info would be helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nj Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 With crime I was put off by a thread I read (I think it was by Alan) with a negative view of living in Australia and he said that he had seen somebody using drugs. Having thought about it maybe that was because he didn't know the area(?) I have lived near a major city all my live (and I am not that young) and never seen drugs, apart from joints, is that because I know which parts of the city and surrounding areas to avoid? I think you're spot on there Enja, if you know your area well you know places to avoid and therefore don't see alot of what goes on, but you will hear about it. A funny thing happened to me when I moved 200 miles away from where I grew up, for my new job. Totally unfamiliar with the area I moved to, I stayed in a hotel for a month in the city. Returning to the hotel after phoning my wife one night I passed two girls who asked if I was looking for business :confused: , I was so confused as what she was referring to, did I look unemployed?! so I told her "No thanks, I already have a job". Wasn't until I got back to the hotel then my brain caught up and realised they were prostitutes. :shocked: :biglaugh: They must of thought I was a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 NJ had to laugh at this:biglaugh:. But you're right about knowing the place you live there are going to be drugs problems anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Bless you nj you hadnt been out smokin them joints enja refers to had you ??? they are the only drugs you really hear of as its not been de-catogarised over here like the uk ,obviously certain areas have different harder things but you dont hear that much about it,so it cant be that much of a problem ,you soon learn where to avoid when you get to know places ,,i better stop now i sound like a drug addict !!! Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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