Guest teresa Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I have just been out to Albury-Wodonga with my family primarily to validate our visas and look at schools, property and seek work for my husband who is a carpenter. However, work for carpenters doesn't appear in abundance, can anyone put me onto employment agencies/offer advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Hi there, sorry I can't help you with the carpenter information I don't know if you have a newcommers pack, if not then e-mail ckershler@wodonga.vic.gov.au for one. It would be worth contacting the builders on the new estates as I expect that that would be where most of the work would be. Also you might want to try looking at the BritVics website as there are carpenters in Melbourne who may be able to give you some pointers re job hunting. We are about an hour of so south of Wodonga in Wangaratta so let me know when you arrive if you fancy meeting up for a cuppa. Nicky, Ian and the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teresa Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Hi Nicky Thanks for your reply. We so want to emigrate to Australia, my cousin lives in Albury (not too far away from Wangaratta) which is why we are looking to settle in this area. However, with having two kids 14 and 10yrs would like some security on the job front, so it maybe that Dave will go out first to get this sorted and then we follow later. I wish I was more of a risk taker and just go, like many families do! Its nice to hear from someone in this vacinity, how long have you lived in this location and what is life like for you, in particular the children. Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Hi Nicky Thanks for your reply. We so want to emigrate to Australia, my cousin lives in Albury (not too far away from Wangaratta) which is why we are looking to settle in this area. However, with having two kids 14 and 10yrs would like some security on the job front, so it maybe that Dave will go out first to get this sorted and then we follow later. I wish I was more of a risk taker and just go, like many families do! Its nice to hear from someone in this vacinity, how long have you lived in this location and what is life like for you, in particular the children. Teresa We arrived here in September as Ian works for ADI in Benalla. It took a bit of getting used to at first for me as I would love to be by the beach, but everyone loves it here. We have 4 kids (16,11,7 and 4) and they are at fantastic schools and are loving their lives here with loads of new friends and clubs. The people here are really friendly and have made the move so much easier as we knew noone and had never been to Australia before. I think that the coming out here with no job etc really relies on how much money you have to cover you for that in between time, we didn't have much so couldn't have considered heading out here with no job organised. We are also sponsored with ian's work so will have to wait a bit longer until our PR is sorted so it has been interesting. I know nothing about carpentry jobs but I do know that there is a large factory making particle board etc in Benalla (Probably no use at all but lots of people here work there). I would get your husband to contact the local builders and ask them what is involved (ie are there any registrations needed before he can work) and he might fall lucky. Other wise check out the BritVics site in particular this guy http://s7.invisionfree.com/BritVics/index.php?showtopic=1052 as although it is Melbourne it might be of interest. Good luck with it all and let us know when you arrive so that we can meet up for a cuppa, I haven't managed to find the shopping mall in Albury/Wodonga yet so maybe you can show me where it is. Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Hi Nicky Thanks for your reply. We so want to emigrate to Australia, my cousin lives in Albury (not too far away from Wangaratta) which is why we are looking to settle in this area. However, with having two kids 14 and 10yrs would like some security on the job front, so it maybe that Dave will go out first to get this sorted and then we follow later. I wish I was more of a risk taker and just go, like many families do! Its nice to hear from someone in this vacinity, how long have you lived in this location and what is life like for you, in particular the children. Teresa We arrived here in September as Ian works for ADI in Benalla. It took a bit of getting used to at first for me as I would love to be by the beach, but everyone loves it here. We have 4 kids (16,11,7 and 4) and they are at fantastic schools and are loving their lives here with loads of new friends and clubs. The people here are really friendly and have made the move so much easier as we knew noone and had never been to Australia before. I think that the coming out here with no job etc really relies on how much money you have to cover you for that in between time, we didn't have much so couldn't have considered heading out here with no job organised. We are also sponsored with ian's work so will have to wait a bit longer until our PR is sorted so it has been interesting. I know nothing about carpentry jobs but I do know that there is a large factory making particle board etc in Benalla (Probably no use at all but lots of people here work there). I would get your husband to contact the local builders and ask them what is involved (ie are there any registrations needed before he can work) and he might fall lucky. Other wise check out the BritVics site in particular this guy http://s7.invisionfree.com/BritVics/index.php?showtopic=1052 as although it is Melbourne it might be of interest. Good luck with it all and let us know when you arrive so that we can meet up for a cuppa, I haven't managed to find the shopping mall in Albury/Wodonga yet so maybe you can show me where it is. Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Hi Nicky Thanks for your reply. We so want to emigrate to Australia, my cousin lives in Albury (not too far away from Wangaratta) which is why we are looking to settle in this area. However, with having two kids 14 and 10yrs would like some security on the job front, so it maybe that Dave will go out first to get this sorted and then we follow later. I wish I was more of a risk taker and just go, like many families do! Its nice to hear from someone in this vacinity, how long have you lived in this location and what is life like for you, in particular the children. Teresa We arrived here in September as Ian works for ADI in Benalla. It took a bit of getting used to at first for me as I would love to be by the beach, but everyone loves it here. We have 4 kids (16,11,7 and 4) and they are at fantastic schools and are loving their lives here with loads of new friends and clubs. The people here are really friendly and have made the move so much easier as we knew noone and had never been to Australia before. I think that the coming out here with no job etc really relies on how much money you have to cover you for that in between time, we didn't have much so couldn't have considered heading out here with no job organised. We are also sponsored with ian's work so will have to wait a bit longer until our PR is sorted so it has been interesting. I know nothing about carpentry jobs but I do know that there is a large factory making particle board etc in Benalla (Probably no use at all but lots of people here work there). I would get your husband to contact the local builders and ask them what is involved (ie are there any registrations needed before he can work) and he might fall lucky. Other wise check out the BritVics site in particular this guy http://s7.invisionfree.com/BritVics/index.php?showtopic=1052 as although it is Melbourne it might be of interest. Good luck with it all and let us know when you arrive so that we can meet up for a cuppa, I haven't managed to find the shopping mall in Albury/Wodonga yet so maybe you can show me where it is. Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teresa Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Thanks Nicky for replying and we have looked on Britvics, also in contact with a couple of agencies so I do believe the work is there, but we really need to be in Oz. It really is a case of us setting a date so that we have something to aim for in getting matters sorted out this end, but choosing that date is hard. Do you have an e-mail address I can contact you on. Mine is: teresawilliams_36@hotmail.com Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teresa Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Hi Nicky My son has just come home with GCSE Options to choose from, now I am panicking, as I realise how close we are to his important education and that if we are going to move,we need to do it sooner rather than later. Can you help me out, is the curriculam on par with Uk, would my son be able to pick up the learning methods in Oz or are they totally different, how have you found the schools. My son will be 14yrs in July, in Oz would he be in year 8 or 7 and in what year do they select options for GCSE or equivalent. Sorry to bombard you with questions, but any info would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Hi Nicky My son has just come home with GCSE Options to choose from, now I am panicking, as I realise how close we are to his important education and that if we are going to move,we need to do it sooner rather than later. Can you help me out, is the curriculam on par with Uk, would my son be able to pick up the learning methods in Oz or are they totally different, how have you found the schools. My son will be 14yrs in July, in Oz would he be in year 8 or 7 and in what year do they select options for GCSE or equivalent. Sorry to bombard you with questions, but any info would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Teresa We are just getting back online after our move , things do move slowly here. I wouldn't worry obout schooling we have been extreemly pleased with the schools here. GCSEs have no direct equivalent in Victoria but Albury is in NSW and I don't know much about their school system. The important exams Australia wide though are done at year 12 (age 18) and these decide your job prospects and university entrance. You do get some options at year 9 and 10 but they aren't a big deal. I would just get out here as soon as you can to give your son a chance to settle into the system before the big decisions have to be made regarding year 11 and 12 subjects. Feel free to e-mail me directly if you have any questions especially about Victoria (sorry but I don't know much about NSW). Got to go as the kids are on holidays due to the Commonwealth games and are trying to kill each other (some things never change). Good luck. Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teresa Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Thanks for info, if you could let me have your e-mail address that would be great, as got lots of questions like how did you make up your mind about living in Oz, did you sell up back in the Uk, whats cost of living like in Oz, I know house prices and fuel are cheaper, but what about everyday living food/household bills, etc. Also have you taken out private medical insurance. Teresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ABCDiamond Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 whats cost of living like in Oz, I know house prices and fuel are cheaper, but what about everyday living food/household bills, etc. Also have you taken out private medical insurance. Teresa Cost of living can vary enormously You can check some food/grocery costs out at: Woolworths Online shop http://www.homeshop.com.au/ However, smaller shops are still very common and competitive down here. eg: Rump Steak can sometimes be bought for $7 per kg, at the local Butchers, although it is currently on special at a Supermarket for $15.40 per kg !!, down from about $20. We pay $1.90 for 2 litres of white milk, which would cost us $2.67 at a Supermarket. A loaf of bread, Multigrain 700gm, can cost between $1 and $3.50, again depending where you shop for it. From what I have read, most new arrivals tend to spend more, until they learn where to shop like a local Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Ian is covered with Insurance through work so sorry can't help you with that one. I am finding the gas/electricity similar to the UK at the moment and not too bad, the water we have been pleasantly surprised with a bill for $87 to cover approx 6 months at our old house (this was allowing for a sprinkler system which was anything but efficient and a family with 4 kids!!!). We are with Telstra for the phone and internet and it is OK but it was cheaper in the UK and Belgium we just don't have any competition here so it is a case of go with them or nothing (we are not on ADSL with our surrent house even though we had it around the corner you forget sometimes that it is still a country mentality here). Shopping for food is best done at the smaller local shops if you have the time but as we have no Woolworths out this way then for supermarket prices you are best looking at Safeway and Coles. I shop at Coles when I cannot deal with running around and spend far too much but then I am not really looking at what I am buying half of the time :? . Just for an idea with my last shop there I paid: milk 2lt - $2.92 sliced wholemeal bread - $2.68 12 free range eggs - $4.69 Broccoli- $2.48 per kilo Gala apples - $3.98 per kilo bananas - $4.98 per kilo 300g salmon portions - $9.95 3 peppers - $5.98 flour 2kilos - $1.69 3 large slices of ham off the bone (thick slices as most ham here is shaved) $3.72 3 huge chicken breast fillets without skin - $13.34 (I wouldn't have gone up against this chicken without backup! large pack of mince beef (sorry don't have the size) - $6.62 pack of 4 fresh beef burgers - $3.57 We are in the unusual position here of having no greengrocers so the supermarket is the only place to buy fruit and veg without travelling (except when there is a farmer's market once a month). Also fish is hideously expensive as we are inland but I have recently discovered a fishmonger on a local farm which I am planning to take a look at (nothing is obvious out here). I expect that Albury and Wodonga will have more choice than where we are so you can probably get things cheaper if you shop around. Our other big expense is sending the kids to catholic school but even that is about $300 per month for 4 kids so it isn't really a hardship. Overall I would say that, as with most countries, it swings in roundabouts sometimes you win and sometimes you are really shocked with how much something seemingly simple costs but overall it seems to balance out OK. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions and good luck with it all. Let me know when you are heading over and we can meet up for a coffee (I have still to discover the shopping mall at Albury/Wodonga). I will PM my e-mail address. Nicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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