please tell us your story.

[tasormelb]

Hi, For various reasons we will not be able to make the move until my son has finished GCSE's and we intend to move immediately after the last exam. We know this is not ideal. My son has already decided that Uni is not for him. He wants to train in construction or mechanics and will have city guilds in both at time of move.

 

If you moved at this point in your childs life please share you story with us.

 

What did your child do on arrival in Oz - return to school, if so in which year or go to TAFE?

Did it restrict your childs future options?

Did your child go on to have the career they wanted?

In hindsight would you have done it differently?

 

Good and bad experiences all welcome!!

Thanks

Vanessa

[Quoll]

Hi, For various reasons we will not be able to make the move until my son has finished GCSE's and we intend to move immediately after the last exam. We know this is not ideal. My son has already decided that Uni is not for him. He wants to train in construction or mechanics and will have city guilds in both at time of move.

 

If you moved at this point in your childs life please share you story with us.

 

What did your child do on arrival in Oz - return to school, if so in which year or go to TAFE?

Did it restrict your childs future options?

Did your child go on to have the career they wanted?

In hindsight would you have done it differently?

 

Good and bad experiences all welcome!!

Thanks

Vanessa

 

He will need to do year 12 to be competitive in the Aus job market in reality. If he is just 16 or about to turn 16 then when you arrive mid year, put him into year 10 so he gets the full 2 years of yrs 11 & 12. If he has turned 16 he can go to TAFE but he will need to be in full time education/training until he has turned 17. It all depends on what visa you will be travelling as to whether TAFE or school is the best first option (and his age of course) - if you are on a 457 visa then you will have to pay international fees for his TAFE courses. With C&G under his belt he may get some RPL for TAFE courses but you will need to check that out with them.

 

The other thing that many people will tell you is that getting a job in the first instance is often a case of who you know not what you know so if you and your DH can get a network of people in likely occupations then your son will have a better chance than if he is just doing it straight off his own bat.

[tasormelb]

Thanks Quoll. Dan would only have just turned 16 at the beginning of April and we have a permanent residency visa so it sounds like either option is possible.

 

At the moment his school is constantly telling pupils and parents that his school year in particular will be competing for lack of 6th form places, lack of college places (due to funding) and zero jobs therefore the kids need to think outside the box and as well as doing well academically they need to be able to add extras to their CV to stand out above others. Examples they have given are charity trips aboard that cost a foutune and competing in things like kart racing. Basically it equates to the fact that the parents who have more money to fund these things will put their kids in a better position and those who are just as able academically but do not have so much cash will miss out. If this is a sign of how things will become in the future in the UK it is truly sad.

 

Anyway we figure that with a gloomly future here Dan might just as well have a shot at study in Oz as he has not a lot to loose.

Thanks again

Vanessa

[Quoll]

Thanks Quoll. Dan would only have just turned 16 at the beginning of April and we have a permanent residency visa so it sounds like either option is possible.

 

At the moment his school is constantly telling pupils and parents that his school year in particular will be competing for lack of 6th form places, lack of college places (due to funding) and zero jobs therefore the kids need to think outside the box and as well as doing well academically they need to be able to add extras to their CV to stand out above others. Examples they have given are charity trips aboard that cost a foutune and competing in things like kart racing. Basically it equates to the fact that the parents who have more money to fund these things will put their kids in a better position and those who are just as able academically but do not have so much cash will miss out. If this is a sign of how things will become in the future in the UK it is truly sad.

 

Anyway we figure that with a gloomly future here Dan might just as well have a shot at study in Oz as he has not a lot to loose.

Thanks again

Vanessa

 

Well they would love everyone here to do year 12 to keep the unemployment figures down so that year 12 has become pretty much of a pre-requisite. If you have PR and given his birthdate, he would be OK doing years 11 & 12 in school and there is an in school apprenticeship program which might suit him better (unless Labor have dumped that as well recently). TAFES are generally for older kids or those who may have had some troubles getting through school and as a social cohort for a 16 year old it may not be a great idea!

 

I agree with bolstering the CV - look at things like DoE, cadets, life guards, SES etc - they all go a long way in Aus as well and, as I said, the parental network is probably the single most valuable thing in securing a job in the first place! Youth unemployment is pretty high here too as employers dump the youngsters once they move out of the youth wages band into adult wages.

 

Maybe a different part of UK would offer different opportunities as well - I am in the SE at the moment and with friends and rellies with kids and they all seem to be doing OK at various ages with various work/study combos. You are right though, he doesnt have much to lose unless he ever decided that education was his dream and he wanted to do it in UK in which case he would be disadvantaged both academically and financially.