Johndoe Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Sam is currently very busy as she is training as an enrolled nurse having passed her first semester, and is juggling studying and all the things that mums have to do with two kids..........three if you count her hubby Martyn :biglaugh: She doesn't get on PIO much nowadays but I shall alert her to your posts so that she may find time to answer you, or, if you have any specific questions about the area, I will try and answer them or you can pm me if you wish kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Hi, great post I was hoping you wouldn't mind me asking a personal question??? :unsure:feel free to tell me to mind my own :nah: You say that your husband is on a average wage....what do you call average??? we are hoping to move to Queensland and I am worried about costs as we would be going on a 457 so we wouldnt receive any benefits etc... Our children are 4, 2 & 1 so I wouldn't be working straight away. Sorry for being cheeky:tongue: Martyn is an accountant and I assume Sam is quoting "average" for his profession. It depends on your profession as to what will be your average. They are also in receipt of rent rebate and family tax benefit, having taken a gamble and come here on PR visa with no job to go to. They would freely admit that those benefits have made a helluva difference. kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generalis Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 What a useful post. We are moving over next year with 3 kids who will be 6, 3 and 1. What help do you get financially from centrelink? Is it like family allowance? Can you get help with childcare costs? Hi Francine we get family assistance part A and B and rent assistance. It is like family allowance but more generous I would say. We used to get family allowance in england and minimum child tax credit but receive more here and he earns more here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generalis Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hi there I've sent you a PM re wage Sam we are hoping to move to Queensland and I am worried about costs as we would be going on a 457 so we wouldnt receive any benefits etc... Our children are 4, 2 & 1 so I wouldn't be working straight away. Sorry for being cheeky:tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generalis Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanks Kev just seen it and replied. Yes re the benefits they have made a big difference. I would probably say without them it would have been more of a struggle with the cost of rent which is easily our biggest expense Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanks Kev just seen it and replied. You should be studying :tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chantel Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hi Sam, Wow! you have had a very emotional, challenging, but rewarding start to your new life. Thank you for taking the time to put all of this on here, I guess some people would just move on and forget the PIO forum. At the same time, getting all of your thoughts and experiences out of your system like this probably proved somewhat therapeutic. I was guided here by Kev who very kindly gave me some info a couple of weeks back when I started a thread about midwifery training in QLD. He seemed to think that you may be able to give me some advice. So, I hope you don't mind if I tell you my situation and aim to pick at your brain a bit? As I said in my thread 'midwifery in QLD', I am an Australian citizen and I was born in Perth but have spent most of my life in England. Life has taken me on a course to which I am now in my mid 30's and I do not have any formal qualifications or work experience. However, I would really like to train as a midwife. My husband (who is British) our son and I, are moving to QLD in a few months time and we are at the stage where we are seriously considering what we will do for employment etc... We are looking to move to the Gold Coast, but we are also looking at Brisbane as a commute option for work. I will also need to work as I am sponsoring hubby's visa migration besides making life more affordable. Do you know if there are apprentice type roles in the midwifery sect? I don't know if any of this relates to your knowledge and experience gained thus far since your arrival in Brisbane, but if in any way you can give me some advice, I would truly be grateful. Keep smiling, I hope that your mum is able to make it out to you, and many thanks again, even for reading my post. Chantel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generalis Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hi Chantel Congratulations on making the move back. I dont think they would do an apprentice style of training as its considered old fashioned but some of the lecturers where I'm studying have said it was better when it was on the job training and they said then there is talk of doing something similar but think it might be a way off yet. The hospitals like you to be competent in a task before they will let you go and do anything with patients. The ANMC (Australian Nursing Midwifery Council) might be able to give you further information http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au I know for nursing they are very strict about what you can and cannot do if you havent had formal training. They like their bits of paper. One good thing tho you are australian so if you decided to study you would get fee help which means you can pay it back once you start working and earning money. I've got to pay my fees as not a citizen yet but its manageable. Also not sure how soon you want to come back. I know of people who have done their 3 years training in uk and then come here fullly qualified and if you did in UK you may get bursary allowance? The only thing with retraining is it will take you out of the workplace or mean that you can only work part time or (full time) if you dont mind being extremely busy and stressed? The Gold Coast travelling to Brisbane will take about an hour and half each day from speaking with friends at the weekend as they currently live in Robina and said its getting too much for them travelling as they have a new baby. I'm not trying to put you off but these things can make or break a situation. Would you consider training to be an Enrolled Nurse? They have a unit on mums and bubs and you could work in a hospital as a nurse like after care of babies and upskill while you are in work. En training takes 18 months as opposed to 3 years straight without much income coming in. EN salary would be about 55k with shift allowances but there is always the option of upskilling after and gets you into the industry. I did it this way so that I could hope to get a job after a short time and start earning some money finally. I have got a job as an nurse assistant AIN and only work 1 day per week and for this they want you to have a certificate III in aged care. I dont have this but they say that because I'm doing EN I have equivalent to that as I'm already done my first practical placement. AIN jobs get paid about 40 something k plus shift allowances so maybe you could go down that route get your certificate III and work and train? Just thinking of ways to get you training while being able to earn something. Try emailing ANMC for advice as I may not be 100% on this as I'm doing general nursing. I have a friend who is a midwife though and she really enjoys her work and works at the Mater Hospital. Maybe you could email their HR and ask them? Good luck anyway and hope I havent put you off. There's always ways around it. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chantel Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi Chantel Congratulations on making the move back. I dont think they would do an apprentice style of training as its considered old fashioned but some of the lecturers where I'm studying have said it was better when it was on the job training and they said then there is talk of doing something similar but think it might be a way off yet. The hospitals like you to be competent in a task before they will let you go and do anything with patients. The ANMC (Australian Nursing Midwifery Council) might be able to give you further information http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au I know for nursing they are very strict about what you can and cannot do if you havent had formal training. They like their bits of paper. One good thing tho you are australian so if you decided to study you would get fee help which means you can pay it back once you start working and earning money. I've got to pay my fees as not a citizen yet but its manageable. Also not sure how soon you want to come back. I know of people who have done their 3 years training in uk and then come here fullly qualified and if you did in UK you may get bursary allowance? The only thing with retraining is it will take you out of the workplace or mean that you can only work part time or (full time) if you dont mind being extremely busy and stressed? The Gold Coast travelling to Brisbane will take about an hour and half each day from speaking with friends at the weekend as they currently live in Robina and said its getting too much for them travelling as they have a new baby. I'm not trying to put you off but these things can make or break a situation. Would you consider training to be an Enrolled Nurse? They have a unit on mums and bubs and you could work in a hospital as a nurse like after care of babies and upskill while you are in work. En training takes 18 months as opposed to 3 years straight without much income coming in. EN salary would be about 55k with shift allowances but there is always the option of upskilling after and gets you into the industry. I did it this way so that I could hope to get a job after a short time and start earning some money finally. I have got a job as an nurse assistant AIN and only work 1 day per week and for this they want you to have a certificate III in aged care. I dont have this but they say that because I'm doing EN I have equivalent to that as I'm already done my first practical placement. AIN jobs get paid about 40 something k plus shift allowances so maybe you could go down that route get your certificate III and work and train? Just thinking of ways to get you training while being able to earn something. Try emailing ANMC for advice as I may not be 100% on this as I'm doing general nursing. I have a friend who is a midwife though and she really enjoys her work and works at the Mater Hospital. Maybe you could email their HR and ask them? Good luck anyway and hope I havent put you off. There's always ways around it. Sam Hi Sam, many, many thanks for such a detailed and speedy response! We are actually looking at the Robina/Miami areas as there is a school there that looks perfect for our son Theo, he wants to be a pilot and this particular school has a course in Aerospace co joined with work experience at Gold Coast airport. There is no way that there would be such a school in England and it is the first I have seen in Aus so we have to grab such a perfect opportunity for Theo with both hands tightly. On the other hand, all of the work seems to be up the road in Brisbane! dilemma! We are just in the process of renewing all of our passports and then next month we are submitting hubby's partner visa. So, we should be in QLD around August/September time this year. I have thought about training here for a few years, but it is not easy due to local facilities and finances etc... I like the idea of the path that you have followed - to train as an EN, the only thing is, I might have to start training after hubby Mashal has settled and is in FT work as it is my responsibility to support us as the Australian and his sponsor. Hopefully job opportunities on the Gold Coast will sprout for both of us just exactly when we need them. How are you finding the work/study/family/social life balance? Chantel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Great that things are working out for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generalis Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi Chantel School sounds brilliant and like you said an opportunity not to be missed. Maybe you could look us up when you arrive? balance is fine really. EN training at the moment is 1/2 day Monday and Wednesday Thursday 9 - 4.00 and working Saturday so its fine and I'm home remainder of days with the children and when they are at school I do my assignments/reading/shopping etc etc as you will know as a mum. Usually got a party/BBQ or beach day with friends going on every weekend. Sometimes need a break from the weekends as they can be hectic. We've got a good network of friends and there's always someone willing to lend a hand which really helps. Speak soon x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi Sam, many, many thanks for such a detailed and speedy response! We are actually looking at the Robina/Miami areas as there is a school there that looks perfect for our son Theo, he wants to be a pilot and this particular school has a course in Aerospace co joined with work experience at Gold Coast airport. There is no way that there would be such a school in England and it is the first I have seen in Aus so we have to grab such a perfect opportunity for Theo with both hands tightly. On the other hand, all of the work seems to be up the road in Brisbane! dilemma! We are just in the process of renewing all of our passports and then next month we are submitting hubby's partner visa. So, we should be in QLD around August/September time this year. I have thought about training here for a few years, but it is not easy due to local facilities and finances etc... I like the idea of the path that you have followed - to train as an EN, the only thing is, I might have to start training after hubby Mashal has settled and is in FT work as it is my responsibility to support us as the Australian and his sponsor. Hopefully job opportunities on the Gold Coast will sprout for both of us just exactly when we need them. How are you finding the work/study/family/social life balance? Chantel Hi Chantel, One of the government high schools in Brisbane near the airport rebranded as Aviation High some years ago and they are closely aligned with Brisbane airport an run an aviation programme for all sorts of Aviation careers. Brisbane airport is a very large airport precinct with domestic and international terminals and many ancillary businesses. Here's the (tiny) promotional video for the high school: http://www.aviationhigh.eq.edu.au/home/blaum1/bbc/avhi.htm And some youtube: LNGJHENIn0I (http://aviationhigh.eq.edu.au/wcms/) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chantel Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi Chantel School sounds brilliant and like you said an opportunity not to be missed. Maybe you could look us up when you arrive? balance is fine really. EN training at the moment is 1/2 day Monday and Wednesday Thursday 9 - 4.00 and working Saturday so its fine and I'm home remainder of days with the children and when they are at school I do my assignments/reading/shopping etc etc as you will know as a mum. Usually got a party/BBQ or beach day with friends going on every weekend. Sometimes need a break from the weekends as they can be hectic. We've got a good network of friends and there's always someone willing to lend a hand which really helps. Speak soon x Hi Sam, that balance sounds very medicinal! Can't wait to get stuck in. Will follow the links that you suggested in your last message. It has been a long time since I needed a break from a busy social life! lol looking forward to a bit of spice and excitement. :yes: It's great that you guys have settled in so well it must make such a huge difference. Yeah, would be good to know of some friendly faces near by when we arrive, so will defo stay in touch and let you know when we are in the area. How do I add you as a friend on here? will have a look see if I can figure it out...brain surgery! lool Chantel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chantel Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi Chantel, One of the government high schools in Brisbane near the airport rebranded as Aviation High some years ago and they are closely aligned with Brisbane airport an run an aviation programme for all sorts of Aviation careers. Brisbane airport is a very large airport precinct with domestic and international terminals and many ancillary businesses. Here's the (tiny) promotional video for the high school: http://www.aviationhigh.eq.edu.au/home/blaum1/bbc/avhi.htm And some youtube: LNGJHENIn0I (http://aviationhigh.eq.edu.au/wcms/) THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH that changes things a lot positively! this means that we can live in brisbane, work and our son gets the aviation opportunity! Thank YOU!!!!!!!! :jiggy::wubclub: :notworthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chantel Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy and excited for our son Theo, this is his dream, his air! Everything is slotting into place! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much Sam and Fish thank you :notworthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tthorley1979 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi all Well we’ve been here 1 year already and its flown by. We emigrated from the UK to Brisbane on 8 February 2010. Our family consists of me (Sam) Martyn and 2 children Katie and Kyle who are 9 years and 4 ½ years old. We had all the usual ups and downs before moving wondering if we were doing the right thing etc, sold house car etc then started looking at houses again in UK wondering if we were doing the right thing. My hair started falling out and also started having palpitations all through stress. It was unreal the amount of stress you go through so can sympathise with anyone who is making the move now. Husband handled it differently by retreating to the bedroom playing computer games in any spare time he had just to stop thinking about everything we had to do which sometimes seemed insurmountable. We flew with Singapore airlines and they were brilliant. It is a very long flight though and we have 2 children who were kept entertained with all the films and games so didn’t need the pull along trolley that we’d stuffed with loads of toys/games to keep them occupied. We stopped over at Singapore airport for 3 hours and its an amazing airport very clean, seemed to me like 5 star hotel, free massage chairs as well which is very welcome after hours on plane. If you stop there check out the butterfly house and the koi pond (all of which are free) as well. Upon arriving in Brisbane we collected the hire car from the airport and found our short stay accommodation with the use of GPS. I would like to say this was a nice place to stay but it wasn’t really as it was an ensuite bedroom purpose built onto someone’s house. It was also February as well which was really hot with no aircon and no air flow going through. Anyone who lives in Qld will realise you need a property that has good airflow at this time of year as its extremely hot and humid. The people weren’t very helpful either and after a 24 hour journey we were met with a hello, were given the key and then was told “I’m off to bed” no help to bring in our 7 suitcases or anything with 2 extremely tired children. I wouldn’t recommend the place and found they weren’t very helpful at all but I wont mention the place on this forum. We had a hire car for 3 weeks, visited our bank (Commonwealth) to sign the paperwork after having opened this account from England. We moved our money with Moneycorp and the money was transferred in time for our move here. We sorted Medicare, Martyn found a job via Hays Accountancy and started 11 days after arriving here and its a very good company and he’s still there enjoying his work. We also registered with Medicare, organised a Qld driving licence which was just a matter of completing a form and having a picture taken – too easy as they say here. We also registered with Centrelink and because we were permanent residents found we could claim family assistance payments. We also found a rental and received rent assistance through Centrelink. During this 3 week period we also purchased a used car. In our first few weeks we made contact with Kev (itcouldbeworse) on this forum and he offered to show us around his suburb (Bracken Ridge) as doing the research on the internet is not the same as someone who had lived there for 15 years telling you what the area is like, where the local schools were, where to shop etc etc. His help and advice proved to be invaluable and helped us greatly and for that we will always be grateful. It really is difficult landing in a country and not knowing a soul. He also invited us round to a bbq to meet his lovely family and even put us all up for a week in the period before we could take up our rental accommodation as we just had to get out of that tiny room we had initially rented as we were going stir crazy in there. We are now friends with him and his family and have even spent some of christmas day with them which was lovely. They have become like our family here in oz. He still gives us advice too when we need it We decided to rent in Bracken Ridge as it seemed like a nice area to start a life. We enrolled our eldest child, Katie, in the local state school (Norris Road State School) she really did not want to go to a new school. Katie didn’t want to emigrate as well and we were really worried about what impact all this upheaval would have on her, but 1 year on she is a happy and well balanced girl with lots of friends, and though she still misses England and her family and friends she is happy. Our youngest Kyle wasn’t old enough to start school. I had initially decided to take 3 months off work to settle him in nursery but it ended up being a year. There is no free nursery as such here which I found a shock. They have a kindergarten (kindy) system here which you have to pay for and the fee for a full day is $60. They wont let you register for ½ days or anything like that as you still have to pay the full fee regardless of the hours they stay there. I enrolled Kyle in the local kindy but they only had 1 day available per week which was no good to me. I then looked at another kindy who also only had odd days so it meant I would have had to use 2 or even 3 different childcare places if I was to find a full time job. I decided I didn’t want to do that as it would have been confusing for Kyle to go to lots of different places so took time out from work to stay home with him and settle Katie into school etc. Kyle has now started prep school which is full time and I’m now looking for work. You can organise child care from England but you need to focus on which area you are going to live to them register your child. You would then need to make contact to put your child on a wait list and usually pay a holding fee, sometimes $10. I tried to do this in England but wasn’t sure what area we were going for and the kindies I did make contact where miles away from where we ended up renting. In the time we have been here we’ve experienced so much. We’ve done lots of sightseeing which is exciting. We’ve visited Mount Coot-tha lookout, picnicked at Slaughter Falls, visited lots and lots of beaches, Redcliffe and the manmade lagoon there, Mooloolaba, Bribie Island, Australia Zoo (6 times as bought a yearly pass) been to Dreamworld and Gold Coast for days out. We’ve been to various beaches along the sunshine coast including Noosa, went to Eumundi market which is a great day out, Yandina Ginger factory, we’ve been to an Ekka Day (Brisbane Festival held once a year) visited Montville a beautiful place with unusual shops and a lookout point and so much more too many things to mention. In all this time I’ve seen one lot of wild kangaroos and one wild koala. I kind of imagined Crocodile Dundee types everywhere and tumble weed blowing in the wind with kangas bouncing everywhere and koalas in all the trees but its not like that at all. It is a very clean and beautiful country with lots of local wildlife such as ants, frogs, dragonflies, bush turkeys, crazy looking spiders and the odd snake. Here its so clean and bright and its a pleasure to be here. The parks are clean and well maintained. You regularly see the grass being cut in parks and the equipment being tested by council workers. I’ve found the people to be pleasant and helpful. The aussies are quite forthright and say what they mean and sometimes I’ve found some of them rude but they were only saying what they thought and its quite refreshing really. One example would be I went to a butcher shop that I hadn’t been to before to buy some chicken and it was quite expensive $5 more expensive per kilo compared to my usual shop so when the guy came up to me I said “oh its a bit more expensive than what I normally pay” and the guy said “well you’d better go to where you usually go then hadn’t you” to which I replied “yes I think I will” and walked out the door embarrassed at how rude I thought he’d been, which he wasn’t really that’s just his price and I would have probably said the same if it was my shop. Not sure if this thread will be helpful to anyone making the move. I can answer individual questions if it will help anyone making the move such as where to look for rentals etc? I will say that its a more positive lifestyle, the air is cleaner the skies are brighter, its a lush green landscape. Our quality of life has improved because of such things like: More things are free, eg great parks and the weather is great Kids are not treated as a nuisance like they were in England We can take picnics out and just relax The beaches are beautiful so had lots of beach days out We have made friends in the time we have been here, friends that are more sociable such as inviting us round for drinks/bbq/days out to explore – our weekends are packed most of the time. I will say it does take time though so even though it is extremely lonely when you arrive it will get better. Kev lets us use his pool (a big plus in summertime) More laid back lifestyle News isn’t all doom and gloom – it has a positive vibe to it (I think) People are more accepting of you, it doesn’t seem to matter as much as to what job you do or what car you drive its about you and you as a person. Friends tend to make the effort to keep in touch. You may think this is a strange one to put but I’ve had lifelong friends in UK who haven’t really bothered to keep in touch since we moved and we find 99% of the time its us making the contact, this goes for some family members too. Financial things now: We brought £10k out with us and went through this in very little time. It worked out at $17,500 with the exchange rate at the time. It was a good job my hubby found a job so quickly. When you factor into this: Buying a car $5,000 its quite difficult to find a reliable(ish) car for less than this, rental bond $1640, 2 weeks rent up front $820, car hire, cant remember but it was hundreds of dollars for 3 weeks rental, buying a GPS, buying food and things you need such as pots pans utensils until your container arrives, bought a fridge freezer and a washer, cost of driving licences as well, petrol as you drive everywhere when you first arrive looking at areas etc. School uniform and book lists even though its a state school you still need to find this money as well think it was about $150. These are just some costs off the top of my head but it is an expensive time. We do have a friend who came out with less than this but they were helped greatly by a friend of theirs who let them rent cheaply and didn’t have to pay bond and got a bargain price on a second hand car so it can be done with less I would say. I find the cost of buying a property to be expensive. We haven’t bought yet but I do worry how we are going to be able to afford to buy. Average cost, I find, in Bracken Ridge for 4 bed property is about $450k for something nice, not too nice tho even at this cost. Rentals are expensive for us at $1640 a month when there is only one wage. I would say that its a good job we receive Centrelink and rent assistance otherwise would really struggle as husband on an average salary here. I find that when it comes to food shopping its wise to shop around. I tend to go to the butchers, to the fruit and veg markets and then maybe Aldi or Woolworths for my other shopping needs. It is more time consuming if you are busy working but I find this the best way for us to save money. Will say to end the thread that its awful when you say goodbyes and if I were to have any regrets at all its that we are so far away from family as really miss them and this feeling is still here after 1 year. Sometimes get tearful and sad and then another day comes and you perk yourself up and try to think why you did this in the first place. My mum visited in October and stayed for 3 months and really enjoyed her time here, so much so that she would like to come live here so looking into making this possible now. My mum has seen the quality of lifestyle here for us and the children and says we must be mad if we went back to the UK now but it still doesnt make it easier saying goodbye and knowing you're miles away again. We're going to have 3 more lots of visitors this year and hope to have a brilliant time with them and after will start saving like mad to go visit them. Sam Hi, This is really useful so thanks for sharing. Me and my husband and our baby are hoping to move out there asap but are undecided whether to go for Brisbane or Perth. We are visiting both states in 2 weeks. One of my main worries are the cost of living and as you mentioned, childcare is expensive which we would need. I am hoping to get a job as a social worker and my husband will probably go for retail work as he works as an assistant manager in the UK. I am hoping to be able to live comfortably without struggling financially and also afford to visit family in the UK every year. Do you think that this is possible on a joint income of approx $100,000 annual income approx? Also how have you found the climate over there? I believe its very humid? Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tgrindey Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 hi kev, im new to all this and are putting my house on the market tomorrow, then we can lodge the 457 application to get the ball rolling, were looking at settling in the bracken ridge area and hoping to get over to aus in the next couple of months, if all goes to plan, its a worrying time just want to get over there and embrace the life over there. my kids are 17, 13 and 11 and was wonderin if there are plenty of kids there for them to get to know, and wot schools should i enrol them in ect any help greatly appreciatedx cheers tina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chantel Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi,This is really useful so thanks for sharing. Me and my husband and our baby are hoping to move out there asap but are undecided whether to go for Brisbane or Perth. We are visiting both states in 2 weeks. One of my main worries are the cost of living and as you mentioned, childcare is expensive which we would need. I am hoping to get a job as a social worker and my husband will probably go for retail work as he works as an assistant manager in the UK. I am hoping to be able to live comfortably without struggling financially and also afford to visit family in the UK every year. Do you think that this is possible on a joint income of approx $100,000 annual income approx? Also how have you found the climate over there? I believe its very humid? Tracy I had the same dilemma for a while. I am from Perth, so it seemed natural to go back there, but my heart was pulling me towards QLD. Perth is a beautiful and friendly city, and I would recommend it. The only thing I would say about Perth on any form of negative is that it does feel a bit isolated, but apart from that, it very nice there. I haven't been back for 14 years, but from what I can gather at the moment it is a bit pricey but there is more employment opportunity in WA than in QLD, but then it is down to what you are looking for. We are finding exactly what we are looking for in Brisbane but then we have every specific requests. This forum is loaded with very friendly people who are willing to advise to great lengths. Hope you find the direction that your heart strings are pulling you in. All the best. Chantel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 hi kev, im new to all this and are putting my house on the market tomorrow, then we can lodge the 457 application to get the ball rolling, were looking at settling in the bracken ridge area and hoping to get over to aus in the next couple of months, if all goes to plan, its a worrying time just want to get over there and embrace the life over there. my kids are 17, 13 and 11 and was wonderin if there are plenty of kids there for them to get to know, and wot schools should i enrol them in ect any help greatly appreciatedx cheers tina Hi Tina, Most kids in this area got to Sandgate High, Aspley State, or Bracken Ridge High. I would make Bracken Ridge High the last choice as it's catchment takes in some suburbs that have "less desirable" elements............not that it is really bad, just less "attractive" than the other two. Private schooling for boys is St Patricks college (where one of my sons goes) and for girls, St John Fisher. fees are about $1200 a term. The kids will soon get to know other kids at school, so don't worry in that regard. There is zero tolerance to bullying and the schools are pretty multi-cultural so nationality rarely figures...............but we know what kids can be like eh? :rolleyes: If you need any specifics, you can pm me or post here and I'll try and help. You can also give me a shout if you want any help on arrival............pick up from airport etc as I have an 8 seater. There are at least 4 PIO member familes close by, so you won't be short on friends when you arrive. Good luck with the 457 kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLVC Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 This is an EXCELLENT post. Thank you so much for all this information. !!:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angibean Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Thanks for this post! We left he UK in December 2007 and have been in Melbourne for over 4 years. We are thinking of moving to Brisbane the end of next year as we are not enjoying Melbourne and its not just the weather. House prices and a lack of beauty surrounding you gets you down. I love the green lushness of Queensland. Our only issue is work. My husband is a solutions architect (IT) and I am a psychologist so of course a move depends on jobs. Reading your post makes me yearn for a better quality of life and natural beauty that I feel Queensland has. Heading over next week to check out some suburbs. We were there when we arrived but looking at it with different eyes this time! Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Great post guys, good to see your happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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