Pauly Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Going to Melbourne via Thailand on the 8th Nov, land in Oz on the 15th. So excited but nervous, meeting my mate in Mel so not as bad as going on my own. Anyway if anyone could answer these Q's i'd be grateful. Which bank account would you open before you go? Do you think £2000 is enough to get me started, with an extra £1000 approx due when I am already there, but that will go mostly to paying my return. What will jobs be like in Melbourne before Xmas? Who is a good health insurance to go with? What should or shouldn't I pack (20kg allowance) Any useful tips? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Going to Melbourne via Thailand on the 8th Nov, land in Oz on the 15th. So excited but nervous, meeting my mate in Mel so not as bad as going on my own. Anyway if anyone could answer these Q's i'd be grateful. Which bank account would you open before you go? Do you think £2000 is enough to get me started, with an extra £1000 approx due when I am already there, but that will go mostly to paying my return. What will jobs be like in Melbourne before Xmas? Who is a good health insurance to go with? What should or shouldn't I pack (20kg allowance) Any useful tips? Thank you! Hi Paul! I can't answer all your questions but I hope whast I write is of some help! I opened up an ANZ access account online before I went. when you arrive in Melb you'll need to go in and confirm your identity etc and get your card sent to an address,so if you're stopping somewhere for ten days or more that would be the best time! But until you have your card you can go in any branch and just give them your passport and password. This is how it worked for me so I assume it goes across the board for anyone. 2k is about $3,500 ish and it will probably last you 6-10 weeks depending on what your budget is! Camping and buying food to cook on site will be the cheapest way food and accom wise. Anything else will depend on what you want to see, how you travel and how far you'll travel. Can't comment on the job situation but it's coming up to the citrus harvest season (according to a farmer in SA) so there might be some jobs soon, just got to get in there quick and sign up to some agencies. If you want 2nd year visa work anyway! a lot of people say it's easy to get work here but it's not as easy as you think. I'm still looking and I've been here 6 and a half weeks. If you think you've got too many clothes in your suitcase then you probably have! I've not worn half the stuff I have in my suitcase, make sure you have a first aid kit and some suncream and insect repellant. And a torch and a map! It might also be a good idea to make some copies of your documents and hide them in your suitcase incase you lose them in your hand luggage! For insurance I went with Insure and Go. It cost me around 200 pounds for 9 months and it's a backpackers insurance so covers me for the kind of things you'd be doing when travelling (at least I think so lol). But if anything serious happens over here you'll still be covered by Medicare, I think you have to get a medicare card though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pauly Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Hi britchick, your info was very helpful thanks a lot. Nervous and excited rolled into one is how i feel haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 In regards to banking, if you open a NAB account before you go your cards will be ready and waiting for you once you step off the plane, also there are no monthly account fees like other banks have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Travel as light as possible - very good advice. I always admired the people who would just travel with a carry on bag. I said it once before but I went to Primark in Oxford St London and, for 20 quid, got a pair of jeans, two shirts, three T shirts, underpants & socks. I know, that as a bloke, I can get by with less where clothes are concerned - not trying to be sexist here! Australia is pretty casual here now and it's coming into summer. Take one 'formal' outfit for interviews and if you do get an office job, say, go out and get a few more outfits for work. You can get some pretty good stuff in some of the charity or 'retro' shops too. I got a Hugo Boss jacket for $44 in Vinnies, new Tommy Hilfiger shirt $15. I only look for 'name' brands - OK I'm being a snob! If you have any skills that will help with a job - Bring some written references with you. Some of the agencies say 'WHV welcome.' Look on www.seek.com.au. Perhaps I am showing what a technical dinoasaur I am? Do you really need anything on paper or can you store it on your 'device' and just email it as required? I did learn to type on a manual typewriter. Health insurance confuses me, even as an Aussie citizen. Why do I need it? Why does a WHV person need it? I just use my Medicare card where I can and pay when I can't. I do have a stash of cash for any serious operation that I might have to pay for. Perhaps that has answered my own question? If you don't have any cash in reserve for emergencies you need insurance? Just remembered that most financial advisers say you should always have three months' income, maybe more in reserve for emergencies? I guess a debit card is better than a credit card so you don't risk going into debt? I have a UK Visa Debit card from Smile (the Co-Op Bank) which is where the rent from my home in the UK is deposited.) This is my major source of income at the moment and I use the Smile card to pay for just about everything I can - supermarket, restaurant, petrol, utility bills, etc. BUT I don't care about either the FX rate or the charge for each transaction using a foreign currency each time. So it's no good 'tut-tutting' to me!!! The hostel network seems to be a good set up to me but others will disagree! I joined the YHA and stayed at the hostel near Central Station here in Sydney. I thought it was great although one of my room mates did tell me that it was much better than many hostels. Join the YHA before you leave. I came here on a WHV too, back in pre-history (1978), took me nearly three months to get my first job - in Sydney - after arriving in Perth on 3 Nov, then on to Adelaide. I think I had 500 quid - about 750 dollars but my dad did send me another 500 around Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hiya, in regards to travel insurance, get it long enough until you get your Medicare card. After that you will be fine. The reciprocal agreement with the UK covers you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PositivePixie Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Whilst you will be covered by Medicare whilst in Australia, if something really really horrid happens your costs to get back to the UK via Medical Evac would probably not be covered, which could run into the tens of thousands. And you would not be covered if (heaven forbid - I'm not being horrid here, just terribly realistic) the very worst happened and your body needed to be repatriated, leaving your family to pay, again, thousands to fly your body home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pauly Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Some great advice on here, thanks one and all PositivePixie, don't worry that's just sensible and realistic advice, and having not drunk for aaaaaages with saving and my first night out in Melbourne, death is a real possibility lol. Only joking, but yeah thanks for the help. I haven't bought my insurance yet, I've seen quotes of like £350 etc, arrrrgh no way I can afford that. Another question sorry: Will I be pulled up by customs with £2000 in my bank and no return ticket or should I ask to lend some money, do a bank statement and transfer it back to the persons account? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 The chances of you getting pulled are minimal. They may want to see you have funds to pay for a flight home, but it's a small chance. But realistically, £2000 doesn't seem a great deal to for you to survive on, never mind having to pay for retun flights should you need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pauly Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 I'll be getting another £500 from work and hopefully another £800 off a tax return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AnubisUK Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 What kind of work are you looking for? Something solid and long term, or just anything at all? If you're looking for anything at all, there are always loads of jobs going on gumtree. Sales jobs, bar jobs, coffee shop jobs etc. They usually want experience though so bear that in mind. With summer coming up you might get places by the beach looking for workers as the people head there for the waves and weather (Like I am ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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