MyUserName

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, and actually from the US, but thought the best advice as regards being an expat in Australia comes from Britons.

My family received our permanent residencies a few years ago (3 to be exact) and we in fact did make a month-long trip to Sydney and Melbourne. We loved Australia very much and ever since have talked fondly of our short visit there--but we didn't decide to move.

Now I'm 19. After graduating from high school I went to college (New York University) for a semester--actually I spent that semester in Shanghai--but then I found the path my life had taken extremely depressing and undesirable. So I took a leave of absence from my university and have spent the past 5 months at home, living a thoroughly boring and uneventful life.

In recent months I'm starting to take the idea of moving to Australia (however temporary that may be) seriously. What I've in mind isn't necessarily backpacking, but more like finding a very tiny and cheap place to rent (a room for instance) and working unprofessional jobs so as to pay for my expenses and not ask my family to contribute much. Along the way, I might also considering applying to either University of Melbourne or Sydney, since I know very likely I'm not going to go back to my US university. And while there, I will try to get as much of a sense and feeling of the country as I can, since no research, etc. can really convey the zeitgeist and atmosphere of a society without the actual exposure. Who knows, then I might actually decide to live in Aussie permanently or not and go back to the States.

Being young and having no responsibilities to attend to--and a free schedule as far as eye can see--this might appear like a no-brainer. But I'm actually terrified at the prospect of doing this because even though I've done my share of travelling without my parents, I've never ever before actually tried to set up a life on my own, and that in Australia, so far a place!

So now coming to some specific questions, I know my plans are of a very typical nature and hundreds of thousands of teens do such stuff annually. I'm primarily thinking of moving to Melbourne.

Is it easy to find casual jobs (waiting tables, etc.), although I should note that I have no jobs experience really.

Will one be able to meet one's living costs (or at least most of it) by doing such works, given that one lives economically of course?

How can one find tiny places or rooms for rent and how much are they usually?

I've forgotten some of the rest of my questions, but would really welcome if you can offer any other advice/personal experience especially if you've done anything like this before.

Sorry for the long post and thanks!

Andrew

eddie007

Some one will be along in a minute to advise you whether you CAN do this without the main visa holder... I havent got a clue....

One thing I would say... Are you independently wealthy? Or going to be bank rolled by the Bank of Mom and Dad? Because it isnt cheap to set up/start a life in a new country.....

How much a room in a shared house costs depends on location.... Have a look in the Gumtree accommodation ads to get a feel for prices in the locations you think you'd like..... And be aware that university towns have plenty of university students looking for part time jobs.... Studying will cost big bucks.

Having said that...plenty of people have turned up with one suitcase and made a life here.... Depends on you and a degree of luck


Just saying like...

Bermudashorts

I was also wondering if you are going to be helped out by parents. It will be hard to live on a part time student salary. Also whilst you can pay domestic fees for university I believe you will need to pay up front and you won't be able to get an education loan.

If you stay in a youth hostel upon arrival, I understand that is a good way to meet other people and find some future flat mates / rooms available for rent. Gumtree is another option.

(Re post #2, as your visa is validated, you may come to Australia irrespective of what the main applicant decides to do).

calliope

If it were me I would make sure I had enough money to last me three months, and a return ticket. Get references from your university or any landlord you have rented from so you are able to rent a decent short-term room somewhere. You could also try and recruit a friend to come over with you for a holiday at the start while you're trying to settle, so you have some support and company in the early days. In this time you can decide if you want to stay longer and arrange better work and accommodation.

Starting in a new country has its challenges, but even if you go back to the US you'll be able to look back on a great adventure and how many of your contemporaries will be able to do the same? Remember, you're only young once, and you can never travel so lightly as when you're your age.

Good luck!

Pollyana

Yes thats no problem. Their visas were validated three years ago and as they are PR they are all independent of each other now

MyUserName

Thanks for the replies; they came refreshingly quickly!

If and when I attend university, I will not worry about my costs (for the most part) as my parents have said to bankroll me when I am attending university but not necessarily otherwise, although given that I promise to finance myself for the most part after a while of arriving, they probably will provide me with enough funds to start up. Nonetheless, I'm personally insistent on self-sufficiency as much as possible.

I should also note that if I do end up attending university in Australia it most likely will be in the March of next year--and as of my current plans I intend to stay at the very most until December and go back to the US and make my final decision/wait for news from the universities.


Youth hostels--that's something I hadn't thought much about, probably because they aren't at all prevalent here in the States.

I remember our short stay in Australia ended up being very expensive both because we acted like tourists but also because most hotels were booked, especially in Melbourne due to the F1. So is it possible to give a rough estimation of what the expenditure for three months would be in cities like Melbourne or Sydney, although I understand that can vary widely depending on one's lifestyle.

For the time I spent in Shanghai, I've learned that I'm able to live very modestly. But although my preference would be to find a very simple and cheap place to rent, I would like to see it not be in a very off-putting area. (I'd guess it's going to be more affordable the farther it is from the CBD, correct?)

eddie007

YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT I COULD HAVE BUGGERED OFF AND LEFT THEM ALL????

TOO BLOODY LATE NOW MATE

Pollyana

Yep, when validating the main applicant usually has to enter first, even if only by being in front of the others in the queue. After that they can all come and go independently

MyUserName

And one more question: In order to find work, do I need to only present my visa and an ID or do I need to get any extra documentations like the tax file number, etc.?

Jilliebee

Once you get to Australia you can apply for a TFN. Doesn't take too long (normally about ten days). Check the start dates for uni as the semesters will differ from US. Can't advise on accommodation though. I live in Darwin where long term rentals are quite pricey x

MyUserName

I see. And in order to get the TFN, one needs to have an Australian address, right?

As for university, the new term won't start 'till next March, which takes it out of my immediate area of concern.

Bermudashorts

You cannot apply for a TFN until you arrive in Australia. You can have it sent to a temporary address and you can start work without it, you just want to get it asap otherwise you will get taxed at a flat very high rate.