Am Loolah

My eldest will be 18 at the beginning of August and has just announced she and her boyfriend want to move to Oz.

She can't stand being at school and if she moves in 2 months which is what she's just said to me she won't achieve her NCEA Level 3.

Boyfriend is 17 and has left school already and has no idea what he wants to do. He has a 25 year old brother living in the Gold Coast who has convinced them to hop over the ditch and they can stay with him initially.

I actually don't have a problem with their plans per se. I'd rather they waited until November when she would finish Year 13, but to be honest they way she's going it's unlikely she'll get Level 3. She's so unhappy at school.

I'm sure part of this has been bought on by me and her Dad recently splitting. But I actually think, at their age, that Oz could be the making of them. They find NZ very dull and "small town."

I guess my question would be is there anything they could be doing in the next couple of months to assist them in gaining well paid employment when/if they go? My daughter has restaurant/cafe experience behind her, would it make a difference if she got a barista certificate?

Where should they be looking online for jobs/wages/rent comparables? How much money should they be looking at taking with them to initially allow for being out of work and needing transport etc?

Thank all.

moneypenny20

Definitely get her Barista licence, wouldn't hurt to get a Bar and Gaming Certificate or just Bar, give her more opportunity. I know nothing about wage or rent info but someone will (probably ABC ). Apart from saving every cent they get which I imagine they're aware of, regularly checking Seek and Careerone sites regularly to see what comes up job wise.

Whereabouts does the brother live?

Spellbound

My daughter (19yrs) didn't want to come to Australia when we told her we were moving. We eventually left her behind in NZ to fend for herself at 17yrs/almost 18yrs. About 3 months later we got the telephone call to say book her a flight and she has been here ever since and I must say - loves it. There are definitely more opportunities here, particularly on the Gold Coast and my daughter who only finished year 12 and has retail/sales experience has managed to find jobs fairly easily. There are lots of part time casual jobs and many of my daughters friends who are students seem to work as well as study. The Gold Coast is far from small town but you have to be very careful as it can be a bit 'seedy' with the rape drug appearing to be in abundance(from what I have heard)

Casual work - casual employment is very popular here in Aus and many employers, particularly in the retail/restaurant etc jobs use casual staff. My daughter worked for a retail fashion outlet when she first arrive, expressing that she would like to work full time which generally is between 30-40 hours a week - some weeks she was lucky if she had 6 hours rostered! They tend to treat casual staff as purely that - casual, come and go as they please. She now works as a permanent member of staff with holiday pay etc but for minimum wage.

My daughter disliked school in NZ too, as they treated them fairly childishly for 16/17yr olds and she didn't like that at all. Needless to say that she dropped out after completing year 12 and only just starting year 13. In Australia, you really need to complete year 13 to get anywhere on courses etc and I would strongly advise your daughter to complete this important year now whilst she has the chance. My daughter wants to go on to university but has to complete a 18month college (tafe) course to get access to her uni course because she is under 21 yrs and doesnt have her year 13 NZ certificate. If he is any boyfriend, I would have thought that he would be happy to support her whilst she completes her studies and wait a few months longer, so that she keeps her future possibilities open.

My daughter is currently looking at moving out of home to share with a couple of friends and is looking at $120 a week rent (1 share of 3) in the Central Gold Coast area where she works. She doesnt earn much though due to current lack of qualifications and a minimum wage salary but she thinks that she will be ok. Studying at Uni/Tafe will be difficult for her as there is no financial support for non Aussie citizens, so your daughter will have to be aware of that.

One more thing - is your daughter a NZ citizen? If not she may have to apply for a working holiday visa and even then she wont be able to stay permanently - hopefully she has thought this far ahead.

I wish you both well.

Am Loolah

Thank you so much for your replies.

I'm not sure where the brother lives moneypenny, I'll have to ask the boyfriend.

I've passed on your comments regarding gaining her level 3 and hopefully she'll have a good think about holding on until she finishes. It's only until October/November time, so not too long.

Maybe she could try and ger her Barista's certificate in the menatime.

moneypenny20

My youngest did her Baristas one day in the last school holidays so it's not a biggy.