Emmaandsteven

Hello, me and my girlfriend are planning to move to Perth around September/October. We were wondering whether people could share some of their thoughts and opinions about areas and which ones would suite us best as neither of us have been to Perth.

Some facts: we are both teachers so would need an area with some schools nearby or an area with good transport links to other areas. We have no children, are young and are looking to rent only.

Honestly, any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Emma and Steven. X

The_Wookie

Hiya,

It really depends on what you're after.

We live in an area called Yokine, which we love as it's close to the city, very well established, only a 20 min drive to the ocean. The other thing we love about it is how friendly it is. We take the dog for a walk in the morning and people will always nod their head or say 'g'morning'. The downside is that property tends to be a bit pricey for what you get.

A lot of people moving over head further out of the city either north to Joondalup and surrounding area, which offers cheaper/larger property and proximity to beaches, but (in my opinion) feels a little 'new townish', or to areas such as Secret Harbour which is a fair drive south of the city (around an hour or so).

aussietobe

For young people, Leederville, Subiaco, Scarborough, Doubleview. I don't know south very week but have friends who live in South Perth and Love it. or Fremantle if you are a bit arty/alternative. Schools are everywhere and you might have to travel as the chances both of you will get a job in the suburb you live in is remote.

spouse of scouse

Hi there Emma and Steven.

It's fairly usual for people to think of Perth as a satellite city with a few suburbs around it, but in fact there are over 300 suburbs. Most of them have primary schools and the majority have secondary schools.

If you're able to give a bit more info we'll be able to help you better First things first:

Do you have your visas sorted, and if so what type of visas are you coming out on (work/holiday, temporary or permanent)

What type of rental are you looking for, i.e. flat, detached house etc.

What's your rental budget - there is a huge variation depending on the location and facilities of the suburb, you could pay $350 per week for an apartment or you could pay $2,000. Minimum prices for detached houses in cheaper suburbs are around $400 a week, a posh house by the ocean could cost $3,000 a week.

Are you planning on purchasing a car, or will you be relying on public transport? Comparatively, there aren't a great deal of properties within walking distance of a train station, which means people often need to get a bus, then a train (and maybe a bus again) to get to work if you're not close to a train station. Also, Perth is very different to the UK in that there are very few 'corner shops', it's nearly all big supermarkets out in the 'burbs which makes a car a necessity for a lot of locations.

Let us know a bit more about your plans and we'll try to narrow those 300+ suburbs down for you

Emmaandsteven

Hello, thank you for your detailed responses.

I'll be getting a 190 state sponsorship visa, whilst my girlfriend will be using her working holiday visa to begin with.

We are happy to rent an apartment or house but don't really wanna spend more than $420 a week. We will both definitely be buying a car when we arrive so a little bit of travel is not a problem.

We would prefer somewhere which wasn't remote and close to some bar areas and not too far from the beach as that is a massive reason we are moving. Obviously we don't expect to be right on the beach with what we are willing to pay.

Thanks for you help so far , it is much appreciated!

Dorothy

I think a big factor is where/if you are able to get jobs. Teaching jobs in the city are not that easy to come by - especially for someone on a WHV, so I would probably say your partner is best to come with the mindset of not working as a teacher. For yourself, it may be easier, but I would think you're going to be looking a lot further afield than the trendy inner suburbs.

I have friends who are teachers, trained in WA who are now working at remote schools (think hundreds of kms from Perth) because they can't get jobs in the city.

h2oskineil

This might be helpful to you.
Dept of Education - Find a school http://www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsonline/home.do

My School - research all school in WA - http://www.myschool.edu.au Search by suburbs

ACARA - http://www.acara.edu.au/home_page.html

www.transperth.com.au - Check public transport routes to a school

Cheers

verystormy

It very much depends on what you teach. As mentioned there is no shortage for teachers in a number of areas and those qualifying in WA often find the only work is in the middle of nowhere.

Also, Perth is a big sprawling city. There is no point basing yourself in a place that will be a couple of hours commute each way.

My advice would be to look at short term accommodation somewhere central and see where you can find a job.

Emmaandsteven

Hello, I teach primary as does my girlfriend but she is just planning on doing an out of school hours co-ordinator type of job.

Thank you for all of your suggestions so far and we are greatful for any further input..we are pretty determined to do this!

verystormy

Then it might be a bit tougher to land a job anywhere near the sort of facilities you want. Primary is the most over subscribed and the government are starting a campaign to ask primary teachers to take further study to move up to secondary teaching. At the moment a lot of the places that are on offer are in the middle of the desert in tiny communities that often have major social issues. So, to land something even close to the city your going to have to be pretty flexible.

I would say that I would concentrate on trying to get the job and that is very much going to dictate where you live.

northernbird

Particularly as from next year, year 7 will be part of secondary education, not primary. Huge changes ahead.

Emmaandsteven

Do you know many teachers who have struggled to find jobs? There seemed to be quite a few when I searched recently, but I agree, I should start looking before I move there.

Emmaandsteven

Also in England, year 7 is already part of secondary school.

Dorothy

See post 6.

A woman I used to work with is a WA trained primary teacher who's had to relocate to kalgoorlie in order to work in teaching. She was working as a secretary before she got lucky aand was offered a contract position in Kal. A workmates daughter, also WA trained is now in Karratha.

northernbird

What you have failed to grasp is that there will be a LOT of teachers looking for work when year 7 moves to high school. I know it already is in the UK. You will be competing for primary work with people who already have years of WA experiences. Recipe for disaster in my book.