hwise7

Hi,
I'm currently living in the North of Scotland with my husband and 3 little ones. My husband has been offered a new job (same company) in Sydney and we are therefore moving (potentially in August visa depending) I was just hoping for some words of advice, top tips and advice regarding the move, the education system and the best way to make new friends!
Many thanks.

Beoz

From Scotland to Sydney. Bit like moving from Scotland to London (not as dramatic) get the salary increase right. Plenty of thoughts on this topic on BE.

School, yeah I'm sure they are fine.

Friends. Talk to anyone, hang out in parks, join clubs, you know the usual things.

quoll

I assume this will be a temporary visa - 457? In which case you will be charged fees for putting your kids in schools ($5k per child pa) and there is no guarantee that you would be offered a place in your local school if it is oversubscribed, but you would be offered something. You won't be eligible for child care rebates etc as a temporary resident, it's potentially quite precarious and if things go pear shaped you have to leave the country within 90 days or find a new sponsor.

Kids start school when they are 5 or about to turn 5 (cut off for NSW is end July but kids whose birthdays are approaching that often take an extra year before starting school.) Preschool is generally user pays and, again, visa status is important, you could be paying ballpark $120 per day with no rebates for child care.

If you have permanent residence then schooling is free and child care rebates are available. Be wary of employers who promise permanency down the track - maybe they will but sometimes they won't.

hwise7

Yes it is a 457 visa. I had heard about this 5k but no one was actually sure, so knowing all this is really helpful. Thank you. I'm hoping to get this negotiated into my husband's package else it will soon add up.
Thanks for your reply.

quoll

Wise move!

As long as you realise it is a temporary visa with no guarantee of permanency you should be OK. Dependents on this visa do sometimes find it hard to find work as well, so just be aware of that too, if you fancied getting a job.

Otherwise, sounds like a reasonable adventure you can do it while the kids are younger and don't have to worry too much about educational pathways.

Tr1boy

Sydney is a big place, where is your husbands job going to be located?

Bermudashorts

My tips.

Understand that your visa is temporary and it will not miraculously change into a permanent one with the passage of time. Understand that you might have to leave Australia with 90 days notice.

Your housing costs will be significantly higher in Sydney versus Scotland, make sure this is factored into the salary package along with school fees.

Try not to compare education systems. Try not to refer to one as being "ahead" or "behind" the other, they are just different and people come out of both wth a decent education. Not sure how old the children are, but if you remain on the temporary visa for a long time, think about the timing of an eventual move back and when it would be best to rejoin the UK system.

You make new friends in the same way as you would now.

hwise7

His office will be on Hunter street, near the ferry terminal. We have been to Sydney a few times before (for a holiday) and are thinking of house hunting around dee why, curl curl area unless there are any hidden gems we are unaware of. Thanks

Swerv-o

I don't much fancy your husband's commute to the city from Dee Why or Curl Curl to Hunter Street - though some certainly do.


S

Tr1boy

Out of those two, pick Curly ( I lived in Nth Narra for 10 yrs). Dee Why is like a turd rolled in glitter, especially on the west side of Pittwater Rd. it's cheaper for a good reason. Are your kids going to Manly or Cromer for school?

Bermudashorts

I don't think anyone many would have described Hunter Street as being particularly close to the ferry terminal. It is easily walkable of course but only because Sydney is a small city.

Nothing wrong with the commute from DeeWhy or Curl Curl to Hunter Street, it would be done on the bus and I did a very similar journey myself for five years, no problem at all. You would have to expect it to take about an hour to Dee Why in peak period.

Threre are hundreds of Sydney suburbs, coming up with "hidden gems" is hard without knowing what you are after and what the budget is.

Tr1boy

Unless bus timetables and routes have changed, I actually think it's easier living further Nth. Sure the commute is longer, but the busses like the Mona Vale Express, the 190 and a couple from Narrabeen are much quieter further up, you get a seat and don't deal with the suited and booted rugby scrum that is Dee Why junction.

I commuted for years between Nth Narra and Miller St in Nth Sydney (sometimes would change at Neutral Bay Jct). It was long but pretty pleasant, the school kids hadn't boarded at that point en masse and I would read a lot.

Plus the weekends are much quieter as tourist rarely venture that far up.

Bermudashorts

I commuted from Longreef just before Collaroy, which is probably much the same as a DeeWhy commute. The L90s, L88s didn't stop by us.

I found my journey very pleasant in the morning as we got an early bus, sometimes I looked up and was sorry to be approaching work. . I didn't really like the bus ride home, well the bedlam on Carrington Street anyway.

Tr1boy

Yes this is the downside, whether Wynyard or Miller St, the facade of politeness in the queue quickly evaporates when the bus comes rolling up! I didn't mind standing after work as I'd been sitting most of the day but constantly shuffling this way and that to make room for people getting on and off was a bit of a pain.

We were lucky at Narrabeen, just about every bus stopped there.

I bet Long Reef pie shop did some business when people got off the bus!

Bermudashorts

Ah those pies. Such happy memories..