Need advice RE: Vancouverite moving to Sydney area
Apr 27th 2009, 11:14 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Vancouver BC Canada
Posts: 2
Need advice RE: Vancouverite moving to Sydney area
Hello All,
First just want to thank all the posters here for the great information you provide.
Background: I have a family with three children (16, 13, 11) currently living in Vancouver Canada and I am considering a position with a company north of Sydney (around Newcastle).
Questions:
1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what differences to expect in the educational standards and difficulty of adjusting to the culture for the children (currently in public schools in west side of Vancouver).
2. How does it work when coming from a September to June school schedule to the Australian school calendar?
3. Are there any Canadians or ex-Vancouverites who might have some tips on pitfalls or difficulties in adjusting to life in Australia?
Best Regards to all,
vancouverite
First just want to thank all the posters here for the great information you provide.
Background: I have a family with three children (16, 13, 11) currently living in Vancouver Canada and I am considering a position with a company north of Sydney (around Newcastle).
Questions:
1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what differences to expect in the educational standards and difficulty of adjusting to the culture for the children (currently in public schools in west side of Vancouver).
2. How does it work when coming from a September to June school schedule to the Australian school calendar?
3. Are there any Canadians or ex-Vancouverites who might have some tips on pitfalls or difficulties in adjusting to life in Australia?
Best Regards to all,
vancouverite
Apr 27th 2009, 11:29 pm
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: Need advice RE: Vancouverite moving to Sydney area
Hello All,
First just want to thank all the posters here for the great information you provide.
Background: I have a family with three children (16, 13, 11) currently living in Vancouver Canada and I am considering a position with a company north of Sydney (around Newcastle).
Questions:
1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what differences to expect in the educational standards and difficulty of adjusting to the culture for the children (currently in public schools in west side of Vancouver).
2. How does it work when coming from a September to June school schedule to the Australian school calendar?
3. Are there any Canadians or ex-Vancouverites who might have some tips on pitfalls or difficulties in adjusting to life in Australia?
Best Regards to all,
vancouverite
First just want to thank all the posters here for the great information you provide.
Background: I have a family with three children (16, 13, 11) currently living in Vancouver Canada and I am considering a position with a company north of Sydney (around Newcastle).
Questions:
1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what differences to expect in the educational standards and difficulty of adjusting to the culture for the children (currently in public schools in west side of Vancouver).
2. How does it work when coming from a September to June school schedule to the Australian school calendar?
3. Are there any Canadians or ex-Vancouverites who might have some tips on pitfalls or difficulties in adjusting to life in Australia?
Best Regards to all,
vancouverite
With your kids being older, getting grade 11 and 12 in full will be important if they want a university entrance score, the course in those grades really does follow on. So put them back rather than up, very competitive to get into uni, they need good scores.
Dorothy and Comet555 are both canadians on this forum.
Education system, look NSW is one of the better ones here, in qld our canadian exchange teacher felt kids would be a bit behind in Canada and they would be best to go back over there not forward. That wasnt a problem for us as in qld they finish highest level of high school at 17 ( our youngest will be 16 ) , NSW is more 18.
Apr 28th 2009, 11:57 am
#3
Still alive
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,994
Re: Need advice RE: Vancouverite moving to Sydney area
Hello All,
First just want to thank all the posters here for the great information you provide.
Background: I have a family with three children (16, 13, 11) currently living in Vancouver Canada and I am considering a position with a company north of Sydney (around Newcastle).
Questions:
1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what differences to expect in the educational standards and difficulty of adjusting to the culture for the children (currently in public schools in west side of Vancouver).
Our kids were 12 & 10 when we moved and had absolutely no problem with adjusting. Culturally I think you will find Australia to be very much like Canada. At least we did, anyway. Education seems to be about the same, although there is a lot more private schooling here than in Canada.
2. How does it work when coming from a September to June school schedule to the Australian school calendar?
We arrived in August so our kids had a 5 week holiday. My daughter finished grade 6 and son grade 4 just before we left home and when we arrived they went into grade 7 and 5. It was part way through the third term (there are 4 terms here), so they were a little behind in some things, but in others they found that they were ahead. Kids start grade 1 here earlier and finish grade 12 earlier, so your kids will probably go into grades 12, 9 and 7. If it were me, I would hold back the 16 year old to do grade 11 again - of course depending on what time of year you come.
3. Are there any Canadians or ex-Vancouverites who might have some tips on pitfalls or difficulties in adjusting to life in Australia?
We've lived in both Adelaide and Perth and have found for the most part Australians are interested in where we come from. We're seen as a little bit exotic, I guess. Get used to people saying they love your accent and wanting to know why you would have ever left Vancouver because it looks so beautiful.
Best Regards to all,
vancouverite
First just want to thank all the posters here for the great information you provide.
Background: I have a family with three children (16, 13, 11) currently living in Vancouver Canada and I am considering a position with a company north of Sydney (around Newcastle).
Questions:
1. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what differences to expect in the educational standards and difficulty of adjusting to the culture for the children (currently in public schools in west side of Vancouver).
Our kids were 12 & 10 when we moved and had absolutely no problem with adjusting. Culturally I think you will find Australia to be very much like Canada. At least we did, anyway. Education seems to be about the same, although there is a lot more private schooling here than in Canada.
2. How does it work when coming from a September to June school schedule to the Australian school calendar?
We arrived in August so our kids had a 5 week holiday. My daughter finished grade 6 and son grade 4 just before we left home and when we arrived they went into grade 7 and 5. It was part way through the third term (there are 4 terms here), so they were a little behind in some things, but in others they found that they were ahead. Kids start grade 1 here earlier and finish grade 12 earlier, so your kids will probably go into grades 12, 9 and 7. If it were me, I would hold back the 16 year old to do grade 11 again - of course depending on what time of year you come.
3. Are there any Canadians or ex-Vancouverites who might have some tips on pitfalls or difficulties in adjusting to life in Australia?
We've lived in both Adelaide and Perth and have found for the most part Australians are interested in where we come from. We're seen as a little bit exotic, I guess. Get used to people saying they love your accent and wanting to know why you would have ever left Vancouver because it looks so beautiful.
Best Regards to all,
vancouverite
Anything else you want to know just shout. As Jad & Rich said, both Comet555 and I are Canadian. Comet is from northern Alberta and lives on the east coast of Australia.
Apr 28th 2009, 12:01 pm
#4
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Tropical North QLD
Posts: 21,434
May 5th 2009, 6:44 pm
#5
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Vancouver BC Canada
Posts: 2
Re: Need advice RE: Vancouverite moving to Sydney area
Thank you Jad n Rich and Dorothy, this is really useful information!
Are there many IB schools in the towns north of Sydney?
Are there many IB schools in the towns north of Sydney?
