schools and sports for teenagers Gold Coast/Brisbane
 

hi everyone,

Having just come back from a xmas holiday on the Gold Coast we've got the wobbles and are thinking about moving there!!! We're currently living in UK but all have NZ citizenship. I'm over 45 and OH is 45 this year so 444 Visa is I think our only option. Apart from not being able to vote and no access to benefits, do people know the drawbacks of this visa (the main one i'm struggling with is not being able to sponsor my parents over, which is a big consideration).

There's lots of things to get our heads around before we make the decision but my main preoccupation at the moment is schools. My kids are very sporty and play elite level soccer, cricket and netball. In the UK they are currently going through sports scholarship applications to public schools which have sports academies and no need of external clubs (especially where cricket and netball are concerned). How does it work in Queensland schools? We would be looking at private schools. Does most high level sport take place at clubs outside of school? Does school sport take place at weekends and if so, does it take priority over other representative sport they might be doing? What are the best schools for these sports (most schools i've looked at seem to specialise in swimming and athletics!)

Also does anybody have any experience of how the levels compare?? I'd imagine we'd be ahead in soccer in the UK but perhaps behind a bit in cricket and netball so playing county level here may not translate to representative level in Oz? Anybody with any experience of this??

The kids are all keen (ish) to move but i would be keen to get my head around how elite sport works in Brisbane/GC as its a big part of their lives at the moment and i wouldn't want to disrupt it too much.

Also, what about settling in to Oz schools as English kids?? Has anybody found this an issue with their kids?

I have twins in Year 8 and a daughter in Year 4.

BTW, we have visited GC quite a few times as we have family there so its not a totally out of the blue idea to move there, just in case you're all thinking we're completely bonkers! My husband would work in Brisbane so we would most likely be looking to live in North GC or Brisbane Bays.

many thanks in advance for any help anybody can give.

Re: schools and sports for teenagers Gold Coast/Brisbane
 

New Zealand to the Gold Coast is a well-trod path. There is a huge NZ population there.

This page from the Australian Parliament will help you:

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliam...14/QG/NZinAust

Not realistic to move to Australia for soccer training so that will have to be de-emphasized. But cricket and netball are both very popular among teenagers and there are loads of clubs and academies for training, even in small Outback areas. Specialist schools emphasizing sport for Years 11 and 12 do exist in Australia, don't know what is in Queensland specifically but they are around. Bear in mind the school year starts the week after next and runs February to December.

If you are going to do it, don't put it off for a few years because moving your Year 8 there when she is in Year 11 or 12 can be very tricky with some of the course requirements.

Best thing if you are serious is to go back this (northern) summer, tour a few schools with the kids and see what everyone thinks. As you are NZ citizens, you don't need any special paperwork so this can happen pretty quickly.