sandradee

As there are so many nationalities living here these days, I dont think you have anything to worry about. Our daughter is very bright indeed (I know all parents say that, but she is, simple as that) and we had no qualms about moving her here, she is really blossoming since arriving.

floss

I have also been re-evaluating my thoughts about my son after reading these posts and talking to my wife. He does have some sensitive traits (likes classical music, dancing, flora and fauna, gets upset when other around him are upset) but since starting nursery recently (2 mornings a week) he has become more outgoing and confident. I think that as long as we instil a confidence in him and try to insure he has an inner strength to defend himself, he'll do well.[/QUOTE]

Yes, re-evaluate, relax... and have confidence in your son... I will never forget my son (now nearly 10) who stood on the picnic table at his nursery picnic when he was nearly 4 and recited poetry which all the other boys played football.... He also went through a phase of wearing a flat cap (no, I can't imagine why either) and would stand at the pedestrian crossings in town, and do huge sweeping bows when the lights changed and the cars stopped for us to cross.... and the first time he saw 'Toy Story' and wept all day because Buzz was so sad he wasn't a real superhero.... The examples are endless... he was sensitive and, yes, rather strange.... He still is in some respects - frightening intelligent, still loves poetry (although more Roald Dahl than Shakespeare), still cries at other people's sadness.... and yet he's now also the fastest runner in school & plays football like a demon (not that sports IS the be-all... but who'd have thought it??!!), he tells has his class in stitches with impersonations and jokes, and is the sweetheart of every girl in school...

As he's grown up he has become so much more than those things that I worried about.

We so want to protect our little ones and it is so natural to worry about them, but in my experience, they seem to find their own way pretty well provided WE let them know their OK!

Good luck - and enjoy him while he's little and doesn't KNOW everything!!

ali south

I second that!
What a lovely post.

honeybob

i would question your friend's decision as to why he feels london is a better place to raise your children? i don't mean this sarcastically, i would just like to know what his reasons are... personally speaking, it is the very reason we decided to leave the uk, my husband left a job that gave us everything we could possibly want financially, but emotionally, london left him drained and cynical, and in the last 12 months of being there he changed and he knows this now... we lived in a lovely area, with lovely neighbours but i never felt safe... neither did our sensitive son, it is so unfriendly, dirty, too 'fast', impersonal and consumed with status and attainment.... and don't get me started on the drugs problem....

i do appreciate fully what you are saying though, can anyone tell me where is the perfect place to raise your kids nowadays?

leonard

Floss,

Absolutely spot on, great stuff.

Stormz

No argument. It obviously depends on the grandparents/immediate family. Our kids are lucky to have very loving ones. Something I tend to forget sometimes.

Stormz

I don`t think there`s anything wrong in being sensitive like that. Nothing wrong in having a well developed conscience and empathy. He`s lucky, alot of kids don`t. Shit, alot of adults don`t. So WELL DONE to your son and make sure he learns that tae-kwon-do or any other self-defence. He`ll be fine.

Vegemite Kids

think this is the important part. When I moved from OZ to UK as a teenager, some kids in my school tried picking on me cos of my different accent.

Because my parents had given me a good sense of my own self worth I was able to rebut the "bullying" very easily. Never had a problem from there on in.

Self -Confidence is the key IMHO.

JAJ

As your wife is not an NZ citizen she will not get a Special Category Visa. She would need to get the temporary NZ citizen family relationship visa (subclass 461) before leaving the UK.

Your children will get the SCV as long as they have NZ passports (presumably you have registered them as NZ citizens by descent).

However you and your children, even as NZ citizens, will face long term disadvantages in Australia without PR. And you really don't want your wife to be on that 461 visa for ever.

You should think about whether you can get PR or not. If you can obtain it, then either do so offshore for the whole family before leaving, or get your wife a 461 and make sure you all become PRs onshore as soon as possible.

If you don't see a chance of PR - either through general skilled or employer nominated - then you should think about whether you still want to settle in Australia. What's your occupation?

Jeremy

fnord

Hmmm, I'm certainly going to make sure all those issues are sorted before I go. I'll have about 1 year from now. I'm an senior IT consultant but I'm not expecting that their is a skill shortage there. I'll be attempting to line up something from my Oz contacts in the next 6 months.

JAJ

For immediate permanent residence under employer nomination (ENS), a skills assessment is required. You should check the ACS website to see if you qualify.

If not, you can either work in Australia for 2 years on a Special Category Visa in a skilled occupation, or go for PR under the RSMS scheme. This bypasses the need for a skill assessment.

Download and read migration booklet 5 from the DIMIA site.

Alternatively, look at booklet 6 for information on points tested migration. If you qualify for this, you could sort out your permanent residence in advance of moving.

If you are close to 45, be aware that getting PR is a lot harder if you leave things until then. Being an NZ citizen does not exempt you from the 45 age cap.

Jeremy

Ian12

Taking up a couple of contributions in this thread regarding education and London. I qualified as a secondary teacher a long time ago and only spent a few years in the profession before becomming a clergyman - which then brought me back into (church) schools in London. Then at the really young age of 50 my male partner and I adopted children and I was on the side of the classroom door - a parent axious to find the "right" school. We now live in Sidney but at the time of the adoption we were still in Marylebone, central London. Our nearest primary school was RC and as the RC church does not have a great track record on gay rights I was inclined to give it a wide berth. A shortage of places at the school further away led us back to the RC school. The Head teacher (a former Irish nun of 17 years) was welcoming, warm, totally accepting and had a special interest in kids with special needs. Bingo - we hit pay dirt. The school was nurturing to us as parents as well as to our boys. The teachers and other parents seemed to work together to create a really loving school where Muslims, Christians, Atheists and Jews all came together in a caring community. Before we left for Australia we asked the Head Teacher to be a Godmother to our boys and she happliy agreed. I just wanted to raise a cheer for at least one school in London! Whilst just up the road at St Marylebone (C of E ) Girls School, the Head who was appointed when I was still the school chaplain has done a tremendous job - good academic results as well as producing good all rounds who may not be academic. I think the Head was recently awarded a CBE. So within a mile of each other two excellent schools, both in Central London, both state schools, one Catholic the other Anglican but comprising of children from many different cultural and religious backgrounds. Personally, I feel that what religion needs to be about. We are happy with our school in Sidney even if we do miss the variety of ethinicity.There are good schools and good teachers all over the place. I guess we have been lucky - oh and done a bit of homework too but not too much.