MrsTiv

Hi

I have decided to apply for uni in Oz and then hopefully if im accepted we will apply for study visa (we, being me and my husband lol)...
Im just looking for advice on the money side of things really. Im aware that within term time we will both be limited to working 20 hrs per week (which sucks ) My sister is now an Australian citizen and she is happy to put us up for however long we need when we first arrive. The uni fees are showing as an indicative amount of $11,000 per semester - how many semesters are there per year?? Also, how much should we be looking to take with us for the both of us to live on for a while until we're settled!! Any advice from people who have gone down this route would be very helpful

Thanks

The GAP

i wont tell you not to bother but it is very hard living with your relatives no matter how close, we are nearing the end of our 2 years we have been living with my parents, hard does not cover it, the money side will be a lot easier living with them and if you can pick up part time work 20hrs each you should fetch home about $700 per week i.e working in coles etc thats what we do there are usually 2 semesters per year and most uni's colleges will allow you to pay each term (makes life easier), the cost of living is quite high here even compared to the UK ( which i thought was dear when we lived there) on the bright side you will love Oz its fantastic so all the other ups and downs you will have cannot compare with the fantasic time you will have out here

MrsTiv

Thanks a lot for your reply. We would be going to Brisbane too, my sister lives in the Camphill area... We wouldnt be planning on staying with them the whole time, the plan is for my husband to try and maybe get sponsorship whilst we are out there! The thought of studying and having a new life in Oz far outweighs the lows to me.... just hope im right Im going to apply to QUT to do primary teaching, do they happen to be one of the unis that allow you to pay each term?? Do you pay at the beginning of the term or the end? Im guessing that the full $22,000 or whatever for the first 2 semesters would need to be paid before starting the course, is that right??
Thanks so much again

The GAP

im not sure about QUT but they have lots of International students, and they seem to be quite flexible, yes they usually ask for the first term up front, well they did at TAFE, its my hubby who is at TAFE, there still seems to be lots of Jobs around what does your hubby do, and yes the pros outweigh the cons by miles trust me, are you bringing any kids with you? if so that is another $8k per child per year whilst you are on the student visa.

The GAP

oh we brought about £20K (not including course fees) with us and we bought a car (not a great one but it works) and a motorbike out of that and with getting jobs quite quickly we managed to make the rest last just over a year.

MrsTiv

Hubby is a metal fabricator but hes also qualified as a structural draughtsman (or drafter in Oz)... Dont have any kids, just the 2 of us! Jeezo, thats a lot of money, no way we would have that much, uni fees for first year are about £10,000 alone!! The thought of it is daunting...

perksy

Sorry but thats utter bollocks! Are you implying by your figures that Coles pay $35 an hour???? A more reasonable estimate would be half that.

The GAP

Perksy get 22 per hour and that nets us 746 per week, so not bollocks and that is us both not each they pay a good rate and are very flexible to work for.

Mrs Tiv dont be daunted it will be hard financially, but people have brought half of that and survived just read a bit more on here and you will see, it is hard but worth it - get you hubby to look for work whilst in the UK thats what my Dad did they are currently here on a 457 visa see if he can get a 457 and you can study on that for a few years it may be cheaper (but make sure that you can get an student visa if something happens to hubbys job before trying that one)

pumpkin blossom

That is a totally realistic income. Hubbie and I earn over that, and I don't even get a full 20 hours a week all the time.

Maybe you misread the post and took that to mean earning that amount each, not combined like it was meant?

MrsTiv

I think we are going to try and get him a job before coming over now... So I take it the 457 is a temp residency visa of sorts then? Thanks a lot for your advice, knowing that someone else is doing it makes it seem a lot more viable!