fimart

Don't forget to get all police checks etc done before you get to Australia! That is of course if you are the Aussie part of a Spouse Visa immigration and don't already have one. I made that mistake and now am waiting around aimlessly for my UK police check so I can teach here in OZ. It was just one silly little thing I didn't think of and it has been a nightmare organising it from here and the wait is 40 days or more. Also keep a bit of money in a UK bank account to pay for anything you may have forgotten like a police check. They only accept UK cheques and postal orders or cash at a counter.

Get your employers in the UK to write references for you to take to Australia with you. Queensland Teaching registration requires certified copies of these. ( well they do for Australian returnees so it is probably the same for overseas qualified)

Be prepared for the lack of supply teaching agencies. You need to apply directly to the school to supply teach and you will be put on the school's register of Supply Teachers. There are a few more agencies in other states but QLD agencies mainly just introduce you to long term contracts in Private schools.

Any other details you can probably get from the net on each state's government website but the above were things I wish I knew before coming back!!
Good luck!

katyjoy

Thanks for that fimart

When you say police check is your CRB ok? I am an aussie teacher returning to teach in Victoria 4'1/2 years after leaving. Am a tad anxious about what i need to do .........but am sure i can sort it.....lots of late night phone calls to agencies in melbourne.....

Thanks again and enjoy teaching in OZ.....much better than the uk??

Kate

fimart

I have just checked again and in QLD at least if you have lived anywhere else for more than one year you need a criminal record check from that place. I guess that is what a CRB is...? I also just read it properly again and realise that in QLD if you have been registered before you do not need to send in all your certified copies of degrees etc. I guess it would be the same for VIC. I am glad I found that out before I trekked on into a JP to get a thousand million documents certified that I didn't need!
I am actually going to tutor first off here. 4 years teaching in Britain has turned me completely off the classroom. However I need a criminal record check for that as well as it is working with kids. I am not keen to teach fulltime yet. However I may go back as from what I have gathered from talking to parents etc here there doesn't seem to be that mistrust of the profession that was so demoralising in Britain. So I have my fingers crossed........
good luck with organising your police check and managing in a classroom with little or no sleep from all those late nights!
Fi

Ushas

I am also an Aussie returning home after nearly 6 years to Perth. I have already made contact with a recruitment officer in the ed dept who was extremely helpful. The most depressing thing is that because I've been gone for more than 5 years I have to do a short inservice to brush up on new 'curriculum' etc... so more beauraucracy then. I also need an two week teaching prac to be 'assessed'. But they were changing the law so you could be assessed over 6 months of relief work.
I am not planning on going back to full time work mainly because I don't want to have to do the two years country all over again. Did that when I graduated and stayed for three years. Enough was enough. Too old for gallivanting round the state again. Besides, I'm married now and so don't want to be away from Perth for extended periods of time anymore.
I'm quite excited to be going back though. But a bit anxious that all goes well with re-entering the teaching fraternity.
Thanks for the Police Check reminder though. Will make sure that's done before I leave.

tinaj

Another tip:
In QLD you need letters from all previous employers and they must state dates from starting and ending and whether position was full/ part time and how many days if part time. You need this for them to work out your payscale. If the letters just say dates they will not recognise them fully.

PS I have been doing supply and have just been offered a contract for next term. It has not been too bad, better than doing supply in London!

fimart

How depressing you need to be assessed again!! We must be the most overassessed profession in the world! I just returned to Australia (still not teaching yet......... damn police check still not here!!) after finally gaining my QTS and passing my NQT year in Britain. So I will be ropable if I have to be assessed again here. I know we need to be accountable but hey 3 separate preliminary induction programmes (1. after graduating, 2. gaining QTS in Britain and then 3. retraining here!) sounds like hell to me. I am also avoiding the state system to get out of doing country service. However I am sure it would be different now I'm married cause I remember the married ones in my graduate year all getting special consideration. However my husband and I are considering it for the free housing as we can't yet afford to buy a house here.
Anyway it is all speculation until I can register!
Good luck
Fi

Ushas

Yes it's a pain but then a small price to pay for getting back to what I love doing. I teach in a tiny independent school here in the UK as I didn't want the trauma of going through QTS. I love my job but it pays about half of what I earned in Oz. So can't wait to start earning proper wages again.
Am absolutely dreading resigning as my boss will have to be rescusitated and may suffer severe heart traumas. Lol. He doesn't pay enough to get people in with my skills really. He was lucky my letter to his school dropped into his lap at a time when he was desperate. My head teacher already knows but the guy who owns the school and makes all the major decisions (much to our dismay) is the boss. My head wants me to hand in my resignation ASAP even though I won't leave till the autumn term is finished. So a fun couple of weeks coming up. Hoping to have hubby's application in next week as well. Just waiting on my families stat decs to arrive which should be tomorrow or Tuesday then it can be sent. Aaaarrrgghhh. How scary does all this feel!

fimart

I suppose you won't believe me if I told you once it is all done you will wonder what all the fuss was. That was my experience. I was up all night panicking about getting my husband's visa. I dreamed up so many reasons why we wouldn't get it and hassled these guys on this forum with question after question about applications and then finally it just arrived. And then we had to sell the house etc and it all started again. It is hell but you will get through it! There is nothing like that feeling of apprehension when you hear that thud as the envelope hits the bottom of the postbox when you finally send it off. You just panic and think did we put everything in! But it will be fine I am sure!

Good luck
Fi

Ushas

Thanks for that. I've decided it's a bit like getting married again... you book everything a year in advance and then mess around for ages pretending that you're being productive. Then all of a sudden it's almost upon you and you actually start doing useful concrete things and feeling sick and wondering if everything is ready and in place. Then it arrives and you just go aaahhhh. At least I'm hping for that last bit.
It's stupid things though like when to post it all. Hubby is due in Perth first week of October to meet with his potential new bosses. They want him A LOT and are flying him out there for a week and giving him a car to use and stuff. But if his visa arrives while he's there that'll stuff things up. So silly things like that. In a way it's fortunate that his PCC hasn't arrived yet. I can send in everything else to get it off my chest and then send the PCC when it arrives or the week he's in Oz. It is just silly things that keep going through my head. Have I remembered to put in the marriage certificate? Why didn't mum listen when I said CERTIFIED COPY of her evidence for stat decs? How much will registered post cost? Don't forget to put the return registered post envelope in. How many inches high is our application? Did I fill in every question properly? :scared:

But yes, hopefully in a months time we can sit back and say YES! Did it.

bondipom

Let the AHC know if your husband goes to Perth whilst applying for an offshore visa. They can then delay grant until he leaves Australia.

Ushas

Aaaah You are a star. Really? That's terrific. I'd just be so much happier knowing everything was sent and they had it all. Should I just include a letter in with the application stating this?

bondipom

Only way of knowing receipt of application is by watching your credit card balance. You can include in the covering letter the dates of expected travel to Australia. I had the reverse situation whilst applying for final stage spouse visa here. I had to go to the UK for a wedding when visa was due. I asked for a delay of grant or early grant. I informed by covering letter and was given a call 2 days letter telling me they would wait until after I got back.

Ushas

Excellent. This I will do then. And pray the nice DIMIA people take notice.