sharonmcallister

Hi everyone, we are going to australia on a student visa as soon as we seel our house (whenever that will be). We did ask our daughter way back last year before we applied and she said yes she wanted to go. So we did the medicals and applied and got the visa, due to not selling our house with the way the market is, we had planned on being there last august but are still here in glasgow and have had to reapply for another visa and its looking as though we will have to do the medicals again in march if we still dont sell in time.

She just started high school last august and is now saying she doesnt want to go and leave her friends and says she wont be going, anyone any advice? I know many of you will probably have been through this already so just need some help! My sister lives there with my brother in law and niece and she has been on holiday 3 times already and loves it when she is there, we were just there xmas 2007 to jan 2008 and she was crying leaving not wanting to come home so its a complete turn around,

thanks in advance
Sharon

Kingseat

Hi Sharon

I am hoping to come out on a Student Visa too. Hopefully for a course in October. What are you studying? As for your little girl, I am not sure. May be you could get some photos out and remind her of all the good things you have done when you've been on holiday?

Can you ask your family out there to phone and speak to her and say they can't wait to see her so you can all go to beach, shopping, school etc together?

Other than that, my little boy is only a baby so I don't have that worry.

Good luck - aren't you just sick of this horrid Scottish weather!

sharonmcallister

Hi there, I will be studying hairdressing at clipjoint hair academy in adelaide. What are you going to study? I was supposed to be starting last october then the house hadnt sold and had to reapply to start on 1st april this year but its looking as though we will have to do it all over again! Have you applied yet? Do you have a house to sell or are you just renting and ready to go? If i would have known how long it would have taken i would have sold the year before and rented somewhere. yes this weather is dreaful, my sister emailed the other day and it was 41 degrees in adelaide so not fair!!!

sharon

I know, i have a 3 year old son too and so wish she was still his age then we wouldnt have this problem! She loves it when she is there this has just come out of the blue and really thrown us.

Kingseat

It depends! My husband wants to try wall and floor tiling (we have family in Perth) but the work front is concerning.

I'd like to try Community Welfare but don't know if I have enough qualifications to get on the course or if it will give me enough points to gain PR. Waiting to get some e-mails back hopefully overnight. If I do CW it may mean doing it out of the City to get extra points.

If we go with husband on wall and floor tiling then we HAVE to be on the course by October as he will be 42 at the end of this month so time is against us.

Yes, we need to sell. We have quite a unique house but I guess with the current climate we might not sell. If needs be we've got empty credit cards and they will just need to be maxed out if necessary. Needs must and all that.

It is all quite stressful!

quoll

Well, she's 12 and you are the parents so I would be saying something like "Sorry you dont like it but it's going to happen. You can either be miserable as sin or you can make the best of it - what can you do to make the best of it?" and then end the discussion there - if she keeps coming back the same question - "well, what can you do to make the best of it?" and stop there. The more argument the worse it will get. If she was 16 then it would be IMHO a different ball game because her education would be at more risk. However you stand a better than even chance that once she does get here she will settle and not want to go back if you ever have to do that!

BTW you do know it is going to cost you c $10k pa for her to go to school here dont you - I am sure you have factored that in to your costings.

Dorothy

Agree with Quoll. She's 12. When our then 11 year old daughter said she didn't want to go and we couldn't make her our answer was "tough sh*t. You're going and contrary to what you may think we can make you". Now after 2 1/2 years she has absolutely no desire to go anywhere. Australia is now her home.

Le Loup

Don't promise her anything you cannot give. The fact is she is 12 years old and cannot be expected to make the right choices conserning the family well being. You can try and talk her round by telling her about Australia and its unique animals etc, but the bottom line is, she is going to Australia because her parents need to and you are not prepared to leave her behind.
Regards, Le Loup.

PS. If it will help, tell her she can visit my property and drive my 4WD through the forest. (only if you can of course).

Sally Redux

My son was 12 when we came to LA and it is a VERY tough age to move them, you will have to just go for it and be positive if you are sure about the move in your own minds.

bigAPE

When I was 12 I didn't want to go to the Zoo. My parents took me anyway. I enjoyed it.

She will adapt

Burbage

Yes. All you have to say to her is: "Hard cheese."

When was it that children took over the running of families? It seems to be happening everywhere I look.

homewardbound

My daughter was 12 when we moved here... she is fine and loves it and i agree iwth all the other posters -she is the child you are the adults. What you say goes!

northernbird

I agree, I read some things on here and hold my head in my hands.

tomar

Hi, tell your daughter that we had to leave our daughter, than aged 13, behind in UK in boarding school, when we had to move overseas for my husbands job. There was no schooling there then past the age of 14 for ex pat children.
Trust me, she missed us badly, if your daughter seriously thinks that she will be happier in UK without you, then she needs to grow up and see the reality of the situation!
What an opportunity to live in another country, and when she is grown up she will have the option of where she wants to live.

Syedney

We had to make it clear to our 10 year old that we are here for two years only. And if we do like it here, we'll stay otherwise we'll go back to UK...

Anyway, our little girl then seemed more fine with this and she told all her mates that she's only going to Oz for two years and if at any stage we don't like it, we will be back...

It makes the transition easier I guess...Even to adults like me!

pstanton

Hi I could not come to Perth until my kids were older and now I live in Perth and they are in the UK. I wished I had bought them out when they were 12.
Perth is the best place to bring up your daughter she will love it here - but she knows no better so be positive and ask her to try it - help her meet other friends and encourage her interests when she is here - in a years time she will have new friends and will not even think about the old one. Warning though do not get a computer straight away for her to access when you get here - she will be messaging her friends and will not help her move on. Good luck do it know before she gets even older as it becomes harder.