Carlton Cold's

Hi guys, happy new year, we r now in melbourne, arrived 5-days ago and using internet in a library. Amazin 1st few days, now sorted a few things like bank acc, phonecard for the UK which is really cheap - $20 provides almost 4000 mins to call home. New sim this morning and now internet, which is luvly jubly..

Take care

Russ

Bradburns

Hi Russ,

Glad to hear that everything is going well for you. When do you start your course?

pumpkin blossom

We have finally exchanged!!! The dog is at the shippers, she flys tomorrow.
We have just managed to book flights, which was pretty hard as most of the flights to Adelaide had been booked up and were over £1500 each.
So we are flying to London, then to Hong Kong, and have a day there, then fly to Melbourne, and then onto Adelaide.
We get there on the afternoon of the Saturday, and I start my course 9am Monday morning!!! I have falled asleep in class before after travelling 3 hours from Manchester the day before so it could get embarrising!!

Fly Away

WOOHOO!!

Sorry to interrupt the thread, but I've followed PB's story and just want to say well done!!

Good luck in Adelaide, hope to see you there one day.

pumpkin blossom

Thanks very much, it hasn't sunk in yet.

Fly Away

LOL. Get packing girl! Maybe have a few drinks to celebrate tonight first though!

Bradburns

Hi pumpkin blossom,

Well done, you deserve it.

We'll be doing all what you've been doing soon and i'm not looking forward to it.

Hope everything goes well for you and hope you're not too tired,

All the best and keep in touch and let us all know how you get on.

perksy

Hi there, I've enjoyed reading all your posts and following your stories.

Me and the wife are due to meet an agent next week with a view to applying on the student visa route. We are looking at perth and i'm going for the brickie course and the mrs doing hospitality. Has anyone done or thinking about these courses in perth? if so any tips or advice?

Theres just the 2 of us no kiddies just yet only a mad but lovable dog so what the hell we thought we would give it ago and try and better ourselves....its a bit daunting though

bit worried about how much money we'll need though... i reckon we'll be taking about £120k is this enough to support us? We wont want to be living it up too much but dont want to be eating cold baked beans every night. just a decent comfortable standard of living

Thanks

werty1

You dont really need an agent, it's really easy to do your self and if you get stuck all the answers are on this thread! that could save you a bit more, but yes I reckon you ould do it easily on that money it's a lot more than we got!
good luck

pumpkin blossom

I would not bother with an agent either.
Also, do you both want to do a course each? You only need one of you to do the course. That would cut the costs down a fair bit.
You are taking FAR more money than we will be.

perksy

cheers werty1,

no doubt i'll be posting a few more questions and comments on here in the coming weeks.

I realise you dont need an agent to get the visa and if it were totally my choice i'd try and do it on my own but am afraid its the wife thats insisting, saying that if we've overlooked anything then an agent will help us out. I guess with such a big decision i'll let her have her way on this one otherwise i'll never hear the last of it

pumpkin blossom

There are education agents who make their money from the course provider, but some of them don't give out the best info.

perksy

hi pumpkin,

yea we'll both be doing a course each. At present we're both self employed and my wife quite fancies a career change so it seems a good opportunity to gain new skills and the agent has told us we stand a better chance of getting pr and citizenship if we are working in a field where our new skills are needed. Though i'm unsure as to how true this is

Bradburns

Hi Perksy,

First of all I think that 120k will be more than enough, but still don't go mad with your money, because there are people who have only just managed with a bit less than that, so it can easily go. I have also read posts where people have hardly taken anything, just money for courses etc.

A good thing is that with no children you won't have to pay for schooling for them so that's another battle out of the way.

We are taking much less than you and we intend to make it work. I believe it's what you make it.

You we're saying that you wanted to do a bricklaying course in Perth, if this is what course you will be doing to get you on the student visa then just double check that it is a CRICOS registered course.

My husband is registered on a Bricklaying and Blocklaying course in Nambour, Sunshine Coast and was told that this was the only place that runs a CRICOS registered Bricklaying course and the very first lot of students start in Jan 08, was supposed to be feb 08.

We're going through a company called Study Options, who help you go through the process. You don't have to pay them any money for their help as they get paid from the college that enrolls you. We spoke to Stefan Watts, he's very good. It might be worth speaking to him first.

If you find that there is a cricos registered bricklaying couse in Perth, then please let me know, whan i looked there were none and i was also told this.

Good luck, keep me informed.

perksy

hi bradburns,

not sure if its a CRICOS registed course

The information i've got is that its with a trade training centre called silver trowel. Their website is silvertrowel.com.au. they specialise in training migrants on the student visa. They have centres in cannington (perth), geraldton, bunbury and kalgoorlie WA and so i've been told they have partnerships with local employers that provide on the job training and work placements with the chance of being taken on full time when you have completed the course