Family5

Stoke on Trent Nurses in Cairns - feedback?
Are there any ex Stoke nurses who have moved to Cairns and work at Cairns Base Hospital as a result of the high profile recruitment campaign over the last 12 months.
We have the opportunity to do the same (Mr, Mrs, + 3 little ones)but have seen no feedback or opinions of those who have already taken the plunge and are currently experiencing Cairns life and work. (Seen plenty of 'political' publicity).
It would be really useful read of your experiences so far from work and home life perspective. Also useful to know of any issues with 457 visas and tie ins etc. It would really help us make an informed decision. Thank you.

JAJ

Post #7 explains the issues with 457.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399509

I cannot see why anyone would choose this visa if there is any chance of a permanent visa instead.

If you qualify for an independent skilled visa (136) why not obtain this? - you could still move to Cairns if you wanted to.

nursekaty

hi i'm also going to cairns on 457 visa....i booked my flights yesterday.....i fly out 25th june....i can't wait!!!i'm in touch with one of the nurses doing the recruitment and she's gonna get some of the uk nurses over there to email cause i was wanting to know how they're getting on aswell!!!they're are a few articles that cairns have sent me from local newspapers interviewing the uk nurses....all seems positive so far!!

the bbc are over there and starting filming today follwing one of the uk nurses and their journey from over here to starting life over there!!!don't know when it'll be on probably won't be for a while but should be good to watch!!!
when are you planning on going out there?

Family5

Hi, Thanks very much for your reply. I have had some major 'wobbles' about our move over the last few weeks. I really could do with some feedback from Uk nurses that are already there. I backpacked 18 yrs ago and stayed in Cairns -- beautiful. There were 'no worries' then as they say, now I have 3 children and a hubby so the dynamics and logistics are quite different. I read alot of negatives about 457 visas, this unsettled me and I went for the independent visa but I got knocked back because I am part time at the moment (kids are young) and I havent worked 20 hrs per week for 12 months out of the last 78 weeks. That said with my totally pragmatic head on, the opportunites and strengths of a move to Oz significantly outweigh the current and future prospects of nursing in UK?NHS plc.