More Oz INFO Things you should think of...

[LongJohnny]

SOME OTHER (LESS POSITIVE?) ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN YOU MIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA

In my previous articles on migrating and settling in Australia, I mostly covered the positive and essential aspects to connected to the whole exercise.

Like any other place where you may migrate to, Australia also have some pitfalls or potential screw-ups that may make you settling in experience a challenging experience.

EMPLOYMENT.
This is probably the Number One problem encountered by some migrants, especially if you arrive here on the Independent Visa. (With this Visa Type you migrate on your own steam and nobody sponsors you for a job.)
If you come on the Independent (Class 126) Visa, ensure that you secure employment before, or as soon as possible after you arrive. Many professions/trades do not constitute much of a problem, and you can transfer your skills and experience basically without much of a hitch. Accountants, IT Specialists, Software Developers, Teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Electricians, Plumbers, etc. comes to mind in this regard.
However, in some cases you will not be allowed to work in your specific profession, or area of expertise before you completed an assessment or admission test/exam that satisfies specific authorities that you are competent/experienced to work in a specific field. Examples in this respect are the legal profession, estate agents, some construction workers (concreters) etc.
Some professions have registration boards, and once you have supplied them with enough info to secure your registration, you’re OK to seek employment in your field, e.g. Education, Aviation, and Medical etc.
For the most part however, you should not have much of a problem as long as you can satisfy an employer that you are qualified, competent and experienced. For example, if you are a personnel consultant by profession and your resume, certificates and referees back you up, you should not have much of a problem.
BUT, be prepared that employers here would want to see evidence of your experience and skills. Even for the most mundane type of job you will attend at least one interview before you have an offer.
If you arrive here cold-calling, unemployed, then you might have to prepare yourself for some bumpy times. (You cannot claim social benefits before you have been a resident for 2 years.) My advice in this respect will be that you seek employment ASAP, and ANY employment for that matter, as long as you can start to earn Oz Dollars as soon as possible. Try not to dig into any funds you brought with you, you may need that money for future needs, such as a deposit on a house.
When you opt for the ANY employment-option also keep in mind that the wages may not be much, but it should help to tide you over until you land something better.

FURNITURE
Quite a sticky point.
Unless you have expensive stuff that you don’t want to part with, or have great emotional attachments to, like the stinkwood dinner suite you inherited from your Grandma, think carefully before you ship furniture over here. Often you can refurbish a moderate home over here for the cost of shipping your furniture over here, depending on your tastes and needs and finances.

PEOPLE & ATTITUDES
The far majority of Aussies are highly tolerant and friendly in respect of migrants and it is unlikely that you will encounter problems in this area. However, Australia has its fair share of Rednecks and some of them are not well disposed towards migrants, especially migrants from areas such as Asia. They are however a very small minority and besides, all the States as well as Canberra, has some tough laws to protect the rights of minorities and/or any person/s who are at a disadvantage. (Equal Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination Statutes.)
Racism is one thing that is a BIG no-no in Oz. Furthermore; there are also a series of laws that deals with harassment and bullying in the wider community but especially in workplaces. (Just about all employers over here are “Equal Opportunity” employers.)
If ever you are harassed on the grounds of your skin colour, creed, sex, religion, disability, status, place of origin, health etc., you have the right and the mechanisms to raise hell BIG TIME through channels designated for this purpose.
However, there are Rednecks out there, (the original purpose for these laws) and you may encounter some of them, so be careful.
Also remember that while Aussies like to travel, Africa is not one of their favourite destinations; so be prepared for a fair bit of ignorance or “funny questions.”
My personal “favourite” is this one, asked by a well-meaning old soul; “So, you studied in Johannesburg? How lovely, I suppose you nipped over to Kenya just about every weekend!”

[LongJohnny]

ARTICLE CONTINUED.......

CARS AND VEHICLE INSURANCE/REGISTRATION
This differs from State to State, but your annual vehicle registration can set you back about $500 to $700 depending on the car/s you own. It includes third party insurance as well. South Australia, where I live, does not require cars to have Certificates of Roadworthiness (some other states do), but in South Australia you are deemed to be driving a roadworthy vehicle until something happens that proves otherwise, e.g. the cops pull you over at a routine road block or you crash into another car due to your faulty brakes.
Vehicle Insurance can be damn high over here, but the good news is that if you have proof of non-claim bonuses in any country you lived in before, bring it with you as it is recognized over here. (Don’t take this lightly; you can save yourself about $600 a year in this respect.)
A range of motorcar models is available here in Oz, e.g. Holden, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Mercedes, etc. These models are all manufactured/assembled here in Oz, and you have all the necessary service, guarantee and support mechanisms.
This is a matter of personal choice, but I would REALLY caution people against buying vehicles that are assembled elsewhere, e.g. Daewoo and Suzuki. These vehicles are often cheaper, but the after sales support is not always good and some models are also not very suitable for Oz conditions.
Most Aussies tend to stick to Holden, Toyota and Ford.
Cars can be a bit expensive depending on your income and preferred model and the same applies to quality second-hand cars.
New car prices range from about $16 000 upwards and you also have some other costs/taxes payable that can drive the price up by about 3 – 4%.
Another thing that impacted on me personally is the fact that most cars in Oz have fuel injection engines and not carburetor engines. I am quite capable myself under the bonnet of a carburetor-engine car, but with a fuel injection engine I’m hopeless. The result is that with things I could do myself in RSA, I have to pay a mechanic to do over here.

EDUCATION
The schools and the teaching profession is quite good over here and for the most part you’ll find that your child’s teacher is a highly competent and dedicated person in his/her field.
There are two educational systems in Australia, the Public and the Private systems. Each has it’s own pros and cons and it is up to parents to decide which system they prefer for their kids. The main difference between the systems is not quality of curricular programmes. It is in that the kids of like-minded/resourced parents end up in the same systems.

The private system consist mainly of Church sponsored schools and most parents with a religious background prefer these schools. They are quite affordable as they are heavily subsidized by Canberra. Also class sizes are generally smaller in the private schools, and religious instruction is part of the curriculum. The same applies to organized sport, as it was once known in RSA schools. Strict behaviour codes are also expected and enforced.

The public system follows a secular curriculum and class sizes are larger. However, while the quality of teaching is the same in public school that in private schools (if not better in some cases), the public sector have some problems or issues. Behaviour of some students can be a problem, especially in poorer, disadvantaged areas. Public teachers often complain that valuable teaching time gets wasted to manage the behaviour of one or two challenging kids in the class. Support systems for this are in place but the reality is that the private system can pick and choose in respect of their enrolments, while the public system have to cater for all comers, shapes and sizes.
Most public schools also have good behaviour management policies in place, but most public school teachers will agree that working in the public system is hard work. Also, public schools have very little in the way of extra curricular activities and what extra curricular activities there are, are run by clubs or volunteers, often parents.
However, if children and their parent’s mindsets are positive, they will find that the Australian Public Education systems are amongst the best in the world. Whether a child will make it in the public system depends mostly on his/her attitude and that of her/his parents.

Moreover, at the moment there is quite debate in Oz in respect of Private against public Education. The Federal Government in Canberra subsidizes private schools heavily in order to make private education more affordable for middle/lower income earners and to broaden the scope of choice in respect of education.
The public system on the other hand feels hard done by, as funds that could have been used for better outcomes in the public system is channeled to the private system. There are concerns that if the situation is not addressed, the public and private systems may evolve into a HAVE and HAVE NOT situation.

[LongJohnny]

ARTICLE CONTINUED..........

FAVOURITE SPORTS AND PASTIMES.
There are some different things in this respect as well.
If you are a Rugby Union/League person you will not see much of it unless you settled in one of the eastern states. There are clubs in Adelaide and Perth, but the BIG TIMES are in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. For your Rugby needs you’ll have to invest in FOXTEL TV. It’s also not uncommon for a group of guys from Adelaide or Perth pass the hat around to charter a bus or a light plane to hop over to Sydney or Brisbane for an important match, or even Auckland or Christchurch for that matter. (Off late some smaller Airways Operators offer such favourable rates that the charter option is sort-of becoming extinct.)

The Australian version of Rugby League seems quite tougher than in the UK. I’m a Rugby Union man myself, and I never thought I’d ever watch a Rugby League match with stars in my eyes.

Another football code over here is the Aussie Rules Code (AFL). It’s quite a quaint sort of code in it’s own right, but if you’re used to one of the Rugby Codes, you may have to force yourself to take an interest in it. (There’s a suspicion that the AFL players know that that the Rugby Codes view them with a certain measure of disdain, and therefore they try to be rough and tough within the constraints of AFL rules, often with some hilarious results on the field – from a Rugby perspective in any case.)

Holidays or going on vacation can be a bit expensive over here. There are some great places to visit and see in Oz, but it’s a good idea to budget well before you go anywhere. It’s often cheaper to fly to a place than to go there by train. When people have time they often hook up a caravan and go on a camping holiday, but even this option is more expensive that it’s South African counterpart.
A houseboat holiday is another nice way of spending a few days away from the grinder. It is quite novel and enjoyable but there are pros and cons as well. (I’ll compile a separate article on Oz holiday options sometime n the future, as it is worthy of articles in it’s own right.)

[Blondie]

LangJan, thank you so much for this fantastic article :thanku: So far, there's nothing aout Oz that's really off putting, except for the holiday issue. I love UK/Europe for the fabulous travel opportunities. However, holidays are not something that feature regularly in my schedule so I cannot really make big decisions based on these, sadly :cry: Would love to read your forthcoming attraction on that though :thanku:

B

[LongJohnny]

LangJan, thank you so much for this fantastic article :thanku: So far, there's nothing aout Oz that's really off putting, except for the holiday issue. I love UK/Europe for the fabulous travel opportunities. However, holidays are not something that feature regularly in my schedule so I cannot really make big decisions based on these, sadly :cry: Would love to read your forthcoming attraction on that though :thanku:

B

Will do so ASAP. :thanku:

[OneTime]

Will do so ASAP. :thanku:


LJ, you ARE a legend. :D

[LongJohnny]

Thanks, OneTime!

Something I forgot about transport;

In Adelaide in particular the road system does not compare well with other Oz cities or other cities overseas.
there are a number of expressways, but no ring roads like you may have been used to in e.g. Durban or the Pretoria, Witwatersrand, Vereeniging area.
Example; if you drive along the expressway from Umhlanga in Durbs to Louis Botha Airport, you should make it in about 15 minutes.
The same distance here in Adelaide will take you about 50 - 60 minutes - no expressways as you may be used to it and you drive through traffic with traffic lights at about 60 km/h average.
If you don't mind it, you should be OK.

There is a big debate in Adelaide between those who want to move on, e.g. construct ring roads etc. and those who are more conservationist-inclined.

[Marius]

Longjohn,

I HOPE you can assist. I HAVE a job is Ozzie already, and must move there from South Africa soon, problem is I dont have time to wait for a subclass 457 visa to be approved, I have to start ASAP. Is there another work visa that would allow me to enter and work THEN apply for the 457 IN Australia once there ? I need guidance with this urgently.

Anyone out there that can advise :confused:

The agency now handling the Ozzie visa applications her in SA, well, I am not getting anywhere :banghead:

Thanks in advance :thanku:

[LongJohnny]

Longjohn,

I HOPE you can assist. I HAVE a job is Ozzie already, and must move there from South Africa soon, problem is I dont have time to wait for a subclass 457 visa to be approved, I have to start ASAP. Is there another work visa that would allow me to enter and work THEN apply for the 457 IN Australia once there ? I need guidance with this urgently.

Anyone out there that can advise :confused:

The agency now handling the Ozzie visa applications her in SA, well, I am not getting anywhere :banghead:

Thanks in advance :thanku:

When you are not much on th eboards anymore, then you tend to miss queries like this one. I,m sorry Marius, it's been a while.

If you still need info, I'll check here again, or contact me at

mtwalumi@hotmail.com


Cheers,

LJ

[OneTime]

When you are not much on th eboards anymore, then you tend to miss queries like this one. I,m sorry Marius, it's been a while.

If you still need info, I'll check here again, or contact me at

mtwalumi@hotmail.com


Cheers,

LJ

Tried to email him. Not sure if it's an old one though, we'll see...

[OneTime]

When people have time they often hook up a caravan and go on a camping holiday, but even this option is more expensive that it’s South African counterpart.


I agree, camping and caravanning seems to be a big past time over here. We've been camping twice already. Not a big caravan fan, but the big cars here are certainly built for towing.

We paid around $30 a night for a decent site with power sockets and light. The site we went to was very clean, organised, good toilet blocks, etc. The second one was completely rubbish, but I think we didn't really do our research for that one, as it was a last minute affair.

It pays to do your homework. I think that was just a bad apple anyway, rather than the norm.

[Toad]

I agree, camping and caravanning seems to be a big past time over here. We've been camping twice already. Not a big caravan fan, but the big cars here are certainly built for towing.

We paid around $30 a night for a decent site with power sockets and light. The site we went to was very clean, organised, good toilet blocks, etc. The second one was completely rubbish, but I think we didn't really do our research for that one, as it was a last minute affair.

It pays to do your homework. I think that was just a bad apple anyway, rather than the norm.



We are avid campers and I have built my Hilux to allow us to do really "rough" camping - we often pile the kids in the car on a friday night - hook up the 4x4 trailer and spend the weekend camping on a beach somewhere - there are loads of free cmping areas but they are mostly places that offer little or no amenities but we love that - nothing a few jerry cans of water and diesel and a a generator etc cant sort out.

Camping in Oz is fantastic - Oz is fantastic and if you are contemplating it Marius - DO IT SOONER RAHTER THAN LATER!!!!!:thumbs

[OneTime]

We are avid campers and I have built my Hilux to allow us to do really "rough" camping - we often pile the kids in the car on a friday night - hook up the 4x4 trailer and spend the weekend camping on a beach somewhere - there are loads of free cmping areas but they are mostly places that offer little or no amenities but we love that - nothing a few jerry cans of water and diesel and a a generator etc cant sort out.

Camping in Oz is fantastic - Oz is fantastic and if you are contemplating it Marius - DO IT SOONER RAHTER THAN LATER!!!!!:thumbs

Hello Toad, great to have you on board. :thumbs:grin

[Toad]

Hello Toad, great to have you on board. :thumbs:grin

Thanks OT - Ive been a member for awhile just havent posted!

[LongJohnny]

We live in Adelaide, and for day trips we often hop down to the Coorong - wonderful for fishing and bird-spotting (the feathered ones) especially in the wetter months.

For weekends and longer there are the Flinders Ranges as well as House-Boating on the Murray River.

You're right Toad, there's much to do and see in Oz.

Our next goal would be th esecenic route from Adelaide to Melbourne along the coast.

Cheers,

LJ

[OneTime]

Our next goal would be th esecenic route from Adelaide to Melbourne along the coast.

Cheers,

LJ


We drove that route in December over 2 days, staying over in Portland. The Great Ocean Road drive was great in respect of both sights to see and actual driving pleasure - lots of winding roads to have fun on.

It was pretty dry though, being the middle of summer. I imagine the winter/spring time would be the best time to do it visual wise.