Quoll

We stayed in Canberra by accident. It offered the best opportunities at the time. We had a couple of potential moves - to Ok Tedi and Broome - but circumstances didn’t quite turn out that way. Back then, when moving on might have been viable, it just wasn’t the right time with the right opportunities. When we were young we would have taken opportunities anywhere if they were better than what we had but we were doing pretty good. Would I move? Possibly, if we get a better offer by being somewhere else but at the moment I can’t see anything on the horizon. Nowhere is screaming “move here”.

Good to hear that there are other people who go on holiday and don't return! I honestly wouldn't be worrying about your daughter going back to Australia in another 20 years or so. She might. But, equally, she might just as likely end up in Surbiton or anywhere between Alaska and Zambia. When it gets to that stage you probably won't want to be trotting around the world after her. If you have a better opportunity in Australia then by all means go back. If your next better opportunity is in UK or Canada or Dubai then move on. You'll probably want to plan for stability while your daughter is at high school but then you're free to wander where you want.

Any counsellor worth their salt wouldn’t take a hatred of their town amiss! If they do, then they’re being highly unprofessional and you can find another! Your GP could facilitate a mental health pathway for you which would be much more cost effective. Having been just where you are I’m firmly in the camp of “bite the bullet and share with partner”. It’s easy not to rock the boat but at what cost to your mental health (you probably don’t notice it from the inside and you may not realise just how bad it is until you don’t feel that way any more - that was certainly the way it was for me). Talking it over also gives you the chance for a compromise scenario and that, in itself, can go some way to making you feel better in that you can begin to feel like these are choices you are making and that you get some sense of self determination back rather than being resentful about being trapped. In my case, we had a good compromise scenario that worked well for about 5 years and I was more able to rationalise my decision to stay as being “here with him was a damn sight better than there without him”. I’m back now with the same rationalisation and it helps somewhat. We have the compromise thing going too and I know that when. COVID no longer has the same impact it will be an even better option than it used to be. Good luck!

No, it can be passed on if the descent citizen lives for a number of years (varies as to country) in that country before they have a child.

Good Lord, it's been less than a month. What were you expecting? A response by return mail? Give it 3 months then start worrying.

Precisely, it is the cost of support services in education which mount up (rapidly, unfortunately). I used to help with the VI services here in a previous life and the level of support the VI kids received was substantial and if you factor in just an STA at $40kpa ball park, even for 50% support (which isnt unusual for a beginning learner) that's a lot of money being spent on one child. Obviously, early intervention is vital as educational skills are being established, alternatives being developed and accessed etc. Our budget was very significant for a relatively small VI population. I agree, it is unfortunate but it is what it is and if you know what is likely to occur then you make your decisions accordingly.

I did some googling and found that too. Apparently about 10% of SAD cases are Summer SAD. One report I saw was from a bloke who was a psychologist who had it and who was perplexed by it too.

I think so - I have it and apparently my granddaughter has it too. No idea what it is called and because it isnt having a dig at Britain's "pathetic" weather, nobody will be bothered to name it. Day after day of relentless blue sky really does add to my depression. If it has the odd cloud then it isnt quite so bad. I hadn't talked about it with my granddaughter at all (happy face and all that) but she raised it with me one day. I think, for her at least, it heralds bushfires and as they lost everything in a bushfire a few years ago that freaks her out. I noticed it first towards the end of the last big drought (which broke here on Valentines Day - 2010 I think) every day the relentless blue sky, watching the bom site for the little blue dots to presage rain (they always split before they got to us) every day just to get some relief which never came. I can see why droughts lead farmers to suicide.

It all depends on the level of support he requires - as soon as he starts to need significant assistive technology or braille if they still do it, plus mobility training etc etc the costs he would incur to the Australian tax payer will mount up and, yes, you are likely to get rejected. Talk to George Lombard or any of the other agents who specialise in medical conditions but usually as soon as a kid gets additional in school support they are likely to fail unfortunately.

You're not likely to get a temporary visa any time soon, if in fact you ever do (they're not issuing them at the moment and an employer has to prove that they cant find an Australian to take the role) If you go on a temporary visa you are not emigrating, you are working for a short time and there is a possibility, not a certainty that you might get a permanent visa down the track but generally you should expect to return home. If you have a kids then the temporary visa is a very risky option, having to chop and change schools etc and possibly pay for their education. First step is to talk to an agent and let them walk you through it.

Marisawright has said it in a nutshell. If you do decide on a temporary visa - one assumes you would be looking at a working visa and not a student visa - then some states charge you to put your kids in a government school. At the moment, Queensland does not but just across the border in NSW you would be paying about $6k pa per child and, in NSW anyway, not guaranteed a place in your local school if it is oversubscribed. If you were thinking of going down the student route then I hope you are well heeled because you would be paying through the nose for international fees and you would be paying for schooling for the kids (about $8k+) and not allowed to work more than 20 hpw (unless you are doing a Masters or above). Best talk to an agent and chase a permanent visa though the chances of you moving at the end of this year would be rather slim even at the best of non-Covid times. These things take time!

Apply for it right now (today!!!) and keep your fingers crossed. Far better to arrive on a permanent visa and be entitled to everything when you arrive than hoping to get in on a visitor visa and lingering even longer on a bridging visa. If you've been together a while you shouldn't have a problem. If it hasn't arrived and you desperately need to go then she can go as a visitor and then leave the country when it's approved. Much safer.

We have.

Double should be enough. It's actually not too bad at the moment, well insulated except for the windows.

We just had asbestos soffits removed and replaced because we're having windows replaced (old house). It was very straightforward and not as expensive as I had budgeted. We just got in the professionals to do it and it was done in an afternoon then a morning to replace them.

Get him a passport - one of each perhaps - if he hasnt already got one. Passports (current) are proof of id

Theoretically they are supposed to be in school but they did away with truancy inspectors about 30 years ago. No one is likely to ask you at all, school attendance is poorly monitored here. They wouldnt need to start at the beginning of a term or anything, there is a fair bit of movement throughout the year and though they usually ask you for a few days before a kid actually starts, once they're enrolled (so they can organise classes, desks etc) you could start that very day if you insisted. The online listings of rentals should be taken with a pinch of salt too - they can be glammed up beyond all recognition and they never tell you that you'd be living next door to a hoon with a dozen holdens. I am sure it will be fine, people arrive all the time and seem to find places to live. I assume that once you are out of hotel quarantine you'll be in a holiday let for a month or so and hopefully that will give you time to fix something up. Bring English references - landlords, mortgage providers, employers, general character references etc. It always helps if you have a job lined up.

Ah well, forget Ofsted and it'll all be good. Don't rush to get the kids in school, nobody gives a toss if they're out for a period while you get established. It'll probably very much depend on where you can get a house that you want to live in - availability, price, neighbours, facilities etc. A lot of people have aspirations for certain suburbs but when push comes to shove they just can't get a place that they want to live in so flexibility is key. You might end up in Mornington or Altona, you never know lol.

It’s a foreign country so you wouldn’t expect there to be the same system as Ofsted. https://www.myschool.edu.au/ Is another free comparison site but I couldn’t get on it just now for some reason. Australia is rather proud of its egalitarianism, it doesn't do ratings! All schools have priority enrolment areas and they are obliged to find places for kids living within those areas. If you want to apply for a place in a school which isn’t your priority enrolment school then you can apply but it is up to the school whether they let you in or not - it’s not really open slather, rather more if they have spots at the year level you want. Really popular schools are more likely to turn away out of area kids. Nothing beats the eyeball test so get a feeling for the neighbourhood first (you’re going to have to live there 24/7) then check out the school although some schools get a bit fed up with school shoppers who don’t have a permanent address in their catchment, they’re very time consuming. Meanwhile you can observe what the kids are like when they come out of school and you can get the “over the back fence " gossip to give you a feeling.

That is exactly what my parents did for 15 years from 65 - they built a granny flat on our block, arrived in October, played golf and toured the country until March then they went home where they played golf and toured around. They, too, looked at emigration (I'm an only) but dad had a sister who he didnt want to leave even though she was happily married and it would have been very expensive for them. They didnt regret it in the least, they had great holidays without the stress. They had travel insurance for the duration and brought their own medications with them for the period. They had very little need to access the reciprocal agreement but dad did have a mini stroke one year and was very well treated by the system. Once they were in their eighties it became more of a chore but talking to them about it while we were caring for them until early this year, they were very happy with the decisions they made - they had a good social network which stood by them to the end and they never regretted not ending their days in Australia. Of course, it worked out well for them that when they got to nearly 90 we were in a position to be able to retire and look after them in UK, squatting in their back bedroom!

You'd probably better not hide the fact that he sees a speech pathologist. They may well ask for a copy of any assessments the SP might have done and if the SP indicates that there is a below average communication skills then they may ask for a follow up. If you deliberately withhold information and that is discovered that could be an issue. The doctors arent stupid and developmental delays are an expensive area of concern so they will be keeping an eye out and a non verbal 2.5 year old could raise flags for them. Or you might just be super lucky and nobody mentions anything.

Psychologists are ten a penny in Australia so she probably won't have any problems finding a job once she's leaped the AHPRA hurdles. If she gets full registration she will be good to go but it might find it a bit more difficult if she only gets provisional registration because of the extra pressure on the organisation for additional supervision etc. She's not likely to get a job before you move so find the place you want to live then apply for the jobs - either of the places you mention are likely to have opportunities. If she joins the APS they have a sits vac section so you can see what the demands are in both places.

Not necessarily. As part of our discussion before we actually didn't return from our holiday my DH did say to me "but if I had to live in England then I would be depressed". I taxed him about that afterwards when we'd been there very happily for a year or more. He apologised profusely because he was actually very happy. There is no reason why someone relocating to UK is going to be depressed, they may be, they may not. We had been in Aus for 32 years, 8 months and 3 days when we accidentally stayed there and I can assure you for 8.5 years there it was a whole lot better than I had built up in my mind!!! If the finances had stacked up better we might have considered staying but we were just too old.

Glad to hear things have worked out well for you - good luck and bon voyage!!! We flew into Aus on Christmas morning last year and it was an odd experience flying at Christmas - hope you have a good day and a smooth trip! Jersey will be a lovely adventure!

I’m assuming no liquid. We certainly didn’t pack any at all - more for fear of it breaking and ruining stuff. We didn’t bring the wine cellar, sparse as it was - my son was very happy about that because he inherited it! Didn’t put cosmetics or anything edible in the cube at all.