Possibly moving to Australia - what to do?

[ondreeuh]

We possibly have the opportunity to emigrate to Australia in the next year or so, and although I know homeschooling is legal in all states, I'm also wondering if it wouldn't be better to send Corbin to school. Reasons?

 

 

• To meet kids and learn the subtle differences in culture
  
• To pick up the accent - he'd always sound like a Yankee if he spent all his time at home ;).
  
• To prepare for secondary school in Australia - I know what to do to prepare him for a US high school but the Australian system is mind-boggling to me. ("College" for grades 11-12?).
  

 

My daughter Chloe is currently a freshman in PS, and because their school year is different, if she transferred at the end of her 9th grade year she would either start in the middle of 9th or skip ahead to the middle of 10th. That's a really odd place to come into if high school ends after 10th grade. She's been doing pre-IB coursework and we could hopefully send her to an IB school but there aren't many. The non-IB schools look to have a very different scope & sequence (esp. math) and she wouldn't be able to continue Spanish. I did find a few schools that offer Italian. It's on the table to have her stay here with her grandparents. :(

 

On the other hand, her school here is facing cuts and will probably lose the block schedule. This will give her fewer options than she has now (currently she can do a year of most subjects in a semester, so she can take extra Spanish or science classes easily). She would not want to homeschool although I would consider it (esp. something like K12 International). She would probably enjoy it once she settled in, and she has Skype and Facebook, of course.

 

The back story - dh is finishing up his master's in education, and as everyone knows there are not many jobs in the whole US. Our local area is awful with most districts cutting at least $10 million, closing schools, laying off hundreds of teachers. He has always wanted to live in Australia, and his brother now lives near Melbourne with his wife & kids. He's applying for an Officer position with the Australian Army that he's very well qualified for, and if they want him they would handle the Visas. It would pay very well and we would get housing, medical, etc. It would be everything we want ... if Chloe wasn't so attached to her life here. (Me? I'm ready for a change, I think!)

 

Any thoughts?

[MtnTeaching]

My immediate thought is... COOL! What an opportunity! What an adventure!

 

Sorry I don't have any other thoughts. I don't know a thing about the Australian education system. I do think you've come to the right place, though. I know there are some awesome people on here that are from Australia.

 

Good luck!

[lovetobehome]

Wow, what an amazing opportunity! I just told my hubby the other night that I wanted to move to Aus. I don't know how to find out about qualifying for employment there, maybe you can point me in the right direction?

I did an exchange there during college....it was a one year exchange program. Their education system is leaps and bounds above ours, IMO. I think if I moved there, I would actually consider putting my children in school! Keep us posted!

[Peela]

That sounds exciting!

There are are few here from Victoria- Sandra and Rosie at least. They would be able to help you with the education system part. Victoria used to be the best state to homeschool in and I think it is still pretty easy.

 

Highschool still covers years 11 and 12, they just changed the name for some schools :) Highschool here is from either years 7 to 8, through to y12. Many schools do something to separate ys 11 and 12 (at my son's school its call "senior school" and they wear white shirts instead of red) but often its still on the same campus.

 

My son has gone from homeschool into y10 here and he is doing well. I think its actually easier here than in the U.S. My son could have gone into y11 but years 11 and 12 are the big years here and I wanted to ease him into the system before he had to perform at a high level.

 

In Australia kids who transfer from state to state or even from school to school, have to adjust, as presently there is no common curricula. There is a new national curriculum coming in but it's not here yet. My son has done various maths programs including U.S. ones, but is surviving y10 maths- I wouldn't be too concerned about it unless he is significantly behind. Yes, the maths is different here, but if there is something they don't understand, they learn it. He would be ahead in some areas and behind in others, just like many kids who go from homeschool to highschool (most likely anyway).

 

On the other hand I think there is a nice homeschooling community in Victoria- I am sure you will hear about it :)

[ondreeuh]

Wow, what an amazing opportunity! I just told my hubby the other night that I wanted to move to Aus. I don't know how to find out about qualifying for employment there, maybe you can point me in the right direction?

 

I'm really not a good one to ask, because there are several ways to get a Visa and I only paid attention to the skilled worker one. From what I can tell, if you're in a very high demand field such as a doctor or engineer, you can coast right in. Other areas you pretty much need a company to bring you in. Dh's degree puts him on the skilled worker list, but it's still nerve wracking think of moving there without a job in place. Look here: http://www.immi.gov.au/

[ondreeuh]

That sounds exciting!

There are are few here from Victoria- Sandra and Rosie at least. They would be able to help you with the education system part. Victoria used to be the best state to homeschool in and I think it is still pretty easy.

 

If he gets the position he would most likely be sent to Sydney, Canberra, or Laverton (Melbourne).

 

Highschool still covers years 11 and 12, they just changed the name for some schools :) Highschool here is from either years 7 to 8, through to y12. Many schools do something to separate ys 11 and 12 (at my son's school its call "senior school" and they wear white shirts instead of red) but often its still on the same campus.

 

My son has gone from homeschool into y10 here and he is doing well. I think its actually easier here than in the U.S. My son could have gone into y11 but years 11 and 12 are the big years here and I wanted to ease him into the system before he had to perform at a high level.

 

Most of the schools I saw in Canberra went through grade 10, and then you had to switch to a "college" for yrs. 11-12. I suppose she could take a half-year off to get situated and then start year 10? I agree that it would be better for her to start at year 10 than 11 if the work ramps up a lot at year 11.

 

In Australia kids who transfer from state to state or even from school to school, have to adjust, as presently there is no common curricula. There is a new national curriculum coming in but it's not here yet. My son has done various maths programs including U.S. ones, but is surviving y10 maths- I wouldn't be too concerned about it unless he is significantly behind. Yes, the maths is different here, but if there is something they don't understand, they learn it. He would be ahead in some areas and behind in others, just like many kids who go from homeschool to highschool (most likely anyway).

 

My brother-in-law teaches secondary in VIC, and I could ask him to smuggle me a math book ;) Is there any other way to see what the schools are teaching? The school websites are very vague - which publisher do they use?

 

Thanks Peela!

[Peela]

I

My brother-in-law teaches secondary in VIC, and I could ask him to smuggle me a math book ;) Is there any other way to see what the schools are teaching? The school websites are very vague - which publisher do they use?

 

Thanks Peela!

 

Thats the thing- it varies from school to school. If you knew the actual school you could specifically ask them...and they may not even know which ones they would use the next year. ANd maybe different teachers in the year use different texts? Not sure about that.

But there are Australian maths text books. Australia uses a spiral method of teaching maths- but not as in Saxon- more, that all topics are taught each year, but each year they are taught more in depth. So geometry is taught each year etc

 

Yes, its possible the ACT /Canberra has a different system. ANd I think schools in Australia are moving towards having years 11 and 12 more separate. But dont be misled by the word "college". We call "college" university here so when we use the word college it is often just a fancy word for highschool probably intended to make teenagers take it all more seriously or something :)

 

I just wanted to add that I think Australia is a good place to be in the world nowadays. Apart from major flooding and fires :) things are pretty good here.

[coffeegal]

What a wonderful opportunity! Dad went to Australia on sabbatical in the 80s and took us along. I was 8th grade and had a blast. While I'm certain a lot has changed since the 80s, I'll still make some suggestions. :001_smile:

 

Check into getting a bike ASAP. In the States everyone drove to school; in Australia everyone biked to school.

 

The schedule was quite different. Instead of having the same classes everyday, the schedule changed each day of the week. I taped my schedule to my binder because I never did get it memorized.

 

Gym class was a serious class, not the participate and get an A class it was at home.

 

Spelling can be a nuisance. Some words still don't look correct with the American spelling. lol

 

A canteen is a cafeteria, not a waterbottle. I was rather shocked when the vice-principal? who was setting up my schedule told me it was lunch time and the canteen was that way. I kept my mouth shut and went where I was pointed, and ended up in a cafeteria. :lol:

 

Ask where friends and collegues are sending their children to school. Mom told me, as we were leaving, she wished she'd sent me to the same school as Dad's collegues' children.

 

Good luck looking into your options! :001_smile:

[min]

Some schools call themselves "colleges". After high school you can basically go to a technical college (TAFE) or go to university or there are various private options for specific situations - I went to a private secretarial school, for example. I rather think your 2-year colleges sound a little like our TAFE, but I'm not really sure.

 

Melbourne's lovely. You can visit the Grampians, Wilson's Prom is gorgeous, see the penguins at err, can't remember the name of the island... (Not day trips, but not far either, at least not by Australian standards!)

 

Min

[Melissa in Australia]

HI. I live in Victoria.

Just about all high schools in Victoria are called secondary collages. High school in Victoria goes from year 7 to year 12. It is very easy to homeschool in Victoria, you just have to sign a stat.dec. each year that you are going to cover the 8 key learning areas. In New South Whales I believe you need to get an education plan approved to get registered, I think it is hard to get approval in Queensland, and people need to be part of a charter school or enrolled in correspondence school though I could be wrong.

 

She should be able to continue with her Spanish, most high schools in Victoria use the Correspondence language school for students studying languages that are not part of their curriculum. Lots of schools use Math Methods, vce 1&2 is year 11, and vce 3&4 is year 12.

 

TAFE is not the same as the collages in Canada (my DH is Canadian) TAFE's offed diplomas in things like personal care, office skills, childcare computer skills stc. Universities are where you get degrees, things like engineering, nurses, paramedics, teachers, doctors etc.

[Melissa in Australia]

Melbourne's lovely. You can visit the Grampians, Wilson's Prom is gorgeous, see the penguins at err, can't remember the name of the island... (Not day trips, but not far either, at least not by Australian standards!)

 

Min

Phillip Island

[keptwoman]

I'm really not a good one to ask, because there are several ways to get a Visa and I only paid attention to the skilled worker one. From what I can tell, if you're in a very high demand field such as a doctor or engineer, you can coast right in. Other areas you pretty much need a company to bring you in. Dh's degree puts him on the skilled worker list, but it's still nerve wracking think of moving there without a job in place. Look here: http://www.immi.gov.au/

Not quite coast in, you have to apply and then wait to be approved, and I believe the wait can be quite long.

 

Textbooks; the main publishers are Heinemann and Jacaranda. There are others though, and the book used varies from school to school, but all will cover the same material (within the state) As a guide, DS did Singapore Maths up to NSM2 which is Singapore Gr8, and he has just gone into a Melbourne school at Gr11, with only a few gaps.

 

What a wonderful opportunity! Dad went to Australia on sabbatical in the 80s and took us along. I was 8th grade and had a blast. While I'm certain a lot has changed since the 80s, I'll still make some suggestions. :001_smile:

 

Check into getting a bike ASAP. In the States everyone drove to school; in Australia everyone biked to school.

Not anymore, although it may vary depending on the school, at DSs first high school, most were driven or walked. At his new one, most catch the train.

 

"college" is another word for high school. What you call college, we call University.

 

Personally, I'd probably put him in school for a year or so for your first two reasons. Well, the accent thing is up to you, but you are right, homeschooled children do tend to have their parents accents.

Edited March 3, 2011 by keptwoman

[min]

Thanks Melissa, the name just wouldn't come to me, though I could picture it like I was there!

 

Min

[Melissa in Australia]

I'm really not a good one to ask, because there are several ways to get a Visa and I only paid attention to the skilled worker one. From what I can tell, if you're in a very high demand field such as a doctor or engineer, you can coast right in. Other areas you pretty much need a company to bring you in. Dh's degree puts him on the skilled worker list, but it's still nerve wracking think of moving there without a job in place. Look here: http://www.immi.gov.au/

My Dh (Canadian) applied to get into Australia as a skilled worker (toolmaker) his job was in very high demand. His Visa application took two years. His best friend's wife's company sponsored them and it took 6 months.

[keptwoman]

Also, just to note; the points system is radically changing as of the 1st of July. Some who couldn't get enough points now will, and vice versa.

[ondreeuh]

Dh got word back from the Australian Army that they couldn't sponsor his Visa because it's not a lateral job move from where he's at (he doesn't currently hold the same position here in the US). Well, poo. So he's thinking he could still get down there on his own and then join the Army, and send for us. Who knows how long that could take.

 

We are looking at New Zealand again. Much easier to get in (their teachers flock to Australia, from what I've heard :D) and he could teach. We're not really picky about where we live or where he teaches, but teachers are paid less in NZ than Australia so we have to look at that. Dh is going to contact a teacher placement agency.

 

It's kind of exciting to have so many possibilities, but nerve wracking! I want to know how we're going to afford to live next year.

[min]

NZ is gorgeous too. Actually, until the last week or so, Christchurch was very high on my list of desirable places to live. Not so much at present. :(

 

Min

[Jennifer]

Are you US citizens? What happens when you join the Armed Forces of another country? Does your dh lose US citizenship?

Jennifer

[sewingmama]

Here is a link to a government run website that compares all the private and public schools in Australia. We have benchmarks for literacy and numeracy at Years 3,5,7 (called NAPLAN). You can see how well the schools are achieving the national standards - basically pink is bad and green is good. http://www.myschool.edu.au/

 

This is the proposed national curriculum which is still being created for the higher grades and some subjects in the lower grades so you can get a basic idea of the standards http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home

 

 

We are looking at New Zealand again. Much easier to get in (their teachers flock to Australia, from what I've heard :D) and he could teach. We're not really picky about where we live or where he teaches, but teachers are paid less in NZ than Australia so we have to look at that. Dh is going to contact a teacher placement agency.

 

 

Keep in mind that cost of living is very high in NZ (it's a major reason so many NZ's flock to Australia) It is also quite high in Australia - as an American you will get sticker shock when you see the prices here - eg. right now gas in our area (adelaide city) is 1.39 a litre or $5.26 a gallon and it's been promised to go up by quite a bit when they add a new carbon tax on by the end of this year.

 

The average price of a very basic, 3 bedroom (No basement/attic) house in my area (a low income area and supposedly listed as one of the cheapest areas to buy in Australia) is 300,000. If you want closer to the city it will start at 350 to 400 000 for a basic no frills house. I know you said those expenses will be paid but that's to give you an idea of the cost of living.

 

My DH is Canadian and it took him 3 years to get full citizenship - although he had a working visa when he entered the country and could work right away. He did not have a problem being accepted in because I am an Australian citizen.

 

My DH is a PS teacher earning the top level income a teacher can get in Aus -around $80 000 and even though that sounds great - due to the cost of living here we struggle to meet our basic bills and we do not own a house - his income is not considered high enough to get a loan from the bank when the houses here are so expensive.

 

There are many, many advantages you get in the US that you will not get here. As I said EVERYTHING is expensive compared to the US. Online shopping is still pretty much non-existant unless you order from overseas (and it's often much cheaper to do that then buy locally) food is unbelievably expensive (there are no such things as coupons here).

 

Honestly I don't think the Australian education is all that great - I couldn't find a decent school to send my kids to in the local area and that is why I will be homeschooling. In fact when I read about what the public schools are doing in the US all I can think is wow -your academics are so much stronger. My DD goes to public Pre-K (kindy) at the moment and they don't even teach them their letters - they do craft, they play and the only academic thing they do is a 15 minute story time at the end.

 

I wouldn't worry about your child keeping up - she is probably way ahead of all the public schools here - especially if she was homeschooled.

 

That Oprah special sure was nice -but to tell you the truth - most of the places she went to a regular Australian could never afford to visit (although I did visit Ularu since we used to live in Alice Springs). It is a beautiful country -IF you are rich enough to afford to travel that is.

 

The medical system is not "free" although it is certainly less expensive then the US system. Anything past basic care will cost you. Last year I got sick with a mystery illness and after seeing some specialists and having an MRI my out of pocket cost was $800. Not as free as people think it is - only for people on welfare is it free. Still much cheaper then the US though. Public hospitals are free though - my DH had to have his appendix removed a few weeks after he arrived in Australia- they operated in the middle of the night - he stayed 4 days and all it cost him was $7 to hire the tv.

 

Anyway - hope I didn't rain on your parade too badly but if you're planning on making such a big move then you need to know the actual, dirty truth and reality :D

Edited March 4, 2011 by sewingmama

[keptwoman]

The average price of a very basic, 3 bedroom (No basement/attic) house in my area (a low income area and supposedly listed as one of the cheapest areas to buy in Australia) is 300,00. If you want closer to the city it will start at 350-400 00 for a basic no frills house. I know you said those expenses will be paid but that's to give you an idea of the cost of living.

I'm assuming you missed the zeros and mean $300,000 and $350-400,000??

Otherwise we are moving to Adelaide :D

[Rosie_0801]

I'm assuming you missed the zeros and mean $300,000 and $350-400,000??

Otherwise we are moving to Adelaide :D

 

B***** Oath! :tongue_smilie:

 

If I were you, I'd try for Laverton, of your options. It's not the greatest place, but it's handy and cheaper than Canberra and Sydney.

 

Rosie

[nd293]

I'm also wondering if it wouldn't be better to send Corbin to school. Reasons?

 

 

• To meet kids and learn the subtle differences in culture

• To pick up the accent - he'd always sound like a Yankee if he spent all his time at home ;).

• To prepare for secondary school in Australia - I know what to do to prepare him for a US high school but the Australian system is mind-boggling to me. ("College" for grades 11-12?).

She's been doing pre-IB coursework and we could hopefully send her to an IB school but there aren't many. The non-IB schools look to have a very different scope & sequence (esp. math) and she wouldn't be able to continue Spanish. I did find a few schools that offer Italian. It's on the table to have her stay here with her grandparents. :(

 

 

We're South African's who moved here 2 yrs ago.

 

I think that yes, school will be more of an immersion experience in terms of culture, but kids pick up differences in culture and language pretty quickly, so homeschool contact can be sufficient. I think the advantage of homeschooling as newly arrived immigrants was that unless one has very strong contacts in the community, one might not have sufficient knowledge to make the right decisions about schools and where to live immediately. We rented somewhere where we could not afford to buy, for instance. If we had enrolled dd in the local school, we would have had to move her after 18 months, or would have had to limit our house hunting to areas proximate to her school. Homeschooling also definitely limited the stress of the move for her, as she wasn't thrown into a completely different community overnight. There are arguments for both approaches.

 

There are lots of accents here - accents are interesting! I once met a man who still had a strong South African accent after living in the US for 17 years - he told me that anything that gets you remembered is a plus in business.

 

There seem to be more schools offering IB at diploma level than at the primary level, but there are disappointingly few - dd also moved from an IB school, and I would probably have kept her at school if there was one here.

 

I just told my hubby the other night that I wanted to move to Aus. I don't know how to find out about qualifying for employment there, maybe you can point me in the right direction?

 

There are a couple of ways to get into Australia. It is easier if the primary applicant is under 45yrs. I am not sure you can do it independently at all if you are over 45yrs - dh was on the skills list, but still did not get enough points. If you are under 45yrs it is a straight points system (which gives preference to certain skills, but not always the ones you'd expect) and takes about 2yrs, as I recall.

 

It is quicker to go the "Business Sponsored" route - that means you apply for a job, and the company sponsors you, usually on a temporary basis at first (as it is quicker) and then on a permanent visa. This requires that you are in a field where demand exceeds supply, of course. This visa can be used if you are over 45yrs, although the company has to jump through a few extra hoops to convince the government you're really needed. Our visa took about 4 months for the temporary, and about 7 months for the permanent, if I recall correctly.

 

The other option is the "Regional Sponsored" visa. Here you agree to go and live in an outlying area (and not all are in the middle of nowhere, so this can be a reasonable option) where there is a skills shortage for a period of time after you are accepted - I think it's two years. I'm not sure how long this visa takes to process, but I'd guess also in the two year range.

 

The website is very informative, if a little dense with information, and has accurate information on the time that visas take to grant.

 

Nikki

[Rosie_0801]

I think that yes, school will be more of an immersion experience in terms of culture, but kids pick up differences in culture and language pretty quickly, so homeschool contact can be sufficient.

 

:iagree: Add a couple of extra curricular activities and I rekon they'd be fine. There are lots of homeschoolers in the areas you are talking. However, here is a list of IB schools, scroll down to the table of links: http://www.resaust.com.au/index.php?p=5_1There are a couple of options within commuting distance from Laverton, if you end up there, providing you're ok with your dd traveling on public transport. Driving would not be at all pleasant.

Rosie

[ondreeuh]

Are you US citizens? What happens when you join the Armed Forces of another country? Does your dh lose US citizenship?

Jennifer

 

Yes, we are US Citizens. That's a great question about having to give up citizenship - I honestly don't know. You do have to be in the process of getting Australian citizenship to join the military. I assumed he could get dual citizenship, but it makes sense that if you're military you would have to pick a side ;). We'd like to keep citizenship so the kids could go to school here easily if they choose, but I don't know that it would be a deal-breaker.

 

The Australian Army got back to him and told him it wouldn't be considered a lateral move so they wouldn't hire him as an overseas applicant. Doing reserves would be a nice source of extra income, though, if we were gong there anyway to teach.

[ondreeuh]

Keep in mind that cost of living is very high in NZ (it's a major reason so many NZ's flock to Australia) It is also quite high in Australia - as an American you will get sticker shock when you see the prices here - eg. right now gas in our area (adelaide city) is 1.39 a litre or $5.26 a gallon and it's been promised to go up by quite a bit when they add a new carbon tax on by the end of this year.

 

The average price of a very basic, 3 bedroom (No basement/attic) house in my area (a low income area and supposedly listed as one of the cheapest areas to buy in Australia) is 300,00. If you want closer to the city it will start at 350-400 00 for a basic no frills house. I know you said those expenses will be paid but that's to give you an idea of the cost of living.

...

My DH is a PS teacher earning the top level income a teacher can get in Aus -around $80 000 and even though that sounds great - due to the cost of living here we struggle to meet our basic bills and we do not own a house - his income is not considered high enough to get a loan from the bank when the houses here are so expensive.

 

 

Thank you for all your advice!

 

BIL married an Australian woman a few years ago and they settled in the states. She always wanted to move back to Oz though, and last summer they moved (they waited until she got her US citizenship). BIL had taught for 2 years in the US and got a job right away in Sale, a couple hours from Melbourne. He makes good money and they have paid off all their debts. They have two little ones, and she told me she gets paid $800 a month to stay home and take care of them. They make it look so easy! I suppose Sale isn't a very expensive town to live in, though.

[ondreeuh]

Thanks Rosie! The Army doesn't look like an immediate option anymore (boo!).

[sewingmama]

They have two little ones, and she told me she gets paid $800 a month to stay home and take care of them. They make it look so easy! I suppose Sale isn't a very expensive town to live in, though.

 

That would be the govt. Family Tax benefit. The amount you get paid depends upon your income. I have no idea about Sale - but I do know that South Australia has one of the lowest costs of living for States in Australia. I agree about not going to Sydney if you get a choice - SUPER EXPENSIVE.

 

Here's a little hint - I'm not sure they run this program in the US - I know they have it for those trying to immigrate from England - but if you agree to move to South Australia the process can be shorter and some allowances made for you - maybe because the state is not as populated as the others but we live here and it is a very nice place to live - and one of the lowest costs of living in Aus. I'm not sure how your DH would go getting a job in the public system - it was very difficult for my DH because they wanted experience in the SA education system first - but he got a job at a private school no problem. Queensland also at the moment is only hiring part-timers/casual teachers. We used to live there but it was why we moved - DH could not get a permanent teaching job. Your best bet would be Victoria/South Australia.

 

I wouldn't worry about the accent -even if your son goes to school I doubt he will loose it. My kids are Aus born and so am I but DH still has his Canadian accent even after living here 8 years - and all my kids have a Canadian accent :D in fact I'm picking it up as well - everyone keeps asking if I'm from the US LOL.

 

Does your DH teach science or math? I know those are very wanted subjects here and might fast track him.

 

Just a question -can't your DH's brother in Melbourne sponser him on a family visa? I think that would be your best bet to coming in.

 

I'm not sure about dual citizenship with the US. I'm pretty sure you can keep it but if you can't that would be the US rules. Australia allows dual citizenship as far as I know. My kids have dual citizenship with Canada and they weren't even born there -we just had to apply to the Canadian govt and it was granted. My DH also has dual citizenship.

 

As for the IB program - I don't know if we lucked out or what but the area we live in every public school here runs the IB program - however the effectiveness of the program depends upon the principal of the school and if they understand the correct way to run it - as I said before I looked at all my local schools and IB or not - I would not send my kids to them. In truth it is my secret opinion that these schools are trying to lift the image of their school by claiming the program but the benefit is lost because they really don't make it a priority. I've seen some of the work displayed at a local shopping centre from one of these schools and I honestly thought it was 4th/5th graders who had done it - imagine my shock when I discovered it was done by the 9th graders at the IB school - seriously - cut and paste straight from the internet and stuck on cardboard posters and what little handwriting was on it was such terrible penmanship and literary standard I could barely read it - and it was on display to the public as a sample of thier work - freaked me right into homeschooling then and there.

 

 

I'm assuming you missed the zeros and mean $300,000 and $350-400,000??

Otherwise we are moving to Adelaide :D

 

Whoops - wishful thinking on my part LOL - I went back and edited it. I know I often look at houses in the US and think wow if that gorgeous house (4 bedroom/basement/ huge yard) was that price

(around $250 000) in Aus it wouldn't last a millisecond before it was snapped up. We seem to get so little for our money here.

Edited March 4, 2011 by sewingmama

[Melissa in Australia]

My Ds still has his Canadian accent and he has lived here for over 20 years.

 

Sale isn't that far from where I live (around 2 1/2 hours drive). It is a smallish city, not sure of the house prices.

[Melissa in Australia]

 

Honestly I don't think the Australian education is all that great - I couldn't find a decent school to send my kids to in the local area and that is why I will be homeschooling. In fact when I read about what the public schools are doing in the US all I can think is wow -your academics are so much stronger. My DD goes to public Pre-K (kindy) at the moment and they don't even teach them their letters - they do craft, they play and the only academic thing they do is a 15 minute story time at the end.

 

:D

There is quite a debate worldwide about the benifits of having three- young four year old ( kindy) doing craft and learning through play instead of learning their letters. MANY educational specialists look at the great results Scandinavian countries are getting educationally and put it down to the kindy kids doing craft. They are way ahead academically than most western countries by grade 5 or so.

Just because Australia has a different way than America doesn't necessarily mean it is terrible.

[keptwoman]

Just a question -can't your DH's brother in Melbourne sponser him on a family visa? I think that would be your best bet to coming in.

This option ends 1 July, if you want to do it, best do it QUICK.

[ondreeuh]

His brother just moved down mid-July last year - the regional sponsor has to have lived there at least a year.

[ondreeuh]

That would be the govt. Family Tax benefit. The amount you get paid depends upon your income. I have no idea about Sale - but I do know that South Australia has one of the lowest costs of living for States in Australia. I agree about not going to Sydney if you get a choice - SUPER EXPENSIVE.

 

Here's a little hint - I'm not sure they run this program in the US - I know they have it for those trying to immigrate from England - but if you agree to move to South Australia the process can be shorter and some allowances made for you - maybe because the state is not as populated as the others but we live here and it is a very nice place to live - and one of the lowest costs of living in Aus. I'm not sure how your DH would go getting a job in the public system - it was very difficult for my DH because they wanted experience in the SA education system first - but he got a job at a private school no problem. Queensland also at the moment is only hiring part-timers/casual teachers. We used to live there but it was why we moved - DH could not get a permanent teaching job. Your best bet would be Victoria/South Australia.

 

Good to know! I will look it up.

 

I wouldn't worry about the accent -even if your son goes to school I doubt he will loose it. My kids are Aus born and so am I but DH still has his Canadian accent even after living here 8 years - and all my kids have a Canadian accent :D in fact I'm picking it up as well - everyone keeps asking if I'm from the US LOL.

 

Does your DH teach science or math? I know those are very wanted subjects here and might fast track him.

 

No - humanities/history/social studies/geography

 

Just a question -can't your DH's brother in Melbourne sponser him on a family visa? I think that would be your best bet to coming in.

 

I don't think so - he's only been there since mid-July, and they want the sponsor to be there at least a year. According to sewingmama, this option is going to end July 1st.

 

As for the IB program - I don't know if we lucked out or what but the area we live in every public school here runs the IB program - however the effectiveness of the program depends upon the principal of the school and if they understand the correct way to run it - as I said before I looked at all my local schools and IB or not - I would not send my kids to them. In truth it is my secret opinion that these schools are trying to lift the image of their school by claiming the program but the benefit is lost because they really don't make it a priority. I've seen some of the work displayed at a local shopping centre from one of these schools and I honestly thought it was 4th/5th graders who had done it - imagine my shock when I discovered it was done by the 9th graders at the IB school - seriously - cut and paste straight from the internet and stuck on cardboard posters and what little handwriting was on it was such terrible penmanship and literary standard I could barely read it - and it was on display to the public as a sample of thier work - freaked me right into homeschooling then and there.

 

Woah. Well, I'm glad we're prepared to homeschool!

[Rosie_0801]

I suppose Sale isn't a very expensive town to live in, though.

 

Ha ha, no. If you're looking at teaching, there are plenty of options. If you truly don't care where you live, look into the Northern Territory remote teaching program. You can make some good money there if you are prepared for that level of isolation. If you find you actually do care a bit, which you probably will considering your dd's age, teaching isn't so hard to find if you're prepared to live outside the capital cities. Though a friend of ours had to take a job in central Gippsland (Sale but further north-ish) as his first job, and he thought he had been transplanted to the middle ages. The social structure and attitudes were, uh, interesting. That doesn't stop you looking elsewhere for the following year, though. By the sounds of it, you should look at South Australia. In Victoria, it is very difficult to get permanent teaching work. The school has to have employed you for the same job, three years in a row before they have to offer you permanent. That's one reason dh is no longer teaching... If you get to that point in your negotiations with the Australian government, give us a list of places you're looking at and we'll all do our best to comment :)

 

It seems the IB schools are mostly expensive private schools. There are some that are very good, such as MLC in Melbourne, but they are very expensive too.

 

Rosie

Edited March 4, 2011 by Rosie_0801

[funschooler5]

We possibly have the opportunity to emigrate to Australia in the next year or so, and although I know homeschooling is legal in all states, I'm also wondering if it wouldn't be better to send Corbin to school. Reasons?

 

 

• To meet kids and learn the subtle differences in culture

• To pick up the accent - he'd always sound like a Yankee if he spent all his time at home ;).

• To prepare for secondary school in Australia - I know what to do to prepare him for a US high school but the Australian system is mind-boggling to me. ("College" for grades 11-12?).

My daughter Chloe is currently a freshman in PS, and because their school year is different, if she transferred at the end of her 9th grade year she would either start in the middle of 9th or skip ahead to the middle of 10th. That's a really odd place to come into if high school ends after 10th grade. She's been doing pre-IB coursework and we could hopefully send her to an IB school but there aren't many. The non-IB schools look to have a very different scope & sequence (esp. math) and she wouldn't be able to continue Spanish. I did find a few schools that offer Italian. It's on the table to have her stay here with her grandparents. :(

 

On the other hand, her school here is facing cuts and will probably lose the block schedule. This will give her fewer options than she has now (currently she can do a year of most subjects in a semester, so she can take extra Spanish or science classes easily). She would not want to homeschool although I would consider it (esp. something like K12 International). She would probably enjoy it once she settled in, and she has Skype and Facebook, of course.

 

The back story - dh is finishing up his master's in education, and as everyone knows there are not many jobs in the whole US. Our local area is awful with most districts cutting at least $10 million, closing schools, laying off hundreds of teachers. He has always wanted to live in Australia, and his brother now lives near Melbourne with his wife & kids. He's applying for an Officer position with the Australian Army that he's very well qualified for, and if they want him they would handle the Visas. It would pay very well and we would get housing, medical, etc. It would be everything we want ... if Chloe wasn't so attached to her life here. (Me? I'm ready for a change, I think!)

 

Any thoughts?

 

I sent you a pm. :001_smile:

[sewingmama]

There is quite a debate worldwide about the benifits of having three- young four year old ( kindy) doing craft and learning through play instead of learning their letters. MANY educational specialists look at the great results Scandinavian countries are getting educationally and put it down to the kindy kids doing craft. They are way ahead academically than most western countries by grade 5 or so.

Just because Australia has a different way than America doesn't necessarily mean it is terrible

 

I didn't mean to imply it was terrible - just more relaxed. Obviously if I had a problem with it I wouldn't be sending my DD there. Actually it is the non-academic atmosphere as to why I chose the place for my DD. My DD's whole being centres around crafts - it's her reason for living :D The other benefit is their playground/yard is HUGE and we have a small crappy backyard at home so I LOVE that she gets to play outside everyday for an hour in a nice area. I actually woud not send my DD to an academically rigorous kindy because I don't believe in it is beneficial at that age and I hate the idea of little ones sitting at desks (unless they are doing craft of course). I am teaching her all the academic stuff she needs at home - kindy is her "playdate" :D I'm just trying to point out to OP that she needn't think her DD won't be able to keep up because our academic standards are not so high as she might imagine - to me the US sounds more rigorous and if she had a child in Pre-K over there that child would probably be way advanced for a kindy here.

 

Woah. Well, I'm glad we're prepared to homeschool!

 

Not all IB schools are like that in SA - there are some pretty fantastic ones nearer the city. The area I live in is not really a good place to make comparisons from because it is a low socio-economic area - the schools are fighting a lot of social problems and so things like running an IB program correctly is not really top of their list KWIM. Also not ALL schools are terrible in Australia - there are plenty of private and state schools that do a good job - but that basically means you need to live in a good area (expensive) or nearer the city (super expensive). I don't want you to get a false idea of the entire education system here - for the most part it's adequate to great - but like any country it has it's bad points and trouble areas. The area I live in is rural with a high percentage of teenage mum's and Aboriginal families - we live here because my DH got a job here at the local school and it's just too far to commute from anywhere else (plus it's cheap):001_smile:

 

Ha ha, no. If you're looking at teaching, there are plenty of options. If you truly don't care where you live, look into the Northern Territory remote teaching program. You can make some good money there if you are prepared for that level of isolation.

 

As I mentioned before we lived in Alice Springs and my DH had a great teaching job there - paid very highly. We stayed for 3 years before we couldn't handle the isolation, heat and flies any more :D There are a LOT of Americans living in Alice. It's good if you like the quiet life - not much going on there at all. Housing can be hard to find - the demand is high and houses are few. We rented a 2 bedroom tiny apartment for $275 a week - when we left the landloard put it up to $300 a week and whenever they had a viewing to show it to potential renters I had to wait outside as so many people turned up there wasn't enough room for them all inside at once:001_huh:. Even with my DH's high salary we couldn't afford to rent a house.

 

If you want to get an idea of prices - go here -

www.realestate.com.au

 

 

I should stop posting - it sounds like I am trying to discourage you when I'm really not :D I've moved countries several times and I know what it feels like to have imagined ideas of a place only to arrive and face the reality and then really wish I made a different decision :glare:

Edited March 4, 2011 by sewingmama

[keptwoman]

I should stop posting - it sounds like I am trying to discourage you when I'm really not :D I've moved countries several times and I know what it feels like to have imagined ideas of a place only to arrive and face the reality and then really wish I made a different decision :glare:

I think it's really important for people to go into decisions like this with their eyes wide open. The more people who are real with them, and don't sugar coat or pretend everything is wonderful, the better. Everything is never wonderful, regardless of where you are going, or where you came from.

[ondreeuh]

Oh, I appreciate your candor. I think the big sticking point for us is the visa. If it's $6k for each of, that's $30,000 and it's just a bit out of our budget. ;)

 

We are refocusing on New Zealand. Free work visas for Americans, immediate qualification for national healthcare (middle child is a bit medically fragile), and with a job offer it's a straight shot. We're OK living modestly; we've never known any different. Nearly all of the IB schools in NZ are private with hefty tuitions but we could compromise.