Itai's Micro blog - Jhb to Mel

[eitai2001]

Hi Guys.

So after introducing myself and getting involved in some of the discussions, I've decided it's a lot more fun to move if you can chat to people about it, tell them the good, the bad and get advice along the way. So I've decided to start a micro-blog of the process. Why is this a micro-blog and not a blog? Well simply because I've seen some really awesome journals which go into great detail, and I'm pretty sure mine will not match up to those ... so anyway, here we go!

For those who missed my introduction, my decision to move to Australia was made towards the end of last year, and after doing all the research, I decided on a 189 Skilled Migration visa, which is a permanent residence visa. I used the External Auditor occupation on the Skilled Occupation List. As I was a trainee accountant, I made sure to speed up all the steps to register as a Chartered Accountant with SAICA. I got everything done at the beginning of this year such as getting my Skills assessed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia. By the time I was ready to apply for my Visa in March, I had already done everything in the space of 3 months from Jan to March, including my IELTS, Skills Assessment, Police Clearance, Medical and certification of every possible document I could think of. With all that done, I received my Visa within 29 days of applying.

At the time, I was on a work secondment in California, so a great deal of coordination with my mother in South Africa and my sister in Melbourne was done in order to prepare everything. And as of 1 May, I have been formerly funemployed !

I arrived back from America on 1 July, with the plan of moving over at the beginning of August. However, I had a potential job opportunity in SA which could not be missed. In the interviews though, I mentioned to them that I had an Aussie PR and that I eventually planned to go as I wanted to lay all the cards on the table. After 4 interviews and everything seeming positive, including meeting the COO of the company, I was turned down for the job, and from what I could tell, it was because of my plans to eventually move ... so I cannot blame them. On the same day that I was turned down (31 July), I also purchased my ticket to Melbourne through Qantas ... and so my move has begun!

For the last week, I have been sorting out all manners of Admin, most of which consists of going through all my stuff, seeing what I can sell, what I can donate to charity and what must come with me. I've also closed my store accounts and cancelled my cell phone contracts. I still need to withdraw from Discovery and my gap cover.

And now I've begun the process of packing bags (even though I only leave on 1st September) in order to determine what is coming with me on the plane, what is going through unaccompanied luggage and what is going to stay here until next year July when I come for a visit. I'm lucky in the sense that my mom lives here as I can just leave everything with her.

(Speaking of which, have you guys got any recommendations for a service which does unaccompanied luggage?)

Packing everything is currently the most frustrating, nostalgic thing in the world. It feels like I pack and pack and the pile of things to pack does not budge ... and I'm not even packing furniture or anything of the sort like most of the others on here who have been through the process, so I definitely feel for those of you!! I think part of the reason it takes so long, is I come across boxes of old memories and photo's and then sit for a few hours looking through my old stuff and getting that Nostalgia feeling. I am not ashamed to admit as a guy that I came across one box which had photo's of my childhood pets and my Nanny, whom I was extremely attached to, and I just burst into tears, with the feelings of leaving my home compounding the emotions. I won't lie when I say I tend to be quite closed off and guarded to my emotions, but I just tipped over the edge with that one box. Also a contributing factor is the fact I have to leave my beautiful Sun Conure (Bird) behind ... and I type this as she sits cuddled up against my face not knowing what is forthcoming

What does rather piss me off is that she is not on the list of allowed bird imports, even though they DO sell Sun Conures in Australia ... it makes absolutely no sense to me. If they banned them completely, fine I'd understand because I know how they are with their impact on wild life ... but they sell them there, so why can I not import my Sun Conure, while someone who owns a Scarlett Macaw CAN import their bird ... it's just ridiculous and unfair!!! Ok, rant over.

The last few days have been spent with doing research on everything I can think of from cellphone contracts to food prices to what needs to be done from a SARS perspective. I did need that though in order to begin imagining my new life as the packing was becoming a bit much.

In terms of my plans that side, I'm lucky that my sister lives in Melbourne (hence my reason for my landing destination) as I will be staying with her for a couple weeks / months until I find myself a job. Then the search will be on for a place to stay. I'm considering using flatmates.com.au to find a house or flat share with someone ... it seems like a good way to integrate with locals my age, though I do eventually intend to get my own place ... and hopefully buy a bachelor pad in the next year or two.

Speaking of buying, in case anyone doesn't know ... if your first purchase is from a brand new development or off-plan house, and it is under $600,000, you are entitled to a $10,000 rebate from the VIctoria government ... And if you earn below certain thresholds, your rates and duties are reduced

For now, it looks like I'm going to take out the Vodacom Red BYOH $50 month-to-month package, because it offers unlimited calls and sms's within Aus, unlimited international SMS's, 300 minutes to call any international destination and 3GB of Data. I've heard that their reception may not be the best ... does anyone have any experience with them in Melbourne? How is the reception there?

I've also researched a bunch of banks, and decided that a combination of ING Direct and Citibank will be my banks of choice. ING Direct because there are no fees at all and you can use any ATM in Australia. Furthermore, if you pay with Visa Paywave, you get 2% back on your transactions ... the only provisio with them being that you must make a monthly deposit of $1,000 into the account ... so I will get my salary paid there. My choice of Citibank is because there are also no fees at all, but if you use the card overseas, they do not charge a commission nor an ATM withdrawal fee, which all the other banks do. I will also hang onto my South African Visa Platinum for a few months while I settle in.

Well that's it for now folks, I'm going to go back to the grind of packing and getting everything ready for shipping in the next 2.5 weeks.

Regards

Itai Etzman

[Nev]

Reception wise they are fine in the cities, but moving out of the cities it gets really spotty

The only provider with decent coverage out of the cities is telstra so we went with them as we to a ton of camping, if you ok with cities only though, they are fine as a service provider

[eitai2001]

Thanks Nev. I think I'll be OK with cities for now. I think my sister is with Telstra though. In any case, why would you want a cell phone when you're out in Nature

I have a handheld aviation transceiver I can use for emergencies if I go camping or something

[Bronwyn&Co]

eitai you should chat to Donovan83, he has also recently arrived in Melbourne (via Perth) and he also just bought a place. He should be able to give you the insider's tips to Melbourne & save you from bumping your head too much. Good luck!

[eitai2001]

eitai you should chat to Donovan83, he has also recently arrived in Melbourne (via Perth) and he also just bought a place. He should be able to give you the insider's tips to Melbourne & save you from bumping your head too much. Good luck!

Thanks Bronwyn ... Good idea, I'll have a chat with him ... I actually know him personally, he was one of the reasons I got into my honours year at Uni, plus he was also at my work

[Donovan83]

For now, it looks like I'm going to take out the Vodacom Red BYOH $50 month-to-month package, because it offers unlimited calls and sms's within Aus, unlimited international SMS's, 300 minutes to call any international destination and 3GB of Data. I've heard that their reception may not be the best ... does anyone have any experience with them in Melbourne? How is the reception there?

Hey Itai,

I used Vodafone back in 2008 so I don't know what they're like now. I found them to be okay for phone calls and texts but terrible for data. Slow, frequent drop outs, just not great. Their service was so bad that their ad compaign now is focused on changing people's perceptions about how bad their service is... As an alternative you could try Amaysim. They run off Optus, only downside is no 4G coverage which isn't ideal. www.amaysim.com.au - $44.95 a month for 5GB data, unlimited calls and texts within the country, and the international calling rate to RSA is the cheapest I've found ($0.08 per minute, charged per second with no flagfall).

On the rebates you mentioned for buying new property - what you say is true but it can be risky to buy off the plan. Nobody really knows what the market is going to do. When you buy off the plan, you pay your deposit upfront, but the bank only settles the property when the place has been completed (usually around 1 or 2 years later). The problem comes in if you agree to a price that is higher than it is valued at at time of settlement - you could potentially lose your deposit if the bank won't settle. I just bought an established place and even without the rebate it worked out cheaper than buying off the plan.

The other aspect is that if you buy off the plan, you're paying the full retail price. This includes the effect of foreigners (ie non-PR and non-citizens) being able to buy newly built properties - so the prices are over inflated because you're not only competing against locals but foreigners as well.

They took away the first homeowners grant but you still get a concessional stamp duty rate in VIC, which helps a lot too

Your move is quite soon! Less than a month!

Thanks Bronwyn ... Good idea, I'll have a chat with him ... I actually know him personally, he was one of the reasons I got into my honours year at Uni, plus he was also at my work

LOL.. you won't believe how small this world is! There's a few other people on here from the uni/work we went to.

I forgot to mention on my other post about the banks. A lot of banks have fee free accounts - NAB has been excellent over the 3 years I've used them and their account never had any fees. The only things I paid for were $12 for a bank cheque and the occasional $2 when I needed to draw money and didn't feel like finding a NAB/Redi ATM. Unfortunately Commbank had a better interest rate so I switched to them for the home loan.

Once you've registered as a CA here you can also get an Amex card through the ICAA (the local version of SAICA). It has no annual fee and I think 30 days free interest. Only problem is that they tend to charge a surcharge in some places for Amex... or they just don't accept it. Still nice to have because you get Qantas points on it.

[eitai2001]

Hey Itai,

I used Vodafone back in 2008 so I don't know what they're like now. I found them to be okay for phone calls and texts but terrible for data. Slow, frequent drop outs, just not great. Their service was so bad that their ad compaign now is focused on changing people's perceptions about how bad their service is... As an alternative you could try Amaysim. They run off Optus, only downside is no 4G coverage which isn't ideal. www.amaysim.com.au - $44.95 a month for 5GB data, unlimited calls and texts within the country, and the international calling rate to RSA is the cheapest I've found ($0.08 per minute, charged per second with no flagfall).

On the rebates you mentioned for buying new property - what you say is true but it can be risky to buy off the plan. Nobody really knows what the market is going to do. When you buy off the plan, you pay your deposit upfront, but the bank only settles the property when the place has been completed (usually around 1 or 2 years later). The problem comes in if you agree to a price that is higher than it is valued at at time of settlement - you could potentially lose your deposit if the bank won't settle. I just bought an established place and even without the rebate it worked out cheaper than buying off the plan.

The other aspect is that if you buy off the plan, you're paying the full retail price. This includes the effect of foreigners (ie non-PR and non-citizens) being able to buy newly built properties - so the prices are over inflated because you're not only competing against locals but foreigners as well.

They took away the first homeowners grant but you still get a concessional stamp duty rate in VIC, which helps a lot too

Your move is quite soon! Less than a month!

LOL.. you won't believe how small this world is! There's a few other people on here from the uni/work we went to.

I forgot to mention on my other post about the banks. A lot of banks have fee free accounts - NAB has been excellent over the 3 years I've used them and their account never had any fees. The only things I paid for were $12 for a bank cheque and the occasional $2 when I needed to draw money and didn't feel like finding a NAB/Redi ATM. Unfortunately Commbank had a better interest rate so I switched to them for the home loan.

Once you've registered as a CA here you can also get an Amex card through the ICAA (the local version of SAICA). It has no annual fee and I think 30 days free interest. Only problem is that they tend to charge a surcharge in some places for Amex... or they just don't accept it. Still nice to have because you get Qantas points on it.

Thanks for the information, some very useful tips. I've heard Vodafone has been really trying to up their game (Apparently they have the fastest 4G in Melbourne from some review I found). So I'll give them a trial run as their package suits my needs best. Though if they suck, they'll be out like old socks!!

Regarding the New Developments ... that is definitely something I didn't think of, so thanks for the heads up. If I did buy, it would have to be a relatively short time before it is ready, maybe 2 - 4 months ... if I have to wait 2 years, it will be too long for me. That said, you're right ... I shouldn't just buy because I get $10k off ... I should compare to established homes and see what the better deal is. I wish they hadn't gotten rid of the grant for established homes, at least not until we both bought homes

Regarding the ICAA ... if I don't work in Audit, would I still need to register with them? Do you have to pay 2 sets of fees now (i.e. SAICA and ICAA)?

We should meet up for a coffee when I arrive next month, you can give me the in's and outs of Melbourne, and some tips for CA's ... like the free Amex card from ICAA

Regards

Itai

[Donovan83]

Regarding the New Developments ... that is definitely something I didn't think of, so thanks for the heads up. If I did buy, it would have to be a relatively short time before it is ready, maybe 2 - 4 months ... if I have to wait 2 years, it will be too long for me. That said, you're right ... I shouldn't just buy because I get $10k off ... I should compare to established homes and see what the better deal is. I wish they hadn't gotten rid of the grant for established homes, at least not until we both bought homes

Regarding the ICAA ... if I don't work in Audit, would I still need to register with them? Do you have to pay 2 sets of fees now (i.e. SAICA and ICAA)?

We should meet up for a coffee when I arrive next month, you can give me the in's and outs of Melbourne, and some tips for CA's ... like the free Amex card from ICAA

There are property reports here that you can request (rpdata.com.au is one I think) that show you what the place you're interested in was sold for, what its listing history (rental and selling) are etc. You sometimes end up paying like $40 for it, but if you get a mortgage broker then they will provide these reports for free sometimes

ICAA - yes you pay your SAICA and ICAA fees. You don't have to work in audit to register, the requirements are on http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/Members/Membership/Recognised-overseas-accounting-bodies.aspx under "How to apply". Sometimes employers will pay your ICAA membership fees Thankfully the SAICA fee drops every year thanks to the exchange rate.

Sure thing on the coffee when you get here, but I can't say I'll be able to help much with the ins and outs... still trying to figure them out myself I just wish it would start warming up!

[eitai2001]

There are property reports here that you can request (rpdata.com.au is one I think) that show you what the place you're interested in was sold for, what its listing history (rental and selling) are etc. You sometimes end up paying like $40 for it, but if you get a mortgage broker then they will provide these reports for free sometimes

ICAA - yes you pay your SAICA and ICAA fees. You don't have to work in audit to register, the requirements are on http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/Members/Membership/Recognised-overseas-accounting-bodies.aspx under "How to apply". Sometimes employers will pay your ICAA membership fees Thankfully the SAICA fee drops every year thanks to the exchange rate.

Sure thing on the coffee when you get here, but I can't say I'll be able to help much with the ins and outs... still trying to figure them out myself I just wish it would start warming up!

I think you missed my question ... I meant is there still a point to registering with the ICAA if I don't work in auditing ... I.e. Any advantages?

Cool, I'll give you a shout once I'm settled in. If it's cold, do a 1 to 2 hour bicycle ride every morning and evening ... My good intention is to cycle to and from work every day with enough time to change at work. Just hope there will be a shower available for when I get there

[eitai2001]

Hi Guys

I created a list of tips that I found in the last 2 days which I posted on the main forum (So that people can find them, even if they're too lazy to read a journal )

Link here: http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php/topic/43371-some-great-aussie-websites-ways-to-save-money/

Regards

Itai

[Donovan83]

I think you missed my question ... I meant is there still a point to registering with the ICAA if I don't work in auditing ... I.e. Any advantages?

Cool, I'll give you a shout once I'm settled in. If it's cold, do a 1 to 2 hour bicycle ride every morning and evening ... My good intention is to cycle to and from work every day with enough time to change at work. Just hope there will be a shower available for when I get there

Is there a point to registering as a CA(SA) if you don't work in auditing in RSA? Same answer applies here

[eitai2001]

Is there a point to registering as a CA(SA) if you don't work in auditing in RSA? Same answer applies here

I only did it for the skills assessment with ICAA to get my visa

[Donovan83]

I only did it for the skills assessment with ICAA to get my visa

Ok.

[Sunnyskies]

eitai, you will be pleased to hear that "end of trip facilities" (ie showers, towel facilities, well equipped change rooms) are a big thing in Melbourne. All new buildings use this as a spruiking point for new tenants and many older buildings (such as the one I work in) have upgraded these facilities immensely. They also provide safe parking facilities for bicycles. We have quite a few people who live relatively close and so don't cycle in but run in.

[eitai2001]

eitai, you will be pleased to hear that "end of trip facilities" (ie showers, towel facilities, well equipped change rooms) are a big thing in Melbourne. All new buildings use this as a spruiking point for new tenants and many older buildings (such as the one I work in) have upgraded these facilities immensely. They also provide safe parking facilities for bicycles. We have quite a few people who live relatively close and so don't cycle in but run in.

Thanks Sunnyskies ... that's very great to hear! I hope wherever I work has the same facilities

[eitai2001]

No real updates from my side, just been checking stuff off the before take off to do list:

- GAP Cover and Medical Aid - Resigned

- Contracts - Closed

- Money - Sent to Aus

- A bunch of personal items - sold (Still Xbox, TV and PVR and some smaller stuff to go)

- CV revamp - Paid for and Questionnaire sent back

Most of my bags are packed for unaccompanied luggage, and I'll finish packing EVERYTHING next week, so I can maximize my use of free space on the 30KG allowance and have everything collected on 25th August to coordinate with my arrival in Aus on the 2nd.

It feels more and more real every day!

Edit: And in case you're wondering why having a professional CV is done ... my mothers friend sent me 5 CV's that people used to apply to her. On average they were 7 to 11 pages long and VERY detailed. Included a detailed summary of the person, a career summary and detail about the experience that person has. In contrast, we were always taught that CV's here should not be more than 2 pages, 3 at a push ... anything longer will be thrown out. Well clearly this is not the case there ... and I highly recommend investing in getting a proper Aussie CV done!

Edited August 13, 2014 by eitai2001

[HansaPlease]

I'm with Vodafone, have been for a few years,

I've noticed their service has improved a lot. For the money it's good value and I have no issues in most areas in Melbourne that I know of.

I struggle in a Adelaide and sometimes, Sydney, with Internet connection, but only really have no phone signal when I'm really in the bundus.

Regarding the bike thing - we're lucky enough to have a few cyclists in the office so we have facilities. Some people who work in smaller offices are not as lucky.

There is a great facility near Flinders Street that has lockers, showers, etc for bikes. Can't remember the name of it but it's in Banana Alley. Worth a look if you're unlucky enough to not have work facilities.

The Bicycle Victoria website is a great resource for anything cycling in Melbourne.

[eitai2001]

Awesome, thanks for the advice

I'm going to initially register with Amaysim because I get to search for phone numbers I like (I found a few with my name in them ), and after the first month, I will move to Vodafone.

Thanks for the advice regarding bike facilities, it'll be really important, so good to know that's there

[eitai2001]

16 August

Wow, time is plodding along slowly. It feels like it has been more than a week since my last update, but it has only been 3 days!

I've got almost nothing left to do except some final packing, and a few minor sales of stuff which will likely go on Bid or Buy to speed the process up.

I managed to get a letter from the South African Civil Aviation Authority confirming my pilot's license, albeit via e-mail ... so hopefully the Aussie CAA will accept

that when I attempt to convert my license.

I've also been discussing some business opportunities with my sister. We have been discussing starting an e-commerce store which will mostly sell foodie items.

I've been doing the research, and it's not too bad to set up the business. You will need a Tax File Number (TFN) and an Australian Business Number (ABN) which

are both free to register as far as I could tell. You would then also register the business name which was just under $80 for 3 years. If you want to register a company,

it gets more expensive ... around $450.

Then in Aus, you don't need an IP lawyer to register a trademark, so I will likely do it myself. It costs $120 to first search the name and see if it has conflicts which takes 5 days, then an additional

$80 for the actual application. After a few months, if it goes through and is not contended, it costs $300 for the 10 year trademark.

I'm planning on doing the search a few days after I arrive. If you guys are interested, I'll let you know once the site is up, you can have a look (If it goes up that is).

At the same time, I'll be working, so we'll grow the site slowly and naturally ... no crazy fast growth plans. There is plenty competition in the ecommerce space, including the market we are looking at ... but our customercentric approach and service will hopefully be what slowly wins people over to us

It will be a while before I post again I think, unless I find some other tips.

Regards

Itai

[eitai2001]

20 August 2014

Just a baby update:

I have booked my drivers license appointment for the day after I arrive on 3rd September.

And I have booked my motorcycle learners course and test for 8th and 9th September

All my money, bar a few thousand I'm leaving behind is now in Australia.

I have received my CV back and it looks great, just some final touch ups, and then I will begin actively hunting for a job

I've heard that employers sometimes throw your CV out if they see an international phone number, so I will be registering a Skype Australian phone number which will automatically forward to my phone, it's not too expensive, and it's only for a month or so.

12 Days to go!

Regards

Itai

[eitai2001]

I have packed my bags in order to determine what needs to go on unaccompanied and what needs to go with check-in.

Crazy to think I am moving to Australia with 3 Suitcases, a backpack and a laptop bag. That's it!

I am leaving some stuff to collect next year, but that's mostly not functional stuff like memory boxes and stuff.

I have done my best to pack as much as I can ... my check-in bag weighs 27kg, but is full! I have 3 more kg of available weight I can't use

[Bronwyn&Co]

eitai do you have to redo your motorbike licence? I wasn't aware of that. You sound super organised!

[eitai2001]

eitai do you have to redo your motorbike licence? I wasn't aware of that. You sound super organised!

I don't think so ... I don't have a motorbike license ... Always been too scared to get one in SA with all the crazy drivers and taxi's.

Ha ha, yes, I tend to be very organized. My mother joked that I did everything like clockwork.

[Eyebrow]

HI

Can I ask how you transferred your money?

I am almost at that point, and wondering how to do it...

Thanx

[eitai2001]

HI

Can I ask how you transferred your money?

I am almost at that point, and wondering how to do it...

Thanx

Hey.

I just asked my bank to transfer it to my sister's account as a "Gift". Though if you have an air ticket and a bank account there, you can do it under your travel allowance.

You can open an account with NAB prior to your arrival if you want to go the second route.

Regards

Itai