Questions, Questions!

[DesertDaisy]

We are Saffies currently living in the Middle East, and a rather unexpected opportunity to move to Australia has arisen. My dh has been approached by a company based in Western Australia. He has had one interview, and has been told he is definitely through to the second round of interviews. If successful, he will then be offered a job based in WA.

We'd never thought of moving to Aus before (we've been in the Middle East for 2 years, and have quite enjoyed it) so have taken on this job opportunity rather blindly!

What questions should we be asking the employer if the next round of interviews is successful? I know to ask about the visa issue (whether they will be sponsoring us etc), but what else should we be asking? What kinds of benefits are commonly included in packages - pension/medical insurance etc etc? What are the tax rates like?

Then questions for everyone: We have two small children, currently being educated in a British-based school system. Whats the schooling like in WA? Is schooling expensive? At what age do they start (here they start at 4 - my older daughter is 6, and is half way through her 2nd year of formal schooling already)?

Do wives normally work? I've had the luxury of being a Stay At Home Mum here as we could afford it, but I don't know if that will be the case in Aus. Are half-day jobs for mothers easily found?

Whats the cost of living like? Do house rentals include water & electricity costs? What other expenses should we be aware of with regards to relocation and settling in?

I'm assuming we'll be Perth-based, but don't know for sure.

Any suggestions/advice you have would be seriously welcomed?

[Dedrei]

Questions you can ask the employer - Will they be providing you with accommodation, will they contribute to your plain ticket, etc.

Super Annuation is compulsor in oz and is like a pension fund. Employers need to contribute 9% of your earnings to a Super Annuation Fund.

If you would like to see what the tax rates are like, have a look at the Australian Tax Office's website htttp://www.ato.gov.au

Normally on a 457 visa you need to organise your own medical insurance, because this is a temporary visa. If you have PR, medicare (government's health care) is sufficient enough.

[Ajay]

Hi DD,

I'm based in Sydney, so can't offer info on WA specifically (although I'm sure someone else will jump in and answer those soon) but I can comment on Australia in general.

Depending on what trade / job youe hubby has, you might want to check out the State Award for that particular occupation. These are state set minimum standards, so you can make sure that you are getting a fair deal.

Dedrei's info regarding superannuation (commonly referred to as Super) is spot on. It's a compulsory pension fund and equates to 9% of your package. Make sure that you ask whether the offer on the table includes or excludes super. If it includes super, you need to deduct 9% - you won't see it. Of course, if you leave the country, you will get this money back.

Tax rates are high - there's no denying that - but you might qualify for a Living Away From Home Allowance (shortened to LAFHA), which basically allows your employer to pay out a the cost of your rent as a tax free allowance. High taxes also aren't as begrudged by me (although the locals complain) because at least you get something back for it. Although we are still on on a 457 (and therefore don't get any benefits), once you are a permanent resident, you get free Medicare and free schooling - and access to state support if required. That's what taxes should be used for, in my opinion!

You will need to take out private health insurance - have a look at www.iman.com.au for an idea on what is offered and what the cost is.

Hope this helps you with your decision - Good luck!

Ajay

[alsgal]

Hi DesertDaisy,

I actually replied to your post on the Rainbow Nation forum but i'll paste what I said here as well:

Sorry I can't help with the majority of your questions but just wanted to let you know something about the schooling.

British education consists of 13 years schooling as opposed to our 12 years in South Africa and the same in Australia. Because of this you will find that the kids start school at an earlier age (in the British system) and will mostly likely be put back if they enter the Australian education stream.

We are presently living in Saudi and when we stayed in Riyadh our kids attended the Multinational School which is an Australian curriculum school. Before coming to Saudi the kids all attended schools in Scotland and all 3 were put back a year. This was not based on their academic abilities but on their ages.

Hope this info helps.

Regards and the best of luck,

Paula

[DesertDaisy]

Thanks everyone. That does help. I'm making a list of questions for when we do the Video conference interview.

He is a SA-registered ALS paramedic, and they seem very keen to have him. So far anyway! Does anyone know of any other SA paramedics working in Aus?

[Matt22]

Hi there

I want to ask a question on work in general. If one has chosen your city/town where you have decided to move to (or want to) and all other things taken into consideration as one does with relocating your life etc.

Lets say on an LSD trip I am fortunate enough to secure some interviews....should I attend all the interviews for the best offer as one would normally do or should I take the first job (with reasonable salary) that is offered to me just as a means to get into Aus. I know that if one could get an employer to sponsor you it would be alot better, but I would just like to find out what the general feeling is on this. Maybe this is a stupid question and should be determined by personal choice but seeing as I want to get out of SAF asap I thought I might get some opinions on this.