5 weeks to go. What now?

[ORC]

So I have 5 weeks to go and just all that's left is to sell my car and open an Aus bank account / transfer money.

I'm keeping my bank accounts open for a while for personal reasons and will come back to SA next year (once I'm settled in Aus to finalise things).

Questions:

Am I allowed to use my credit card since I'm not closing anything yet (in SA) and have funds in the account?

Also am I alone in saying that it all feels surreal and I don't feel rushed even although there's only 5 weeks to go?

I'm just using the time to spent with my family and take lots of photos and go out as much as possible.

Any advice for those who have been through this phase leading up to the final goodbye at the airport.

Would really appreciate anyones advice

Edited August 5, 2015 by ORC

[monsta]

Hey,

Standard bank lets you use your credit card for up to six months. But you do need to tell them you will be in Australia. I assume other RSA banks have similar rules.

Being overseas is much easier with your Aussie bank account. Aussie banks are used to migrants. I would open a bank account online. Many of the banks have a special section on their website for migrants.

Once you are here they will give you a debit card that could have no fees (if you choose the right bank and stick to their conditions).

As for your last two weeks. Take lots of pictures! It's sad to say, but the RSA you are leaving won't exist in 10 years. With the economic issues like the brain drain and BEE, RSA will be very different in the future.

I would upload all your photos (in high resolution) to google. You can do that on your phone or using the Picasa software on a PC.

It's also a good excuse to catch up with friends. Tell them you want a picture together before you go

Cheers

[EmNew]

Hi ORC - we're 2 weeks behind you - 7 weeks to go!! Can't give advice as still WIP but can share what we're in process of doing seeing as it's a similar phase.

We opened a NAB account - painless and a pleasure to do online / via email!

Personally, I agree with it all feeling surreal, but yoh, I certainly feeling rushed and so conscious of that clock counting down......Certainly feels as if the weeks left are not enough to tackle all that must be done and that I want to do....

House sold and transferred, my car sold, buyer lined up for hubby's car, but all the other stuff seems so daunting! I have lists everywhere, and am using the sage advice of eating the elephant piece by piece. Problem is that my elephant itself seems to be a prolific eater, so when I look at it again, instead of shrinking, it has grown!!!

We're planning on doing the photo type trips in September, when we're both no longer working, and spending time with loved ones. Our belongings head off on 1 September, so we're glamping in an empty house from then until we fly 27/9

We're also trying to make as many job type contacts as possible at the moment via Linkedin, online CV submissions etc .

All the best for your final weeks in our beautiful City......going to miss our favourite Cape Town haunts, but am excited about discovering new favourites

[greggle]

Eeeck ... I hadn't counted the weeks but after reading your posts I worked out that we also only have 7 weeks! I hadn't realised that it was so close. We leave 26th Sept.

I have just finished a big exam so life stopped until that was over ... now am in a mad panic to get everything done. My partner is writing 2 big tax exams a week after we arrive so its heads down, leaving me to do all of the packing and sorting alone! I am usually a highly organised person ... not feeling that way now!

[blung]

We leave for Melbourne 12 September, suppose that's 6 or 7 weeks!

Everything is kinda done, so now we just wait in our empty cold house...

[RedPanda]

We're only leaving in 10 months, and I'm already going bonkers. I wish it was in two months' time. Later I'll probably be grateful it's not.

[Mel-B]

Were moving out of our home at the end of this month, stuff we are shipping is being stored, and were camping out at my moms house. Waiting for a job! SO EXCITING and stressful all at the same time!

[mlothian]

ORC:

Am I allowed to use my credit card since I'm not closing anything yet (in SA) and have funds in the account?

I would suggest that you transfer you funds over to Australia to try and limited the possible forex loss should the Rand deteriate.

Rand Rescue could assist you to tranfer your funds. We dont charge any fees and the process could be done from Australia once you have activated your bank account on this side. We also offer our clients much better exchange rates than what you would get through your bank.

Feel free to contact me on: +61 420 663 562 or marlene.lothian@randgroup.biz

[Tanikit]

My husband will be leaving in slightly less than 5 months and I imagine I will follow with the children a couple of months later - there still seems so much to do and the months are flying by fast - I imagine time passing will speed up even more as we get closer to leaving.

Edited August 23, 2015 by Tanikit

[ORC]

Thank you all for your input.

Apologies for the silence but I've been preparing for what lies ahead and doing final things.

I'm into the final countdown with all that remains is final packing and forex collection.

I'm excited and grateful and if anyone needs help and I can, I'd be happy to offer based on my experiences.

[Eduan]

HI

Just a question. From most of the posts i get a sense that you are moving without securing a job in Aus first. This to me is frightening! What is your plan B if you do not get something soon? Or do you not see this as a problem?

[RedPanda]

In our case, we are moving without either of us having a job. But we have sufficient savings to sustain us for a considerable period of time(+9months), should that prove necessary. (Obviously we hope to find work within 3 months like most people seem to do.) But we have that buffer just in case. And we also don't have children yet, so that is a whole world of concern that we won't have to manage.

For those of you moving with small children, and no jobs yet, How do you do it? (I have serious admiration for you guys, btw)

[Eduan]

RedPanda

I guess you are right. It is unrealistic to think you are going to work in SA till the last minute, jump on a plane and start in Aus a week later. Also, once you secure a job from this side, you probably need to start there within a month, which leaves very little time for planning to pack up. So i guess the logical order is something like this

1. Pick a date when you are flying (appox 3 months from the current date?)

2. Resign from your current job

3. Book your container for approx 4 weeks before you leave?

4. Start the job hunt

And have some savings to bail you out should the job hunt take longer that expected.

[RedPanda]

Eduan, that is pretty much the way I see our move going. (apart from the arrival date, only in May next year)

[Eduan]

RedPanda

Out of curiosity, why only in May?

[RedPanda]

No problem... My husband has a work project to finish, and I have an M to finish, and then my best girl friend is getting married 7May, so we decided to wait until just after her wedding. It didn't make sense to leave a month earlier and then miss her wedding.

So basically, tying up loose ends, that's all.

Originally we wanted to wait until Dec 2016, but then we did our financial calculations and realised we have enough already, so we moved the date up to the earliest convenient time. I also discovered by reading on the forum that unlike RSA where a lot of hiring happens at the turn of the years, Australia pretty much shuts down from Dec-Jan, so better not to arrive at that time if we want to start job hunting asap.

Edited September 11, 2015 by RedPanda

[Chips]

Blung have a safe flight and enjoy your new country.

[blung]

Blung have a safe flight and enjoy your new country.

Thanks bud!!

[dme]

In our case, we are moving without either of us having a job. But we have sufficient savings to sustain us for a considerable period of time(+9months), should that prove necessary.

Can I ask how many dollars you are budgeting per month as savings to sustain you? Also in the same boat (although it will just be me).

[RedPanda]

Sorry, dme, we didn't so much do a monthly calculation as compare our savings with Aussie salaries, along with forum posts about what people said when others asked "Is earning xyz amount enough to live on?" Because expenses can be tricky to do accurately, people are very different in spending habits and my husband and I tend to forget things (fortunately different things, so we even out) to put in the budget. So instead I looked at what people earn(on the web and this forum) and listened to their descriptions of living on those salaries (this forum). And then we decided that if we can foot a single income that's just a bit off the lower end of earning, then we should be able to live on that. Especially since the most likely scenario is that one of us will have found some work between 3-6 months after arrival.

So I looked at the problem from the other side. Perhaps it can help you too.

[Peterthe1]

HI

Just a question. From most of the posts i get a sense that you are moving without securing a job in Aus first. This to me is frightening! What is your plan B if you do not get something soon? Or do you not see this as a problem?

We came to Aus after 10 yrs in the UK. We had no jobs lined up, although we did have some savings and my Partners family live on the Sunny Coast, where we were able to stay in the beginning. I found a job up in Central QLD after 3 months and we moved up here and the rest is history. Grab the bull by the horns and go for it. You may not get the ideal job immediately but you are here and you can start the process of settling in.

[BrendanH]

Can I ask how many dollars you are budgeting per month as savings to sustain you? Also in the same boat (although it will just be me).

Not sure if it helps but our rough weekly budget for 2 adults and a small kid is something like this:

Rent : $400

Food : $150

Utilities (Water, electricity, communications) : $200

Transport : $100

School stuff : $100

Unforseen expenses : $150

So about $1100 a week.

[Eduan]

Peter,

Seems like this is what most people do - get to Aus and start a serious job hunt. With the low unemployment figures in Aus, I guess one will find at least something to do. Like you said, it might not be the dream job immediately, but it will get you started

Brendan,

Thx for the budget. I think it is a good rough estimate to work on.

[AFreshStart]

Eduan,

If you don't find work right away, volunteer. It's great, support a cause, join a club and meet like minded people. I'm currently at home with our kids and so I started a community garden, it allowed me to meet people in the community who then tied me into their networks and in within the first month or two I've had 2 job offers in my field and heard of so many more from the network, they might not be your dream job, but gets you working, gaining Aus experience and earning dollars.

Cheers

Matt