Taking leap in a week. Please help with advise.

[Theunis]

Hi guys

 

We are making the big move on 15 August. 

 

Please advise best way to get rental and also how to effectively hit the ground running to find employment. 

 

We are going to Sydney and have temporary accommodation for 2 weeks and no jobs. 

 

Any advice will be appreciated.  

 

Theunis 

[Guest]

Hi Theunis, I think if you did a search on the forum alot of the questions have probably been answered many times before.

 

I cannot advise on Sydney specifically, all I do know is that rentals there are in very high demand. I guess it might depend on which areas of Sydney you are looking at.

 

It might be best to tell us what line of work you are in, so that others in Sydney can advise. Other than that update your Cv and check out Seek.com and network via Linkedin. As I say it would depend what you do for work.

 

There are other people from Sydney who are far more qualified than me to give advise so I will leave it there.

 

Good luck with the move ?

[DXB2OZ]

If you have rented in SA, try to get some form of referral from your landlord. If you were a home owner, some form of referral from your estate agent and/or photos of the property showing it was well taken care of. Work out your budget as to what you can offer to overcome any misgivings of the landlord - can you perhaps offer to pay several months up front?

 

With regards to employment, follow up your job applications with phone calls. Australia is very much about personal contact. Agents often have concerns about lack of local experience (this affects some industries more than others) so be prepared with answers to alleviate some concerns - are there areas which are the same? Have you taken some form of conversion course to cover others? Are you prepared to skill up where necessary? If you aren't right for this job, do they have something else on their books which may be more suitable? Can you come in for a chat? You really want to try and get a face to face discussion.

 

Very important to note - do NOT be aggressive. What is considered normal in SA can be considered quite aggressive here. Please note that I am not saying this applies to you, but many South Africans don't realise the way we speak is not the same as the way Australians speak and it can be misinterpreted.

 

Best of luck.

[KnoxFamily]

update your CV. make sure it fits the Aussie format. 

Have references for everything. get written references from previous employment. references from landlords or estate agents.

 

get your bank cards asap and TFN (tax file number)

 

we are in sydney. let us know what industry you are in maybe we can help. 

 

let us know if you need anything. even if it is a small bbq in the park and chat. 

 

 

[Riekie]

Where in Sydney are you heading?  

[Theunis]

Hi all

 

Thank you for the advise.

 

I am a CA looking for audit positions. I have updated my CV and sent it all over via Seek and Hays.

 

I have had a telephone "interview" with KPMG two weeks ago and haven't heard yet. Either still pending or unsuccessful.

 

This morning I had an email from Deloitte to set up a "catch up".

 

We will be in Kirribilli and then probably from there move to where ever the budget takes us.

 

I must be honest this moving is the coldest, scariest and loneliest thing I have experienced in my life.

[RYLC]

You are arriving at the early start of audit season so well done on the timing  

 

Also look on LinkedIn for audit positions and make sure your profile is up to date too.  A lot of recruitment takes place on that site now as it gives them a chance to check you out.

[DavePE]

I'm leaving in under a month also without a job so I can certainly relate to the stress you're feeling! However being a CA in audit you'll be more than ok! Get an Australian address and cellphone number on your CV, together with "immediately available" as soon as you land and then try again with the Big 4 auditing firms. I suspect it will make a world of difference. There are a number of CA's on this site I'm sure some will be along shortly to offer some advice.

[Riekie]

Kirribilli is quite an expensive location to start off in.  You won't get a 3 bedroom rental for under $1000 per week (if you're lucky). What made you decide on Kirribilli?  

 

If it's just you or you and a partner, you'll get away cheaper by renting a studio or 1 bedroom apartment, but if you have kids, this would be quite an expensive temporary solution.  Also with kids, you want to look more or less in the area you think to settle more permanently as you would not want the kids to move schools again after a few months.  

 

In regards to work, Seek & LinkedIn is probably your best bet, but also check on company websites directly.  It is often hidden under the fine print at the bottom of the page ("careers" or "other" etc - sometimes even as an option under "contact us"). 

[Theunis]

I got some interest from Deloitte. Meeting them next week Thursday. Let's hope it all goes well and that I'm suitable. 

 

Which areas would you guys recommend living in? We are 4. Myself, my wife and two children (4 and 2 years old)

 

We obviously want to be not too far from the City and we don't want to pay too much rent. 

[AFreshStart]

Hi @Theunis,

 

All the best with the interview(s), we were in a similar spot as family of 4, 2 young kids and my wife is a senior manager in assurance for one of the Big 4.

 

RE where to stay, you're going to find differing opinions. I think we are one of the few forum families here that live in Sydney proper in the that we live in the "City of Sydney" municipality. 

 

You have two choices, live further away, pay less in rent and commute, or live closer, smaller and pay more per m2.

 

We live in a 2-bedroom apartment, our kids share a room (ages 3 and 6) and we have the other, though we have a loft which the eldest will move into in years to come.

 

We save money and time by being close to the action, my wife makes the trip into the City in under 15-mins (used to be 8 but they have just moved office).

 

Buses pass every 10-mins in peak traffic and are we are walking distance from 2 train stations and in years to come will have access to the new light rail and the North-link Metro station will be a 5min walk from our front door.

 

We walk our daughter to daycare 5minutes away and I walk to work in neighboring Alexandria after cycling my son to school everyday in Surry Hills. He's currently at the fastest growing school in NSW, it's exploded from 65 kids 6-years ago to over 300 this year and are building to add another 100 kids next year.

 

We have amazing parks, reserves and cycleways, have a Woolies, 2 Coles and Aldi within a 5min walk from our home and want for nothing. We are walking distance from both our dentist and doctor and 10min drive to Randwick Children's Hospital and a host of specialist services. Our local Church is also a 5-minute walk, door to door.

 

All of these make a fantastic quality of life, community and great work life balance.

 

I could see much of that changing if we lived an hour away commuting, yet MANY chose to do it, but spend more money on adding a second car, longer commutes, petrol, tolls and stress.

 

We own a single car, though we rarely use it. It's just gone in for it's 40,000km service and we've done less than 15,000km, 1,000 of which was for a trip to Melbourne over the festive season and we've been up into the Hunter Valley and down the South Coast several times for weekend getaways, the main reason we bought a car at all.

 

All that said I'd be looking to stay local, suburbs close to public transport etc.

 

Suburbs that fit the bill are Zetland, Waterloo, Redfern, Alexandria & Surry Hills

 

In the inner West it would be Newtown & Glebe, extending into Marrickville, Leichhardt & Annadale (these last 3 fall outside the City Municipality)

 

The cheapest suburbs in the list would be Zetland & Waterloo, and means apartment living for most.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

Edited August 9, 2016 by AFreshStart

[Riekie]

We live in Rozelle - right on the water, with amazing views.  It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 garage unit.  There is no seperate dining area and also no space for a dining table.  We have a small balcony where we have a 4 person outdoor set and this is where we have our meals (however, in winter, it get's very cold and unplesant - even with an outdoor heater). We also have free, secure access to a pool, indoor lap pool & gym and we have a huge park and children's play park right outside our unit. I work in Rushcutter's Bay and it takes about 15-20 minutes, using the Cross-City-Tunnel, to get to and from work (less if travelling outside peak). We have a bus stop 200m from us which takes you to the heart of the city in 10minutes - buses every 3 to 5 minutes.  To uber anywhere local is a $8 ride and to get to and from the city by uber is about $15-$20.  We have the bay run on our doorstep and shops, restaurants, pubs and nightlife a short stroll away.  We can get to the beach in under 30 minutes. Our rent is $750 per week.  The same amount of money would get us a 4 bedroom house with a dining room, study, rumpus and garden in the suburbs. 

 

We used to live out in the suburbs - about 45 mins drive on a Sunday or 90 minutes on a good weekday.  When we arrived in Sydney, most South Africans settled in the suburbs and as we had a school going child we decided to go for the family friendly lifestyle (the belief at the time).  Now, it is just the two of us, so we recently moved closer to the city to experience city living and we absolutley LOVE it!  It is so awesome to be so close to everything.  When we were living out in the suburbs, it was such a schlep to go to the city for a day or night out so we seldom did.  Now, we're practically out all the time!  

 

What I'm trying to say is that you could absolutely find affordable, family living in the city and your kids could absolutely experience everything that the kids out in suburbia do. You may have to compromise on the size of your living space (kids may have to share rooms etc) and you do not have the "luxury" of a rumpus, study etc - and it does get a bit cramped, specially when you have visitors - but the lifestyle is great! I was quite an adjustment and I still find the lack of space and not having my own backyard frustrating sometimes, but this is where we are happy for now. It's really all about what is important to you, how far you want to be away from work, what sort of lifestyle you want and obviously, your budget.

 

Like anywhere else, you get good and bad areas, outrageously expensive and cheaper areas and noisy and quiet areas.  Have a look on www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au to give you an idea of rent in the various areas.  Sydney city post code is 2000 - use that and add "include surrounding suburbs" to give you a larger area.  Or in the Northwest of Sydney (lots of South Africans) you can use 2154 for instance (incl surrounding suburbs).  Northern beaches (lots of South Africans here too), use 2096 (incl surrounding suburbs) etc. You have to do a bit of research and due diligience but you can find the perfect spot almost anywhere!  

[bushlovers]

Every time I read about anything to do with property in Sydney my eyes start to water.

[monsta]

UBS bank just released a report saying London,  Hong Kong, Vancouver and Sydney are in a property bubble. 

 

They say it's very risky to buy property in Sydney. 

 

Sydney housing market fourth on global bubble index http://abc.net.au/news/7883816 - via @abcnews

[Mara]

Those predictions make their rounds every year, almost, yet have to still see it actually happen!

[RedPanda]

From what I've read on the matter, Australia has the world's longest lasting property bubble. Everyone agrees it's a bubble, everyone says it will pop...nobody risks saying when...
And year-on-year it just keeps going. So really, nobody knows.

[ottg]

Here are a couple of reports taht may be interrest. Yes a correction but no bubble burst....yet!!

http://business.nab.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Winter-Housing-Market-Report.pdf

Brief update

http://business.nab.com.au/australian-housing-market-update-july-2016-17605/

But what does the economy looks like. All states still show some growth

http://business.nab.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/States-Overview_Jul16.pdf

 

Depends how you look at it - is the glass half full or half empty

So not all that doom & gloom!

[elleneo]

The north shore is a popular choice for families because of the many government and private schooling options. I'm proud to say that we have recently bought our first Aussie home in Thornleigh ( anyone one to meet for coffee). We rented in turramurra and Pymble for 3 years before buying, hubby commutes to Chatswood, walks 1 km to Normanhurst station and although the trip is 10 minutes longer now, it's well worth it to be in our own house. Other considerations are schooling for your kids, we are 1.2 km from Loreto Normanhurst so we have the option of being close to an elite private school should we choose to send her there. If not ,location allows her to walk to the station or bus and head to Hornsby girls, mt st benedicts, or even hop the train with dad to mercy college in Chatswood.

 

yes you have to commute to work daily but kids also have to head to school daily...its finding a happy balance that equals a good lifestyle. My advice is to stay close to public transport then it doesn't matter if u stay a little further out to be close to schools and save on rent...