Concerned daughter

[SACruiser]

Hi,

 

My daughter is very concerned. She is currently in Marist Brothers in year 11 in South Africa.

 

Is there any Marist Brothers schools in Australia?

Would she be required to redo year 12 if we leave South Africa in the middle of year 12?

If she completes year 12 in South Africa would she be accepted in the universities in Australia or asked to redo year 12?

 

Cobus 

[RYLC]

Here is the website for Marist schools in Australia: http://msa.edu.au/member-schools/

 

I would be surprised if an RSA education would get her into university here but you'll need to check with an actual university.  It is a difficult time to leave and the earlier you can come the better for her.

[SACruiser]

Thank you for the reply,

 

Not sure I follow, "you would be surprised if an RSA eduction would get her into a university in Australia"? Is the correct? Is a private school education so much different in South Africa to Australia?

[RYLC]

Yes very different.  University entrance is done on a score based on the subjects and pass rate however there are also specific subjects required to get an ATAR score. There are specific subject packages just like in RSA too so that could be an issue. For this reason universities offer bridging courses for overseas students which means that they can't start first year until they have done the bridging stuff. Also each state has their own rules about what they will accept as being equivalent to their Year 12.  If you know which state you'll be going to then your research on this would be better focused.

 

Perhaps @AFreshStart will be able to better explain how an RSA education is so different to Australia.

 

For your child's social and emotional well-being I would think that repeating Yr 12 would be best (and she would probably need a tutor because Year 11 and 12 form a 2 year curriculum here).  Subjects are taught very differently here versus RSA (even maths).   Repeatng Year 12 will mean that she makes friends in an easier environment than university and will get an assisted pathway into what education is like here.  This is of course just my opinion and perhaps others will post to confirm whether they have found this to be best or not.

 

 

Edited August 28, 2016 by RYLC

[Settled]

HI Cobus

When we came over, my older daughter had just done year 11 at a good model C school in CT.  

After a few weeks of misery etc etc we decided to send her back to SA and she did her year 12 there with her friends and matric dance , PLett rage etc etc.

 

I can't say it was the better or worse option.

 

In terms of facts, her SA results were converted by UAC (Uni Application something or other where you apply for all courses and unis at one central point in order of preference) into an equivalent ATAR score which she then used.  It was good in the sense that maths literacy counted like maths as did that subject (I don't recall the name) but they learn personal hygiene, socials stuff etc... so her slightly average SA results looked quite Ok here.  All courses have a ATAR score which is the specifc uni's entry requirements, so rural unis might have a lower ATAR score for the same course offered in a major centre.  

 

Reasons for our decision:

The year 12 work actually starts in the last term of year 11, they suggested that if she was considering uni, that she redo year 11!  Of course she was less than thrilled by that, and also she would have been turning 18 in that year, so to be 18 in year 11, I didn't think was good socially.  

Then there's the driving licence - which she would have sat in April in SA.  However, in AUZ she would have had to start a 200hr log book of actual driving learners, she wouldn't have had a shortcut option.  But once she had her licence in SA, she just had to redo the drivers test to get her licence, not the 200 hrs for the learners.

 

However, on the other hand, when she started uni, she felt completely out of her depth in terms of Aus general knowledge, and probably would have been better off coming to Auz earlier so as to meet kids in school, or even having taken a year to work or travel around Auz in order to get a sense of a new country.  

She did a group trip up the EC and loved it even though she met more foreigners than Auz kids. 

 

So I'm not sold on either option, just thought I 'd share our experience with you so you can make the best choice.  You really need her to commit and buy in to the decision so that she's motivated to make it work.

 

If it helps at all, my daughter was just miserable, flunked uni, and really battled to get a crowd of friends.  However, she's just got her passport, and finally is in a smaller town and is really happy.  Her perspective is that despite her friends in SA having qualifications, they do not earn much while even waitressing here is sufficient to live on.  Part time work pays well enough for youngsters to save and be independent.

 

Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

 

Good luck!

J

 

[Pell]

The sooner your get her in the Australian system the better. Coming to Aus in year 12 will put her under even more pressure in addition to moving countries. If she can re-do year 11, all the better, as they choose subjects for year 11 and carry them through to the year 12 and write their HSC (matric) based on that. 

Otherwise, if it is not possible to arrive here until she is well into year 12, I would let her finish school in SA, then contact UAC (Universities Admission Centre) and have her matric scores converted. Depending on what she wants to do, she might or might not need to do bridging courses. 

Good luck with the decision, it is not an easy situation.

 

[Pell]

Wanted to add regarding the level of education in AU vs SA: the level of education does differ, I found. My daughter was at a top private school in Jo'burg, doing well academically, but even with that, she found it challenging in the beginning, especially with exams (we arrived just before she started year 11). The essay writing is different, the level of chemistry is far higher here (my daughter struggled with the lab work, which they barely did in SA), and I've had to get her tutors, in addition to the school fees. Having said that, she flourished both academically and socially and often tells me that she's grateful that she got the opportunity to do her last two years of schooling here. 

[AFreshStart]

Not much more I can add that hasn't been added, friends have had similar experiences and their daughter repeated Grade 11, by choice I might add, because she wanted to make friends, build knowledge of Aus culture etc and is now thriving at the Unversity of Melbourne. By her own admission she'd not have passed Grade 12 from SA and still needed help, despite being at a respected Private school and did well academically. 

 

I have a dear and close friend who is the head of Maths & Science at a selective school here in Sydney and the curriculum is off the charts compared to SA, particularly in lab work as @pell pointed out.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

[Riekie]

The sooner she gets over here, the better.  I know they freak out about a new school and friends and all that, but if they complete their schooling here in Australia, they're on par with Australian requirements going into uni and there will be no reason for her to be held back or having to do a bridging course. School is the best place to make new friends and it will assist in her adjustment in Australia.  It's harder on the older kids in so many ways, but the sooner she does the transition, the easier it would be for her.  Mine was 11 & 18 when we arrived.  The 11 year old got into it like a bar of soap on a wet floor.  The 18 year old struggled (completed school in RSA before joining us).

[Shellfish]

There are Marist brothers schools in Australia. 

[Bonny]

Hi Cobus 

 

I read some of your replies and just wanted to take the time to go back to you properly. Your daughter can definitely get into Uni in Aus with an SA matric. It will be difficult for her in any event, and I am 50/50 on advising you to come asap or let her finish matric there. That will be a family decision but it will probably be pointless pulling her out in the middle of matric imho. She will miss all the fun there and not have enough time to catch up on school in Aus. They are basically finished by August anyway. So I agree, do it now or wait until she is finished, or she will resent the process big time. If you have lots of money (and a visa) you could consider sending her ahead to boarding school here but it's very expensive in Rands and she may struggle socially.

 

My questions - what state are you going to? Each state has a different body which will convert her matric marks to a score. You generally don't apply directly to the unis here, you apply via this outside party. In Qld we have Qtac. The Queensland Tertiary Acceptance Committee. They can convert the SA matric scores to a both a Rank and an OP (overall position). This is a weird and very confusing system, even for the Aussies. 

 

To confuse matters further this system is falling away within the next 2 years because nobody knows how it really works. It seems each school is allocated various allowances so that children from lower performing schools can get into uni too, leading to massive complaints when top schools students don't get into -say- medicine, etc but they have like 7 distinctions...

 

So you need to get online and investigate the Qtac equivalent system in your particular state. You can then email them and ask for the conversion rate tables from SA matric to OP or Atar or whatever one it is depending on your state. Remember SA here stands for South Australia and they have a completely different system again called 'Sace'. So don't mix up SA and SA haha.

 

Note that Aussie kids apply to the acceptance boards around Sep/October of year 12. You will only get your daughter's official matric transcript in about Jan/Feb after matric. She will be unlikely to start uni in the Feb as you may be too late for the February start.

 

Does your daughter do IB or IEB or State system? This will make a difference. IB is highly regarded here but IEB is converted at the same rate as a government school matric, even though it's much more difficult. This is a bit unfair but will stand the child in good stead when she actually has to do the uni work.

 

Our son got a C average at an IEB school in SA and was accepted to study science in Qld but had to wait for the mid-semester (June) intake. In that 6 months he got very depressed and just didn't cope. So a word of caution it's going to be hard but worth it.

 

Like in SA, parents here make a massive deal out of what school & uni you go to, etc and there is all the same drama about year 12. However after your first 6 months' uni marks are released, that becomes your new GPA (Grade Point Average) and that's all you need to transfer to a better uni or better course. So don't let her get too freaked out by the drama, it lasts a year at the most.

 

Does she know what she would like to study yet? 

 

Another option is to let her finish matric there, then come over and start applying for uni. Get a casual job. Learn to drive (it's only 100 hours in her logbook in Qld, not 200 like in Sydney). When she gets her uni acceptance letter she is allowed to 'defer' for up to a year. Start uni only a year later, so in other words she can take a gap year to get on her feet, find her way around, figure out how the public transport works, etc.

 

Yet another option is to investigate distance learning (correspondence uni). Some options are Southern Cross Uni or USQ (there are many). That can be done from anywhere, it's all online (or you can attend lectures) and can be done from anywhere.

 

Fire away with any questions & sorry for the long post!

Edited September 5, 2016 by Bonny
Spelling

[SACruiser]

Thank you to all the feedback, much appreciated.

 

@Bonny so neer to your questions.

She really worked hard and just been chosen as a prefect for Grade 12. Doing very well in sport. So I don't necessarily wants to move her before completing grade 12.

 

What state are you going to?

We trying for Queensland as we have family in Mooloolah. 

 

Does your daughter do IB or IEB?

School follows the IEB standard.

 

Does she know what she would like to study yet? 

My daughter is looking at a medical field combined with sports.

 

 

[Bonny]

Hi Cobus

 

She can look at something like the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) and take a look through their Sports Science courses. Just look at all the Unis in the Brisbane and Sunshine/Gold Coast areas. Most of the websites give an indication of what O.P. you need to get into your preferred course. A lot of students first study biomedical science or sports science, and then try to qualify for a medical degree after the first year. If you choose a related field you can usually transfer credits. She can also consider nursing or paramedic training.

 

You will eventually need to decide if she is going to live at home or travel to class, in which case she will either need a close uni or move into some type of student accomodation away from home.

 

I would say your first step is to really understand the uni possibilities (there is also TAFE and usually after a year at -cheaper- TAFE you can trf into 2nd year uni anyway). 

 

Remember that she is not classified as an International Student. That is for non-residents and people with student visas. She is also not an Australian School leaver. So her case will probably need to be handled on an individual level. But it can be done without too much drama. Qtac is notorious for being unhelpful but at the end of the day it's their job to get her assessed and enrolled, and they will do it.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Bonny

[FromDurbs]

Hi All

My issue is a bit different, because my children are younger.  It seems that we will be leaving around the end of October.  My husband wants the children to stay and finish the school year on this side.  I want us all to go and start as a family in Australia.  (I already have a job and am going on a 457 visa, which we hope to have by the end of October.  The employer has already waited since July, so is eager for me to start).  My oldest is 15 and in Grade 9 and the youngest is 12 in grade 7.  If they will not be held back a year, if they do not complete their November exams on this side, I would rather all of us go together.  What were your experience?  Do children get placed in grades based on their ages or based on having passed previous Grades (in other countries, with a different syllabus.)  I am so glad I do not have to make this decision with a Grade 11 or 12 child.

Annie

[Mel-B]

It depends on the school I think. I've heard from many people that their kids were placed according to age. At my child's primary school (which I am very impressed with) it was very much left up to us to decide. If it was me I would opt to all go together. I think having to write exams SA style and then move right after might be too much for the kids - and in my opinion those report cards wont make or break their enrollment either way. Rather start this journey together. That is all my opinion, but my experience is limited to a young child (8). 

[rozellem]

FromDurbs, 

I would definitely come over as a family and immediately let the kids go to school.  The exams will not matter in the long term.  It looks like the 4th school term ends on the 20th of December, so there is actually a lot of time for the kids to get used to life in their new schools and to make a few friends they can catch up with over the holidays.  This is especially vital if they are teens.  You dont want a hysterical 15 year old, that wants go back to RSA, over the Xmas holidays, because they miss their friends too much.  Keep them busy!  Good luck. 

Edited September 7, 2016 by rozellem

[Duggen]

Let me first caveat what I am about to say with the fact that I am not a parent, so my view my differ slightly.

 

If I was your daughter, I would not want to change schools going into matric. Matric is the most sociable and fun year at school. You are the oldest, you are with friends, your are in the top sports teams, there are parties and matric dance and I could go on and on. If it were possible I would want to finish my schooling in South Africa and make the move to Aus the year after.

 

There are a world of possibilities for someone that has just finished matric and having a visa to a first world country is a huge plus. Personally I would take a gap year in Australia and the East (Thailand, Vietnam etc.) before starting varsity in Australia the following year. I wish I had these sort of choices as an 18 year old.

 

First year varsity also strikes me as the perfect time to make a move as you are joining at the start when everyone else is also new. People move to new varsities all over the world. Also the possibility of getting into res is the surest and easiest way to integrate into a new country and make friends.

 

I know I am pretty much disagreeing with what everyone else has said but that's my two cents worth.

[RYLC]

And over and above all of these considerations, you'll need to budget for university fees because only citizens qualify for the HECS/HELP system where you pay back the fees once you are working and earning above a certain level.

[Riekie]

19 hours ago, FromDurbs said:

If they will not be held back a year, if they do not complete their November exams on this side, I would rather all of us go together.  What were your experience?  Do children get placed in grades based on their ages or based on having passed previous Grades (in other countries, with a different syllabus.) 

 

We came over 1 November.  Our 11 year old did not attend school for the rest of that year and simply continued with her next year in Australia - she was not held back.  The school principal said it was not necessary for her to bother with the rest of the year and that we should rather spend the time settling in. That said, her academic results were excellent.  The decision seems to be with the relevant school principal and may not be the case for your kids or the school they will go to, but this was the case for us.  We made an appointment to see the principal as soon as we arrived and that was the decision which was made at the time.  (This was 12 years ago though) 

[Bonny]

1 hour ago, RYLC said:

And over and above all of these considerations, you'll need to budget for university fees because only citizens qualify for the HECS/HELP system where you pay back the fees once you are working and earning above a certain level.

Yes this is correct, but again remember you do not have to pay International Student fees. Only the state subsidised fees. 

 

You are still probably looking at around $4000 per 4-unit semester, so about $8000 per year. The business-type units are about $1250 each and the BA-type units are about $780 each, so budget about $8000+ (Something like Engineeering would be over $10k) on average, plus a couple of textbooks per semester.

 

Unfortunately very eina in Rands.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Bonny

[FromDurbs]

Thanks Riekie and rozellem and Mel-B

What you say make a lot of sense.  I would much rather move with my family.  I need the support !

Husband and parents thinks they need to finish the year here. 

[Husky]

@SACruiser

Sitting with a similar situation, as my daughter is now 17. To add to the complexity of what to do for grade 12, she finished grade 11 last year and is currently on a one year exchange programme in the East. The plan was for her to come home and finish matric before going to Rhodes to study journalism. 

And then we decided to emigrate ..... What to do?

I have read everyone's posts and am still torn. Although matric is great, with her having gone on exchange this year, all her friends won't be there next year. Our plan is to go to Melbourne. Have been doing a lot of research but still not clear on a solution. My understanding is that there are college type institutions where a student can do a combination of year 12 and a diploma bridging programme which takes 2 years. They can then apply for varsity the year after that. Can anyone from Victoria corroborate this? 

P.S. She is not even aware of our plans yet but expect she will embrace the idea fully with her adventurous spirit (I hope) 

Tough to do this with teenagers. Also have a 13 year old son who should be starting high school in 2017. He is excited about moving and keeps practicing an Aussie accent . Hehe

[ChrisH]

Maybe you should ask her what she'd like to do @Husky. Based on your description of her she might be keen to start in AUS.